NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation vs NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile Comparison

# NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation vs NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile

The data presents a stark contrast between a 285 W dual-slot workstation behemoth and a 30 W integrated-class mobile GPU. The RTX 5880 Ada Generation is in an entirely different performance tier, posting an average benchmark score of 45,972 against the RTX A500 Mobile's 39,568. However, the A500 Mobile still holds an 82nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, showing that even the lower-powered option is no slouch. The single head-to-head benchmark available, Geekbench OpenCL, shows the RTX 5880 delivering a 692.2% higher score, dwarfing the mobile chip. This comparison is less about direct competition and more about understanding where each fits in the broader workstation landscape.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5880 Ada Generation wins the only direct head-to-head benchmark, but its dominance extends across every metric in the fact pack. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 326,898 versus the A500 Mobile's 41,263. The RTX 5880 also has a complete benchmark suite, with scores in Passmark DirectX 10, 11, 12, and 9, plus G2D, G3D, and GPU compute tests. The A500 Mobile only has two benchmarks listed—Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan (37,873)—and neither appears in the rival comparison data for the RTX 5880.

The RTX 5880's wins are concentrated in raw compute throughput, memory bandwidth, and pixel/texture processing. Its 69.27 TFLOPS FP32 performance, 864.0 GB/s bandwidth, and 433.0 GPixel/s pixel rate are orders of magnitude beyond the A500 Mobile's 6.296 TFLOPS, 96.00 GB/s, and 49.18 GPixel/s respectively. For tasks like large-scale rendering, scientific simulation, or AI training, the RTX 5880 is the clear choice.

The A500 Mobile's wins are not in performance but in physical characteristics. It is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors, a 30 W TDP, and portable-device-dependent display outputs. This makes it suitable for compact, battery-powered workstations where the RTX 5880's dual-slot 267 mm length and 600 W suggested PSU would be impossible. The A500 Mobile also has a longer production lifespan in terms of availability—it launched in March 2022 and is now end-of-life, while the RTX 5880 launched in January 2024 and remains active.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations. The RTX 5880 uses Ada Lovelace architecture on TSMC's 5 nm process, while the A500 Mobile uses Ampere architecture on Samsung's 8 nm node. The RTX 5880's chip is AD102 with 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 125.3M per mm². The A500 Mobile's GA107S chip has 8,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, for a density of 43.5M per mm². This means the RTX 5880 packs roughly 8.8 times more transistors into about three times the die area.

Core counts show a similar gulf. The RTX 5880 has 14,080 shading units, 440 TMUs, 176 ROPs, 110 RT cores, and 440 tensor cores. The A500 Mobile has 2,048 shading units, 64 TMUs, 32 ROPs, 16 RT cores, and 64 tensor cores. The RTX 5880's advantage is roughly 6.9x in shaders, 6.9x in TMUs, 5.5x in ROPs, 6.9x in RT cores, and 6.9x in tensor cores. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API-level features are identical.

Memory architecture is a major differentiator. The RTX 5880 has 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, while the A500 Mobile has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus. This translates to 864.0 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s bandwidth—a 9x difference. The RTX 5880's memory runs at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) while the A500 Mobile runs at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective). The RTX 5880 also uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface versus the A500 Mobile's PCIe 4.0 x8, halving the available host bandwidth for the mobile chip.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The RTX 5880 Ada Generation delivers 69.27 TFLOPS FP32 and FP16 (1:1) performance, compared to the A500 Mobile's 6.296 TFLOPS in both. This is an 11x advantage for the RTX 5880.

Q: What are the power requirements for each?

A: The RTX 5880 has a 285 W TDP with a 600 W suggested PSU and a single 16-pin power connector, while the A500 Mobile has a 30 W TDP and requires no power connectors.

Q: How do their memory capacities compare?

A: The RTX 5880 offers 48 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, whereas the A500 Mobile offers 4 GB on a 64-bit bus. Bandwidth is 864.0 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s.

Q: Which GPU is newer and still in production?

A: The RTX 5880 was released in January 2024 and is marked as Active, while the A500 Mobile was released in March 2022 and is marked as End-of-life.

Q: What are the physical form factor differences?

A: The RTX 5880 is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm in length and 112 mm in height, while the A500 Mobile is an IGP with no defined dimensions and portable-device-dependent display outputs.

