NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D vs NVIDIA H200 NVL Comparison

The NVIDIA H200 NVL and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D target fundamentally different segments of the GPU market, and the benchmark data confirms this split. The H200 NVL is a server-grade accelerator built for compute density, while the RTX 4090 D is a high-end consumer graphics card. The single shared benchmark result provides a clear, if narrow, point of comparison.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only overlapping benchmark between the two cards is Geekbench OpenCL, and the result is decisive. The NVIDIA H200 NVL scores 334,891, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D scores 278,621. This represents a 20.2% advantage for the H200 NVL in this compute-oriented test. The margin is substantial, indicating that the H200 NVL’s architecture and memory subsystem deliver significantly higher raw compute throughput in OpenCL workloads.

Context from the rival lists strengthens this finding. The H200 NVL’s OpenCL score places it at the 100th percentile of all GPUs, meaning it outperforms every other entry in the database on this metric. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA B200 at 345,482 (3.1% faster) and the AMD Instinct MI300X at 317,994 (5.3% slower). The H200 NVL also leads the NVIDIA L40S by 13.2%. The RTX 4090 D, by contrast, sits at the 98th percentile, with its OpenCL score of 278,621 falling behind the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell by 2.2%, the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB by 3.1%, and the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation by 3.6%.

It is worth remembering the RTX 4090 D has two other benchmark results in its record—3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 at 8,587 and Geekbench Vulkan at 246,941—but the H200 NVL has no corresponding scores for those tests. The H200 NVL also has no DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan API support listed, which aligns with its server positioning. Therefore, the OpenCL result is the only valid head-to-head comparison, and it favors the H200 NVL by a wide margin.

The win count reflects this: the H200 NVL takes 1 win, and the RTX 4090 D takes 0 wins in shared tests. However, this does not make the RTX 4090 D a failure; rather, it underscores that the two cards are optimized for different workloads, and the shared test happens to align with the H200 NVL’s strengths.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the data, the NVIDIA H200 NVL is the superior compute performer. Its OpenCL score of 334,891 is 20.2% higher than the RTX 4090 D’s 278,621, and it achieves the 100th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The H200 NVL also has a higher average benchmark score of 334,891 compared to the RTX 4090 D’s 178,050, though this average is skewed by the RTX 4090 D’s inclusion of gaming-oriented tests like 3DMark and Vulkan.

For raw compute throughput, the H200 NVL is the clear choice. It also offers 141 GB of HBM3e memory with 4.89 TB/s of bandwidth, compared to the RTX 4090 D’s 24 GB of GDDR6X with 1.01 TB/s. This memory advantage is massive—more than 5 times the capacity and nearly 5 times the bandwidth—and directly supports the H200 NVL’s edge in memory-intensive compute tasks.

The RTX 4090 D, however, is not without merit. It holds a 98th percentile ranking, which is still elite. Its strengths lie elsewhere: it has display outputs, supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, and it is rated for a lower power draw of 425 W versus the H200 NVL’s 600 W. The RTX 4090 D also has a higher FP32 throughput at 73.54 TFLOPS compared to the H200 NVL’s 60.32 TFLOPS, which could matter in certain single-precision workloads.

The verdict depends on the use case. For server-side compute, AI inference, and large-scale data processing, the H200 NVL is the data-backed winner. For client-side rendering, gaming, and general-purpose graphics, the RTX 4090 D is the only viable option of the two, given the H200 NVL has no display outputs and no graphics API support. The data does not support a single “best” card; it supports two different tools for two different jobs.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA H200 NVL wins in every shared benchmark, but its advantages extend to the hardware specifications that drive compute performance. The H200 NVL’s 141 GB of HBM3e memory is not just larger but also faster, with 4.89 TB/s of bandwidth versus 1.01 TB/s. This makes it the clear winner for workloads that involve large datasets, such as training large language models, scientific simulations, or high-performance computing clusters. Its 528 tensor cores (versus 456 on the RTX 4090 D) and 16,896 shading units (versus 14,592) further support its compute-heavy positioning. The H200 NVL also uses a PCIe 5.0 x16 interface, double the bandwidth of the RTX 4090 D’s PCIe 4.0 x16, which reduces data transfer bottlenecks in multi-GPU server environments.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D wins in areas the H200 NVL does not compete. It has 176 ROPs compared to the H200 NVL’s 24, giving it a pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s versus 42.84 GPixel/s. This makes it vastly more capable for rasterization and display output. The RTX 4090 D also has a higher texture rate at 1,149.1 GTexel/s versus 942.5 GTexel/s, and a higher base clock of 2280 MHz versus 1365 MHz. Its boost clock of 2520 MHz also exceeds the H200 NVL’s 1785 MHz, though the H200 NVL’s architecture is designed for sustained throughput rather than peak clocks.

