NVIDIA RTX A4500 Mobile vs NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB Comparison

NVIDIA’s RTX A4500 Mobile and Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB represent two distinct eras of GPU design, yet both target professional workloads. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy, but the architectural gulf between them is equally significant. This analysis draws exclusively on the provided benchmark data and specifications to compare these two end-of-life accelerators.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only shared benchmark in the dataset is Geekbench OpenCL, and the result is decisive. The RTX A4500 Mobile scores 105,307, while the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79,396. This represents a 32.6% advantage for the Ampere-based mobile part. In practical terms, the A4500 Mobile delivers roughly one-third more compute throughput in this synthetic workload, a margin that would translate into noticeably shorter render times or faster simulation iterations.

Context from the nearest rivals reinforces this gap. The RTX A4500 Mobile’s average benchmark score is 91,134, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all GPUs. Its closest competitor, the desktop RTX A4500, averages 91,671, a mere 0.6% difference. This means the mobile variant trails its desktop namesake by less than a single percentage point, a remarkable feat for a laptop-oriented part. The Tesla P100, by contrast, averages 79,396 and sits in the 92nd percentile. Its nearest rival, the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, scores 79,605, a 0.3% gap. The A4500 Mobile’s 32.6% lead over the P100 is far larger than any delta between either card and its own immediate rivals, underscoring how much the newer architecture advances the performance curve.

The A4500 Mobile also holds an edge in aggregate metrics. Its average benchmark score of 91,134 exceeds the P100’s 79,396 by 14.8%. Notably, the A4500 Mobile has two recorded benchmark entries — Geekbench OpenCL at 105,307 and Geekbench Vulkan at 76,960 — while the P100 only has the single OpenCL result. The Vulkan score, although lower than the OpenCL result, still demonstrates API versatility that the Pascal card lacks in this dataset. The head-to-head tally shows one win for the A4500 Mobile and zero for the P100.

Architecture Differences

The fundamental divide is generational. The RTX A4500 Mobile uses the GA104 chip built on Ampere architecture, fabricated on an 8 nm process at Samsung. The Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB uses the GP100 chip on Pascal architecture, manufactured on a 16 nm process at TSMC. This process shrink allows the A4500 Mobile to pack 17,400 million transistors into a 392 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 44.4 million per mm². The P100’s 15,300 million transistors occupy a much larger 610 mm² die, producing a density of just 25.1 million per mm². The A4500 Mobile crams more than 2 billion additional transistors into a die that is 218 mm² smaller.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The A4500 Mobile offers 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The P100 counters with 12 GB of HBM2 on a massive 3072-bit bus, achieving 549.1 GB/s. Despite having a wider interface, the P100’s older memory technology only yields a 7.2% bandwidth advantage over the A4500 Mobile. The newer card compensates with higher effective memory clocks: 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) versus 715 MHz (1430 Mbps effective) for the P100.

Compute resources tell a similar story of generational progress. The A4500 Mobile fields 5888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The P100 has 3584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The A4500 Mobile enjoys a 64.3% advantage in shading units, while the P100 has 21.7% more TMUs. Both cards match at 96 ROPs. Crucially, the A4500 Mobile includes 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores, features entirely absent from the Pascal-based P100. The Ampere card also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the P100 caps out at DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Clock speeds and power draw reveal different design philosophies. The P100 runs at a 1190 MHz base and 1329 MHz boost, while the A4500 Mobile operates at 930 MHz base and 1500 MHz boost. The newer card’s higher boost clock, combined with its larger shader count, produces 17.66 TFLOPS of FP32 performance versus the P100’s 9.526 TFLOPS — an 85.4% advantage. In FP16, the A4500 Mobile again delivers 17.66 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, while the P100 reaches 19.05 TFLOPS via a 2:1 ratio. The P100’s FP16 figure is 7.9% higher, but the A4500 Mobile achieves parity in FP32 and FP16, which is more useful for modern mixed-precision workloads.

The P100’s 250 W TDP is substantially higher than the A4500 Mobile’s 140 W, reflecting its dual-slot design, 1x 8-pin power connector, and 600 W suggested PSU. The A4500 Mobile has no power connectors and its display outputs are portable-device dependent, while the P100 has no display outputs at all. The P100 measures 267 mm (10.5 inches) in length. The A4500 Mobile uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, doubling the P100’s PCIe 3.0 x16 bandwidth.

