NVIDIA H200 NVL vs NVIDIA L40 Comparison

The NVIDIA H200 NVL and NVIDIA L40 are both dual-slot server accelerators from NVIDIA, but they target fundamentally different workloads. The H200 NVL, built on the Hopper architecture, is a data-center compute monster with a 100th-percentile benchmark ranking, while the L40, from the Ada Lovelace generation, is an end-of-life professional GPU that still delivers strong graphics and rendering performance. Benchmark data shows the H200 NVL edges out the L40 in the sole head-to-head OpenCL test, but the two cards have vastly different specifications that dictate their intended use cases.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear split: the NVIDIA H200 NVL is the choice for large-scale AI training, inference, and high-performance computing workloads where massive memory capacity and bandwidth are non-negotiable. Its 141 GB of HBM3e memory and 4.89 TB/s bandwidth dwarf the L40's 48 GB GDDR6 configuration, making it suitable for models that cannot fit in the L40's memory footprint. The H200 NVL also achieves a perfect 100th percentile ranking among all GPUs, indicating top-tier raw compute performance.

The NVIDIA L40 is better suited for graphics-intensive tasks and workloads that leverage its display outputs and API support. It features 4x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 support, while the H200 NVL has no display outputs and no graphics API support. The L40 also has significantly higher pixel and texture rates—478.1 GPixel/s and 1,414.3 GTexel/s versus 42.84 GPixel/s and 942.5 GTexel/s—making it the superior choice for rendering and visualization. Its 192 ROPs, compared to the H200 NVL's 24, reinforce this graphics-centric design.

For buyers with mixed workloads, the H200 NVL's advantage in the OpenCL benchmark (334,891 vs 330,926, a 1.2% delta) shows it is also competitive in general compute tasks. However, the L40's lower power draw of 300 W versus 600 W and its 1x 16-pin power connector (instead of the H200 NVL's 8-pin EPS) make it a more flexible option for systems with less robust power delivery. In short, pick the H200 NVL for pure compute density and memory capacity; pick the L40 for graphics, rendering, and lower-power deployments.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA H200 NVL has an average benchmark score of 334,891, while the NVIDIA L40 has an average score of 284,111. However, this average for the L40 includes both its OpenCL (330,926) and Vulkan (237,295) results.

Q: How do the two cards compare in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The H200 NVL scores 334,891, which is 1.2% higher than the L40's 330,926. This makes the H200 NVL the winner in the only direct head-to-head benchmark available.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: The H200 NVL features 141 GB of HBM3e memory on a 6144-bit bus with 4.89 TB/s bandwidth. The L40 has 48 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus with 864.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Does either card support display outputs?

A: The L40 has 4x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, while the H200 NVL has no display outputs at all. This makes the L40 suitable for workstation graphics tasks.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The L40 has a transistor density of 125.3M / mm², which is higher than the H200 NVL's 98.3M / mm². This is despite the H200 NVL having more total transistors (80,000 million vs 76,300 million).

Q: What is the production status of each card?

A: The H200 NVL is listed as "Active" in production, while the L40 is marked as "End-of-life." The H200 NVL was released on 2024-11-17, whereas the L40 was released on 2022-10-12.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on entirely different architectures. The H200 NVL uses the Hopper architecture with the GH100 chip, while the L40 uses the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD102 chip. Both are fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC, but their designs diverge significantly.

The H200 NVL's GH100 chip contains 80,000 million transistors on a die size of 814 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 98.3M / mm². In contrast, the L40's AD102 chip has 76,300 million transistors on a smaller 609 mm² die, yielding a higher density of 125.3M / mm². This density difference suggests the Ada Lovelace architecture packs more logic into a smaller area, while the Hopper design prioritizes memory bandwidth and capacity.

