NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation vs NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded database contains a single direct head-to-head benchmark between these two workstation GPUs, and the result is decisively one-sided. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation scored 326,898 points, while the NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile scored 79,091 points. This represents a delta of -75.8% for the mobile part, meaning the RTX 5880 Ada outperforms the A3000 Mobile by a massive margin in raw compute workloads.

This is not a close contest by any measurable standard. The RTX 5880 Ada Generation's OpenCL score is more than four times higher than the A3000 Mobile's result. The delta of -75.8% indicates that the A3000 Mobile achieves only about a quarter of the performance of the desktop-class Ada card in this specific metric. For professionals evaluating compute-heavy tasks such as rendering, simulation, or machine learning inference, this gap is transformative.

The broader benchmark averages in the database reinforce this hierarchy. The RTX A3000 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 70,140, placing it in the 91st percentile of all GPUs tracked. The RTX 5880 Ada Generation, despite having a much lower average score of 45,972, sits in the 85th percentile. This apparent discrepancy is explained by the fact that the RTX 5880 Ada has a wider range of benchmark results recorded, including several DirectX and Passmark tests that pull its average down. The single OpenCL comparison, however, is unambiguous: the Ada card is the clear performance leader.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each card provides additional context. The A3000 Mobile's closest competitor is the NVIDIA Quadro P6000, which scores 69,986, a delta of just 0.2% behind. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 8200 is nearly identical at 69,870, only 0.4% behind. The A3000 Mobile also edges out the NVIDIA CMP 90HX by 1.7%, while trailing the AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE by 1%. These tight margins show that the A3000 Mobile sits in a competitive mid-range segment of the mobile workstation market.

The RTX 5880 Ada Generation, conversely, has rivals that are much closer in aggregate score. The NVIDIA RTX A2000 scores 46,043, a delta of -0.2% (essentially a tie), while the Intel Arc A730M is 0.8% behind at 45,592. The AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT trails by 1.3%, and the AMD Radeon RX 5600M leads by 1.4%. This clustering suggests that the RTX 5880 Ada's average is heavily weighted by its lower-performing legacy DirectX tests, which obscure its true compute capability when compared to the OpenCL result.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are separated by an entire hardware generation and fundamental design philosophy. The RTX A3000 Mobile uses the GA104 chip, built on Samsung's 8 nm process node. It contains 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 44.4 million per mm². The RTX 5880 Ada Generation uses the AD102 chip, fabricated by TSMC on a 5 nm process. This newer node packs 76,300 million transistors into a 609 mm² die, achieving a density of 125.3 million per mm². The Ada chip has over four times the transistor count and nearly three times the density, which explains its enormous performance advantage despite a larger physical footprint.

The A3000 Mobile is an Ampere-generation part, released in April 2021, while the RTX 5880 Ada is an Ada Lovelace part released in January 2024. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API compatibility is not a differentiator. The clock speeds tell a stark story: the A3000 Mobile has a base clock of 600 MHz and a boost clock of 1230 MHz, while the RTX 5880 Ada runs at 975 MHz base and 2460 MHz boost. The Ada card's boost clock is exactly double the mobile part's base clock, and its memory runs at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) versus 1375 MHz (11 Gbps effective) for the A3000 Mobile.

Memory configuration is another major divergence. The A3000 Mobile has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 264.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 5880 Ada has 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 864.0 GB/s. That is eight times the capacity and over three times the bandwidth. For large datasets, high-resolution textures, or multi-GPU rendering workloads, the Ada card's memory subsystem is in a different class entirely.

Compute resources scale accordingly. The A3000 Mobile has 4,096 shading units, 128 TMUs, 64 ROPs, 32 RT cores, and 128 tensor cores. The RTX 5880 Ada has 14,080 shading units, 440 TMUs, 176 ROPs, 110 RT cores, and 440 tensor cores. The Ada card has roughly 3.4 times the shading units, 3.4 times the TMUs, 2.75 times the ROPs, 3.4 times the RT cores, and 3.4 times the tensor cores. This consistent scaling across every compute unit type indicates a fully proportional architectural upgrade, not just a clock boost.