The Verdict

The data unequivocally favors the RTX A4500 Mobile for anyone needing raw compute throughput. Its 32.6% lead in Geekbench OpenCL and 85.4% advantage in FP32 performance make it the superior choice for general-purpose GPU compute, machine learning inference, or 3D rendering. The inclusion of RT cores and tensor cores further extends its capability into ray tracing and AI-accelerated tasks, areas where the P100 cannot compete. The 16 GB GDDR6 memory, while slightly slower in bandwidth than the P100’s HBM2, offers 33% more capacity, which is often more critical for large datasets than raw bandwidth.

The Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB retains niche appeal. Its 19.05 TFLOPS FP16 throughput, delivered at a 2:1 ratio, exceeds the A4500 Mobile’s FP16 output by 7.9%. For workloads that rely heavily on half-precision math and can saturate the P100’s 549.1 GB/s of HBM2 bandwidth, the older card still holds a specific advantage. Its 3072-bit memory bus is a relic of a different era, but it remains effective. The P100 also requires a 250 W TDP and dual-slot footprint, making it a data-center-oriented part, whereas the A4500 Mobile’s 140 W TDP and connector-free design suit mobile workstations or compact systems.

For most users, the A4500 Mobile is the obvious pick. It is faster, more feature-rich, more efficient, and newer. The P100 only makes sense for legacy deployments or FP16-specific pipelines where its higher half-precision throughput and bandwidth can be exploited. Given that both cards are end-of-life, the choice hinges on whether the workload demands the P100’s unique FP16 capability or benefits from the A4500 Mobile’s all-around superiority.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A4500 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 91,134, compared to the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB’s 79,396. The A4500 Mobile also holds a 93rd percentile ranking versus the P100’s 92nd.

Q: What is the performance gap in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The RTX A4500 Mobile scores 105,307, while the Tesla P100 scores 79,396. This gives the A4500 Mobile a 32.6% lead.

Q: Do both GPUs support ray tracing?

A: No. The RTX A4500 Mobile includes 46 RT cores, while the Tesla P100 has no RT cores listed. The A4500 Mobile also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, while the P100 only reaches DirectX 12 (12_1).

Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?

A: The Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB has 549.1 GB/s of bandwidth from its 3072-bit HBM2 interface, slightly ahead of the RTX A4500 Mobile’s 512.0 GB/s from a 256-bit GDDR6 bus.

Q: How do FP32 compute performances compare?

A: The RTX A4500 Mobile delivers 17.66 TFLOPS, which is 85.4% higher than the Tesla P100’s 9.526 TFLOPS.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor density?

A: The RTX A4500 Mobile achieves 44.4 million transistors per mm² on its 8 nm Samsung process, versus the Tesla P100’s 25.1 million per mm² on a 16 nm TSMC process.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX A4500 Mobile dominates in nearly every measurable category. It wins the sole head-to-head benchmark by 32.6%. Its FP32 throughput of 17.66 TFLOPS is nearly double the P100’s 9.526 TFLOPS. The A4500 Mobile also offers 16 GB of memory versus 12 GB, a 33% capacity advantage that benefits large model training or complex scene rendering. The presence of 184 tensor cores gives it a decisive edge in AI inference and deep learning workloads, while 46 RT cores enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing that the P100 cannot perform at all. The 140 W TDP makes it far more power-efficient, and its PCIe 4.0 x16 interface doubles the P100’s PCIe 3.0 bandwidth for faster data transfer.

The Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB wins in a few narrow, specific areas. Its FP16 performance of 19.05 TFLOPS exceeds the A4500 Mobile’s 17.66 TFLOPS, a 7.9% advantage that matters for pure half-precision compute pipelines. Its memory bandwidth of 549.1 GB/s is 7.2% higher, which can help in bandwidth-bound tasks that fit within its 12 GB frame buffer. The P100 also has more TMUs (224 versus 184), giving it a 21.7% edge in texture throughput. Its 267 mm length and dual-slot design are irrelevant for compute performance but indicate a traditional server form factor. For legacy software optimized for Pascal’s 2:1 FP16 ratio, the P100 remains a viable option. But across the full spectrum of professional workloads — rendering, simulation, AI, and general compute — the RTX A4500 Mobile is the superior hardware by a substantial margin.