The H200 NVL features 16,896 shading units, 528 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. It also has 528 tensor cores but no dedicated RT cores listed. The L40, by comparison, has 18,176 shading units, 568 TMUs, and 192 ROPs, along with 142 RT cores and 568 tensor cores. The L40's substantially higher ROP count and inclusion of RT cores highlight its graphics and ray-tracing capabilities, which are absent in the H200 NVL's compute-focused design.

The architectures also differ in their FP16 processing approaches. The H200 NVL delivers 120.6 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1 ratio), indicating a dedicated tensor core path for reduced-precision compute. The L40 provides 90.52 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1 ratio), meaning it processes FP16 at the same rate as FP32. This architectural choice makes the H200 NVL particularly efficient for AI workloads that benefit from FP16 tensor operations.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets reveal stark contrasts between the two cards. The H200 NVL uses HBM3e memory with 141 GB capacity, a 6144-bit bus, and 4.89 TB/s bandwidth. The L40 uses GDDR6 memory with 48 GB capacity, a 384-bit bus, and 864.0 GB/s bandwidth—a 6.4x difference in capacity and a 5.7x difference in bandwidth.

Clock speeds differ in opposite directions. The H200 NVL has a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1785 MHz, with memory clocked at 1593 MHz (6.4 Gbps effective). The L40 has a lower base clock of 735 MHz but a much higher boost clock of 2490 MHz, and its memory runs at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective). The L40's high boost clock helps it achieve 90.52 TFLOPS FP32, compared to the H200 NVL's 60.32 TFLOPS.

Power requirements are also divergent. The H200 NVL has a 600 W TDP and requires a 1000 W suggested PSU with an 8-pin EPS connector. The L40 has a 300 W TDP, a 700 W suggested PSU, and uses a single 16-pin connector. Both cards are dual-slot and share identical physical dimensions: 267 mm (10.5 inches) in length and 111 mm (4.4 inches) in height.

The bus interfaces differ: the H200 NVL uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while the L40 uses PCIe 4.0 x16. API support also separates them—the H200 NVL has no DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan support, while the L40 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Display outputs are present only on the L40 with its 4x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test. The H200 NVL scores 334,891, while the L40 scores 330,926. This gives the H200 NVL a 1.2% victory, marking its sole win in the head-to-head field (1 win, 0 losses for the H200 NVL).

Despite the narrow margin, this result is informative. The H200 NVL's lead in OpenCL—a general-purpose compute benchmark—comes despite the L40 having higher raw FP32 throughput (90.52 TFLOPS vs 60.32 TFLOPS). This suggests the H200 NVL's memory bandwidth and architecture optimizations compensate for its lower FP32 figure in real-world compute tasks.

Looking at the broader benchmark landscape, the H200 NVL's 334,891 OpenCL score places it 5.3% above the AMD Instinct MI300X (317,994) and 13.2% above the NVIDIA L40S (295,763). It trails the NVIDIA B200 (345,482) by 3.1% and the B300 SXM6 AC (369,831) by 9.4%. The L40's 330,926 OpenCL score puts it 13.1% above the NVIDIA L20 (251,147) and just 1.1% below the RTX 6000 Ada Generation (287,237), though it trails the L40S by 3.9% and the MI300X by 10.7%.

The L40 also has a Vulkan benchmark score of 237,295, which is not available for the H200 NVL. This further underscores the L40's graphics-oriented positioning. The H200 NVL's perfect 100th percentile ranking, however, confirms its status as a top-tier compute accelerator, while the L40's 99th percentile ranking places it just slightly behind in overall performance distribution.

The data shows a clear performance hierarchy: the H200 NVL is designed to maximize memory-bound AI and HPC workloads, while the L40 focuses on graphics throughput and API compatibility. Their single head-to-head benchmark shows the H200 NVL winning, but the L40's higher pixel rate, texture rate, and ROP count indicate it would dominate in rendering tasks not covered by the OpenCL test. Each card leads in its respective domain, and benchmark results confirm they are optimized for different use cases.