AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition vs NVIDIA L40S Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive performance gap between the NVIDIA L40S and the AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition. In the two shared benchmark tests, the L40S wins both, with margins that are not subtle. In Geekbench OpenCL, the L40S scores 330,727 against 76,111 for the Vega Frontier Edition, a delta of 334.5%. That is more than four times the raw score. In Geekbench Vulkan, the L40S records 260,799 while the Vega Frontier Edition manages 71,937, a delta of 262.5%. The Vulkan gap is slightly smaller in percentage terms but still represents a lead of roughly 3.6 times.

The average benchmark score tells the same story. The L40S sits at 295,763 across its recorded tests, while the Vega Frontier Edition averages 73,370. The L40S also holds a 99th percentile ranking among all GPUs in the database, whereas the Vega Frontier Edition sits at the 91st percentile. That percentile difference matters: the L40S is near the very top of the entire GPU landscape, while the Vega Frontier Edition is comfortably above average but not elite.

Context from the nearest rivals reinforces the L40S position. Its average score is 3% above the NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation (287,237) and 4.1% above the NVIDIA L40 (284,111). It trails the AMD Instinct MI300X by 7% (317,994) and the NVIDIA H200 NVL by 11.7% (334,891). So the L40S is not simply ahead of the Vega Frontier Edition; it is competitive with the fastest accelerators in the database. The Vega Frontier Edition, by contrast, is 1.4% above the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 (72,379), 1.8% above the NVIDIA TITAN X Pascal (72,098), 2.2% above the AMD Radeon RX 6650M (71,768), and 3.6% above the AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE (70,829). Its rival cluster is entirely different in class.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different generations and foundries, and the architectural gap is visible in nearly every specification. The L40S uses the AD102 chip on the Ada Lovelace architecture, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It packs 76,300 million transistors into a 609 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 125.3 million per square millimeter. The Vega Frontier Edition uses the Vega 10 chip on the GCN 5.0 architecture, built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It contains 12,500 million transistors on a 495 mm² die, for a density of 25.3 million per square millimeter. The L40S has roughly six times the transistor density, which explains much of its performance advantage.

Core counts follow the same pattern. The L40S has 18,176 shading units, 568 texture mapping units, and 192 render output units. It also includes 142 ray tracing cores and 568 tensor cores, features that the Vega Frontier Edition lacks entirely. The Vega Frontier Edition has 4,096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with no ray tracing or tensor core hardware. The L40S also carries dedicated RT and tensor hardware, which the older GCN design does not offer in any form.

Memory subsystems differ fundamentally. The L40S uses 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 864.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Vega Frontier Edition uses 16 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus, delivering 483.8 GB/s. While the Vega Frontier Edition has a wider bus, the L40S has nearly 80% more bandwidth and triple the capacity. Clock speeds also diverge: the L40S runs at a base of 1110 MHz and boosts to 2520 MHz, while the Vega Frontier Edition runs at 1382 MHz base and 1600 MHz boost. The L40S boosts much higher, despite the same 300 W TDP.

Compute throughput reflects the core and clock advantages. The L40S delivers 91.61 TFLOPS of FP32 and 91.61 TFLOPS of FP16 with a 1:1 ratio. The Vega Frontier Edition delivers 13.11 TFLOPS of FP32 and 26.21 TFLOPS of FP16 with a 2:1 ratio. The L40S is roughly 7 times faster in FP32 and about 3.5 times faster in FP16, even accounting for the Vega Frontier Edition's FP16 acceleration. Pixel and texture rates follow: the L40S achieves 483.8 GPixel/s and 1,431.4 GTexel/s, while the Vega Frontier Edition achieves 102.4 GPixel/s and 409.6 GTexel/s.

The interface and connectivity also differ. The L40S uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the Vega Frontier Edition uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs are similar in count, with the L40S offering 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the Vega Frontier Edition offers 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. Power connectors differ as well: the L40S uses a single 16-pin connector, while the Vega Frontier Edition uses two 8-pin connectors. Both are dual-slot cards with a 300 W TDP and a suggested 700 W PSU.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear winner for compute-heavy workloads. The NVIDIA L40S dominates every shared benchmark, holds a far higher average score, and occupies the 99th percentile of all GPUs. The AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition, while respectable at the 91st percentile, is in a different performance tier. For anyone choosing between these two based on recorded benchmarks, the L40S is the only rational pick for raw speed, memory capacity, and modern feature support.

