NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 vs NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data includes only a single shared benchmark between these two workstation cards, but that one result is decisive. In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 scores 101,883 points, while the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB scores 66,998 points. That is a delta of -34.2% for the A2000, meaning the Quadro RTX 8000 outperforms the A2000 by roughly one-third in this compute-oriented test. The gap is substantial and consistent with the raw compute specifications in the database.

Looking at the broader benchmark profiles, the RTX A2000 12 GB has two recorded results: the Geekbench OpenCL score of 66,998 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,309. The Quadro RTX 8000 has a much longer list of results, including Geekbench OpenCL at 101,883 and Geekbench Vulkan at 122,637. The Quadro also posts Passmark scores across multiple DirectX versions: DirectX 9 at 211, DirectX 10 at 137, DirectX 11 at 188, DirectX 12 at 79, plus G2D at 866, G3D at 19,799, and GPU compute at 9,992. These additional data points show the Quadro RTX 8000 is particularly strong in legacy DirectX 9 and G3D workloads, though its DirectX 12 Passmark score is relatively modest at 79.

The average benchmark score tells a similar story but with a narrower margin. The RTX A2000 12 GB has an average score of 34,154, while the Quadro RTX 8000 averages 28,421. This seems contradictory at first glance, but the averages are computed over different sets of tests. The A2000's average is based on only two modern benchmarks (OpenCL and Steel Nomad), both of which are heavy compute or DX12 workloads. The Quadro RTX 8000's average includes nine tests, several of which are older DirectX Passmark tests that score low in absolute terms. When comparing the single overlapping test, the Quadro wins decisively.

The percentile rankings also differ. The RTX A2000 12 GB sits at the 79th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the Quadro RTX 8000 sits at the 74th percentile. This means the A2000 outperforms a larger fraction of the entire GPU population, even though it loses to the Quadro in their shared test. The explanation lies in the test mix: the A2000's two benchmarks are both modern and compute-heavy, whereas the Quadro's nine tests include older DirectX paths where it does not scale as well.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the recorded measurements, the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 is the faster card in the one benchmark where both are measured. The Geekbench OpenCL result shows a 34.2% advantage for the Quadro, which is a large margin in a compute workload. If the task is raw OpenCL throughput, the Quadro RTX 8000 is the clear choice.

However, the RTX A2000 12 GB has a higher percentile rank (79th vs 74th) and a higher average benchmark score (34,154 vs 28,421) across its recorded tests. This suggests that for modern DX12 and OpenCL workloads, the A2000 is more competitive relative to the broader GPU landscape, even though it loses the head-to-head comparison.

The data also shows a major memory difference: the Quadro RTX 8000 offers 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus with 672.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RTX A2000 offers 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. For workloads that require large memory capacity, such as massive datasets or high-resolution textures, the Quadro has a 4x capacity advantage and more than 2x the bandwidth.

The RTX A2000 counters with a much lower power draw (70 W vs 260 W), a smaller physical footprint (167 mm vs 267 mm length), and no power connectors required. It also uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the Quadro uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The A2000 is end-of-life, as is the Quadro, but the A2000 launched later (November 2021 vs August 2018).

The verdict depends on the workload. For OpenCL compute, the Quadro wins outright. For modern DX12 gaming or lightweight workstation tasks, the A2000's higher percentile and average score indicate it performs better relative to its peers. Users needing 48 GB of memory have only one option here.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 wins in the Geekbench OpenCL test, scoring 101,883 against the A2000's 66,998. That is a 34.2% lead. The Quadro also wins on memory capacity (48 GB vs 12 GB), memory bandwidth (672.0 GB/s vs 288.0 GB/s), texture rate (509.8 GTexel/s vs 124.8 GTexel/s), pixel rate (169.9 GPixel/s vs 57.60 GPixel/s), and raw FP32 throughput (16.31 TFLOPS vs 7.987 TFLOPS). Its FP16 performance is also far higher at 32.62 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio) versus 7.987 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio) for the A2000.

The Quadro RTX 8000 also has more shading units (4,608 vs 3,328), more TMUs (288 vs 104), more ROPs (96 vs 48), more RT cores (72 vs 26), and more tensor cores (576 vs 104). It supports Vulkan with a recorded score of 122,637, which the A2000 does not have a recorded Vulkan score for. The Quadro also has a wider memory bus (384-bit vs 192-bit).

The NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB wins on efficiency and form factor. Its TDP is 70 W versus 260 W for the Quadro, and it requires no power connectors, while the Quadro needs one 6-pin and one 8-pin connector. The A2000 is shorter (167 mm vs 267 mm) and lower in height (69 mm vs 111 mm). It uses a newer process node (8 nm Samsung vs 12 nm TSMC) and has higher transistor density (43.5M per mm² vs 24.7M per mm²). The A2000 also supports PCIe 4.0 x16, while the Quadro is limited to PCIe 3.0 x16.

