NVIDIA RTX A5500 vs NVIDIA TITAN X Pascal Comparison

The Verdict

The data presents a decisive outcome: the NVIDIA RTX A5500 is the superior performer in every recorded benchmark. Across the two head-to-head tests, the RTX A5500 wins both, with an average benchmark score of 165,217 compared to the TITAN X Pascal's 72,098. This is not a close contest; the RTX A5500 outperforms the TITAN X Pascal by a massive margin in compute-heavy workloads. The TITAN X Pascal, while still a capable card in its own right, is a product of an older generation and cannot compete with the modern architecture of the A5500. For any user whose priority is raw compute performance in modern APIs, the RTX A5500 is the clear choice based on the data.

The RTX A5500's position in the database is also telling. It sits at the 97th percentile among all GPUs, placing it in the top tier of performance. Its nearest rivals are all professional or data-center class cards, such as the AMD Radeon PRO W7800, which it edges out by a mere 0.2%, and the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 40 GB, which it leads by 1.7%. This confirms that its performance sits comfortably within the territory of high-end workstation and server accelerators. The TITAN X Pascal, conversely, sits at the 91st percentile. While still high, its direct competitors are entirely different, such as the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 and the AMD Radeon RX 6650M, indicating a much lower tier of performance. The verdict is clear: the RTX A5500 is the significantly more powerful and more relevant card for demanding professional workloads.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are separated by two generations of GPU architecture, which explains the vast performance gap. The RTX A5500 is built on the Ampere architecture (using the GA102 chip), manufactured on an 8 nm process by Samsung. In contrast, the TITAN X Pascal uses the older Pascal architecture (GP102 chip) on a 16 nm process at TSMC. This node transition is a major factor, allowing the Ampere chip to pack 28,300 million transistors onto a 628 mm² die, versus the Pascal chip's 11,800 million transistors on a 471 mm² die. The transistor density tells the story: 45.1M / mm² for the RTX A5500 versus 25.1M / mm² for the TITAN X Pascal.

The most significant architectural difference is the introduction of specialized hardware. The RTX A5500 includes 80 RT Cores for ray tracing and 320 Tensor Cores for AI acceleration. The TITAN X Pascal has no RT cores and no Tensor cores. This makes the A5500 fundamentally more capable in modern workloads that leverage these features. Additionally, the A5500 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the TITAN X Pascal is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). This represents a leap in feature support for the newer card. The generation gap is also evident in the interface, with the A5500 using PCIe 4.0 x16 compared to the TITAN X's PCIe 3.0 x16, doubling the available bandwidth to the system.

The performance core counts amplify the architectural lead. The RTX A5500 houses 10,240 shading units and 320 TMUs, a massive increase from the TITAN X Pascal's 3,584 shading units and 224 TMUs. While both have 96 ROPs, the sheer number of compute cores in the A5500 leads to a calculated FP32 performance of 34.10 TFLOPS, more than three times the TITAN X Pascal's 10.97 TFLOPS. The difference in FP16 is even more stark: the A5500 offers 34.10 TFLOPS (1:1) with its shaders, while the TITAN X Pascal is severely limited at 171.5 GFLOPS (1:64). This makes the RTX A5500 a far more flexible and powerful compute device.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results show a dominant performance from the RTX A5500. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX A5500 scored 174,637 against the TITAN X Pascal's 66,696, a difference of 161.8%. This is a massive lead, showing the RTX A5500 is over two and a half times faster in this general compute test. The OpenCL workload benefits greatly from the Ampere architecture's higher shader count and memory bandwidth.

