NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell Server vs NVIDIA Switch 2 GPU Comparison

The Verdict

The database positions these two NVIDIA GPUs at the same overall percentile (50th) despite their radically different objectives, but the recorded specifications show they serve entirely separate roles. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell Server is a server-class compute accelerator built around the GB203 chip, Blackwell 2.0 architecture, and a 5 nm TSMC process. The NVIDIA Switch 2 GPU is a console-oriented Ampere part using the GA10B chip on Samsung's 8 nm node. The data indicates the RTX PRO 4500 delivers roughly 11.8 times the FP32 throughput of the Switch 2 GPU (50.70 TFLOPS versus 4.301 TFLOPS), and its memory bandwidth is approximately 7.8 times higher (800.3 GB/s versus 102.4 GB/s). The RTX PRO 4500 carries 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus, whereas the Switch 2 GPU uses 12 GB of LPDDR5X on a 128-bit bus. The RTX PRO 4500 draws 165 W and requires a 450 W suggested PSU; the Switch 2 GPU operates at 40 W. The Switch 2 GPU has a launch MSRP of 449 USD. The choice is straightforward: the server part for datacenter workloads, the console part for embedded or fixed-function gaming platforms.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs belong to different architectural generations and process nodes. The RTX PRO 4500 uses the GB203 chip built on Blackwell 2.0 architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 5 nm process. It integrates 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 120.6M per mm². The Switch 2 GPU uses the GA10B chip on Ampere architecture, fabricated by Samsung on an 8 nm process. Its transistor count is listed as unknown, and its die size is 200 mm² with no density figure recorded.

The compute resources differ substantially. The RTX PRO 4500 has 10,496 shading units, 328 TMUs, 112 ROPs, 82 RT cores, and 328 tensor cores. The Switch 2 GPU has 1,536 shading units, 48 TMUs, 16 ROPs, 12 RT cores, and 48 tensor cores. The RTX PRO 4500's FP32 and FP16 rates are both 50.70 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, while the Switch 2 GPU's FP32 is 4.301 TFLOPS and its FP16 is 8.602 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio. This indicates the server part handles FP16 at the same rate as FP32, whereas the console part doubles FP16 throughput relative to FP32.

Both GPUs support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RTX PRO 4500 uses PCIe 5.0 x16 for its bus interface; the Switch 2 GPU has no recorded bus interface. The RTX PRO 4500 is a single-slot card measuring 267 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 40 mm in width, with one 16-pin power connector. The Switch 2 GPU has no recorded slot width or power connectors, and its dimensions are 272 mm by 116 mm by 14 mm. Both have no display outputs. The RTX PRO 4500's base clock is 1215 MHz with a boost of 2415 MHz and memory clock of 1563 MHz (25 Gbps effective). The Switch 2 GPU's base clock is 561 MHz, boost is 1400 MHz, and memory clock is 800 MHz (6.4 Gbps effective).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no recorded head-to-head benchmark entries for these two parts, so the comparison rests on the specification-level measurements. The most decisive gap is raw compute throughput. The RTX PRO 4500 delivers 50.70 TFLOPS of FP32, which is 11.8 times the Switch 2 GPU's 4.301 TFLOPS. In FP16, the RTX PRO 4500 maintains 50.70 TFLOPS, while the Switch 2 GPU reaches 8.602 TFLOPS; the server part is 5.9 times faster in that metric. The pixel rate favors the RTX PRO 4500 at 270.5 GPixel/s versus 22.40 GPixel/s, a 12.1 times advantage. The texture rate is 792.1 GTexel/s on the RTX PRO 4500 versus 67.20 GTexel/s on the Switch 2 GPU, an 11.8 times difference.

Memory bandwidth shows a similar pattern. The RTX PRO 4500's 800.3 GB/s over a 256-bit GDDR7 interface is 7.8 times the Switch 2 GPU's 102.4 GB/s over a 128-bit LPDDR5X interface. The capacity difference is 32 GB versus 12 GB. The RTX PRO 4500 also runs its memory at 25 Gbps effective, versus 6.4 Gbps on the Switch 2 GPU. The RTX PRO 4500's boost clock is 2415 MHz, which is 1.7 times the Switch 2 GPU's 1400 MHz boost. The base clock gap is larger: 1215 MHz versus 561 MHz, a 2.2 times difference.

