AMD Radeon PRO W7700 vs NVIDIA L40 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded database results show a decisive performance gap between the NVIDIA L40 and the AMD Radeon PRO W7700. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the L40 scored 330,926 points against 108,245 for the W7700, a delta of 205.7%. This is not a marginal difference; the L40 more than triples the W7700's compute throughput in this workload. The OpenCL benchmark tends to stress raw shader and compute resource utilization, and the data reflects the L40's much larger silicon and execution resource pool.

In the Geekbench Vulkan test, the gap narrows but remains substantial. The L40 recorded 237,295 points while the W7700 managed 129,706, giving the L40 an 82.9% advantage. Vulkan workloads often scale differently than OpenCL, and the W7700's RDNA 3 architecture shows relatively stronger Vulkan performance compared to its own OpenCL showing. Even so, the L40 remains clearly ahead. Across the two recorded head-to-head tests, the L40 wins both, giving it a 2 to 0 record in this comparison.

Looking at the broader context, the L40's average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 284,111, placing it in the 99th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation, scores 287,237, which puts the L40 just 1.1% behind that card. The L40 also trails the L40S by 3.9% (score 295,763) and the AMD Instinct MI300X by 10.7% (score 317,994). Meanwhile, the L40 sits 13.1% ahead of the NVIDIA L20 (score 251,147). These figures place the L40 firmly in the upper tier of professional workstation and server GPUs, not at the absolute top but within striking distance of the fastest options in the database.

The W7700's average benchmark score is 118,976, which lands it in the 95th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals cluster closely around it: the NVIDIA GB10 scores 117,393 (1.3% behind), the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation scores 117,088 (1.6% behind), the Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB scores 114,395 (4% behind), and the RTX A5500 Mobile scores 113,944 (4.4% behind). The W7700 leads this group, but by single-digit margins. This tells a clear story: the W7700 competes in a different performance tier entirely, one where its closest competitors are compact or mobile-oriented workstation cards rather than full-size data center accelerators.

The average score difference between the two cards is stark. The L40 averages 284,111 while the W7700 averages 118,976, a gap of roughly 139%. In practical terms, the L40 delivers approximately 2.4 times the average performance of the W7700 across the recorded benchmark suite. The OpenCL delta of 205.7% is the single largest margin recorded in this head-to-head, and it aligns with the fundamental resource disparity between the two chips.

Architecture Differences

The NVIDIA L40 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using the AD102 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It packs 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 125.3 million per square millimeter. The AMD Radeon PRO W7700 uses the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip, also on a 5 nm TSMC process, but with 28,100 million transistors on a 346 mm² die for a density of 81.2 million per square millimeter. The L40's die is roughly 76% larger physically, and it holds about 2.7 times more transistors.

The execution resources differ dramatically. The L40 contains 18,176 shading units, 568 texture mapping units, and 192 raster output units. The W7700 has 3,072 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. In every category, the L40 has a substantial advantage, ranging from 3x in TMUs to roughly 6x in shading units. The L40 also features 142 ray tracing cores and 568 tensor cores, while the W7700 has 48 ray tracing cores and no tensor cores listed in the database. This makes the L40 suitable for AI-accelerated workloads that rely on tensor operations, while the W7700 has no equivalent hardware.

Clock speeds show a different pattern. The W7700 runs at a 1,900 MHz base clock and 2,600 MHz boost, while the L40 operates at a much lower 735 MHz base but boosts to 2,490 MHz. The W7700's higher base clock reflects its smaller, more power-efficient design, but the boost clocks are relatively close. The memory configuration also diverges significantly. The L40 carries 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 864.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The W7700 has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, providing 576.0 GB/s. Both use 18 Gbps effective memory speed, but the L40's wider bus gives it 50% more bandwidth.

The pixel and texture rates reflect the resource differences. The L40 achieves 478.1 GPixel/s and 1,414.3 GTexel/s, while the W7700 reaches 249.6 GPixel/s and 499.2 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute figures are 90.52 TFLOPS for the L40 and 31.95 TFLOPS for the W7700. Interestingly, the W7700 lists FP16 at 63.90 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, meaning its FP16 throughput is double its FP32, while the L40 lists FP16 at 90.52 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, matching its FP32 output.

Power and physical specifications also differ. The L40 has a 300 W TDP with a 1x 16-pin power connector and a suggested 700 W PSU. The W7700 draws 190 W with a 1x 8-pin connector and a suggested 450 W PSU. Both are dual-slot cards. The L40 measures 267 mm in length (10.5 inches) and 111 mm in height (4.4 inches), while the W7700 is 241 mm long (9.5 inches) with the same 111 mm height. The L40 offers 4x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, while the W7700 has 4x DisplayPort 2.1. Both support PCIe 4.0 x16 and share the same API support: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance in FP32?

A: The NVIDIA L40 records 90.52 TFLOPS FP32, while the AMD Radeon PRO W7700 records 31.95 TFLOPS. The L40 delivers roughly 2.8 times the FP32 throughput of the W7700.

Q: How much memory does each card have and what bandwidth do they offer?

A: The L40 has 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus with 864.0 GB/s bandwidth. The W7700 has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 576.0 GB/s bandwidth. The L40 provides three times the capacity and 50% more bandwidth.

Q: Does the W7700 have tensor cores like the L40?

