NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell vs NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell wins every recorded benchmark in the head-to-head comparison, taking all 9 tests with no wins for the RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell. The largest margin comes in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where the 4500 scores 7025 against 4648, a 51.1% advantage. This is the only test where the gap exceeds 50%, making it the clearest statement of raw rendering dominance between the two cards.

Compute workloads also show a substantial split. In Passmark GPU Compute, the 4500 delivers 19255 points versus 14805, a 30.1% lead. This aligns with the wider memory bus and higher FP32 throughput, but the benchmark data itself confirms the gap without needing to infer from specifications.

DirectX 12 performance follows a similar pattern. The 4500 posts 119 points in Passmark DirectX 12, while the 4000 manages 97, a 22.7% difference. DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 tests show 17.9% and 15.9% leads respectively, with scores of 204 versus 173 and 320 versus 276. The 4500 also wins Passmark G3D by 17.4%, scoring 33360 against 28427.

Vulkan performance via Geekbench favors the 4500 by 14.2%, with scores of 221768 and 194168. The smallest but still decisive margin is in Passmark G2D, where the 4500 leads 1336 to 1265, a 5.6% difference. DirectX 9 rounds out the sweep with a 12.1% lead, 397 versus 354.

The average benchmark score for the 4500 is 31532, placing it at the 76th percentile of all GPUs. The 4000 averages 27135, sitting at the 72nd percentile. The 4500's nearest rival by average score is the NVIDIA TITAN RTX at 31676, a 0.5% difference, while the 4000 sits closest to the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT at 27425 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile at 27435, both 1.1% behind.

Where Each One Wins

There is no recorded benchmark where the RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell takes a win. Every single test in the database favors the RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell. This makes the use-case split straightforward: the 4500 is the stronger choice for every workload represented in the measurements.

For workloads that stress raw graphics throughput, the 4500's lead is most pronounced in DirectX 12 and 3DMark Steel Nomad, where margins exceed 20% and 50% respectively. Users running modern DX12 titles or GPU-accelerated rendering pipelines will see the largest relative benefit.

Compute-heavy tasks, such as those modeled by Passmark GPU Compute, also clearly favor the 4500 with a 30.1% advantage. This suggests that simulations, AI inference, or other FP32-heavy workloads benefit disproportionately from the higher-end part.

The 4000 still holds its own in lighter workloads. In G2D, the margin narrows to 5.6%, indicating that 2D desktop or basic display tasks see minimal difference. For Vulkan and DirectX 9, the gaps are 14.2% and 12.1%, which are meaningful but not overwhelming. If a workload is mostly 2D or legacy API-based, the 4000's lower power draw and smaller footprint become more relevant, but the performance data still favors the 4500.

Architecture Differences

Both cards share the same GB203 chip, Blackwell 2.0 architecture, 5 nm process at TSMC, 45,600 million transistors, and a 378 mm² die size. The transistor density is identical at 120.6M per mm². They also share the same API support: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The core configuration differs. The 4500 has 10496 shading units, 328 TMUs, 112 ROPs, 82 RT cores, and 328 tensor cores. The 4000 has 8960 shading units, 280 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 70 RT cores, and 280 tensor cores. This represents a 17.1% increase in shading units and RT cores, plus a 17.1% increase in TMUs and tensor cores, while ROPs grow by 16.7%.

Clock speeds also diverge. The 4500 runs at a base of 1635 MHz and boosts to 2407 MHz. The 4000 has a base of 1230 MHz and a boost of 2055 MHz. The 4500's boost clock is 17.1% higher, and its base clock is 32.9% higher. These clocks, combined with the larger core count, drive the 4500's FP32 output of 50.53 TFLOPS versus 36.83 TFLOPS for the 4000, a 37.2% difference.

Both cards use GDDR7 memory at 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective speed. The 4500 has a 256-bit bus and 32 GB capacity, yielding 896.0 GB/s bandwidth. The 4000 has a 192-bit bus and 24 GB capacity, yielding 672.0 GB/s bandwidth. The 4500's bandwidth is 33.3% higher.

