NVIDIA H200 NVL vs NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation Comparison

The NVIDIA H200 NVL and NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation are both 5 nm TSMC products, but they occupy different segments: the H200 NVL is a server-oriented Hopper part, while the RTX 6000 Ada is a workstation Ada Lovelace card. Benchmark data shows a narrow OpenCL victory for the RTX 6000 Ada, but the H200 NVL counters with a higher aggregate score and a radically different memory subsystem. This analysis walks through the available measurements and specifications to clarify where each card stands.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark shared between the two cards is Geekbench OpenCL. In that test, the RTX 6000 Ada scores 311,629 against the H200 NVL's 305,608, a 1.9% margin. That is a slim win, but it is a win. However, the aggregate picture differs. The H200 NVL's average benchmark score is 305,608 (identical to its OpenCL result), while the RTX 6000 Ada's average is 281,932 because its Vulkan score of 252,235 pulls the average down. Thus, the RTX 6000 Ada wins the specific OpenCL test, but the H200 NVL holds an 8.4% advantage in average score (305,608 vs. 281,932). In the nearest-rival context, the H200 NVL sits 4.4% above the L40S and 8.5% above the L40, but 6.8% below the RTX 5880 Ada. The RTX 6000 Ada, meanwhile, is 0.1% above the L40, 5.8% above the L20, and 3.6% below the L40S. So the head-to-head result is a narrow OpenCL win for the RTX 6000 Ada, while the H200 NVL leads in the aggregate and against most comparable cards.

The RTX 6000 Ada's Vulkan score of 252,235 is notably lower than its OpenCL score, indicating that API choice matters more for this card than for the H200 NVL, which only reports OpenCL. This asymmetry explains why the RTX 6000 Ada wins the direct comparison but loses the average. The data shows that the H200 NVL is more consistent across workloads, even if it trails in one specific test.

FAQ

Q: Which card has more memory?

A: The H200 NVL has 141 GB of HBM3e on a 6144-bit bus with 4.89 TB/s bandwidth, while the RTX 6000 Ada has 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus with 960.0 GB/s.

Q: Which card has higher FP32 throughput?

A: The RTX 6000 Ada delivers 91.06 TFLOPS FP32, compared to 60.32 TFLOPS for the H200 NVL.

Q: Which card supports ray tracing?

A: The RTX 6000 Ada has 142 RT cores; the H200 NVL has no RT core count listed, indicating it lacks dedicated ray-tracing hardware.

Q: Which card has display outputs?

A: The RTX 6000 Ada has 4x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs; the H200 NVL has no display outputs.

Q: Which card is newer?

A: The H200 NVL was released on 2024-11-17, while the RTX 6000 Ada was released on 2022-12-02. The H200 NVL is listed as active, while the RTX 6000 Ada is end-of-life.

Q: Which card has higher FP16 throughput?

A: The H200 NVL reaches 241.3 TFLOPS FP16 (4:1), while the RTX 6000 Ada offers 91.06 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1).

The Verdict

The data indicates a split decision. In the single head-to-head OpenCL benchmark, the RTX 6000 Ada wins by 1.9%. But the H200 NVL has a higher average score (305,608 vs. 281,932) and vastly more memory (141 GB vs. 48 GB) and bandwidth (4.89 TB/s vs. 960 GB/s). The RTX 6000 Ada counters with higher FP32 (91.06 vs. 60.32 TFLOPS), more shading units (18,176 vs. 16,896), higher pixel and texture rates, and 142 RT cores. The H200 NVL is a server part with no display outputs, while the RTX 6000 Ada offers four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The RTX 6000 Ada has a launch MSRP of 6,799 USD. Based on these facts, the H200 NVL suits large-memory FP16 workloads, such as AI inference and large model training; the RTX 6000 Ada suits FP32 compute, graphics rendering, and workstation tasks that require display output.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every major specification except for process node (both 5 nm) and length (267 mm). The table below lists the differing fields.

