NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation vs NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation has an average benchmark score of 184664, while the NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation scores 183035. The RTX 5000 leads by 0.9%.

Q: Do both cards perform at the same percentile level?

A: Yes, both the RTX 5000 Ada and RTX 4500 Ada sit in the 99th percentile among all GPUs, indicating that both are top-tier workstation accelerators.

Q: Which card wins in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 194668, compared to the RTX 5000 Ada's 175286. That is a 10% advantage for the RTX 4500.

Q: Which card wins in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation takes the Geekbench Vulkan test with 194041, beating the RTX 4500 Ada's 171401 by 13.2%.

Q: How does the RTX 5000 Ada compare to the GeForce RTX 4090 D?

A: The RTX 5000 Ada has an average score of 184664, which is 5.7% higher than the RTX 4090 D's 174774. The RTX 4500 Ada leads the RTX 4090 D by 4.7%.

Q: What is the transistor density difference between the two cards?

A: The RTX 5000 Ada has a transistor density of 125.3M per mm², while the RTX 4500 Ada has 121.1M per mm². Both are built on the same TSMC 5 nm process.

Architecture Differences

The two cards share the Ada Lovelace architecture and are fabricated by TSMC on the same 5 nm process node, but they use different physical chips. The RTX 5000 Ada uses the AD102 chip, which is substantially larger at 609 mm² and packs 76,300 million transistors. The RTX 4500 Ada uses the AD103 chip, measuring 379 mm² with 45,900 million transistors. This size difference explains a large part of the performance gap between them.

The RTX 5000 Ada has 12,800 shading units, 400 texture mapping units, and 176 render output units. The RTX 4500 Ada is cut down significantly, with 7,680 shading units, 240 TMUs, and just 80 ROPs. Ray tracing resources follow the same pattern: the RTX 5000 Ada has 100 RT cores and 400 tensor cores, while the RTX 4500 Ada has 60 RT cores and 240 tensor cores.

The transistor density figures are close — 125.3M per mm² for the RTX 5000 Ada versus 121.1M per mm² for the RTX 4500 Ada — which indicates that the smaller chip is not a fundamentally different design, just a smaller slice of the same architecture. Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so the API feature set is identical.

Memory architecture differs as well. The RTX 5000 Ada has 32 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4500 Ada has 24 GB of GDDR6 on a narrower 192-bit bus, yielding 432.0 GB/s. The effective memory clock is the same at 18 Gbps, so the bandwidth gap is purely a function of bus width and capacity.

The Verdict

The benchmark data shows a near-total tie in average performance. The RTX 5000 Ada's average score of 184664 edges out the RTX 4500 Ada's 183035 by just 0.9%. Both cards occupy the 99th percentile, meaning that in aggregate workloads, they perform almost identically. The choice between them should therefore rest on specific workload characteristics rather than overall speed.

For users who prioritize OpenCL compute, the RTX 4500 Ada is the stronger pick. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 194668 beats the RTX 5000 Ada's 175286 by a decisive 10%. This is a notable inversion, since the RTX 4500 Ada has fewer shading units and lower peak FP32 throughput. The data suggests that the RTX 4500 Ada's higher base clock of 2070 MHz, compared to the RTX 5000 Ada's 1155 MHz, may contribute to its OpenCL efficiency.

For users who prioritize Vulkan rendering, the RTX 5000 Ada is clearly superior. Its Vulkan score of 194041 beats the RTX 4500 Ada's 171401 by 13.2%. The RTX 5000 Ada's larger pool of RT cores and tensor cores likely drives this advantage in graphics-oriented workloads.

Memory capacity is another differentiator. The RTX 5000 Ada offers 32 GB, which is 8 GB more than the RTX 4500 Ada's 24 GB. For large datasets or high-resolution textures, that extra capacity can be decisive, even if raw bandwidth is higher on the RTX 5000 Ada (576.0 GB/s versus 432.0 GB/s). The RTX 4500 Ada is the more power-efficient option at 210 W TDP versus 250 W, and it does not require a power connector, while the RTX 5000 Ada uses a 16-pin connector.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every compute metric. The RTX 5000 Ada has 12,800 shading units versus 7,680 on the RTX 4500 Ada — a 66.7% higher count. TMUs are 400 versus 240, and ROPs are 176 versus 80. RT cores are 100 versus 60, and tensor cores are 400 versus 240.