Pixel and texture rates follow the core and clock differences. The 4500 achieves 269.6 GPixel/s and 789.5 GTexel/s, while the 4000 achieves 197.3 GPixel/s and 575.4 GTexel/s.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across several specification fields, while sharing the same chip, architecture, process, foundry, transistor count, die size, memory type, memory clock, bus interface, display outputs, and API support.

Memory capacity: the 4500 has 32 GB, the 4000 has 24 GB. Memory bus width: 256-bit versus 192-bit. Memory bandwidth: 896.0 GB/s versus 672.0 GB/s.

Shading units: 10496 versus 8960. TMUs: 328 versus 280. ROPs: 112 versus 96. RT cores: 82 versus 70. Tensor cores: 328 versus 280.

Base clock: 1635 MHz versus 1230 MHz. Boost clock: 2407 MHz versus 2055 MHz.

FP32 and FP16 performance: 50.53 TFLOPS versus 36.83 TFLOPS, both at 1:1 ratio.

Pixel rate: 269.6 GPixel/s versus 197.3 GPixel/s. Texture rate: 789.5 GTexel/s versus 575.4 GTexel/s.

TDP: 200 W for the 4500, 140 W for the 4000. Slot width: dual-slot versus single-slot. Power connector: both use 1x 16-pin. Suggested PSU: 550 W versus 300 W.

Dimensions: the 4500 is 267 mm long, 111 mm high, and 40 mm wide. The 4000 is 241 mm long, 111 mm high, and 20 mm wide. Both are 4.4 inches high.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12?

A: The RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell wins decisively, scoring 7025 against 4648 for the RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell, a 51.1% advantage.

Q: How much faster is the RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell in compute workloads?

A: In Passmark GPU Compute, the 4500 scores 19255 versus 14805 for the 4000, a 30.1% lead.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two cards?

A: The 4500 has 896.0 GB/s bandwidth on a 256-bit bus with 32 GB of GDDR7. The 4000 has 672.0 GB/s on a 192-bit bus with 24 GB.

Q: Do both cards use the same GPU chip?

A: Yes, both use the GB203 chip on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, built on TSMC's 5 nm process with 45,600 million transistors and a 378 mm² die.

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

A: The 4500 averages 31532, placing at the 76th percentile of all GPUs. The 4000 averages 27135, placing at the 72nd percentile.

Q: Which card has a higher boost clock?

A: The 4500 boosts to 2407 MHz, while the 4000 boosts to 2055 MHz. The 4500's base clock is 1635 MHz versus 1230 MHz for the 4000.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell outperforms the RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell in every recorded benchmark. The 4500 wins all 9 head-to-head tests, with margins ranging from 5.6% in G2D to 51.1% in 3DMark Steel Nomad. Its average benchmark score is 15.4% higher, and its percentile rank among all GPUs is 4 points higher.

For users who need maximum rendering throughput, particularly in DirectX 12, compute, or modern 3D workloads, the 4500 is the clear choice. The 51.1% lead in Steel Nomad and 30.1% lead in GPU Compute indicate that the extra shading units, tensor cores, RT cores, and memory bandwidth translate directly into measurable performance gains.

The 4000 remains a viable option for those prioritizing physical footprint and power efficiency. It is a single-slot card at 20 mm wide, draws 140 W, and requires a 300 W PSU, versus the 4500's dual-slot 40 mm width, 200 W TDP, and 550 W PSU suggestion. For 2D workloads, the 5.6% G2D gap is minor, and the 4000's lower power draw may be preferable in dense workstation builds.

However, the benchmark results show no scenario where the 4000 wins. The 4500's higher memory capacity (32 GB versus 24 GB), wider bus (256-bit versus 192-bit), and faster clocks (2407 MHz boost versus 2055 MHz) make it the superior performer across all tested applications. Users who need the absolute best from this Blackwell generation should select the 4500; users who need a compact, lower-power card with still strong performance should consider the 4000, but they must accept a measurable performance deficit in every recorded test.