In the Geekbench Vulkan test, the gap narrows somewhat but remains decisive. The RTX A5500 scored 155,797, while the TITAN X Pascal scored 77,499, a difference of 101%. The doubling of performance shows the A5500 is capable of handling modern graphics APIs far more efficiently. While the TITAN X Pascal's score is respectable for its generation, it cannot match the sheer processing power of the RTX A5500. The data shows a consistent and overwhelming victory for the RTX A5500, with a total of 2 wins and 0 losses in the head-to-head comparison.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ on almost every key technical specification, and these differences explain the performance gap. The TITAN X Pascal's 1,199 USD launch MSRP is the only price-related detail in the data; no price is recorded for the RTX A5500. Here are the primary differences:

• Process Node: 8 nm (Samsung) vs 16 nm (TSMC)
• Transistors: 28,300 million vs 11,800 million
• Die Size: 628 mm² vs 471 mm²
• Memory: 24 GB GDDR6 vs 12 GB GDDR5X
• Memory Clock: 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) vs 1251 MHz (10 Gbps effective)
• Memory Bandwidth: 768.0 GB/s vs 480.4 GB/s
• Shading Units: 10240 vs 3584
• TMUs: 320 vs 224
• RT Cores: 80 vs None
• Tensor Cores: 320 vs None
• Pixel Rate: 159.8 GPixel/s vs 147.0 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: 532.8 GTexel/s vs 342.9 GTexel/s
• FP32: 34.10 TFLOPS vs 10.97 TFLOPS
• FP16: 34.10 TFLOPS (1:1) vs 171.5 GFLOPS (1:64)
• TDP: 230 W vs 250 W
• Power Connectors: 1x 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
• Suggested PSU: 550 W vs 600 W
• Bus Interface: PCIe 4.0 x16 vs PCIe 3.0 x16
• Display Outputs: 4x DisplayPort 1.4a vs 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
• DirectX: 12 Ultimate (12_2) vs 12 (12_1)
• Release Date: 2022-03-21 vs 2016-08-01

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in the recorded benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5500 is faster in both recorded tests. It scores 174,637 in Geekbench OpenCL and 155,797 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the TITAN X Pascal scores 66,696 and 77,499, respectively.

Q: How much of a performance lead does the RTX A5500 have?

A: The RTX A5500 is a massive 161.8% ahead in the Geekbench OpenCL test and 101% ahead in the Geekbench Vulkan test.

Q: Why is the RTX A5500 so much faster?

A: The data shows it has a newer architecture (Ampere vs Pascal), a smaller process node (8 nm vs 16 nm), many more shading units (10240 vs 3584), and much higher memory bandwidth (768.0 GB/s vs 480.4 GB/s).

Q: Does the TITAN X Pascal have any features the RTX A5500 lacks?

A: No, the opposite is true. The RTX A5500 includes features the TITAN lacks, such as RT cores and Tensor cores. The TITAN X Pascal has none of those.

Q: What kind of user is the RTX A5500 for, based on the performance?

A: Based on its high percentile (97th) and its performance being close to other professional cards like the NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada and AMD Radeon PRO W7800, it is for professional, workstation-class workloads.

Q: What kind of user is the TITAN X Pascal for, based on the performance?

A: Its 91st percentile and competition from cards like the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 indicate it is a high-end consumer or entry-level professional card, but it is clearly outclassed by the A5500.

Where Each One Wins

The performance data leaves little room for ambiguity. The NVIDIA RTX A5500 wins in every category that has been measured.

• All Benchmarks: The RTX A5500 wins both the Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan tests by a wide margin.
• Compute-Intensive Workloads: With an FP32 score of 34.10 TFLOPS and an FP16 score of 34.10 TFLOPS, versus the TITAN's 10.97 TFLOPS and 171.5 GFLOPS, the A5500 is in a completely different league for scientific, AI, and rendering tasks. This is further reinforced by the presence of 320 Tensor cores and 80 RT cores.
• Memory-Hungry Applications: The A5500's 24 GB of GDDR6 memory with 768.0 GB/s bandwidth is more than double the TITAN X's 12 GB and 480.4 GB/s, making it the clear choice for large datasets and high-resolution texture work.
• Modern API Utilization: Support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and PCIe 4.0 ensures the RTX A5500 is ready for the latest software and system environments.

The NVIDIA TITAN X Pascal does not have a single benchmark win. Its only "advantage" lies in its lower TDP of 250 W vs 230 W for the A5500, though this is a minor detail. Its higher power draw and lower performance make it a less efficient option. The TITAN X Pascal is a piece of legacy hardware, and the data shows that it is firmly outclassed by the modern RTX A5500 in all measured aspects.