| Feature | H200 NVL | RTX 6000 Ada |

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

| Chip | GH100 | AD102 |

| Architecture | Hopper | Ada Lovelace |

| Generation | Server Hopper (Hxx) | Workstation Ada (x000A) |

| Transistors | 80,000 million | 76,300 million |

| Die size | 814 mm² | 609 mm² |

| Transistor density | 98.3M / mm² | 125.3M / mm² |

| Base clock | 1365 MHz | 915 MHz |

| Boost clock | 1785 MHz | 2505 MHz |

| Memory clock (effective) | 6.4 Gbps | 20 Gbps |

| Memory size | 141 GB | 48 GB |

| Memory type | HBM3e | GDDR6 |

| Bus width | 6144 bit | 384 bit |

| Bandwidth | 4.89 TB/s | 960.0 GB/s |

| Shading units | 16,896 | 18,176 |

| TMUs | 528 | 568 |

| ROPs | 24 | 192 |

| RT cores | (none listed) | 142 |

| Tensor cores | 528 | 568 |

| Pixel rate | 42.84 GPixel/s | 481.0 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 942.5 GTexel/s | 1,422.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 60.32 TFLOPS | 91.06 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 241.3 TFLOPS (4:1) | 91.06 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 600 W | 300 W |

| Power connectors | 8-pin EPS | 1x 16-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 1000 W | 700 W |

| Bus interface | PCIe 5.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display outputs | No outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| DirectX | (not listed) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| OpenGL | (not listed) | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | (not listed) | 1.4 |

| Height | 111 mm | 112 mm |

| Release date | 2024-11-17 | 2022-12-02 |

| Production status | Active | End-of-life |

| Predecessor | Server Ada | Workstation Ampere |

| Successor | Server Blackwell | Blackwell PRO W |

| Launch MSRP | (none) | 6,799 USD |

Architecture Differences

The H200 NVL uses the GH100 chip built on Hopper architecture, while the RTX 6000 Ada uses AD102 on Ada Lovelace. Both are fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process, but the H200 NVL has more transistors (80,000 million vs. 76,300 million) and a larger die (814 mm² vs. 609 mm²). The RTX 6000 Ada achieves a higher transistor density (125.3M/mm² vs. 98.3M/mm²) despite the smaller die. The memory systems diverge completely: the H200 NVL uses HBM3e with a 6144-bit bus and 4.89 TB/s bandwidth, while the RTX 6000 Ada uses GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus with 960.0 GB/s. The FP16 ratio differs as well: the H200 NVL offers 4:1 FP16 throughput (241.3 TFLOPS) versus the RTX 6000 Ada's 1:1 (91.06 TFLOPS). The RTX 6000 Ada includes 142 RT cores and full API support (DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.4), while the H200 NVL lists no RT cores and no API specifications. The H200 NVL also lacks display outputs, whereas the RTX 6000 Ada provides four DisplayPort 1.4a connectors. These architectural choices reflect the server-oriented design of the H200 NVL versus the workstation focus of the RTX 6000 Ada.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 6000 Ada wins the only head-to-head benchmark (Geekbench OpenCL) by 1.9%, and it also leads in FP32 throughput, shading units, TMUs, ROPs, pixel rate, texture rate, and tensor core count (568 vs. 528). It has 142 RT cores, making it suitable for ray-traced workloads, and it provides display outputs. The H200 NVL, on the other hand, wins on average benchmark score (305,608 vs. 281,932), memory capacity (141 GB vs. 48 GB), memory bandwidth (4.89 TB/s vs. 960 GB/s), and FP16 throughput (241.3 vs. 91.06 TFLOPS). It also has a higher base clock (1365 MHz vs. 915 MHz) but a lower boost clock (1785 MHz vs. 2505 MHz). For tasks that rely on large memory footprints and high FP16 compute, such as large-scale AI inference or training, the H200 NVL is the stronger choice. For FP32 compute, graphics rendering, and any workload that needs display output or ray tracing, the RTX 6000 Ada is the better fit. The data also shows the