NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB vs NVIDIA L40S Comparison

The NVIDIA L40S and NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB are both end-of-life server accelerators, but they target fundamentally different workloads. Based strictly on benchmark data, the L40S is the clear performer in the synthetic tests recorded, while the A100 SXM4 80 GB offers a much larger memory pool. The L40S sits in the 99th percentile of all GPUs, while the A100 SXM4 80 GB sits in the 98th percentile, making both top-tier hardware. The data shows the L40S dominates the A100 in the one shared benchmark, but the A100’s 80 GB of memory is a decisive advantage for capacity-bound tasks. You should pick the L40S for raw compute throughput and graphics-related APIs; pick the A100 SXM4 80 GB if your models or datasets simply will not fit in 48 GB.

The Verdict

The benchmark results are unambiguous. In the only shared test, Geekbench Vulkan, the L40S scores 260,799 against the A100 SXM4 80 GB’s 183,725. That is a 42% lead for the L40S, which is a massive margin. The L40S also has a Geekbench OpenCL score of 330,727, while the A100 SXM4 80 GB has no recorded OpenCL score in the data, suggesting it was not tested or is not prioritized for that API. The L40S’s average benchmark score of 295,763 is over 100,000 points higher than the A100’s 183,725. If you need one card for general compute, graphics, or Vulkan-based workloads, the L40S is the only choice here.

However, the A100 SXM4 80 GB is not without merit. Its 80 GB of HBM2e memory is nearly double the L40S’s 48 GB of GDDR6. For large language models, massive simulation grids, or datasets that exceed 48 GB, the A100 is the only card that can hold the working set. The L40S would require splitting the workload or using slower memory offloading. The A100 also has higher memory bandwidth — 2.04 TB/s versus 864.0 GB/s — which is a massive advantage for memory-bound kernels. So the verdict splits cleanly: the L40S wins on raw compute speed; the A100 wins on memory capacity and bandwidth.

Where Each One Wins

The L40S wins decisively in the compute and graphics arena. Its FP32 performance is 91.61 TFLOPS, compared to the A100’s 19.49 TFLOPS. That is a 4.7x advantage in single-precision floating point, which matters for scientific simulations, rendering, and any workload that does not use tensor cores. The L40S also has dedicated ray tracing cores (142 of them), while the A100 has none listed. The L40S supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the A100 lists no APIs at all. The L40S even has display outputs (1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a), making it usable for visualization tasks, whereas the A100 has no display outputs.

The A100 SXM4 80 GB wins in memory-heavy scenarios. Its 80 GB capacity allows fitting larger models or datasets than the L40S’s 48 GB. Its HBM2e memory delivers 2.04 TB/s of bandwidth, which is 2.36x the L40S’s 864.0 GB/s GDDR6 bandwidth. For tensor-core workloads, the A100’s FP16 performance is 77.97 TFLOPS (4:1 ratio), which is close to the L40S’s FP16 of 91.61 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio). The A100 also has more tensor cores (432 versus 568, wait — that is fewer, but the comparison is not direct). Actually, the L40S has 568 tensor cores to the A100’s 432, but the A100’s memory bandwidth can feed those cores more effectively for large matrices. The A100’s 5120-bit memory bus versus the L40S’s 384-bit bus is the structural reason for its bandwidth advantage.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on different architectures and process nodes. The L40S uses the AD102 chip on the Ada Lovelace architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process by TSMC. The A100 SXM4 80 GB uses the GA100 chip on the Ampere architecture, fabricated on a 7 nm process by TSMC. The L40S is newer, releasing on 2022-10-12, while the A100 released on 2020-11-15. The L40S packs 76,300 million transistors into a 609 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 125.3M per mm². The A100 has 54,200 million transistors on a much larger 826 mm² die, yielding a lower density of 65.6M per mm². This means the L40S is a denser, more modern design.

The L40S has dramatically more shading units: 18,176 versus the A100’s 6,912. It also has more TMUs (568 versus 432) and ROPs (192 versus 160). The L40S’s clock speeds are much higher, with a boost of 2520 MHz versus the A100’s 1410 MHz. The A100 does have a higher base clock (1275 MHz versus 1110 MHz), but the boost clock is what matters for sustained performance. The L40S also has a much higher pixel rate (483.8 GPixel/s versus 225.6 GPixel/s) and texture rate (1,431.4 GTexel/s versus 609.1 GTexel/s). The L40S is a fundamentally faster chip in every throughput metric.

