NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation vs NVIDIA RTX A4500 Mobile Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded benchmark data splits cleanly between these two workstation GPUs. The NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation wins both head-to-head tests in the database, claiming 2 wins to 0 for the NVIDIA RTX A4500 Mobile. That is not a narrow margin either; the desktop Ada part leads by substantial double-digit percentages in both compute and graphics API workloads.

For OpenCL compute tasks, the RTX 4500 Ada Generation posts a score of 160,786 against 105,307 for the mobile Ampere part. That represents a 52.7% advantage in the database's recorded OpenCL test. In Vulkan, the gap widens dramatically: 171,401 versus 76,960, a 122.7% delta. The desktop card essentially doubles the mobile card's Vulkan throughput.

The use-case split is straightforward. Any workload that leans on Vulkan, such as real-time rendering, viewport interaction, or compute shaders, will show the largest relative benefit from the RTX 4500 Ada Generation. OpenCL-heavy tasks, which range from scientific compute to video encoding and some CAD simulation, also favor the desktop card, but the margin is smaller than Vulkan. The mobile A4500 still holds its own for portability-based workflows, where its 140 W TDP and portable-device form factor matter more than raw score supremacy.

The percentile data reinforces this hierarchy. The RTX 4500 Ada Generation sits at the 97th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the RTX A4500 Mobile rests at the 93rd percentile. Both are top-tier parts, but the desktop card operates a full tier higher in the distribution. The average benchmark score for the desktop part is 166,094, versus 91,134 for the mobile part, which is a 1.82x gap in aggregate performance.

Architecture Differences

The architectural split between these two is a generation gap. The RTX 4500 Ada Generation uses the AD103 chip built on Ada Lovelace architecture at TSMC's 5 nm node. It packs 45,900 million transistors into a 379 mm² die, producing a transistor density of 121.1 million per square millimeter. The RTX A4500 Mobile uses the GA104 chip on the older Ampere architecture, manufactured by Samsung at 8 nm. That chip holds 17,400 million transistors across a 392 mm² die, with a density of 44.4 million per square millimeter. The Ada part achieves higher density despite a slightly smaller die.

The compute configuration differs sharply. The RTX 4500 Ada Generation has 7,680 shader units, 240 texture units, 80 raster output units, 60 ray tracing cores, and 240 tensor cores. The mobile A4500 offers 5,888 shaders, 184 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 46 RT cores, and 184 tensor cores. So the Ada card has 30% more shading units, 30% more TMUs, and 30% more tensor cores, but the Ampere part has 20% more ROPs. The desktop part's RT core count is 30% higher.

Clock speeds diverge heavily. The RTX 4500 Ada Generation runs a base clock of 2070 MHz and boosts to 2580 MHz. The mobile A4500 runs much lower: 930 MHz base, 1500 MHz boost. That is a 122% higher base clock and 72% higher boost clock for the Ada part. The memory clocks also differ, with the desktop part at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) versus 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) for the mobile part.

Memory configurations are opposite designs. The RTX 4500 Ada Generation has 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, yielding 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX A4500 Mobile has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 512.0 GB/s bandwidth. The mobile part actually has 18.5% more memory bandwidth despite having one-third less capacity. The desktop's narrower bus is compensated by the higher clock, but the bandwidth advantage remains with the mobile part.

The TDP reflects the form factor: 210 W for the desktop dual-slot card versus 140 W for the mobile. The desktop needs a 550 W suggested PSU, while the mobile part has no suggested PSU listed. Both use PCIe 4.0 x16. The desktop has 4x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, whereas the mobile is portable-device dependent.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Vulkan test shows the most extreme delta. The RTX 4500 Ada Generation scores 171,401, which is 122.7% above the RTX A4500 Mobile's 76,960. This is a 2.2x difference in raw score. The desktop card's higher boost clock, 2580 MHz versus 1500 MHz, plus its 7,680 shaders, means the Vulkan rendering pipeline can feed both more threads and keep them at higher frequencies.

The OpenCL test shows a narrower edge but still decisive. The desktop scores 160,786 versus 105,307 for the mobile, a 52.7% delta. Both parts are close in memory bandwidth (432.0 GB/s vs 512.0 GB/s for the mobile), so the desktop must win on compute throughput. The desktop's FP32 performance is 39.63 TFLOPS, versus 17.66 TFLOPS for the mobile. That 2.24x FP32 advantage is close to the Vulkan delta, but the OpenCL delta is lower, suggesting the mobile part's wider 256-bit bus helps it close the gap in memory-bound OpenCL workloads. The desktop's texture rate of 619.2 GTexel/s versus 276.0 GTexel/s also supports the massive Vulkan win.