The A2000's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,309 has no direct counterpart in the Quadro's recorded tests, but the A2000's percentile rank of 79th versus the Quadro's 74th suggests the A2000 is the better performer relative to the full GPU population. The A2000 also has a higher average benchmark score (34,154 vs 28,421), again reflecting its stronger showing in modern test suites.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 scores 101,883, which is 34.2% higher than the RTX A2000 12 GB's score of 66,998.

Q: How much memory does each card have?

A: The RTX A2000 12 GB has 12 GB of GDDR6, while the Quadro RTX 8000 has 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus.

Q: Which card has a higher percentile ranking?

A: The RTX A2000 12 GB ranks in the 79th percentile among all GPUs, while the Quadro RTX 8000 ranks in the 74th percentile.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The RTX A2000 12 GB has a TDP of 70 W and requires no power connectors, while the Quadro RTX 8000 has a TDP of 260 W and requires one 6-pin and one 8-pin connector.

Q: Does the Quadro RTX 8000 support Vulkan?

A: Yes, the database records a Geekbench Vulkan score of 122,637 for the Quadro RTX 8000. No Vulkan score is recorded for the RTX A2000 12 GB.

Q: Which card has more tensor cores?

A: The Quadro RTX 8000 has 576 tensor cores, compared to 104 tensor cores on the RTX A2000 12 GB.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on different architectures from different generations. The NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB uses the GA106 chip based on the Ampere architecture, belonging to the "Workstation Ampere (Ax000)" generation. The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 uses the TU102 chip based on the Turing architecture, belonging to the "Quadro Turing (Tx000)" generation.

The manufacturing processes differ significantly. The A2000 is fabricated by Samsung on an 8 nm process, with 12,000 million transistors on a 276 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 43.5 million per mm². The Quadro RTX 8000 is fabricated by TSMC on a 12 nm process, with 18,600 million transistors on a 754 mm² die, yielding a density of 24.7 million per mm². The A2000 is therefore more transistor-dense, while the Quadro has nearly 55% more total transistors.

The compute architectures also diverge. The A2000 has 3,328 shading units, 104 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 26 RT cores, and 104 tensor cores. The Quadro RTX 8000 has 4,608 shading units, 288 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 72 RT cores, and 576 tensor cores. The Quadro has more of every execution unit type, with particularly large leads in TMUs (2.8x), ROPs (2x), RT cores (2.8x), and tensor cores (5.5x).

Clock speeds are also quite different. The A2000 has a base clock of 562 MHz and a boost clock of 1200 MHz, while the Quadro RTX 8000 has a base clock of 1395 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz. The Quadro runs much higher clocks, which contributes to its higher throughput despite the A2000's denser transistor packing.

The FP16 execution differs: the A2000 runs FP16 at a 1:1 ratio (7.987 TFLOPS), while the Quadro runs FP16 at a 2:1 ratio (32.62 TFLOPS). This means the Quadro can double its FP32 throughput when using FP16, a feature that is absent on the A2000.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every measurable specification. Memory capacity is 12 GB for the A2000 versus 48 GB for the Quadro RTX 8000. Memory type is GDDR6 for both, but the bus width is 192-bit for the A2000 and 384-bit for the Quadro. Memory bandwidth is 288.0 GB/s for the A2000 versus 672.0 GB/s for the Quadro. Memory clock is 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) for the A2000 and 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) for the Quadro.

The shading unit count is 3,328 for the A2000 and 4,608 for the Quadro. Texture mapping units are 104 versus 288. Raster output units are 48 versus 96. Ray tracing cores are 26 versus 72. Tensor cores are 104 versus 576. Pixel rate is 57.60 GPixel/s versus 169.9 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 124.8 GTexel/s versus 509.8 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 7.987 TFLOPS versus 16.31 TFLOPS. FP16 throughput is 7.987 TFLOPS (1:1) versus 32.62 TFLOPS (2:1).

Power specifications differ substantially. The A2000 has a TDP of 70 W, while the Quadro has a TDP of 260 W. The A2000 requires no power connectors, while the Quadro needs one 6-pin and one 8-pin connector. The suggested PSU is 250 W for the A2000 and 600 W for the Quadro.

Physical dimensions vary: the A2000 is 167 mm (6.6 inches) long and 69 mm (2.7 inches) tall, while the Quadro is 267 mm (10.5 inches) long and 111 mm (4.4 inches) tall. Both are dual-slot cards. The bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x16 for the A2000 and PCIe 3.0 x16 for the Quadro.

Display outputs are 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a for the A2000, while the Quadro offers 4x DisplayPort 1.4a plus 1x USB Type-C. The A2000 launched on November 22, 2021, with a launch MSRP of 449 USD. The Quadro RTX 8000 launched on August 12, 2018, with a launch MSRP of 9,999 USD. Both are end-of-life products. The A2000's predecessor is Quadro Turing, and its successor is Workstation Ada. The Quadro's predecessor is Quadro Volta, and its successor is Workstation Ampere.