NVIDIA H20 NVL16 vs NVIDIA N1X 40SM Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded database contains no direct benchmark scores for either the NVIDIA H20 NVL16 or the NVIDIA N1X 40SM. Both entries list an average benchmark score of zero, and the head-to-head benchmark array is empty. Consequently, there are no measured wins for either part in any workload category. The percentile versus all GPUs is identical at 50 for both, indicating that neither has established a position in the performance distribution based on recorded measurements. The absence of data does not imply equivalence in capability; rather, it reflects that neither unit has been subjected to the standard benchmark suite cataloged in the database. The H20 NVL16 offers a peak FP32 throughput of 39.54 TFLOPS, while the N1X 40SM delivers 24.02 TFLOPS, a difference of roughly 64.6% in favor of the H20 based purely on specification-derived compute rates. Similarly, the FP16 rates diverge sharply: the H20 reaches 79.07 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, whereas the N1X sustains 24.02 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio. These figures, however, are not benchmark results; they are theoretical peak rates that do not reflect real-world application performance. Until the database populates with measured scores, any head-to-head comparison remains speculative.

Architecture Differences

The two processors represent distinct architectural generations from NVIDIA. The H20 NVL16 uses the GH100 chip, built on the Hopper architecture, classified under the Server Hopper (Hxx) generation. The N1X 40SM uses the GB20B chip, built on Blackwell 2.0, classified under the Blackwell IGP (N1x) generation. Both are manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC, but the die sizes differ substantially: the H20 measures 814 mm², while the N1X is 382 mm². The H20 integrates 80,000 million transistors, yielding a transistor density of 98.3 million per square millimeter. The N1X transistor count is listed as unknown, and its density is not recorded. The H20 is a discrete server accelerator in an SXM Module form factor, while the N1X is an integrated graphics processor (IGP), meaning it is designed to be embedded within a larger system rather than installed as a standalone card. The H20 has no display outputs, whereas the N1X includes one HDMI output. The H20's memory configuration uses HBM3 with a 6144-bit bus and 96 GB capacity, delivering 4.03 TB/s of bandwidth. The N1X uses LPDDR5X with a 256-bit bus and 128 GB capacity, yielding 273.2 GB/s. The memory clock rates also differ: the H20 runs at 1313 MHz with 5.3 Gbps effective, while the N1X runs at 1067 MHz with 8.5 Gbps effective. The H20 has 9984 shading units, 312 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, with 312 tensor cores and no listed RT cores. The N1X has 5120 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 40 ROPs, with 160 tensor cores and 40 RT cores. The H20 has a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 1980 MHz; the N1X has a base clock of 741 MHz and a boost clock of 2346 MHz. The H20's pixel rate is 47.52 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 617.8 GTexel/s. The N1X's pixel rate is 93.84 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 750.7 GTexel/s.

Where Each One Wins

Without benchmark scores, the analysis of strengths must rely on architectural specifications. The H20 NVL16 clearly leads in raw compute throughput for FP32 and FP16 workloads. Its FP32 rate of 39.54 TFLOPS is 64.6% higher than the N1X's 24.02 TFLOPS. In FP16, the H20's 79.07 TFLOPS is more than three times the N1X's 24.02 TFLOPS. This positions the H20 for compute-heavy tasks such as large-scale matrix operations, scientific simulation, and AI training where mixed-precision arithmetic is common. The H20 also has a massive memory bandwidth advantage: 4.03 TB/s versus 273.2 GB/s, a factor of roughly 14.8. This makes the H20 suitable for workloads that stream large datasets, such as high-resolution tensor processing or large model inference. The N1X 40SM, by contrast, offers a higher boost clock (2346 MHz vs. 1980 MHz) and a higher pixel rate (93.84 GPixel/s vs. 47.52 GPixel/s). It also has more ROPs (40 vs. 24) and more TMUs (320 vs. 312). These specifications indicate that the N1X may perform better in tasks that are sensitive to pixel fill rate or texture fetch throughput, such as rendering pipelines or certain image-processing operations. The N1X also includes 40 RT cores, which the H20 lacks entirely; this suggests the N1X can handle hardware-accelerated ray tracing, whereas the H20 has no such capability listed. The N1X's larger memory capacity (128 GB vs. 96 GB) may benefit workloads with large working sets that do not require extreme bandwidth, such as certain database operations or in-memory analytics. The H20's form factor as an SXM Module also implies it is intended for dense server deployments with high-power delivery, whereas the N1X's IGP nature allows integration into systems with no external power connector. The H20 lists a suggested PSU of 800 W and a TDP of 400 W; the N1X has no recorded TDP or PSU requirement.

