NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile

The NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile is an Ampere-generation mobile workstation GPU built around the GA103 chip. Fabricated on Samsung's 8 nm process, it integrates 22,000 million transistors on a 496 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 44.4M per mm². The GPU runs at a base clock of 975 MHz and a boost clock of 1500 MHz, and pairs 7,424 shading units with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus. Its aggregate benchmark results place it in the 96th percentile of all GPUs in this database, with an average score of 113944. The product is end-of-life, having been released on 2022-03-21; it succeeds the Quadro Turing-M line and precedes Ada-MW in NVIDIA's mobile workstation lineup.

Memory Subsystem

The RTX A5500 Mobile is equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a peak bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s. The memory operates at 2000 MHz, which corresponds to an effective data rate of 16 Gbps. This configuration provides a balanced ratio of capacity to bandwidth for a professional mobile GPU. At high resolutions, the 16 GB frame buffer can accommodate large textures, high-resolution render targets, and multi-buffer compute workloads without spilling to system memory. The 512.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient to feed the GPU's 7,424 shading units, 232 TMUs, and 96 ROPs without creating a throughput bottleneck in most scenes. The pixel rate of 144.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 348.0 GTexel/s are directly supported by the memory subsystem; these fill rates determine how quickly the GPU can rasterize and texture high-resolution geometry. For high-resolution viewport rendering, the combination of 16 GB capacity and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth allows the GPU to hold full-resolution color, depth, and auxiliary buffers simultaneously, which is a common requirement in professional applications. The 256-bit bus width is matched to the 2000 MHz GDDR6 clock to achieve the 512.0 GB/s figure. In compute-heavy workloads that stream large datasets, such as simulation or AI inference, the 512.0 GB/s bandwidth ensures that memory transfers do not dominate execution time, allowing the 22.27 TFLOPS FP32 throughput to be more fully utilized. Overall, the memory subsystem is well matched to the GPU's compute capabilities and is adequate for the high-resolution professional workloads this card targets.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The RTX A5500 Mobile integrates 58 RT cores and 232 tensor cores, providing dedicated hardware for ray tracing and AI-accelerated compute. The API support includes DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. DirectX 12 Ultimate is a feature marker that indicates modern rendering capability. In professional rendering, the 58 RT cores accelerate ray-traced workloads, which are increasingly common in visualization pipelines. The 232 tensor cores enable neural-network-based compute and machine-learning inference. The FP32 and FP16 compute rates are both 22.27 TFLOPS, with a 1:1 ratio, meaning the card does not reduce throughput when operating in half precision; this is particularly relevant for AI training and inference workloads that rely on FP16 arithmetic. The 58 RT cores and 232 tensor cores work in tandem for hybrid rendering pipelines that combine rasterization and ray tracing. The GPU also supports OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4, covering a broad range of professional and scientific applications. The PCIe 4.0 x16 interface provides host connectivity. The display outputs are listed as portable-device dependent, which is typical for a mobile part; the GPU is not designed for standalone desktop use, as reflected by the absence of power connectors and the 165 W TDP. This feature set positions the RTX A5500 Mobile as a capable mobile workstation GPU for modern rendering APIs.

Who Should Consider It

The RTX A5500 Mobile is aimed at professionals who need high-end compute performance in a laptop form factor. Its average benchmark score of 113944 places it in the 96th percentile of all GPUs in this database, indicating that it outperforms the vast majority of graphics cards, including many desktop parts. In Geekbench compute tests, it scores 124287 in OpenCL and 103601 in Vulkan; the OpenCL score is notably higher, suggesting strong general-purpose compute performance across a range of professional applications. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory makes it suitable for large 3D scenes, high-resolution textures, and multi-application workflows. Users who work at high resolutions — whether in viewport rendering, video editing, or simulation — will benefit from the 512.0 GB/s bandwidth and 16 GB capacity. The 22.27 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and the 1:1 FP16 ratio make it a strong choice for machine-learning and scientific compute workloads. The 165 W TDP and the lack of power connectors indicate that this GPU is intended for large mobile workstations with robust cooling; buyers should not expect it in thin-and-light laptops. The 8 nm process and 22,000 million transistor count are consistent with a high-end Ampere part. Because the product is end-of-life, it is no longer in active production, but it remains a viable option in the used or refurbished market. The 96th percentile ranking means that for most professional workloads, this GPU will not be a limiting factor; the primary consideration is whether the specific laptop chassis provides adequate cooling and the required display outputs, which are portable-device dependent. For users who need near-top-tier performance in a mobile workstation and can work within the 16 GB memory envelope, the RTX A5500 Mobile is a strong candidate.

How It Compares

The RTX A5500 Mobile's nearest rivals, based on average benchmark score, are the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo, the NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II, and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600X.

AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo: The Vega II Duo averages 114878, which is 0.8% higher than the A5500 Mobile's 113944. This delta of -0.8% places the two cards in a near-tie; the difference is minimal. The A5500 Mobile achieves this score as a mobile part, given its 165 W TDP and portable-device-dependent display outputs, making the close result notable.

NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation: The RTX 4000 SFF Ada averages 117088, which is 2.7% higher than the A5500 Mobile. This is the largest deficit among the A5500 Mobile's nearest rivals. The A5500 Mobile's 96th percentile ranking remains unaffected by this gap, and the two cards remain in the same performance tier.

AMD Radeon Pro Vega II: The Vega II averages 109967, which is 3.6% lower than the A5500 Mobile. The A5500 Mobile leads by 3.6%, a clear but modest margin. This demonstrates that the A5500 Mobile outperforms this rival in aggregate compute benchmarks, reinforcing its position as a high-performance mobile part.

AMD Radeon Pro W6600X: The W6600X averages 107342, which is 6.2% lower than the A5500 Mobile. This is the largest lead the A5500 Mobile holds over any of its nearest rivals. The 6.2% margin indicates a decisive performance advantage, placing the A5500 Mobile firmly above this competitor in compute throughput.

FAQ

Q: How much memory does the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile have, and what type is it?

A: It has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, with a peak bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s.

Q: What is the average benchmark score and percentile rank of the RTX A5500 Mobile?

A: Its average benchmark score is 113944, placing it in the 96th percentile of all GPUs in this database. It scores 124287 in Geekbench OpenCL and 103601 in Geekbench Vulkan.

Q: Does the RTX A5500 Mobile support hardware ray tracing?

A: Yes. It has 58 RT cores and 232 tensor cores, and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: What is the compute throughput of the RTX A5500 Mobile?

A: It delivers 22.27 TFLOPS in both FP32 and FP16, with a 1:1 ratio. Its pixel rate is 144.0 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 348.0 GTexel/s.

Q: How does the RTX A5500 Mobile compare to the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II?

A: The RTX A5500 Mobile leads the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II by 3.6% in average benchmark score (113944 vs 109967).

Q: What process node is the RTX A5500 Mobile built on?

A: It is built on Samsung's 8 nm process, with 22,000 million transistors on a 496 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 44.4M per mm².