Blackwell vs Ada: each RTX Ada card and its RTX PRO Blackwell counterpart, tier by tier
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- Six RTX Ada cards have a direct RTX PRO Blackwell counterpart: 2000, 4000 SFF, 4000, 4500, 5000 and 6000; the RTX 5880 Ada and the 84 GB RTX PRO 5500 have no direct pair
- On every tier the generation moves from GDDR6 to GDDR7 and from PCIe 4.0 to 5.0, raises memory bandwidth by 29 to 133 per cent, adds FP4 and FP6 to the Tensor Cores and moves the outputs to DisplayPort 2.1b
- Memory grows on every tier except the 2000, which stays at 16 GB; the RTX 6000 Ada has 48 GB GDDR6, and the 96 GB card is the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell
- No RTX Ada card supports MIG; on Blackwell, NVIDIA’s MIG guide lists the RTX PRO 6000 with four instances and the RTX PRO 5000 and 4500 with two
- vGPU runs on the RTX 6000, 5880 and 5000 Ada workstation cards; on Blackwell it needs the RTX PRO 6000 or 4500 Server Edition, or the 72 GB RTX PRO 5000 from vGPU 20.2, which NVIDIA’s vSphere matrix does not list
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Blackwell vs Ada: the short answer
Of the seven RTX Ada Generation desktop cards compared here, every one except the RTX 5880 Ada has an RTX PRO Blackwell counterpart at the same tier. The RTX 2000 Ada is followed by the RTX PRO 2000, the RTX 4000 SFF Ada by the RTX PRO 4000 SFF, the RTX 4000 Ada by the RTX PRO 4000, the RTX 4500 Ada by the RTX PRO 4500, the RTX 5000 Ada by the RTX PRO 5000 and the RTX 6000 Ada by the RTX PRO 6000.
At each tier, Blackwell changes the same things against Ada. GDDR7 replaces GDDR6 and raises memory bandwidth by 29 to 133 per cent, memory grows on every tier except the 2000, the host interface moves from PCIe 4.0 to 5.0, the Tensor Cores add FP4 and FP6, and the display outputs move from DisplayPort 1.4a to 2.1b. MIG partitioning arrives with Blackwell, on the larger cards only.
Two cards stand outside the pairs. The RTX 5880 Ada, with 48 GB of GDDR6 at 960 GB/s and 285 W, sits just below the RTX 6000 Ada. We found no NVIDIA document that names a Blackwell successor for it. The RTX PRO 5500 Blackwell, with 84 GB of GDDR7 at 1,398 GB/s, has no Ada predecessor. As of October 2026 NVIDIA’s page lists it as “Coming Soon”, at up to 600 W, with “Preliminary product specifications, subject to change”.
NVIDIA names the older cards “RTX 6000 Ada Generation” and the newer ones “RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell”, so an “RTX PRO 6000 Ada” does not exist.
Every RTX Ada card and its Blackwell counterpart
| RTX ADA CARD | RTX PRO BLACKWELL | MEMORY | BANDWIDTH | BOARD POWER |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 2000 Ada | RTX PRO 2000 | 16 → 16 GB | 224 → 288 GB/s | 70 → 70 W |
| RTX 4000 SFF Ada | RTX PRO 4000 SFF | 20 → 24 GB | 280 → 432 GB/s | 70 → 70 W |
| RTX 4000 Ada | RTX PRO 4000 | 20 → 24 GB | 360 → 672 GB/s | 130 → 145 W |
| RTX 4500 Ada | RTX PRO 4500 | 24 → 32 GB | 432 → 896 GB/s | 210 → 200 W |
| RTX 5000 Ada | RTX PRO 5000 | 32 → 48 or 72 GB | 576 → 1,344 GB/s | 250 → 300 W |
| RTX 5880 Ada | no direct pair | 48 GB | 960 GB/s | 285 W |
| no Ada predecessor | RTX PRO 5500 | 84 GB | 1,398 GB/s | up to 600 W |
| RTX 6000 Ada | RTX PRO 6000 Workstation | 48 → 96 GB | 960 → 1,792 GB/s | 300 → 600 W |
| RTX 6000 Ada | RTX PRO 6000 Max-Q | 48 → 96 GB | 960 → 1,792 GB/s | 300 → 300 W |
NVIDIA datasheets: RTX 6000 Ada (Feb 2023), RTX 4000 SFF Ada (Apr 2023), RTX 5000 Ada (2898211, Aug 2023), RTX 4000 Ada (Sep 2023), RTX 4500 Ada (Oct 2023), RTX 5880 Ada (3156635, Feb 2024), RTX 2000 Ada (3169852, Feb 2024, Chinese edition), RTX PRO 2000 (5322351, Jun 2026), RTX PRO 4000 SFF (5322500, Jun 2026), RTX PRO 6000 Max-Q (5349650, Jun 2026), RTX PRO 4500 Workstation Edition (5108623, Apr 2026), RTX PRO 4000 and 6000 Workstation (Jun 2026), RTX PRO 5000 (5349550, Jul 2026); RTX PRO 5500 from NVIDIA’s product page, preliminary, read 10 October 2026.
