NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation vs NVIDIA RTX A6000 Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the majority of the head-to-head benchmark tests?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation wins 6 of the 8 head-to-head benchmark comparisons, while the NVIDIA RTX A6000 wins 2. The RTX 5880’s victories include Geekbench OpenCL, Passmark DirectX 10, DirectX 11, DirectX 9, G3D, and GPU Compute.

Q: How large is the performance gap in the most one-sided benchmark?

A: The largest delta is in Geekbench OpenCL, where the RTX 5880 Ada Generation scores 326,898 versus the RTX A6000’s 193,937, a 68.6% advantage. This is by far the biggest margin in any tested workload.

Q: In which benchmarks does the RTX A6000 outperform the RTX 5880?

A: The RTX A6000 wins Passmark DirectX 12 (87 vs 70, a 19.5% lead) and Passmark G2D (913 vs 777, a 14.9% lead). These are the only two tests where the older Ampere card comes out ahead.

Q: Do the two cards have the same memory capacity and bus width?

A: Yes, both the RTX 5880 Ada Generation and the RTX A6000 feature 48 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus. However, the RTX 5880’s memory runs at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) versus 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) on the A6000, yielding 864.0 GB/s versus 768.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: What is the difference in their overall benchmark percentile rankings?

A: The RTX 5880 Ada Generation sits at the 85th percentile among all GPUs, while the RTX A6000 is at the 84th percentile. Their average benchmark scores are 45,972 and 44,075, respectively, a difference of roughly 4.3%.

Q: Which card is newer and what is the production status of each?

A: The RTX 5880 Ada Generation was released on 2024-01-04 and is listed as Active. The RTX A6000 was released on 2020-10-04 and is listed as End-of-life. The RTX 5880’s predecessor is Workstation Ampere, while the A6000’s successor is Workstation Ada.

Architecture Differences

The two cards represent two distinct NVIDIA workstation generations. The RTX 5880 Ada Generation is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using the AD102 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. The RTX A6000 uses the older Ampere architecture with the GA102 chip, manufactured on an 8 nm process at Samsung. The process node difference is substantial: 5 nm versus 8 nm, which contributes to a major transistor density gap.

The RTX 5880 packs 76,300 million transistors into a 609 mm² die, yielding a density of 125.3M transistors per mm². The RTX A6000 has 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die, giving a density of just 45.1M per mm². Despite the A6000 having a slightly larger physical die, the RTX 5880 crams nearly 2.7 times more transistors into a smaller area. This architectural leap is the foundation for the performance differences observed.

The core configurations differ sharply. The RTX 5880 features 14,080 shading units, 440 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, alongside 110 RT cores and 440 tensor cores. The RTX A6000 has 10,752 shading units, 336 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, with 84 RT cores and 336 tensor cores. In every count, the RTX 5880 leads by roughly 31% in shaders and TMUs, and by 57% in ROPs.

Clock speeds tell a more nuanced story. The RTX A6000 has a higher base clock at 1410 MHz versus 975 MHz, but the RTX 5880 boosts much higher at 2460 MHz versus 1800 MHz. This boost advantage, combined with the larger core count, drives the RTX 5880’s peak rates: 69.27 TFLOPS FP32 and FP16 versus 38.71 TFLOPS on the A6000. Pixel rate is 433.0 GPixel/s on the RTX 5880 versus 201.6 GPixel/s on the A6000, and texture rate is 1,082.4 GTexel/s versus 604.8 GTexel/s.

Both cards support PCIe 4.0 x16, have identical display outputs (4x DisplayPort 1.4a), and share the same API support: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RTX 5880 draws 285 W TDP with a 600 W suggested PSU and a 1x 16-pin power connector, while the A6000 draws 300 W TDP with a 700 W suggested PSU and an 8-pin EPS connector. Both are dual-slot cards with identical dimensions: 267 mm length and 112 mm height.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL test delivers the most dramatic separation. The RTX 5880 scores 326,898 versus 193,937 for the A6000, a 68.6% advantage. This suggests the Ada architecture’s compute throughput, boosted by the higher shader count and clock speed, translates into massive gains in general-purpose GPU compute workloads.

Passmark DirectX 9 shows a 36.7% win for the RTX 5880 (335 vs 245), reflecting the improved fixed-function and shader performance in legacy DirectX paths. DirectX 11 follows with a 19.4% edge (228 vs 191). The RTX 5880 also takes Passmark G3D at 25,096 versus 22,577, an 11.2% margin, and Passmark DirectX 10 at 167 versus 155, a 7.7% win.

GPU Compute is nearly a tie: 14,208 on the RTX 5880 versus 14,110 on the A6000, a mere 0.7% difference. This near-parity is curious given the 68.6% OpenCL gap, suggesting that Passmark’s compute test may exercise a narrower set of operations that do not fully utilize the Ada architecture’s advantages.