The power envelope moves in the opposite direction. The RTX PRO 4500 has a TDP of 165 W, while the Switch 2 GPU operates at 40 W. That means the Switch 2 GPU delivers its 4.301 TFLOPS at 40 W, while the RTX PRO 4500 delivers 50.70 TFLOPS at 165 W. On a per-watt basis, the RTX PRO 4500 offers approximately 0.307 TFLOPS per watt, and the Switch 2 GPU offers approximately 0.108 TFLOPS per watt. The server part is about 2.9 times more efficient in FP32 per watt, despite the much higher absolute power draw.

The RTX PRO 4500's transistor density is 120.6M per mm² on a 378 mm² die, and the Switch 2 GPU's die is 200 mm². The RTX PRO 4500 has a 5 nm process versus 8 nm, which partially explains the density and clock advantages. The RTX PRO 4500's 82 RT cores and 328 tensor cores dwarf the Switch 2 GPU's 12 RT cores and 48 tensor cores, suggesting a 6.8 times advantage in RT core count and a 6.8 times advantage in tensor core count.

Specification Differences

The two parts differ across nearly every measured field. The process node is 5 nm (TSMC) for the RTX PRO 4500 versus 8 nm (Samsung) for the Switch 2 GPU. The RTX PRO 4500 has a known transistor count of 45,600 million; the Switch 2 GPU's transistor count is unknown. Die size is 378 mm² versus 200 mm². Transistor density is 120.6M per mm² for the RTX PRO 4500, with no value recorded for the Switch 2 GPU.

Clock speeds: the RTX PRO 4500 runs at 1215 MHz base and 2415 MHz boost, with memory at 1563 MHz (25 Gbps effective). The Switch 2 GPU runs at 561 MHz base and 1400 MHz boost, with memory at 800 MHz (6.4 Gbps effective). Memory configuration: the RTX PRO 4500 has 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus with 800.3 GB/s bandwidth. The Switch 2 GPU has 12 GB of LPDDR5X on a 128-bit bus with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth.

Compute units: the RTX PRO 4500 has 10,496 shading units, 328 TMUs, 112 ROPs, 82 RT cores, and 328 tensor cores. The Switch 2 GPU has 1,536 shading units, 48 TMUs, 16 ROPs, 12 RT cores, and 48 tensor cores. Pixel rate is 270.5 GPixel/s versus 22.40 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 792.1 GTexel/s versus 67.20 GTexel/s. FP32 is 50.70 TFLOPS versus 4.301 TFLOPS. FP16 is 50.70 TFLOPS (1:1) versus 8.602 TFLOPS (2:1).

Power and physical specs: the RTX PRO 4500 has a TDP of 165 W, is single-slot, uses one 16-pin power connector, and suggests a 450 W PSU. The Switch 2 GPU has a TDP of 40 W, no recorded slot width, no power connectors, and no suggested PSU. The RTX PRO 4500 uses PCIe 5.0 x16; the Switch 2 GPU has no recorded bus interface. Dimensions: the RTX PRO 4500 is 267 mm by 111 mm by 40 mm; the Switch 2 GPU is 272 mm by 116 mm by 14 mm. Both have no display outputs. Both are production-status Active. The RTX PRO 4500's release date is 2026-03-16, and its predecessor is Server Hopper and successor is Server Rubin. The Switch 2 GPU's release date is 2025-06-04, with no predecessor or successor. The Switch 2 GPU has a launch MSRP of 449 USD; the RTX PRO 4500 has no recorded launch MSRP.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute throughput?

A: The RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell Server delivers 50.70 TFLOPS FP32, which is 11.8 times the Switch 2 GPU's 4.301 TFLOPS.

Q: How do the memory subsystems compare?

A: The RTX PRO 4500 has 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus with 800.3 GB/s bandwidth. The Switch 2 GPU has 12 GB of LPDDR5X on a 128-bit bus with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX PRO 4500's bandwidth is 7.8 times higher.

Q: What are the power requirements for each GPU?

A: The RTX PRO 4500 has a TDP of 165 W and a suggested PSU of 450 W, with a single 16-pin power connector. The Switch 2 GPU has a TDP of 40 W and no recorded power connector or suggested PSU.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same API feature set?

A: Yes. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: What process nodes and foundries are used?

A: The RTX PRO 4500 uses TSMC's 5 nm process with the GB203 chip. The Switch 2 GPU uses Samsung's 8 nm process with the GA10B chip.

Q: What is the release timing and market position?

A: The Switch 2 GPU was released on 2025-06-04 with a launch MSRP of 449 USD. The RTX PRO 4500 was released on 2026-03-16 with no recorded launch MSRP. The RTX PRO 4500's predecessor is Server Hopper and its successor is Server Rubin; the Switch 2 GPU has no recorded predecessor or successor.