NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile vs NVIDIA RTX A5000 Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the recorded benchmark data?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5000 wins both head-to-head tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 157905 versus 41263 for the RTX A500 Mobile, a 73.9% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, the A5000 scores 137828 versus 37873, a 72.5% lead.

Q: Do both GPUs use the same architecture?

A: Yes, both are built on NVIDIA's Ampere architecture. The RTX A500 Mobile uses the GA107S chip on an 8 nm Samsung process, while the RTX A5000 uses the larger GA102 chip, also on an 8 nm Samsung process.

Q: How do the memory configurations differ?

A: The RTX A500 Mobile has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX A5000 has 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus with 768.0 GB/s bandwidth, which is eight times the capacity and exactly eight times the bandwidth.

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two cards?

A: The RTX A500 Mobile is rated at 30 W, while the RTX A5000 is rated at 230 W. The A5000 also requires a 550 W suggested PSU and a single 8-pin power connector, whereas the A500 Mobile uses no power connectors.

Q: Which GPU sits higher in the overall percentile ranking?

A: The RTX A500 Mobile has a percentile of 82 versus all GPUs, while the RTX A5000 has a percentile of 78. Despite the A5000 winning the head-to-head tests, the A500 Mobile ranks slightly higher in the overall distribution.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The RTX A500 Mobile averages 39568 across its recorded tests. The RTX A5000 averages 33622, though this includes a broader set of tests such as Passmark and 3DMark, which lowers the overall average.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs share the Ampere architecture and the same 8 nm Samsung process node, but they are fundamentally different chips. The RTX A500 Mobile uses the GA107S die, which contains 8,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 43.5M per mm². The RTX A5000 uses the GA102 die, which packs 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die, with a slightly higher density of 45.1M per mm².

The compute resources scale dramatically between the two. The RTX A500 Mobile has 2048 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The RTX A5000 has 8192 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, which is exactly four times the shading units and TMUs, and three times the ROPs. Ray tracing cores follow the same pattern: the A500 Mobile has 16 RT cores and 64 tensor cores, while the A5000 has 64 RT cores and 256 tensor cores, again a 4x difference.

Clock speeds also favor the larger card. The A500 Mobile runs at a base of 832 MHz and boosts to 1537 MHz. The A5000 starts at 1170 MHz and boosts to 1695 MHz. Memory clocks differ as well: the A500 Mobile uses 1500 MHz with 12 Gbps effective, while the A5000 runs at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective.

Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The A500 Mobile uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface and is an IGP form factor with portable-device-dependent display outputs. The A5000 uses PCIe 4.0 x16, is a dual-slot card, and provides 4x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The A5000 measures 267 mm in length and 112 mm in height.

The production status for both is end-of-life. The A500 Mobile was released on 2022-03-21, succeeding Quadro Turing-M and preceding Ada-MW. The A5000 was released on 2021-04-11, succeeding Quadro Turing and preceding Workstation Ada.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data contains two direct comparisons, both in Geekbench workloads. In OpenCL, the RTX A5000 scores 157905 against the A500 Mobile's 41263. That is a delta of -73.9% for the smaller card, meaning the A5000 delivers roughly 3.8 times the raw compute throughput in this test. The gap is consistent with the 4x difference in shading units and tensor cores, though the exact scaling is slightly less than perfect due to clock and memory differences.

In Vulkan, the A5000 scores 137828 versus 37873 for the A500 Mobile, a delta of -72.5%. The relative gap narrows marginally compared to OpenCL, but the A5000 still holds a commanding lead. Vulkan workloads often scale with geometry throughput and memory bandwidth, both of which favor the A5000's 768.0 GB/s bandwidth and 256 TMUs.

The A500 Mobile's wins total is zero in the head-to-head suite, while the A5000 takes both. However, the A500 Mobile's average benchmark score of 39568 is higher than the A5000's 33622. This discrepancy arises because the A5000's average includes several Passmark tests with lower scores (e.g., Passmark DirectX 12 at 87, Passmark DirectX 10 at 153), which drag down its mean. The A5000's Passmark G3D score of 22541 and GPU compute score of 12455 are strong, but the legacy DirectX 9 and 2D tests pull the average lower.