Clock speeds invert the expected hierarchy. The RTX 5000 Ada has a base clock of 1155 MHz and a boost clock of 2550 MHz. The RTX 4500 Ada has a base clock of 2070 MHz and a boost clock of 2580 MHz. The RTX 4500 Ada's base clock is nearly twice as high, which helps it in lightly threaded or burst workloads.

Peak throughput figures reflect the core count disparity. The RTX 5000 Ada delivers 65.28 TFLOPS FP32 and 65.28 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1). The RTX 4500 Ada delivers 39.63 TFLOPS in both FP32 and FP16. Pixel rate is 448.8 GPixel/s on the RTX 5000 Ada versus 206.4 GPixel/s on the RTX 4500 Ada. Texture rate is 1,020.0 GTexel/s versus 619.2 GTexel/s.

Memory differences are substantial. The RTX 5000 Ada has 32 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 576.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 4500 Ada has 24 GB GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. Both run at 2250 MHz memory clock with 18 Gbps effective.

Power and physical specs also differ. The RTX 5000 Ada has a 250 W TDP and requires a 600 W suggested PSU, while the RTX 4500 Ada has a 210 W TDP and a 550 W suggested PSU. The RTX 5000 Ada uses a 1x 16-pin power connector; the RTX 4500 Ada has no power connector specified. Both are dual-slot cards, but the RTX 5000 Ada is longer at 267 mm (10.5 inches) versus 245 mm (9.6 inches). Both have the same height of 112 mm (4.4 inches) and identical display outputs of 4x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two available Geekbench tests split exactly one win each. In OpenCL, the RTX 4500 Ada scores 194668 against the RTX 5000 Ada's 175286, a 10% margin in favor of the smaller card. This is a surprising result given the RTX 5000 Ada's 65% higher shading unit count and 64.7% higher FP32 throughput. The RTX 4500 Ada's much higher base clock (2070 MHz versus 1155 MHz) may explain why it wins in this compute-oriented workload.

In Vulkan, the RTX 5000 Ada reverses the outcome. It scores 194041 versus the RTX 4500 Ada's 171401, a 13.2% advantage. This is the larger margin of the two tests, and it aligns with the RTX 5000 Ada's superior RT core count (100 versus 60) and tensor core count (400 versus 240). Vulkan workloads that leverage ray tracing or tensor operations would naturally favor the larger chip.

The average benchmark scores are much closer than either individual test suggests. The RTX 5000 Ada's average of 184664 is only 0.9% higher than the RTX 4500 Ada's 183035. This indicates that the OpenCL and Vulkan results are not directly comparable in weight — the OpenCL deficit on the RTX 5000 Ada is offset by its Vulkan win, but the overall average lands almost exactly in the middle.

Both cards sit comfortably ahead of their nearest rivals. The RTX 5000 Ada leads the GeForce RTX 4090 D by 5.7% and the AMD Radeon PRO W7900 by 11.2%. The RTX 4500 Ada leads the same RTX 4090 D by 4.7% and the W7900 by 10.2%. The RTX A5500 trails both by 14.6% and 13.6%, respectively.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4500 Ada wins in OpenCL compute workloads. Its 194668 OpenCL score is 10% higher than the RTX 5000 Ada's, and its higher base clock suggests that latency-sensitive or burst compute tasks will run disproportionately well. For users whose primary workload is OpenCL-based simulation, physics, or data processing, the RTX 4500 Ada offers better performance per watt as well, with a 210 W TDP versus 250 W.

The RTX 5000 Ada wins in Vulkan rendering and graphics workloads. Its 13.2% Vulkan advantage is the single largest margin in the head-to-head data. With 100 RT cores and 400 tensor cores, the RTX 5000 Ada is better equipped for ray-traced rendering and AI-assisted graphics tasks. The 32 GB memory capacity also provides headroom for large scenes, textures, or multi-GPU frame buffering that would exceed the RTX 4500 Ada's 24 GB.

For memory-bound workloads, the RTX 5000 Ada holds a clear edge. Its 576.0 GB/s bandwidth is 33.3% higher than the RTX 4500 Ada's 432.0 GB/s, and the 32 GB capacity allows larger working sets. The RTX 4500 Ada, by contrast, has a lower 210 W TDP and no power connector, making it easier to install in systems with limited power delivery.

The data does not declare a single winner. The RTX 5000 Ada is the better choice for Vulkan graphics, ray tracing, and large-memory workloads. The RTX 4500 Ada is the better choice for OpenCL compute and for users who need lower power consumption. The 0.9% average score difference means that most users will see near-identical performance in mixed workloads, and the decision should come down to which benchmark test matters more for their specific applications.