The RTX 4090 D is the only card with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score (8,587), indicating it can handle modern gaming workloads. It also has Vulkan support, with a Geekbench Vulkan score of 246,941, a test the H200 NVL does not have. The RTX 4090 D’s 24 GB of memory, while small compared to the H200 NVL, is still substantial for a consumer card and sufficient for high-resolution gaming or local AI inference.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The NVIDIA H200 NVL scores 334,891, which is 20.2% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D’s 278,621.

Q: How does the H200 NVL compare to its nearest rival, the NVIDIA B200?

A: The H200 NVL’s average benchmark score of 334,891 is 3.1% lower than the NVIDIA B200’s 345,482.

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

A: The H200 NVL has 141 GB of HBM3e memory, while the RTX 4090 D has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory.

Q: Does the RTX 4090 D support modern graphics APIs?

A: Yes, the RTX 4090 D supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The H200 NVL lists no API support.

Q: Which card has a higher FP32 throughput?

A: The RTX 4090 D has 73.54 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, compared to the H200 NVL’s 60.32 TFLOPS.

Q: What is the production status of each card?

A: The H200 NVL is listed as Active, while the RTX 4090 D is listed as End-of-life.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on different architectures from NVIDIA. The H200 NVL uses the Hopper architecture with the GH100 chip, while the RTX 4090 D uses the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD102 chip. Both are fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC, but the similarities end there.

The H200 NVL is part of the Server Hopper (Hxx) generation, while the RTX 4090 D belongs to the GeForce 40 series. The H200 NVL has 80,000 million transistors on a die size of 814 mm², translating to a transistor density of 98.3 million per mm². The RTX 4090 D has 76,300 million transistors on a smaller 609 mm² die, yielding a higher density of 125.3 million per mm². This suggests the Ada Lovelace design is more compact per transistor.

Memory architecture is a major differentiator. The H200 NVL uses HBM3e with a 6144-bit bus, while the RTX 4090 D uses GDDR6X with a 384-bit bus. The H200 NVL’s memory clock is 1593 MHz (6.4 Gbps effective), whereas the RTX 4090 D runs at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). Despite the RTX 4090 D’s higher effective clock, the H200 NVL’s vastly wider bus gives it a 4.89 TB/s bandwidth versus 1.01 TB/s.

Core configurations also differ significantly. The H200 NVL has 16,896 shading units, 528 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, plus 528 tensor cores. The RTX 4090 D has 14,592 shading units, 456 TMUs, 176 ROPs, 456 tensor cores, and 114 RT cores. The H200 NVL has no listed RT cores, reinforcing its non-graphics focus. The H200 NVL’s FP16 performance is 120.6 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), double its FP32 rate, while the RTX 4090 D’s FP16 is 73.54 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), matching its FP32.

Specification Differences

The most obvious specification gap is memory: 141 GB HBM3e versus 24 GB GDDR6X. Bandwidth follows suit at 4.89 TB/s versus 1.01 TB/s. The H200 NVL has more shading units (16,896 vs 14,592), more TMUs (528 vs 456), and more tensor cores (528 vs 456), but far fewer ROPs (24 vs 176).

Power and cooling differ. The H200 NVL has a 600 W TDP and uses an 8-pin EPS connector, while the RTX 4090 D has a 425 W TDP and uses a 1x 16-pin connector. The suggested PSU is 1000 W for the H200 NVL and 800 W for the RTX 4090 D. The H200 NVL is dual-slot, while the RTX 4090 D is triple-slot. The H200 NVL measures 267 mm in length and 111 mm in height; the RTX 4090 D is longer at 304 mm, taller at 137 mm, and has a width of 61 mm.

Bus interfaces differ: the H200 NVL uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while the RTX 4090 D uses PCIe 4.0 x16. The H200 NVL has no display outputs, while the RTX 4090 D offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. API support is absent for the H200 NVL but includes DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 for the RTX 4090 D. Clocks also vary: the H200 NVL runs at 1365 MHz base and 1785 MHz boost, while the RTX 4090 D runs at 2280 MHz base and 2520 MHz boost. The RTX 4090 D has a launch MSRP of 1,599 USD. The H200 NVL was released on 2024-11-17, while the RTX 4090 D came out on 2023-12-27. The H200 NVL is Active; the RTX 4090 D is End-of-life.