The largest step is on the RTX PRO 5000, with 2.3 times the bandwidth of the RTX 5000 Ada, followed by the RTX PRO 4500 at 2.1 times. On several tiers the memory bus is wider as well, from 160 to 192 bits on the two 4000 cards, from 192 to 256 bits on the 4500 and from 384 to 512 bits on the 6000. The RTX PRO 2000 keeps the 128-bit bus and the 16 GB of its predecessor and gains the least, 29 per cent.
Board power rises on the 4000, 5000 and 6000 tiers. The RTX PRO 6000 Workstation Edition doubles the RTX 6000 Ada’s 300 W, while the Max-Q keeps 300 W.
What changes on every tier: GDDR7, PCIe 5.0, FP4 and DisplayPort 2.1b
| FEATURE | RTX ADA | RTX PRO BLACKWELL |
|---|---|---|
| Memory | GDDR6 with ECC on every card | GDDR7 with ECC on every card |
| Tensor Core formats | FP8, no FP4 or FP6 | FP4 and FP6 added |
| MIG | none | 6000: up to 4; 5000, 4500, 5500: up to 2 |
| vGPU, workstation cards | 6000, 5880 and 5000 Ada | 72 GB RTX PRO 5000 only, not on vSphere |
| vGPU, Server Editions | no Server Edition | RTX PRO 6000 and 4500 Server Edition |
| Host interface | PCIe 4.0 (x8 on the 2000) | PCIe 5.0 (x8 on the 2000 and 4000 SFF) |
| Display outputs | DisplayPort 1.4a | DisplayPort 2.1b |
| Linux kernel modules | open modules recommended | open modules required |
NVIDIA datasheets and product pages of each card; RTX PRO Blackwell architecture paper v1.1; MIG user guide (updated 11 September 2026); vGPU supported GPUs (updated 2 October 2026) and vSphere support matrix (updated 29 September 2026); NVIDIA developer blog on open GPU kernel modules (17 July 2024).
NVIDIA’s RTX PRO Blackwell architecture paper says that “RTX Blackwell adds new support for FP4 and FP6 Tensor Core operations”. The headline AI figures therefore use different precisions: NVIDIA’s product page gives the RTX 6000 Ada’s 1,457 AI TOPS as “Theoretical FP8 TOPS using the sparsity feature”, and the RTX PRO 6000 datasheet gives its 4,000 as “Effective FP4 TOPS with sparsity”. Compare them only at the same precision, as the per-tier articles below do.
The RTX PRO 4000 SFF connects at PCIe 5.0 x8 where the RTX 4000 SFF Ada used 4.0 x16, so in a PCIe 4.0 workstation the new card has half the link bandwidth of the one it replaces. On Linux, NVIDIA’s developer blog of July 2024 states that for Blackwell “you must use the open-source GPU kernel modules”, while for Ada it recommends them, so hosts on the proprietary modules have to switch first.
RTX 6000 Ada 96 GB: the 96 GB card is the RTX PRO 6000
The RTX 6000 Ada has 48 GB of GDDR6 with ECC, as its datasheet of February 2023 states, and no version with 96 GB exists. The 96 GB card is the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell, with 96 GB of GDDR7 at 1,792 GB/s in the Workstation and Max-Q editions. The Server Edition, the version for rack servers, has the same 96 GB; its product brief of June 2025 gives a default of 600 W in the 600 W mode, adjustable down to 300 W.
Two RTX 6000 Ada cards do not make one 96 GB card either: the datasheet lists NVLink as “No”, so a larger model is split across both over PCIe, at a cost in speed.
Tier by tier: where each detailed comparison starts
At the top, the RTX PRO 6000 doubles memory and nearly doubles bandwidth over the RTX 6000 Ada and adds MIG with up to four instances. Our RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell vs RTX 6000 Ada comparison covers the editions, the measured rendering gains and the MIG prerequisites.
The RTX 5880 Ada has the same 48 GB and 960 GB/s as the RTX 6000 Ada with fewer CUDA cores, 14,080 against 18,176, at 285 W instead of 300. The RTX 5880 Ada and RTX 6000 Ada comparison explains where the 5880 fits.
The RTX PRO 5000 takes the RTX 5000 Ada’s 32 GB to 48 or 72 GB and its bandwidth from 576 to 1,344 GB/s, and splits into two MIG instances. The RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell vs RTX 5000 Ada comparison sizes which model classes fit in 32, 48 and 72 GB.
In the middle, the RTX PRO 4500 moves from 24 to 32 GB and more than doubles bandwidth at 10 W less. Our article on the 32 GB RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell compares it with the RTX 4500 Ada and explains the open questions about MIG on the workstation card.
The RTX PRO 4000 stays a single-slot card and goes from 20 to 24 GB at 672 GB/s, and its SFF version keeps the 70 W low-profile format. Both are covered in the RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell vs RTX 4000 Ada comparison, including the PCIe x8 detail of the SFF card.