The Vega Frontier Edition does have one advantage in the record: its launch MSRP was 999 USD, but the database does not list a launch MSRP for the L40S, so no direct price comparison is possible. Beyond that, the Vega Frontier Edition's strengths are limited to its wider memory bus and its FP16 ratio of 2:1, which is less efficient than the L40S's 1:1 ratio. Neither of those translates into a benchmark win.

The L40S also offers ray tracing and tensor cores, which the Vega Frontier Edition lacks. That matters for any workload involving RT acceleration or tensor operations, even if the shared benchmarks do not isolate those features. The L40S is newer, denser, faster, and more capable in every measured dimension.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA L40S averages 295,763, while the AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition averages 73,370.

Q: How large is the OpenCL performance gap?

A: The L40S scores 330,727 in Geekbench OpenCL, versus 76,111 for the Vega Frontier Edition, a delta of 334.5%.

Q: Does the Vega Frontier Edition have any ray tracing hardware?

A: No, the Vega Frontier Edition lists no ray tracing cores or tensor cores, while the L40S has 142 RT cores and 568 tensor cores.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The L40S has 48 GB of GDDR6, while the Vega Frontier Edition has 16 GB of HBM2.

Q: How do the transistor densities compare?

A: The L40S has a density of 125.3 million transistors per square millimeter, while the Vega Frontier Edition has 25.3 million per square millimeter.

Q: Which GPU ranks higher among all GPUs?

A: The L40S sits at the 99th percentile, while the Vega Frontier Edition sits at the 91st percentile.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA L40S wins in every benchmark category recorded in the database. In OpenCL, it leads by 334.5%. In Vulkan, it leads by 262.5%. Its average score is more than four times higher. The L40S also wins on memory bandwidth (864.0 GB/s versus 483.8 GB/s), FP32 throughput (91.61 TFLOPS versus 13.11 TFLOPS), and FP16 throughput (91.61 TFLOPS versus 26.21 TFLOPS). It has more shading units, more TMUs, more ROPs, and the only ray tracing and tensor cores in the comparison.

The AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition does not win any recorded benchmark, but it does hold two specification-based advantages. Its memory bus is 2048-bit, which is wider than the L40S's 384-bit bus. It also has a higher base clock (1382 MHz versus 1110 MHz), though the L40S's boost clock of 2520 MHz far exceeds its 1600 MHz. The Vega Frontier Edition also uses HBM2 memory, which is a different technology than the L40S's GDDR6. For use cases that specifically favor a wide bus or HBM2's characteristics, the Vega Frontier Edition has a theoretical edge, but no benchmark in the database confirms a practical benefit.

For compute workloads, AI inference, rendering with RT acceleration, or any task that benefits from tensor cores, the L40S is the only viable choice. For legacy compatibility with GCN-era software or for scenarios where a dual 8-pin power connector is preferred over a 16-pin connector, the Vega Frontier Edition remains an option, but its performance ceiling is far lower.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ on nearly every specification field. The process node is 5 nm for the L40S and 14 nm for the Vega Frontier Edition. Transistor count is 76,300 million versus 12,500 million. Die size is 609 mm² versus 495 mm². Transistor density is 125.3M / mm² versus 25.3M / mm². Base clock is 1110 MHz versus 1382 MHz. Boost clock is 2520 MHz versus 1600 MHz. Memory clock is 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) versus 945 MHz (1890 Mbps effective). Memory size is 48 GB versus 16 GB. Memory type is GDDR6 versus HBM2. Bus width is 384 bit versus 2048 bit. Bandwidth is 864.0 GB/s versus 483.8 GB/s. Shading units are 18,176 versus 4,096. TMUs are 568 versus 256. ROPs are 192 versus 64. RT cores are 142 versus null. Tensor cores are 568 versus null. Pixel rate is 483.8 GPixel/s versus 102.4 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 1,431.4 GTexel/s versus 409.6 GTexel/s. FP32 is 91.61 TFLOPS versus 13.11 TFLOPS. FP16 is 91.61 TFLOPS (1:1) versus 26.21 TFLOPS (2:1). TDP is identical at 300 W. Slot width is identical at dual-slot. Power connectors are 1x 16-pin versus 2x 8-pin. Suggested PSU is identical at 700 W. Bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x16 versus PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs are 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a versus 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. DirectX support is 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus 12 (12_1). OpenGL is 4.6 for both. Vulkan is 1.4 versus 1.3. Dimensions are identical: 267 mm length and 111 mm height for both. Production status is end-of-life for both. Release dates are 2022-10-12 for the L40S and 2017-06-26 for the Vega Frontier Edition.