For context on the A500 Mobile's rivals, its nearest competitor by average score is the AMD Radeon Pro 575 at 39555, essentially a tie with a 0% delta. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 sits 1.2% higher, and the AMD Radeon Pro 580 is 1.9% higher. The A5000's nearest rivals are much lower in absolute terms: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB at 33694 (-0.2%), AMD Radeon RX 7700S at 33849 (-0.7%), AMD Radeon HD 7950 at 33951 (-1%), and AMD Radeon RX 480 at 33997 (-1.1%). The A5000's percentile of 78 places it just below the A500 Mobile's 82, despite the A5000's superior raw performance in the two shared tests.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the two GPUs:

• Chip: GA107S versus GA102
• Transistors: 8,700 million versus 28,300 million
• Die size: 200 mm² versus 628 mm²
• Transistor density: 43.5M / mm² versus 45.1M / mm²
• Base clock: 832 MHz versus 1170 MHz
• Boost clock: 1537 MHz versus 1695 MHz
• Memory clock: 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) versus 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective)
• Memory size: 4 GB versus 24 GB
• Memory type: GDDR6 for both, but bus width is 64 bit versus 384 bit
• Bandwidth: 96.00 GB/s versus 768.0 GB/s
• Shading units: 2048 versus 8192
• TMUs: 64 versus 256
• ROPs: 32 versus 96
• RT cores: 16 versus 64
• Tensor cores: 64 versus 256
• Pixel rate: 49.18 GPixel/s versus 162.7 GPixel/s
• Texture rate: 98.37 GTexel/s versus 433.9 GTexel/s
• FP32: 6.296 TFLOPS versus 27.77 TFLOPS
• FP16: 6.296 TFLOPS (1:1) versus 27.77 TFLOPS (1:1)
• TDP: 30 W versus 230 W
• Slot width: IGP versus Dual-slot
• Power connectors: None versus 1x 8-pin
• Suggested PSU: not listed versus 550 W
• Bus interface: PCIe 4.0 x8 versus PCIe 4.0 x16
• Display outputs: Portable Device Dependent versus 4x DisplayPort 1.4a
• Dimensions: not listed versus 267 mm (10.5 inches) length, 112 mm (4.4 inches) height
• Release date: 2022-03-21 versus 2021-04-11
• Predecessor: Quadro Turing-M versus Quadro Turing
• Successor: Ada-MW versus Workstation Ada

Fields that are identical include architecture (Ampere), process node (8 nm), foundry (Samsung), memory type (GDDR6), DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan versions, and production status (End-of-life).

The Verdict

The data presents a clear performance hierarchy: the RTX A5000 is overwhelmingly faster in compute and graphics workloads, with 73.9% and 72.5% leads in the two shared benchmarks. Its 4x shading unit count, 4x RT core count, 8x memory capacity, and 8x bandwidth translate directly into those results. If the task is heavy 3D rendering, GPU compute, or large dataset manipulation, the A5000 is the only sensible choice from these two.

However, the RTX A500 Mobile occupies a different niche entirely. Its 30 W TDP, IGP form factor, and lack of power connectors make it suitable for compact, power-constrained systems where a 230 W dual-slot card with a 550 W PSU requirement cannot fit. The A500 Mobile also has a higher percentile rank (82 versus 78) and a higher average benchmark score (39568 versus 33622), but that average is inflated by the A5000's inclusion of lower-scoring legacy tests.

The verdict depends on the use case. For a desktop workstation with space and power budget, the A5000 is decisively better in every measured performance metric. For a mobile or embedded deployment where the 30 W envelope is a hard limit, the A500 Mobile is the only viable option, and its performance is respectable relative to its immediate rivals like the AMD Radeon Pro 575 and Radeon Pro WX 7100.

Where Each One Wins

NVIDIA RTX A5000 wins in:

• Raw compute throughput: 27.77 TFLOPS FP32 versus 6.296 TFLOPS, a 4.4x advantage
• Memory capacity and bandwidth: 24 GB and 768.0 GB/s versus 4 GB and 96.00 GB/s
• Geometry and texture processing: 433.9 GTexel/s versus 98.37 GTexel/s, driven by 256 TMUs
• Pixel fill: 162.7 GPixel/s versus 49.18 GPixel/s
• Ray tracing and tensor workloads: 64 RT cores and 256 tensor cores versus 16 and 64
• PCIe bandwidth: x16 interface versus x8
• Display connectivity: 4x DisplayPort 1.4a versus portable-device-dependent outputs
• Both head-to-head benchmark tests: OpenCL and Vulkan

NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile wins in:

• Power efficiency: 30 W TDP versus 230 W, allowing deployment in systems without auxiliary power connectors
• Form factor: IGP versus dual-slot, enabling integration into compact chassis
• Overall percentile ranking: 82 versus 78, indicating its performance is closer to the top of the database distribution relative to its power class
• Average benchmark score: 39568 versus 33622, though this is skewed by test selection
• Portability: no external power requirement and portable-device-dependent outputs suit mobile platforms
• Release recency: launched 2022-03-21 versus 2021-04-11

The A5000 is the workstation-class performer. The A500 Mobile is the efficiency-and-integration specialist. Neither card replaces the other; they serve different physical and thermal environments.