Memory is where the architectures diverge most. The L40S uses 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, while the A100 uses 80 GB of HBM2e on a 5120-bit bus. The A100’s memory clock is lower (1593 MHz versus 2250 MHz), but the massive bus width gives it the bandwidth advantage. The L40S is a dual-slot card with a 1x 16-pin power connector and a 300 W TDP, while the A100 is an OAM Module with no power connectors and a 400 W TDP. The L40S requires a 700 W suggested PSU; the A100 suggests 800 W.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in Vulkan benchmarks?

A: The L40S scores 260,799 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 42% higher than the A100 SXM4 80 GB’s 183,725. The L40S wins that head-to-head test.

Q: Does the A100 SXM4 80 GB have any compute advantage?

A: Yes, in memory capacity and bandwidth. It has 80 GB of HBM2e versus 48 GB of GDDR6, and 2.04 TB/s bandwidth versus 864.0 GB/s. This helps with large datasets, though the L40S has higher raw FP32 throughput.

Q: Can the L40S output video?

A: Yes, it has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The A100 SXM4 80 GB has no display outputs at all.

Q: Which card has higher FP32 performance?

A: The L40S delivers 91.61 TFLOPS FP32, while the A100 SXM4 80 GB delivers 19.49 TFLOPS. The L40S is roughly 4.7x faster in single-precision compute.

Q: Why is the A100’s FP16 score so close to the L40S?

A: The A100’s FP16 is 77.97 TFLOPS (4:1 ratio), while the L40S is 91.61 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio). The A100’s lower ratio means it packs FP16 operations into fewer cycles, but the L40S still has a higher raw number.

Q: Which card is more power-hungry?

A: The A100 SXM4 80 GB has a 400 W TDP, while the L40S has a 300 W TDP. The A100 also suggests a larger 800 W PSU versus the L40S’s 700 W.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct head-to-head benchmark in the data is Geekbench Vulkan, and it is a blowout. The L40S scores 260,799, and the A100 SXM4 80 GB scores 183,725. That is a 42% delta, which is a massive gap in a synthetic test. The L40S’s Vulkan score alone is higher than the A100’s average benchmark score of 183,725. L40S wins this test with a deltaPct of 42%.

Beyond that single test, the L40S has an additional Geekbench OpenCL score of 330,727, which is not present for the A100. The L40S’s average benchmark score of 295,763 is 61% higher than the A100’s 183,725. The L40S’s nearest rivals are the AMD Instinct MI300X (with an average score of 317,994, which is 7% higher than the L40S) and the NVIDIA H200 NVL (334,891, which is 11.7% higher). The A100’s nearest rivals are all much closer: the RTX 5000 Ada Generation (184,664, only 0.5% higher), the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell (182,109, 0.9% lower), the A100 SXM4 40 GB (187,147, 1.8% higher), and the GeForce RTX 4090 D (178,050, 3.2% lower). This shows the A100 is competitive with mid-range Ada cards, while the L40S is competing with top-tier accelerators like the H200 and MI300X.

The wins tally is 1 for the L40S and 0 for the A100. The L40S wins the only benchmark where both have data. That is the entire head-to-head picture, but it is decisive.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every measurable specification. The L40S uses the AD102 chip on Ada Lovelace, while the A100 uses GA100 on Ampere. The process node is 5 nm for the L40S and 7 nm for the A100. Transistor count is 76,300 million for the L40S versus 54,200 million for the A100, on die sizes of 609 mm² versus 826 mm². The L40S has 18,176 shading units, 568 TMUs, and 192 ROPs; the A100 has 6,912 shading units, 432 TMUs, and 160 ROPs. The L40S has 142 RT cores; the A100 has none. Tensor cores are 568 for the L40S and 432 for the A100.

Clocks differ significantly: the L40S boosts to 2520 MHz, while the A100 boosts to 1410 MHz. The L40S has a base clock of 1110 MHz, and the A100 has 1275 MHz. Memory is 48 GB GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus for the L40S, versus 80 GB HBM2e on a 5120-bit bus for the A100. Bandwidth is 864.0 GB/s for the L40S and 2.04 TB/s for the A100. The L40S has a 300 W TDP and is a dual-slot card with a 1x 16-pin connector; the A100 is a 400 W OAM Module with no connectors. The L40S has display outputs; the A100 has none. The L40S supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4; the A100 lists no API support. The L40S is 267 mm long and 111 mm tall; the A100 has no listed dimensions. The L40S is part of the Server Ada generation, while the A100 is Server Ampere. The L40S’s predecessor is Server Ampere and successor is Server Hopper; the A100’s predecessor is Tesla Turing and successor is Server Ada.