The A6000’s two wins are worth scrutiny. Passmark DirectX 12 gives the A6000 an 87 versus 70 score, a 19.5% lead. Passmark G2D shows 913 versus 777, a 14.9% advantage for the older card. The G2D result is particularly interesting because it measures 2D graphics performance, which can be sensitive to driver optimizations and memory latency rather than raw compute throughput. The DirectX 12 result might indicate that the A6000’s driver stack or memory subsystem handles certain modern API workloads better, despite the RTX 5880’s hardware superiority.

Specification Differences

| Specification | RTX 5880 Ada Generation | RTX A6000 |

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

| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | Ampere |

| Chip | AD102 | GA102 |

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

| Transistors | 76,300 million | 28,300 million |

| Die Size | 609 mm² | 628 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 125.3M / mm² | 45.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 975 MHz | 1410 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2460 MHz | 1800 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 2250 MHz (18 Gbps) | 2000 MHz (16 Gbps) |

| Memory Bandwidth | 864.0 GB/s | 768.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 14,080 | 10,752 |

| TMUs | 440 | 336 |

| ROPs | 176 | 112 |

| RT Cores | 110 | 84 |

| Tensor Cores | 440 | 336 |

| Pixel Rate | 433.0 GPixel/s | 201.6 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 1,082.4 GTexel/s | 604.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 / FP16 | 69.27 TFLOPS | 38.71 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 285 W | 300 W |

| Power Connector | 1x 16-pin | 8-pin EPS |

| Suggested PSU | 600 W | 700 W |

| Release Date | 2024-01-04 | 2020-10-04 |

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

| Predecessor | Workstation Ampere | Quadro Turing |

| Successor | Blackwell PRO W | Workstation Ada |

| Launch MSRP | — | 4,649 USD |

Both cards share 48 GB GDDR6 memory, 384-bit bus, PCIe 4.0 x16, dual-slot design, 4x DisplayPort 1.4a, and identical dimensions. The RTX A6000 has a higher base clock and a lower TDP relative to its performance tier, but the RTX 5880’s boost clock more than compensates.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5880 Ada Generation dominates in compute-heavy and legacy graphics workloads. Its 68.6% OpenCL lead makes it the clear choice for OpenCL-based rendering, scientific simulation, or any workload that leverages generalized compute. The 36.7% DirectX 9 win and 19.4% DirectX 11 win indicate strong backward compatibility and raw shader throughput. For modern 3D rendering (Passmark G3D), the 11.2% edge matters for real-time viewport performance. The RTX 5880 also wins in DirectX 10 by 7.7%.

The RTX A6000 retains specific niches. Its 19.5% DirectX 12 advantage suggests that in applications using the latest DirectX 12 features, the Ampere card may deliver better frame pacing or API-level efficiency, despite lower raw specs. The 14.9% G2D win points to superior 2D desktop composition and overlay performance, which could matter in multi-monitor productivity setups, CAD 2D drafting, or video playback scenarios.

The GPU Compute near-tie (0.7% difference) is a practical warning: not all compute workloads will see the RTX 5880’s theoretical 79% FP32 advantage. Some kernels may be memory-bound or driver-bound, and the A6000’s mature Ampere stack holds its own in Passmark’s compute test.

The Verdict

The data points to the RTX 5880 Ada Generation as the stronger overall card. It wins 6 of 8 benchmarks, holds the 85th percentile versus 84th, and averages 45,972 versus 44,075. Its architectural advantages—5 nm process, 76,300 million transistors, 14,080 shaders, 69.27 TFLOPS—translate into decisive wins in OpenCL and legacy DirectX tests. For users running OpenCL-heavy simulation, 3D rendering, or compute acceleration, the RTX 5880 is the data-backed choice.

The RTX A6000 remains relevant for two specific profiles. First, users whose applications are heavily tuned for DirectX 12 may actually see better performance, as the 19.5% win demonstrates. Second, professionals with 2D-centric workflows—multiple monitors, desktop compositing, image editing in 2D—will appreciate the 14.9% G2D lead. Its End-of-life status, however, means no ongoing driver optimization for future workloads, while the Active RTX 5880 will likely receive continued support.

The release dates are telling: the A6000 launched in October 2020, the RTX 5880 in January 2024. The A6000’s launch MSRP of 4,649 USD reflects its original positioning, but the RTX 5880’s successor status and active production make it the forward-looking pick. For new workstation purchases, the RTX 5880’s benchmark dominance—especially the 68.6% OpenCL margin—makes it the rational default. The A6000 is only preferable if specific DirectX 12 or 2D workloads dominate your pipeline, and even then, the sample size of two wins against six losses suggests a narrow niche rather than a broad recommendation.