NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB vs NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile and the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB are both Ampere-generation workstation GPUs, but they occupy very different positions in the database. The A500 Mobile is an integrated, low-power part designed for laptops, while the A2000 12 GB is a dual-slot desktop card with a substantially larger memory pool and compute configuration. The recorded benchmark data, while limited to a single shared test, reveals a clear performance hierarchy, but the story is more nuanced when considering the architectural and physical differences.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. Here, the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB scores 66,998 points, while the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile scores 41,263 points. This translates to a delta of -38.4% for the A500 Mobile relative to the A2000 12 GB. In other words, the A2000 12 GB delivers roughly 62% higher OpenCL performance in this specific test. That is a substantial gap, and it aligns with the raw specifications: the A2000 12 GB has 3,328 shading units versus 2,048 on the A500 Mobile, and its FP32 throughput is 7.987 TFLOPS compared to 6.296 TFLOPS. The A2000 12 GB also has a wider 192-bit memory bus and 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth, versus a 64-bit bus and 96.00 GB/s on the A500 Mobile. For compute-heavy workloads that scale with memory bandwidth and shader count, the A2000 12 GB is clearly the superior part.

However, the A500 Mobile is not without its own strengths in the broader context. Its average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 39,568, which places it at the 82nd percentile of all GPUs in the database. The A2000 12 GB, despite winning the head-to-head OpenCL test, has a lower average benchmark score of 34,154 and sits at the 79th percentile. This is an interesting inversion: the A2000 12 GB wins the single shared test by a wide margin, but its overall average score is dragged down by other tests where it apparently does not perform as well, or where the A500 Mobile’s other recorded benchmark (Geekbench Vulkan, 37,873) helps lift its average. The A500 Mobile’s average is 39,568, which is actually higher than the A2000 12 GB’s 34,154. This suggests that in Vulkan workloads, the A500 Mobile may be competitive, though the database does not provide a direct A2000 12 GB Vulkan score for comparison.

Looking at nearest rivals, the A500 Mobile’s average score of 39,568 puts it just ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 575 (39,555, delta 0%) and the AMD Radeon Pro 575X (39,116, delta 1.2%), while trailing the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 (40,063, delta -1.2%) and the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (40,318, delta -1.9%). The A2000 12 GB’s average of 34,154 places it near the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT (34,133, delta 0.1%) and the NVIDIA TITAN V (34,355, delta -0.6%), with the NVIDIA RTX A1000 (34,207, delta -0.2%) being its closest rival. These rival comparisons suggest that the A500 Mobile competes with mid-range AMD workstation GPUs, while the A2000 12 GB aligns with older enthusiast-class cards in average performance.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance in the recorded OpenCL test?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB scores 66,998 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile scores 41,263. The A2000 12 GB is 38.4% faster in this test, which is the only direct head-to-head benchmark recorded.

Q: Does the A500 Mobile outperform the A2000 12 GB in any benchmark?

A: The database records a Geekbench Vulkan score for the A500 Mobile of 37,873, but no corresponding Vulkan score for the A2000 12 GB. The A500 Mobile’s average benchmark score of 39,568 is higher than the A2000 12 GB’s average of 34,154, indicating that the A500 Mobile may perform better in other tests, though the only shared test favors the A2000 12 GB.

Q: How do these GPUs compare to their nearest rivals in average score?

A: The A500 Mobile’s average score of 39,568 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon Pro 575 (39,555, delta 0%) and slightly above the AMD Radeon Pro 575X (39,116, delta 1.2%). The A2000 12 GB’s average of 34,154 is within 0.5% of the AMD Radeon RX 480 (33,997) and 0.1% of the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT (34,133).

Q: What are the memory specifications for each GPU?

A: The A500 Mobile has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, yielding 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. The A2000 12 GB has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, yielding 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. Both use 12 Gbps effective memory speed.

Q: Are both GPUs based on the same architecture?

A: Yes, both use NVIDIA’s Ampere architecture and are fabricated on an 8 nm process at Samsung. The A500 Mobile uses the GA107S chip, while the A2000 12 GB uses the GA106 chip.

Q: What is the power requirement difference?

A: The A500 Mobile has a TDP of 30 W and requires no power connectors, functioning as an integrated GPU (IGP). The A2000 12 GB has a TDP of 70 W, also uses no power connectors, but has a suggested PSU of 250 W and is a dual-slot card.

The Verdict

From the recorded data, the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB is the clear winner in the only head-to-head benchmark available. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 66,998 is 38.4% higher than the A500 Mobile’s 41,263, and its memory bandwidth (288.0 GB/s) is three times higher. For any workload that relies on OpenCL compute, large datasets, or memory-intensive rendering, the A2000 12 GB is the superior choice. The 12 GB frame buffer alone is a decisive advantage for modern 3D scenes or machine learning models that exceed 4 GB.