At the entry tier, the RTX PRO 2000 keeps 16 GB and 70 W and adds GDDR7 and FP4. The RTX PRO 2000 Blackwell vs RTX 2000 Ada comparison sets it against the RTX 2000 Ada and the RTX 4000 Ada for CAD and BIM seats.
We supply both generations, from the RTX 2000 Ada to the RTX PRO 6000. Send us the cards in your fleet today and the applications they run, and we confirm the counterpart and its compatibility for each machine.
MIG and vGPU: what changes for servers and virtual desktops
No Ada card supports MIG; NVIDIA’s MIG user guide, updated on 11 September 2026, lists Blackwell, Hopper and Ampere GPUs only. Among the RTX PRO cards it lists all three editions of the RTX PRO 6000 with up to four instances and the RTX PRO 5000 and RTX PRO 4500 with up to two. NVIDIA’s product page gives the RTX PRO 5500 two instances of 42 GB. The RTX PRO 4000 and 2000 have no MIG.
For vGPU on workstation cards, the change runs the other way. NVIDIA’s list of GPUs supported by vGPU, updated on 2 October 2026, includes the RTX 6000 Ada from vGPU 15.2, the RTX 5000 Ada from 16.1 and the RTX 5880 Ada from 17.0. NVIDIA’s pages for these cards add that their display outputs have to be turned off when vGPU software is used. Of the Blackwell workstation cards, only the 72 GB RTX PRO 5000 is on the list, from vGPU 20.2. The other Blackwell entries are Server Editions: the RTX PRO 6000 from 19.0, its liquid-cooled version from 20.0 and the RTX PRO 4500 from 20.0.
For a VDI or AI virtual machine estate on RTX 6000 Ada cards under VMware, the Blackwell route therefore runs through a Server Edition in a server that lists it. NVIDIA’s vSphere support matrix, updated on 29 September 2026, lists the RTX PRO 6000 and 4500 Server Editions from ESXi 8.0 Update 3g or VCF 9.0.1, and does not list the 72 GB RTX PRO 5000. Swapping in an RTX PRO 6000 Workstation or Max-Q card gives MIG but loses vGPU.
We build AI servers to order with these cards, vGPU licences in the same quote. Describe your vGPU hosts in the form below, with cards per host, hypervisor and users; we check the rack, power and airflow before we quote.
When an RTX Ada card is still the right choice for a fleet
Take an example estate of two servers with four RTX 6000 Ada each, running vGPU for designers, and eight CAD workstations with the RTX 4000 Ada. A third server for the vGPU pool can take four more RTX 6000 Ada, which keeps one card model and the driver the pool already runs. Moving the pool to Blackwell means RTX PRO 6000 Server Edition cards in a server that lists them, with 96 GB and MIG per card; in the 600 W mode four of them draw up to 2,400 W of board power, or 1,800 W in the 450 W mode, against 1,200 W for four RTX 6000 Ada. For the CAD seats, the RTX PRO 4000 fits the same single slot at 145 W instead of 130 W.
An Ada card stays the sensible buy where it joins an existing vGPU pool and no Server Edition fits the chassis, and where the application vendor’s certification list names the Ada card and a driver release that the department must keep; check that list for the exact card before ordering either generation. It also fits a PCIe 4.0 host that needs a 70 W low-profile card, where the RTX 4000 SFF Ada keeps sixteen lanes, and a workload that fits the Ada card’s memory and will not grow, in a fleet that runs one image and one driver.
Elsewhere Blackwell gives more memory per tier, higher bandwidth for token generation, FP4, and MIG on the RTX PRO 5000 and 6000, which NVIDIA’s MIG guide also lists for the 4500. Both generations can run side by side, and our article on mixing Ada and Blackwell GPUs covers one server, one cluster and one driver branch.
What we supply
We supply both generations: the RTX 6000 Ada, RTX 5880 Ada, RTX 5000 Ada, RTX 4500 Ada, RTX 4000 Ada, RTX 4000 SFF Ada and RTX 2000 Ada, and the RTX PRO 6000 (Workstation, Max-Q and Server Edition), 5500, 5000 with 48 or 72 GB, 4500 and 4500 Server Edition, 4000, 4000 SFF and 2000. Our professional GPU page describes the RTX PRO Blackwell cards, and our AI servers built to order take the server cards, with configuration and quote within one business day. NVIDIA AI Enterprise and vGPU licences come in the same quote, on one EU contract and invoice, with manufacturer warranty on the hardware.
FAQ
Is there an RTX 6000 Ada with 96 GB?
What is the Blackwell successor of each RTX Ada card?
What is the difference between Blackwell and Ada workstation GPUs?
Do RTX Ada cards support MIG or vGPU?
Which RTX PRO Blackwell cards support vGPU?
Can RTX Ada and RTX PRO Blackwell cards run in the same fleet?
Send us the cards in your fleet today, the applications and models they run, the hypervisor if you use vGPU and the workstations or servers the new cards go into. We reply within one business day with the counterpart for each tier, our view on Ada or Blackwell for your case and a written quote.
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