NVIDIA RTX A4000 vs NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell Comparison

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell than the RTX A4000 in overall benchmark average?

A: The RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell averages 27,135 across its benchmark suite, while the RTX A4000 averages 26,683. That is a 1.7% lead for the Blackwell card, per the nearestRivals deltaPct data.

Q: Which card wins in the most benchmark categories?

A: The RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell wins all nine head-to-head tests listed. The RTX A4000 does not win a single category in the head-to-head comparison.

Q: What is the biggest performance gap between the two cards?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell scores 4,648 versus 2,604 for the RTX A4000, a 78.5% advantage. This is the largest delta across all compared tests.

Q: Do both cards occupy the same performance percentile?

A: Yes, both cards sit in the 72nd percentile among all GPUs, despite the RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell having a higher average benchmark score.

Q: How do the memory configurations differ?

A: The RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell has 24 GB of GDDR7 on a 192-bit bus with 672.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX A4000 has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What is the production status difference?

A: The RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell is listed as "Active" production, while the RTX A4000 is marked "End-of-life."

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from entirely different architectural generations. The RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell is built on the GB203 chip using Blackwell 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. The RTX A4000 uses the GA104 chip with Ampere architecture, manufactured on an 8 nm process at Samsung.

The transistor counts tell a stark story of generational leap. The Blackwell card packs 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die, yielding a density of 120.6 million transistors per square millimeter. The A4000 contains just 17,400 million transistors on a larger 392 mm² die, giving it a transistor density of 44.4 million per square millimeter. Despite the die size being nearly identical, the Blackwell chip crams 2.6 times more transistors into a slightly smaller area.

Core configurations also differ substantially. The RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell fields 8,960 shading units, 280 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 70 RT cores, and 280 tensor cores. The RTX A4000 counters with 6,144 shading units, 192 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 48 RT cores, and 192 tensor cores. The Blackwell card therefore offers 46% more shading units, 46% more TMUs, 46% more RT cores, and 46% more tensor cores than the A4000.

Clock speeds favor the newer card as well. The RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell runs at a 1230 MHz base clock and boosts to 2055 MHz. The RTX A4000 operates at a 735 MHz base and 1560 MHz boost. That higher boost clock, combined with the larger core count, produces the significant compute advantages seen in the benchmark data.

Memory architecture also diverges. The Blackwell card uses GDDR7 memory, while the A4000 relies on GDDR6. Both run at 1750 MHz memory clock, but the Blackwell card achieves 28 Gbps effective data rate versus 14 Gbps on the A4000. The Blackwell card's narrower 192-bit bus is offset by the faster memory type, resulting in 672.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 448.0 GB/s.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell dominates the RTX A4000 across every single benchmark in the comparison. The most dramatic victory comes in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, where the Blackwell card scores 4,648 against the A4000's 2,604 — a commanding 78.5% lead. That result signals a generational leap in modern DirectX 12 rendering workloads.

The DirectX 11 test shows a similarly lopsided outcome. The RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell posts 276 points versus 158 points for the RTX A4000, a 74.7% advantage. The pattern continues in DirectX 9, where the Blackwell card's 354 points beats the A4000's 240 points by 47.5%.

Compute workloads tell a consistent story of Blackwell superiority. In PassMark GPU Compute, the RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell scores 14,805 versus 9,760 for the A4000, a 51.7% margin. The Geekbench Vulkan test shows the Blackwell card at 194,168 against the A4000's 127,645, a 52.1% advantage. These results align with the FP32 compute figures: 36.83 TFLOPS for Blackwell versus 19.17 TFLOPS for Ampere.

Rasterization performance also favors the newer card decisively. The PassMark G3D score for the RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell is 28,427, which is 46.1% higher than the A4000's 19,459. The DirectX 12 test shows a 34.7% gap, with scores of 97 and 72 respectively. Even the legacy DirectX 10 test shows a 37.3% lead for Blackwell (173 versus 126).

The narrowest victory for the Blackwell card comes in the PassMark G2D test, where it scores 1,265 versus 1,024 for the A4000 — a 23.5% margin. While this is the smallest delta in the comparison, it still represents a clear win for the newer architecture. Across all nine head-to-head tests, the RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell wins every single matchup, with no test going to the RTX A4000.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell | NVIDIA RTX A4000 |

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

| Chip | GB203 | GA104 |

| Architecture | Blackwell 2.0 | Ampere |

| Process Node | 5 nm | 8 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Samsung |

| Transistors | 45,600 million | 17,400 million |

| Die Size | 378 mm² | 392 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 120.6M / mm² | 44.4M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1230 MHz | 735 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2055 MHz | 1560 MHz |

| Memory Size | 24 GB | 16 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR7 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 192 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 672.0 GB/s | 448.0 GB/s |

| Memory Effective Rate | 28 Gbps | 14 Gbps |

| Shading Units | 8960 | 6144 |

| TMUs | 280 | 192 |

| RT Cores | 70 | 48 |

| Tensor Cores | 280 | 192 |

| Pixel Rate | 197.3 GPixel/s | 149.8 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 575.4 GTexel/s | 299.5 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 36.83 TFLOPS | 19.17 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 36.83 TFLOPS (1:1) | 19.17 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| Power Connectors | 1x 16-pin | 1x 6-pin |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 5.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 2.1b | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a |

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

| Release Date | 2025-03-17 | 2021-04-11 |

| Predecessor | Workstation Ada | Quadro Turing |

| Successor | None | Workstation Ada |

The two cards share several specifications. Both have 96 ROPs, 140 W TDP, a 300 W suggested PSU, single-slot design, identical dimensions of 241 mm length and 111-112 mm height, and the same API support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Both also list the same memory clock of 1750 MHz, though the effective rates differ due to memory type.

The Verdict

The data paints an unambiguous picture: the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell is a superior product to the RTX A4000 in every measured dimension. It wins all nine head-to-head benchmarks, with advantages ranging from 23.5% in G2D tests to 78.5% in 3DMark Steel Nomad. The average benchmark score of 27,135 versus 26,683 confirms the overall edge, despite both cards occupying the same 72nd percentile.

For professionals currently using an RTX A4000, the upgrade path to the RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell offers substantial gains. The FP32 compute performance nearly doubles from 19.17 TFLOPS to 36.83 TFLOPS. Memory bandwidth jumps from 448.0 GB/s to 672.0 GB/s, while memory capacity increases from 16 GB to 24 GB. The transition from GDDR6 to GDDR7 memory, combined with the faster effective data rate of 28 Gbps versus 14 Gbps, provides a meaningful boost for memory-intensive workloads.

The RTX A4000's relative positioning among its peers is also worth noting. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (0.5% faster), NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (1% faster), AMD Radeon 860M (1.1% faster), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 (1.3% faster). The RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell, meanwhile, sits 1.1% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile, and 1.6% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090.

The RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell also brings modern connectivity. It uses PCIe 5.0 x16 versus the A4000's PCIe 4.0 x16, and offers DisplayPort 2.1b outputs compared to DisplayPort 1.4a. The newer card requires a 16-pin power connector, while the A4000 uses a 6-pin connector — both at the same 140 W TDP and 300 W suggested PSU.

The production status difference is decisive for procurement decisions. The RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell is actively produced, while the RTX A4000 has reached end-of-life. For new workstation builds, the choice is clear: the RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell offers superior performance across the board, newer architecture, more memory, and active manufacturing support. The RTX A4000, while still a capable card in its own right, is a legacy product that cannot match the Blackwell card in any benchmark category measured here.