The pixel rate tells a similar story: 206.4 GPixel/s for the desktop versus 144.0 GPixel/s for the mobile. The desktop has 43% more pixel throughput, though it carries fewer ROPs. The ROP count difference, 80 versus 96, is the only hardware spec where the mobile part leads, and it still loses pixel rate because of the clock advantage. The RT core count of 60 vs 46 suggests the desktop's ray tracing workloads should see similar scaling to the shading units.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU performs better in the database's Vulkan test?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation scores 171,401 in Vulkan, while the RTX A4500 Mobile scores 76,960. That gives the desktop card a 122.7% higher result.

Q: Is the RTX A4500 Mobile ever faster than the desktop card?

A: No. The RTX 4500 Ada Generation wins both head-to-head tests. The mobile part has a wider memory bus (256-bit vs 192-bit) and higher bandwidth (512.0 GB/s vs 432.0 GB/s), but it loses on overall benchmark scores.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference?

A: The RTX 4500 Ada Generation averages 166,094 in the database, and the RTX A4500 Mobile averages 91,134. The desktop card is 82.2% higher in average score.

Q: How does each card compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4500 Ada Generation is 0.5% above the NVIDIA RTX A5500 (165,217), 0.7% above the AMD Radeon PRO W7800 (164,894), and 1.5% below the AMD Radeon Pro W6900X (168,574). The RTX A4500 Mobile is 0.6% below the desktop RTX A4500 (91,671), 1.4% below the AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 (92,466), and 4.2% above the NVIDIA Quadro GP100 (87,445).

Q: Which card has more shader units?

A: The RTX 4500 Ada Generation has 7,680 shading units, and the RTX A4500 Mobile has 5,888. The desktop card has 30% more shaders.

Q: Are both cards still in production?

A: No. The RTX 4500 Ada Generation is listed as Active, while the RTX A4500 Mobile is End-of-life.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the two parts:

• Architecture: Ada Lovelace vs Ampere
• Process Node: 5 nm (TSMC) vs 8 nm (Samsung)
• Transistors: 45,900 million vs 17,400 million
• Die Size: 379 mm² vs 392 mm²
• Density: 121.1M / mm² vs 44.4M / mm²
• Base Clock: 2070 MHz vs 930 MHz
• Boost Clock: 2580 MHz vs 1500 MHz
• Memory Clock: 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) vs 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective)
• Memory Size: 24 GB vs 16 GB
• Memory Bus: 192 bit vs 256 bit
• Memory Bandwidth: 432.0 GB/s vs 512.0 GB/s
• Shading Units: 7680 vs 5888
• TMUs: 240 vs 184
• ROPs: 80 vs 96
• RT Cores: 60 vs 46
• Tensor Cores: 240 vs 184
• Pixel Rate: 206.4 GPixel/s vs 144.0 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: 619.2 GTexel/s vs 276.0 GTexel/s
• FP32 (and FP16): 39.63 TFLOPS vs 17.66 TFLOPS (both 1:1 ratio)
• TDP: 210 W vs 140 W
• Slot Width: Dual-slot vs not specified
• Suggested PSU: 550 W vs not specified
• Display Outputs: 4x DisplayPort 1.4a vs Portable Device Dependent
• Dimensions: 245 mm x 112 mm vs not specified
• Production Status: Active vs End-of-life
• Release Date: 2023-08-08 vs 2022-03-21
• Predecessor: Workstation Ampere vs Quadro Turing-M
• Successor: Blackwell PRO W vs Ada-MW

Both parts share the same PCIe 4.0 x16 bus, DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 API support. The mobile part has no listed series or codename.

The Verdict

The data points one direction. The NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation is the faster workstation GPU in every benchmark the database recorded. It wins OpenCL by 52.7% and Vulkan by 122.7%. Its average benchmark score is 82% higher, and it sits in the 97th percentile versus the 93rd for the mobile A4500. For any workload where raw GPU throughput matters, the desktop Ada card is the clear choice.

The RTX A4500 Mobile has two advantages in the specification sheet: 26.2% more memory bandwidth (512.0 GB/s vs 432.0 GB/s) and 20% more ROPs (96 vs 80). It also has a 140 W TDP versus 210 W, which is 33% lower power draw. Those features make it a more power-efficient part for a laptop, though the actual performance data shows it cannot translate those specs into higher benchmark scores.

For buyers with a desktop workstation and no mobility constraint, the RTX 4500 Ada Generation is the superior investment in raw performance. It offers 2.24x the FP32 compute, 2.24x the texture rate, and 1.43x the pixel rate. The 24 GB memory capacity also suits larger datasets. For a mobile workstation, the RTX A4500 Mobile still sits at the 93rd percentile, so it is not a weak option; it is simply a more constrained one. The Ampere part's higher bandwidth and lower power make it a reasonable pick for portable work, but the database's benchmark data consistently favors the Ada desktop card.