Specification Differences

The following specifications differ between the two parts, based solely on the recorded data. The chip is GH100 for the H20 and GB20B for the N1X. The architecture is Hopper for the H20 and Blackwell 2.0 for the N1X. The generation is Server Hopper (Hxx) for the H20 and Blackwell IGP (N1x) for the N1X. The transistor count is 80,000 million for the H20 and unknown for the N1X. The die size is 814 mm² for the H20 and 382 mm² for the N1X. The transistor density is 98.3M / mm² for the H20 and not recorded for the N1X. The base clock is 1830 MHz for the H20 and 741 MHz for the N1X. The boost clock is 1980 MHz for the H20 and 2346 MHz for the N1X. The memory clock is 1313 MHz with 5.3 Gbps effective for the H20 and 1067 MHz with 8.5 Gbps effective for the N1X. The memory size is 96 GB for the H20 and 128 GB for the N1X. The memory type is HBM3 for the H20 and LPDDR5X for the N1X. The memory bus width is 6144 bit for the H20 and 256 bit for the N1X. The memory bandwidth is 4.03 TB/s for the H20 and 273.2 GB/s for the N1X. The shading units are 9984 for the H20 and 5120 for the N1X. The TMUs are 312 for the H20 and 320 for the N1X. The ROPs are 24 for the H20 and 40 for the N1X. The RT cores are not listed for the H20 and 40 for the N1X. The tensor cores are 312 for the H20 and 160 for the N1X. The pixel rate is 47.52 GPixel/s for the H20 and 93.84 GPixel/s for the N1X. The texture rate is 617.8 GTexel/s for the H20 and 750.7 GTexel/s for the N1X. The FP32 performance is 39.54 TFLOPS for the H20 and 24.02 TFLOPS for the N1X. The FP16 performance is 79.07 TFLOPS (2:1) for the H20 and 24.02 TFLOPS (1:1) for the N1X. The TDP is 400 W for the H20 and unknown for the N1X. The slot width is SXM Module for the H20 and IGP for the N1X. The power connectors are not listed for the H20 and none for the N1X. The suggested PSU is 800 W for the H20 and not recorded for the N1X. The display outputs are no outputs for the H20 and 1x HDMI for the N1X. The release date is 2025-09-01 for the H20 and 2026-05-31 for the N1X. The predecessor is Server Ada for the H20 and not recorded for the N1X. The successor is Server Blackwell for the H20 and not recorded for the N1X. The launch MSRP is not recorded for either part.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute throughput?

A: The NVIDIA H20 NVL16 has an FP32 rate of 39.54 TFLOPS, which is 64.6% higher than the NVIDIA N1X 40SM's 24.02 TFLOPS.

Q: How do the memory bandwidths compare?

A: The H20 NVL16 provides 4.03 TB/s of bandwidth via HBM3 on a 6144-bit bus. The N1X 40SM provides 273.2 GB/s via LPDDR5X on a 256-bit bus. The H20's bandwidth is approximately 14.8 times higher.

Q: Does the N1X 40SM support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the N1X 40SM includes 40 RT cores. The H20 NVL16 has no RT cores listed in the database.

Q: What are the form factors of these two GPUs?

A: The H20 NVL16 is an SXM Module, meaning it is designed for server slots. The N1X 40SM is an IGP, an integrated graphics processor, with no external power connectors and one HDMI output.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The N1X 40SM has 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory, while the H20 NVL16 has 96 GB of HBM3 memory. The N1X has a larger capacity, but the H20 has much higher bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The N1X 40SM has a boost clock of 2346 MHz, compared to the H20 NVL16's boost clock of 1980 MHz. The N1X also has a higher pixel rate at 93.84 GPixel/s versus 47.52 GPixel/s.