However, the A500 Mobile has a higher average benchmark score (39,568 vs. 34,154) and a higher percentile ranking (82nd vs. 79th). This suggests that in other, unrecorded tests, the A500 Mobile performs relatively better, possibly due to its lower power draw and integrated design being better suited to certain tasks. The A500 Mobile’s nearest rivals are all AMD Radeon Pro cards with similar average scores, indicating it slots into a mid-range workstation niche. The A2000 12 GB, by contrast, sits near the NVIDIA RTX A1000 and older high-end cards like the TITAN V, despite its lower average score.

Who should pick which? If the priority is raw compute and memory capacity, the A2000 12 GB is the obvious choice. Its 12 GB VRAM handles textures and datasets that the 4 GB A500 Mobile cannot. If the priority is portability, power efficiency, or integration into a laptop chassis, the A500 Mobile is the only option, as the A2000 12 GB is a dual-slot desktop card. The data cannot recommend the A500 Mobile for performance, but it does show a respectable average score that beats several dedicated desktop cards.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every core specification. The A500 Mobile has 2,048 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation pipelines. The A2000 12 GB has 3,328 shading units, 104 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Ray tracing cores number 16 on the A500 Mobile versus 26 on the A2000 12 GB, and tensor cores are 64 versus 104. Clock speeds also differ: the A500 Mobile runs at a base of 832 MHz and a boost of 1537 MHz, while the A2000 12 GB runs at 562 MHz base and 1200 MHz boost. Despite lower clocks, the A2000 12 GB achieves higher pixel and texture rates (57.60 GPixel/s and 124.8 GTexel/s versus 49.18 GPixel/s and 98.37 GTexel/s) due to its larger number of execution units.

Memory is a major differentiator: 4 GB versus 12 GB, 64-bit versus 192-bit bus, and 96.00 GB/s versus 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. The A500 Mobile uses the GA107S chip with 8,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, while the A2000 12 GB uses the GA106 chip with 12,000 million transistors on a 276 mm² die. Both have the same transistor density of 43.5M per mm². The A500 Mobile is an IGP with no dimensions listed, while the A2000 12 GB is 167 mm long and 69 mm high. The A2000 12 GB has a suggested PSU of 250 W, whereas the A500 Mobile lists none. Display outputs differ: the A500 Mobile is portable device dependent, while the A2000 12 GB has 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs share the Ampere architecture, the 8 nm Samsung process, and identical API support (DirectX 12 Ultimate with 12_2, OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.4). The key architectural differences lie in the chip design and configuration. The A500 Mobile’s GA107S is a smaller chip (200 mm²) with fewer transistors (8,700 million), while the A2000 12 GB’s GA106 is larger (276 mm²) with more transistors (12,000 million). This naturally leads to more execution resources on the A2000 12 GB: higher shader counts, more RT cores, and more tensor cores.

The A500 Mobile belongs to the “Ampere-MW (Ax000)” generation, while the A2000 12 GB belongs to “Workstation Ampere (Ax000)”. This generation label reflects their intended markets: mobile workstation versus desktop workstation. The A500 Mobile’s predecessor is the Quadro Turing-M, and its successor is Ada-MW. The A2000 12 GB’s predecessor is Quadro Turing, and its successor is Workstation Ada. Both are end-of-life products. The A500 Mobile was released on 2022-03-21, while the A2000 12 GB was released on 2021-11-22, about four months earlier. The A2000 12 GB has a launch MSRP of 449 USD, while the A500 Mobile has no listed launch MSRP.

Where Each One Wins

The A2000 12 GB wins decisively in the single shared benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, with a 38.4% higher score. This likely stems from its 3,328 shading units, 288.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, and 12 GB frame buffer. For compute workloads that are memory-bound or shader-bound, such as 3D rendering, scientific simulation, or GPU-accelerated video encoding, the A2000 12 GB is the stronger part. Its higher pixel rate (57.60 GPixel/s) and texture rate (124.8 GTexel/s) also favor rasterization tasks. The larger memory capacity allows loading bigger models or textures without swapping.

The A500 Mobile wins in terms of power efficiency and form factor. With a TDP of 30 W versus 70 W, it draws less than half the power, making it suitable for thin laptops where the A2000 12 GB’s dual-slot design is impossible. The A500 Mobile’s average benchmark score of 39,568 is higher than the A2000 12 GB’s 34,154, and its 82nd percentile ranking exceeds the A2000 12 GB’s 79th. While the database lacks a direct Vulkan comparison, the A500 Mobile’s Vulkan score of 37,873 suggests it is not far behind its own OpenCL score, indicating balanced performance across APIs. The A500 Mobile also has a higher boost clock (1537 MHz versus 1200 MHz), which may help in latency-sensitive tasks.

In practical terms, the A2000 12 GB is the workstation desktop card for heavy compute and large datasets. The A500 Mobile is the integrated solution for mobile workstations where power draw and space are constrained. The data does not support the A500 Mobile for raw speed, but it does show that its average performance is respectable, beating the AMD Radeon Pro 575 and 575X while trailing the Pro WX 7100 and Pro 580. The A2000 12 GB, despite losing on average score, wins the only direct comparison and offers triple the memory bandwidth, which is likely the more important factor for professional workloads.