GPU Comparison

The Verdict

The data presents a decisive outcome: the NVIDIA L40 outperforms the AMD Radeon Pro W6800X by a wide margin in the single shared benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL. The L40 scores 330,926 against the W6800X's 124,498, a delta of 165.8%. This places the L40 in the 99th percentile of all GPUs, while the W6800X sits at the 97th percentile. The L40's average benchmark score of 284,111 is 76.8% higher than the W6800X's 160,671.

The L40 is the clear choice for any workload that prioritizes raw compute performance, particularly in OpenCL environments. Its nearest rivals in the database are other high-end NVIDIA accelerators, the RTX 6000 Ada Generation (within 1.1%) and the L40S (within 3.9%), confirming that it competes in an entirely different performance tier than the AMD card. The W6800X, by contrast, sits in a cluster with the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 40 GB and the AMD Radeon PRO W7800, all within 3.3% of each other. For users whose software leverages Metal on macOS, the W6800X does have a dedicated Metal score of 196,844, which is a capability the L40 does not list. However, for general compute throughput, the L40 is overwhelmingly superior.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA L40 has an average benchmark score of 284,111, compared to the AMD Radeon Pro W6800X's 160,671. This represents a 76.8% advantage for the L40.

Q: Are there any benchmark tests where the AMD Radeon Pro W6800X wins?

A: No. In the head-to-head benchmark data, the NVIDIA L40 wins the only shared test (Geekbench OpenCL) with a 165.8% higher score. The W6800X does have a separate Geekbench Metal score of 196,844, but the L40 has no corresponding Metal result in the data.

Q: How does the NVIDIA L40 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The L40's average score of 284,111 is 1.1% below the NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation (287,237) and 3.9% below the NVIDIA L40S (295,763). It is 13.1% above the NVIDIA L20 (251,147) and 10.7% below the AMD Instinct MI300X (317,994).

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

A: The NVIDIA L40 has 48 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 864.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The AMD Radeon Pro W6800X has 32 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The NVIDIA L40, built on a 5 nm process, has a transistor density of 125.3M per mm². The AMD Radeon Pro W6800X, built on a 7 nm process, has a density of 51.5M per mm².

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the AMD Radeon Pro W6800X?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W6800X has a launch MSRP of 2,799 USD. The NVIDIA L40 has no launch MSRP listed in the data.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent fundamentally different architectural generations and design philosophies. The NVIDIA L40 is based on the AD102 chip using the Ada Lovelace architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It packs 76,300 million transistors onto a 609 mm² die, resulting in a density of 125.3M transistors per mm². This is a data-center-focused design in the "Server Ada (Lxx)" generation.

The AMD Radeon Pro W6800X uses the Navi 21 chip with the RDNA 2.0 architecture, built on a 7 nm process, also at TSMC. It contains 26,800 million transistors on a 520 mm² die, giving a density of 51.5M per mm². This is part of the "Radeon Pro Mac (Navi II Series)" generation, designed specifically for Apple Mac systems, as indicated by its Apple MPX bus interface and power connector.

The L40's architecture is further differentiated by the presence of 568 tensor cores, a feature the W6800X lacks entirely (its tensorCores field is null). The L40 also has significantly more RT cores: 142 versus 60 on the AMD card. In terms of raw compute resources, the L40 has 18,176 shading units, 568 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 192 render output units (ROPs). The W6800X has 3,840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, roughly one-fifth to one-quarter of the L40's counts.

Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The L40 outputs via 4x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the W6800X provides 1x HDMI 2.1 and 4x Thunderbolt. The L40 is a dual-slot card using a 1x 16-pin power connector, whereas the W6800X is a quad-slot design using the Apple MPX power connector.

Specification Differences

The specification table highlights substantial gaps in nearly every measurable category. The process node differs: 5 nm for the L40 versus 7 nm for the W6800X. Transistor count is 76,300 million versus 26,800 million. Die size is 609 mm² versus 520 mm². The L40's base clock is 735 MHz with a boost of 2490 MHz; the W6800X runs at a higher base of 1800 MHz and boosts to 2087 MHz.

