NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Max-Q vs NVIDIA H20 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no recorded benchmark scores for either the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Max-Q or the NVIDIA H20. Both entries show an average benchmark score of zero and a percentile rank of 50 against all GPUs, with no head-to-head benchmark results available. This means the comparison must rely entirely on the recorded specification data rather than measured performance deltas.

Without benchmark scores, the wins in this matchup are determined by raw specification advantages. The RTX 4090 Max-Q holds the advantage in pixel throughput, delivering 163.0 GPixel/s compared to 47.52 GPixel/s for the H20. That represents a 3.4x advantage in pixel fill rate, which directly impacts rasterization performance in traditional rendering workloads. The H20 counters with a texture rate of 617.8 GTexel/s versus 442.3 GTexel/s for the Max-Q, a 39.7% advantage in texture throughput.

The FP32 compute comparison favors the H20. It delivers 39.54 TFLOPS against 28.31 TFLOPS for the RTX 4090 Max-Q, a 39.7% lead in single-precision floating-point performance. The gap widens dramatically in FP16 compute, where the H20 reaches 79.07 TFLOPS with its 2:1 ratio, while the Max-Q manages 28.31 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio. The H20 delivers 2.79x the half-precision throughput, a massive margin for AI inference and training workloads that rely on FP16 math.

Memory bandwidth is another decisive split. The H20 uses HBM3 memory across a 6144-bit bus, achieving 4.03 TB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4090 Max-Q uses GDDR6 across a 256-bit bus, reaching 576.0 GB/s. The H20 offers 7.0x the memory bandwidth, which is critical for data-intensive compute tasks. The H20 also carries 96 GB of memory versus 16 GB for the Max-Q, a 6x capacity advantage.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural families. The RTX 4090 Max-Q uses the AD103 chip built on Ada Lovelace architecture, part of the GeForce 40 Mobile generation. The H20 uses the GH100 chip built on Hopper architecture, part of the Server Hopper (Hxx) generation. Both use a 5 nm process from TSMC, but the die sizes differ substantially. The H20's GH100 measures 814 mm² with 80,000 million transistors, while the Max-Q's AD103 measures 379 mm² with 45,900 million transistors. The H20 packs 74.3% more transistors on a die that is 2.15x larger. Transistor density favors the smaller chip, with the AD103 achieving 121.1M transistors per mm² versus 98.3M for the GH100.

Clock behavior reflects their different design targets. The RTX 4090 Max-Q runs a base clock of 930 MHz and a boost clock of 1455 MHz. The H20 runs a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 1980 MHz. The H20's boost clock is 36.1% higher, which contributes to its FP32 advantage despite having only 2.6% more shading units.

The memory subsystem is fundamentally different. The Max-Q uses 16 GB of GDDR6 with a 256-bit bus and 576.0 GB/s bandwidth. The H20 uses 96 GB of HBM3 with a 6144-bit bus and 4.03 TB/s bandwidth. The bus width difference is extreme: 6144 bits versus 256 bits, a 24x difference that explains the 7x bandwidth gap.

Compute resources differ in configuration. The Max-Q has 9728 shading units, 304 TMUs, 112 ROPs, 76 RT cores, and 304 tensor cores. The H20 has 9984 shading units, 312 TMUs, only 24 ROPs, no recorded RT cores, and 312 tensor cores. The H20 has 2.6% more shading units, 2.6% more TMUs, but 78.6% fewer ROPs. The RT core count is notable: the Max-Q has 76 dedicated RT cores, while the H20 lists no RT cores at all, reflecting its server compute focus rather than graphics rendering.

Power and form factor differences are substantial. The RTX 4090 Max-Q has an 80 W TDP, uses an IGP slot width, and requires no power connectors. The H20 has a 500 W TDP, uses an SXM Module slot width, and requires a 900 W suggested PSU. The H20 draws 6.25x the power of the Max-Q. The Max-Q uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the H20 uses PCIe 5.0 x16.

API support also diverges. The Max-Q supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The H20 lists N/A for all three graphics APIs, confirming it is not intended for client-side rendering workloads. Display outputs differ as well: the Max-Q is portable device dependent, while the H20 has no outputs.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4090 Max-Q wins in scenarios that depend on pixel throughput and graphics rendering. Its 163.0 GPixel/s pixel rate is 3.4x higher than the H20's 47.52 GPixel/s, making it suitable for rasterization-heavy workloads. The 112 ROPs versus 24 ROPs reinforce this advantage. The Max-Q also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which means it can run modern graphics APIs. The H20 cannot run any of these APIs. The Max-Q's 76 RT cores enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing, a feature the H20 lacks entirely.

The Max-Q also wins on power efficiency. At 80 W TDP, it delivers 28.31 TFLOPS FP32, which translates to 354 GFLOPS per watt. The H20 at 500 W delivers 39.54 TFLOPS FP32, which translates to 79 GFLOPS per watt. The Max-Q is 4.5x more power-efficient in FP32 terms. The Max-Q's compact IGP form factor with no power connectors makes it suitable for thin portable devices, while the H20 requires an SXM module slot and a 900 W suggested PSU.