The resulting fill rates are equally lopsided. The A3000 Mobile delivers 78.72 GPixel/s and 157.4 GTexel/s, while the RTX 5880 Ada achieves 433.0 GPixel/s and 1,082.4 GTexel/s. In FP32 compute, the A3000 Mobile produces 10.08 TFLOPS, while the RTX 5880 Ada produces 69.27 TFLOPS. Both cards offer FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, which is typical for NVIDIA workstation parts. Power consumption reflects the performance gap: the A3000 Mobile has a TDP of 70 W with no power connectors (portable device dependent), while the RTX 5880 Ada has a TDP of 285 W, requires a dual-slot cooler, a single 16-pin power connector, and a suggested 600 W power supply.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation is the superior GPU for absolute performance. Its OpenCL score of 326,898 versus 79,091 for the A3000 Mobile represents a 75.8% advantage, and its architectural resources dwarf the mobile part in every category: shading units, RT cores, tensor cores, memory capacity, memory bandwidth, and clock speed. Any workload that is compute-bound or memory-bound will favor the Ada card by a wide margin.

The RTX A3000 Mobile, however, is not without justification. Its 70 W TDP and portable device dependency make it suitable for laptops and mobile workstations where power and thermal constraints are paramount. It occupies the 91st percentile of all GPUs, higher than the RTX 5880 Ada's 85th percentile, which reflects its strong performance relative to the broader GPU landscape. Its 6 GB memory capacity may be limiting for large models, but for light-to-moderate compute tasks in a mobile form factor, it remains a capable option.

The RTX 5880 Ada Generation is clearly the choice for desktop workstations where performance is the sole priority. Its 48 GB memory, 864.0 GB/s bandwidth, and 69.27 TFLOPS FP32 compute make it suitable for serious rendering, simulation, and AI workloads. The A3000 Mobile is the choice for professionals who need workstation-grade compute on the move, accepting a 75.8% performance deficit in exchange for a 70 W power envelope and no external power requirement.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher OpenCL performance?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation scores 326,898 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the RTX A3000 Mobile scores 79,091, a 75.8% advantage for the Ada card.

Q: How much memory does each card have?

A: The RTX A3000 Mobile has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 264.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 5880 Ada Generation has 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus with 864.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The RTX A3000 Mobile has a 70 W TDP and no power connectors, making it portable-device dependent. The RTX 5880 Ada Generation has a 285 W TDP, requires a dual-slot cooler, a single 16-pin power connector, and a suggested 600 W power supply.

Q: How do the nearest rivals compare for each card?

A: The A3000 Mobile's closest rival is the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 at 0.2% behind, while the RTX 5880 Ada's closest rival is the NVIDIA RTX A2000 at -0.2% delta.

Q: Which card has more compute units?

A: The RTX 5880 Ada has 14,080 shading units, 440 TMUs, 176 ROPs, 110 RT cores, and 440 tensor cores. The RTX A3000 Mobile has 4,096 shading units, 128 TMUs, 64 ROPs, 32 RT cores, and 128 tensor cores.

Q: When was each card released?

A: The RTX A3000 Mobile was released in April 2021, while the RTX 5880 Ada Generation was released in January 2024.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5880 Ada Generation wins decisively in every performance-based category recorded in the database. Its OpenCL score is 75.8% higher, its FP32 compute is 69.27 TFLOPS versus 10.08 TFLOPS, and its memory bandwidth is 864.0 GB/s versus 264.0 GB/s. For tasks such as 3D rendering, scientific simulation, large-scale data processing, or AI model training where memory capacity matters, the 48 GB frame buffer is a decisive advantage over the 6 GB on the mobile part. The Ada card also wins on raw clock speed, with a 2460 MHz boost versus 1230 MHz, and on every fill rate metric: 433.0 GPixel/s versus 78.72 GPixel/s, and 1,082.4 GTexel/s versus 157.4 GTexel/s.

The RTX A3000 Mobile wins on portability and power efficiency. With a 70 W TDP and no power connectors, it can operate in laptops and compact mobile workstations where the 285 W, dual-slot, 16-pin-equipped RTX 5880 Ada cannot physically fit. The mobile card also holds a higher percentile ranking at 91 versus 85, indicating that it outperforms a larger fraction of the total GPU population relative to its class. For professionals who need workstation drivers, 12 Ultimate API support, and tensor cores for AI acceleration while traveling, the A3000 Mobile is the only viable option between these two.

The decision comes down to environment and workload. In a fixed desktop workstation with adequate power and cooling, the RTX 5880 Ada Generation is superior in every measurable way. In a mobile chassis where power draw is limited and the card must rely on the host system for display output, the RTX A3000 Mobile provides a functional, albeit much slower, alternative. The database records one clear winner in raw performance, but the appropriate choice depends entirely on whether the user requires desktop-class compute or mobile flexibility.