Memory capacity is 48 GB versus 32 GB, with bus widths of 384-bit versus 256-bit. Memory bandwidth is 864.0 GB/s versus 512.0 GB/s. Effective memory speed is 18 Gbps for the L40 and 16 Gbps for the W6800X. The L40's FP32 throughput is 90.52 TFLOPS, dwarfing the W6800X's 16.03 TFLOPS. FP16 performance is 90.52 TFLOPS (1:1) on the L40 and 32.06 TFLOPS (2:1) on the W6800X.

Pixel rate is 478.1 GPixel/s versus 200.4 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 1,414.3 GTexel/s versus 500.9 GTexel/s. Power consumption differs: 300 W for the L40 with a suggested 700 W PSU, versus 200 W for the W6800X with a 550 W suggested PSU. Physical dimensions are similar in length (267 mm for both) but differ in height (111 mm for L40, 120 mm for W6800X). The L40 uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the W6800X uses Apple MPX. The L40 was released on 2022-10-12, and the W6800X on 2021-08-02. Both are end-of-life products.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single head-to-head benchmark is Geekbench OpenCL, and it is not close. The NVIDIA L40 scores 330,926, while the AMD Radeon Pro W6800X scores 124,498. The delta is 165.8%, meaning the L40 is more than two and a half times faster in this test. This result aligns with the specification differences: the L40 has 5.6x the FP32 throughput, 1.5x the memory capacity, and 1.7x the memory bandwidth.

Looking at the broader benchmark context, the L40's OpenCL score of 330,926 is higher than its own average benchmark score of 284,111, suggesting OpenCL is a strong workload for this GPU. The W6800X's OpenCL score of 124,498 is significantly lower than its average of 160,671 and far below its Metal score of 196,844. This indicates the W6800X performs better in Metal-based workloads, but no direct comparison exists because the L40 has no Metal scores in the data.

The L40's nearest rivals in average score are the RTX 6000 Ada Generation (287,237, 1.1% higher) and the L40S (295,763, 3.9% higher). The W6800X's nearest rivals are all within a narrow band: the A100 PCIe 40 GB (162,504, 1.1% higher), the Radeon PRO W7800 (164,894, 2.6% higher), and the RTX A5500 (165,217, 2.8% higher). This confirms that the W6800X is competitive with mid-range workstation GPUs, while the L40 sits at the top of the stack.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA L40 wins decisively in OpenCL compute performance, with a 165.8% advantage over the W6800X. This makes it the appropriate choice for GPU-accelerated computing tasks that rely on OpenCL, such as scientific simulation, machine learning inference, or rendering workloads where the API is supported. The L40's 48 GB memory capacity and 864.0 GB/s bandwidth also make it superior for large datasets that exceed the W6800X's 32 GB frame buffer. Its 99th percentile ranking and proximity to the RTX 6000 Ada Generation and L40S indicate it is a top-tier compute accelerator.

The AMD Radeon Pro W6800X has a narrower set of advantages. Its Metal benchmark score of 196,844 is the only data point where it demonstrates a specific strength, and the L40 has no comparable score. For macOS environments using Metal, the W6800X is the only one of the two with verified performance data. Additionally, the W6800X consumes 200 W versus the L40's 300 W, and it requires a 550 W PSU versus 700 W, making it a lower-power option. Its physical design as a quad-slot card with Apple MPX connectivity indicates it is intended for Apple Mac Pro systems, whereas the L40 is a PCIe 4.0 x16 dual-slot card for standard servers.

The W6800X's nearest rivals, the A100 PCIe 40 GB, Radeon PRO W7800, and RTX A5500, are all within 3.3% of its average score, placing it in a mid-range performance tier. The L40, by contrast, is 76.8% faster on average. For users who need maximum compute and have no macOS constraint, the L40 is the data-backed choice. For users specifically in the Apple ecosystem who rely on Metal, the W6800X offers the only listed Metal performance metric.