The H20 wins in compute-heavy, memory-intensive workloads. Its 4.03 TB/s bandwidth is 7.0x higher than the Max-Q's 576.0 GB/s. Its 96 GB memory capacity is 6x larger. The FP16 compute of 79.07 TFLOPS is 2.79x higher than the Max-Q's 28.31 TFLOPS. The H20's 312 tensor cores match the Max-Q's count, but the H20's higher clocks and memory bandwidth make those tensor cores far more effective for large model training and inference. The H20 also leads in FP32 compute by 39.7%, which matters for scientific simulation and HPC workloads.

The H20's texture rate of 617.8 GTexel/s is 39.7% higher than the Max-Q's 442.3 GTexel/s. While the Max-Q wins pixel throughput, the H20 wins texture throughput. This makes the H20 better suited for workloads that sample textures heavily, such as certain compute shader patterns.

The Verdict

The data shows two completely different products that happen to share the NVIDIA brand. The RTX 4090 Max-Q is a mobile graphics solution. It has a low 80 W TDP, an IGP form factor, no power connectors, display outputs, and full graphics API support including DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4. Its 76 RT cores and 163.0 GPixel/s pixel rate make it a rendering-focused part. Its 16 GB GDDR6 memory and 576.0 GB/s bandwidth are modest by server standards but appropriate for a portable device.

The H20 is a server compute accelerator. It has a 500 W TDP, an SXM module form factor, a 900 W suggested PSU, no display outputs, and no graphics API support. Its 96 GB HBM3 memory with 4.03 TB/s bandwidth and 79.07 TFLOPS FP16 compute make it a data-center part for AI and HPC workloads. The lack of RT cores and ROPs (only 24) confirms it is not meant for rendering.

The choice between them depends entirely on the use case. For graphics, gaming laptops, or any workload requiring DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan, the RTX 4090 Max-Q is the only option that supports those APIs. For large-scale AI training, inference, or scientific computing that requires massive memory capacity and bandwidth, the H20 delivers 6x the memory and 7x the bandwidth. The H20's FP16 performance at 79.07 TFLOPS is the standout compute metric, while the Max-Q's pixel rate of 163.0 GPixel/s is the standout graphics metric.

The release dates clarify their positioning. The Max-Q launched on January 2, 2023, as part of the GeForce 40 Mobile generation, succeeding GeForce 30 Mobile. The H20 launched on January 31, 2024, as part of the Server Hopper generation, succeeding Server Ada. The H20 is the newer part by about 13 months. Both remain in active production.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA H20 delivers 39.54 TFLOPS FP32, which is 39.7% higher than the RTX 4090 Max-Q's 28.31 TFLOPS.

Q: How much memory does each GPU have, and what type?

A: The RTX 4090 Max-Q has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory. The NVIDIA H20 has 96 GB of HBM3 memory, which is 6x the capacity.

Q: Can the NVIDIA H20 run DirectX games?

A: No. The H20 lists DirectX as N/A and has no display outputs. The RTX 4090 Max-Q supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The RTX 4090 Max-Q has an 80 W TDP with no power connectors. The NVIDIA H20 has a 500 W TDP and requires a 900 W suggested PSU.

Q: Which GPU has more memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA H20 has 4.03 TB/s of bandwidth from its 6144-bit HBM3 bus. The RTX 4090 Max-Q has 576.0 GB/s from its 256-bit GDDR6 bus. The H20 offers 7.0x the bandwidth.

Q: Does the H20 have ray tracing cores?

A: The database records no RT cores for the NVIDIA H20. The RTX 4090 Max-Q has 76 RT cores.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Max-Q | NVIDIA H20 |

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

| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | Hopper |

| Generation | GeForce 40 Mobile | Server Hopper (Hxx) |

| Chip | AD103 | GH100 |

| Process Node | 5 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 45,900 million | 80,000 million |

| Die Size | 379 mm² | 814 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 121.1M / mm² | 98.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 930 MHz | 1830 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1455 MHz | 1980 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 2250 MHz, 18 Gbps effective | 1313 MHz, 5.3 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 16 GB | 96 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | HBM3 |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 6144 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 576.0 GB/s | 4.03 TB/s |

| Shading Units | 9728 | 9984 |

| TMUs | 304 | 312 |

| ROPs | 112 | 24 |

| RT Cores | 76 | None recorded |

| Tensor Cores | 304 | 312 |

| Pixel Rate | 163.0 GPixel/s | 47.52 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 442.3 GTexel/s | 617.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 28.31 TFLOPS | 39.54 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 28.31 TFLOPS (1:1) | 79.07 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 80 W | 500 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | SXM Module |

| Power Connectors | None | Not recorded |

| Suggested PSU | None recorded | 900 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 5.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | No outputs |

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | N/A |

| OpenGL Support | 4.6 | N/A |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | N/A |

| Release Date | 2023-01-02 | 2024-01-31 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 30 Mobile | Server Ada |

| Successor | GeForce 50 Mobile | Server Blackwell |