A: No. The L40 includes 568 tensor cores, while the database lists no tensor cores for the W7700. This makes the L40 the only one of the two with dedicated AI acceleration hardware.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The L40 has a 300 W TDP and requires a 700 W suggested PSU with a 1x 16-pin connector. The W7700 has a 190 W TDP, a 450 W suggested PSU, and uses a 1x 8-pin connector.

Q: How do their benchmark averages compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The L40's average score of 284,111 is 1.1% behind the RTX 6000 Ada Generation and 3.9% behind the L40S. The W7700's average of 118,976 is 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GB10 and 1.6% ahead of the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation.

Q: Which card supports newer display outputs?

A: The W7700 has 4x DisplayPort 2.1 outputs, while the L40 has 4x DisplayPort 1.4a. The W7700 supports the newer DisplayPort standard.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA L40 | AMD Radeon PRO W7700 |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | RDNA 3.0 |

| Chip | AD102 | Navi 32 |

| Transistors | 76,300 million | 28,100 million |

| Die Size | 609 mm² | 346 mm² |

| Base Clock | 735 MHz | 1900 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2490 MHz | 2600 MHz |

| Memory Size | 48 GB | 16 GB |

| Memory Bus | 384 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 864.0 GB/s | 576.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 18176 | 3072 |

| TMUs | 568 | 192 |

| ROPs | 192 | 96 |

| RT Cores | 142 | 48 |

| Tensor Cores | 568 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 478.1 GPixel/s | 249.6 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 1,414.3 GTexel/s | 499.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 90.52 TFLOPS | 31.95 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 90.52 TFLOPS (1:1) | 63.90 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 300 W | 190 W |

| Power Connector | 1x 16-pin | 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 700 W | 450 W |

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a | 4x DisplayPort 2.1 |

| Length | 267 mm (10.5 inches) | 241 mm (9.5 inches) |

| Release Date | 2022-10-12 | 2023-11-12 |

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA L40 wins decisively in every recorded benchmark category. Its OpenCL score of 330,926 is 205.7% higher than the W7700's 108,245, and its Vulkan score of 237,295 is 82.9% higher than the W7700's 129,706. For workloads that depend on FP32 compute, the L40's 90.52 TFLOPS versus 31.95 TFLOPS makes it the clear choice. The L40 also wins on memory capacity and bandwidth, offering 48 GB versus 16 GB and 864.0 GB/s versus 576.0 GB/s. Applications that need to hold large datasets in VRAM, such as massive 3D scenes, high-resolution texture sets, or large language model inference, will benefit from the L40's threefold memory advantage.

The L40's tensor cores give it a unique capability for AI-accelerated tasks, including deep learning inference and training workloads that leverage tensor operations. The W7700 has no tensor cores, so it cannot accelerate these specific operations in hardware. The L40's higher transistor count and larger die also suggest better sustained throughput for long-running compute jobs, though the database does not record sustained load behavior.

The AMD Radeon PRO W7700 wins in areas that are not directly benchmarked but are recorded in the specification data. It has a significantly lower power draw at 190 W versus 300 W, which means less heat generation and potentially quieter operation in a workstation chassis. Its suggested PSU of 450 W versus 700 W makes it easier to integrate into existing systems. The W7700 also supports DisplayPort 2.1, which is a newer display standard than the L40's DisplayPort 1.4a, offering higher potential display bandwidth for high-resolution or high-refresh-rate monitors.

The W7700's smaller physical footprint at 241 mm versus 267 mm makes it easier to fit into compact cases. Its higher base clock of 1,900 MHz versus 735 MHz suggests better responsiveness in lightly threaded or latency-sensitive tasks, though the boost clocks are closer at 2,600 MHz versus 2,490 MHz. For users who prioritize FP16 throughput per watt, the W7700's 63.90 TFLOPS FP16 at 190 W gives it a different efficiency profile than the L40's 90.52 TFLOPS at 300 W, though the L40 still delivers more absolute FP16 throughput.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear split based on workload requirements. The NVIDIA L40 is the appropriate choice for users who need maximum compute performance, large memory capacity, or tensor core acceleration. Its 99th percentile ranking, 2 to 0 head-to-head record, and 205.7% OpenCL advantage over the W7700 make it the superior card for raw throughput. The 48 GB memory capacity is essential for workloads that exceed 16 GB, and the 568 tensor cores enable AI workloads that the W7700 cannot hardware-accelerate. The L40's nearest rivals are all high-end data center cards, and it sits within 1.1% of the RTX 6000 Ada Generation, confirming its position in the upper tier.

The AMD Radeon PRO W7700 serves a different use case. Its 95th percentile ranking and close competition with compact cards like the GB10 and RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation indicate it is designed for mainstream professional workstations where power efficiency and physical size matter more than absolute performance. The 190 W TDP, 450 W PSU requirement, and 241 mm length make it easier to deploy in smaller systems. The DisplayPort 2.1 outputs provide future-proofing for display connectivity. Its FP16 performance of 63.90 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio shows it can handle half-precision workloads reasonably well, but it lacks the tensor hardware for dedicated AI acceleration.

Users who run large-scale rendering, simulation, or AI model training should select the L40. Users who need a capable workstation GPU with lower power draw, newer display outputs, and a smaller footprint should select the W7700. The performance gap is not close, but the use cases do not fully overlap. The L40 is an end-of-life product released in October 2022, while the W7700 released in November 2023, so the W7700 represents a more recent design despite its lower performance. The L40's launch MSRP is not recorded in the database, so no price comparison is possible from the available data.