Q: How do their benchmark scores rank against other GPUs?

A: The RTX 5880 ranks in the 85th percentile of all GPUs with an average score of 45,972, while the A500 Mobile ranks in the 82nd percentile with an average score of 39,568.

Specification Differences

| Specification | RTX 5880 Ada Generation | RTX A500 Mobile |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | Ampere |

| Process Node | 5 nm (TSMC) | 8 nm (Samsung) |

| Transistors | 76,300 million | 8,700 million |

| Die Size | 609 mm² | 200 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 125.3M / mm² | 43.5M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 975 MHz | 832 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2460 MHz | 1537 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) | 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 48 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 64 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 864.0 GB/s | 96.00 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 14,080 | 2,048 |

| TMUs | 440 | 64 |

| ROPs | 176 | 32 |

| RT Cores | 110 | 16 |

| Tensor Cores | 440 | 64 |

| Pixel Rate | 433.0 GPixel/s | 49.18 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 1,082.4 GTexel/s | 98.37 GTexel/s |

| FP32 / FP16 | 69.27 TFLOPS | 6.296 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 285 W | 30 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | 1x 16-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 600 W | None |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a | Portable Device Dependent |

| Production Status | Active | End-of-life |

| Release Date | 2024-01-04 | 2022-03-21 |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only shared benchmark between the two is Geekbench OpenCL, and the result is lopsided. The RTX 5880 scores 326,898 against the A500 Mobile's 41,263, a delta of 692.2%. This is not a marginal difference—it represents a completely different class of compute capability. For context, the RTX 5880's nearest rivals in the overall database are the RTX A2000 (avg score 46,043, delta -0.2%) and Intel Arc A730M (avg score 45,592, delta 0.8%), meaning it sits in a peer group with mid-range desktop and mobile parts. The A500 Mobile's nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Pro 575 (avg score 39,555, delta 0%) and Pro 575X (avg score 39,116, delta 1.2%), placing it alongside older desktop workstation cards.

The RTX 5880 also has a full suite of Passmark benchmarks that the A500 Mobile lacks: DirectX 10 (167), DirectX 11 (228), DirectX 12 (70), DirectX 9 (335), G2D (777), G3D (25,096), and GPU compute (14,208). These scores show a GPU that performs best in G3D and compute workloads, with lower DirectX-specific scores suggesting driver or test variance rather than hardware limitations. The A500 Mobile's Vulkan score of 37,873 is its only other recorded benchmark, and it is not directly comparable to any RTX 5880 result since no Vulkan test appears for the larger card.

Pixel and texture rates reinforce the gap. The RTX 5880's 433.0 GPixel/s and 1,082.4 GTexel/s are 8.8x and 11x higher than the A500 Mobile's 49.18 GPixel/s and 98.37 GTexel/s. These metrics matter for rasterization-heavy tasks like 3D modeling viewports or video compositing, where fill rate determines how quickly geometry and textures can be processed.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the RTX 5880 Ada Generation is the superior performer in every measurable way. Its 69.27 TFLOPS FP32 compute, 864.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, and 48 GB VRAM make it suitable for large datasets and complex workloads that would instantly exhaust the A500 Mobile's 4 GB frame buffer. The 692.2% head-to-head win in Geekbench OpenCL is the single most telling statistic—this is not a close contest.

However, the A500 Mobile's 30 W TDP and IGP form factor mean it can operate in systems where the RTX 5880 simply cannot fit. The 285 W TDP, dual-slot size, and 600 W PSU requirement confine the RTX 5880 to desktop workstations with ample power and cooling. For mobile workstations prioritizing battery life and portability over compute, the A500 Mobile's 82nd percentile ranking shows it still outperforms the majority of GPUs in the database.

The production status is another deciding factor. The RTX 5880 is Active with a 2024 release date, while the A500 Mobile is End-of-life with a 2022 release. Buyers seeking long-term driver support and availability should prefer the RTX 5880. Those with existing Ampere-based mobile platforms or strict power budgets may find the A500 Mobile acceptable for light workstation tasks, but the data suggests any compute-intensive work will be severely constrained by its 6.296 TFLOPS and 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. Choose the RTX 5880 for performance, the A500 Mobile for portability—there is no middle ground in the benchmark results.