NVIDIA H800 SXM5 vs NVIDIA N1X 48SM Comparison

FAQ

Q: What are the core architectural differences between the NVIDIA H800 SXM5 and the NVIDIA N1X 48SM?

A: The H800 SXM5 uses the GH100 chip with a Hopper architecture, while the N1X 48SM uses the GB20B chip with a Blackwell 2.0 architecture. The H800 is built on a 5 nm process with 80,000 million transistors on a 814 mm² die, whereas the N1X 48SM also uses a 5 nm process but has a 382 mm² die with an unknown transistor count.

Q: How do the memory subsystems compare?

A: The H800 SXM5 has 80 GB of HBM3 memory with a 5120-bit bus and 3.36 TB/s bandwidth. The N1X 48SM has 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory on a 256-bit bus with 273.2 GB/s bandwidth. The H800 offers vastly higher bandwidth, while the N1X provides 60% more capacity.

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The H800 SXM5 delivers 59.30 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the N1X 48SM delivers 28.83 TFLOPS. The H800 is more than double the N1X in this metric.

Q: What are the clock speed differences?

A: The H800 SXM5 has a base clock of 1095 MHz and a boost clock of 1755 MHz. The N1X 48SM has a lower base clock of 741 MHz but a significantly higher boost clock of 2346 MHz.

Q: How do the shading units and tensor cores differ?

A: The H800 SXM5 has 16,896 shading units and 528 tensor cores. The N1X 48SM has 6,144 shading units and 192 tensor cores. The H800 has roughly 2.75 times the shading units and 2.75 times the tensor cores.

Q: What is the form factor and power delivery setup for each?

A: The H800 SXM5 is an SXM Module with an 8-pin EPS power connector and a 700 W TDP, requiring a suggested PSU of 1100 W. The N1X 48SM is an IGP with no power connectors, an unknown TDP, and no suggested PSU listed.

Architecture Differences

The H800 SXM5 and N1X 48SM represent two distinct design philosophies from NVIDIA. The H800 is a dedicated server accelerator built on the Hopper architecture with the GH100 chip, while the N1X 48SM is a Blackwell 2.0 IGP solution using the GB20B chip. Both are fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC, but their physical characteristics diverge sharply.

The H800 packs 80,000 million transistors into an 814 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 98.3M per mm². The N1X 48SM uses a much smaller 382 mm² die with an unknown transistor count, which means its density cannot be directly compared. The H800's larger die and transistor budget enable its server-class compute capabilities, while the N1X's smaller footprint suggests integration into a system-on-chip context.

Clock behavior differs notably. The H800 runs at a base clock of 1095 MHz and boosts to 1755 MHz. The N1X starts at a lower 741 MHz base clock but boosts substantially higher to 2346 MHz. This higher boost clock indicates the N1X can reach higher peak frequencies when thermal and power conditions allow, despite its more integrated nature.

The memory architectures are fundamentally different. The H800 uses 80 GB of HBM3 with a 5120-bit bus width, delivering 3.36 TB/s of bandwidth. The N1X uses 128 GB of LPDDR5X on a 256-bit bus, providing 273.2 GB/s. The H800's HBM3 implementation offers roughly 12.3 times the bandwidth of the N1X's LPDDR5X, a massive advantage for memory-bound workloads. The N1X compensates with 60% more capacity, which could benefit large model residency.

Compute resources follow the H800's dominance. The H800 has 16,896 shading units, 528 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, while the N1X has 6,144 shading units, 384 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The H800 leads in shading units and TMUs, but the N1X has double the ROP count. The N1X also includes 48 RT cores, while the H800 lists no RT cores in the database.

Tensor core counts show a 528 to 192 advantage for the H800. FP32 output is 59.30 TFLOPS for the H800 versus 28.83 TFLOPS for the N1X. For FP16, the H800 reaches 237.2 TFLOPS using a 4:1 ratio, while the N1X achieves 28.83 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio. The H800's FP16 advantage is substantial, nearly 8.2 times the N1X's output.

Pixel and texture rates tell a mixed story. The H800 achieves 42.12 GPixel/s, while the N1X reaches 112.6 GPixel/s, a 2.67 times advantage for the N1X. Texture rates are closer: 926.6 GTexel/s for the H800 versus 900.9 GTexel/s for the N1X, a narrow 2.9% margin.

The H800 operates as an SXM Module with an 8-pin EPS connector and a 700 W TDP, requiring a suggested 1100 W PSU. The N1X is an IGP with no power connectors and an unknown TDP. Both use PCIe 5.0 x16 interfaces. Display outputs also differ: the H800 has none, while the N1X includes 1x HDMI.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database currently records no direct head-to-head benchmarks between the H800 SXM5 and the N1X 48SM. Neither GPU has entries in the benchmark results field, and both hold a percentile rank of 50 against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 0. This indicates that no standardized performance measurements have been captured for either product in the database.

Without recorded benchmark data, the analysis must rely on the architectural specifications and derived performance metrics. The FP32 compute figures provide the clearest comparison: the H800 delivers 59.30 TFLOPS versus 28.83 TFLOPS for the N1X, a 2.06 times advantage. This means the H800 can process roughly twice as many floating-point operations per second in single-precision workloads.

FP16 performance shows an even wider gap. The H800's 237.2 TFLOPS (4:1) compares to the N1X's 28.83 TFLOPS (1:1), giving the H800 an 8.23 times advantage. This disparity suggests that mixed-precision training and inference workloads would heavily favor the H800, assuming software can leverage its 4:1 tensor core ratio.

Memory bandwidth differences are similarly pronounced. The H800's 3.36 TB/s stands against the N1X's 273.2 GB/s, a 12.3 times difference. For workloads that are bandwidth-limited, such as large matrix operations or data-intensive inference, the H800's HBM3 implementation provides a decisive edge.

The N1X does hold advantages in certain metrics. Its pixel rate of 112.6 GPixel/s exceeds the H800's 42.12 GPixel/s by 2.67 times, suggesting better rasterization throughput. The N1X also offers 128 GB of memory versus 80 GB, a 60% capacity increase that could allow larger datasets to reside locally.

Texture rates are nearly identical, with the H800 at 926.6 GTexel/s and the N1X at 900.9 GTexel/s. The 2.9% difference is within a margin that could be affected by clock scaling, memory bandwidth, or workload characteristics.

Clock speeds reveal an interesting dynamic. The N1X's boost clock of 2346 MHz is 33.7% higher than the H800's 1755 MHz boost. However, the H800's base clock of 1095 MHz is 47.8% higher than the N1X's 741 MHz base. The N1X relies on aggressive boosting to reach its performance, while the H800 maintains higher sustained clocks.

The absence of RT cores on the H800 and their presence on the N1X (48 cores) suggests the N1X might handle ray tracing workloads, though the database provides no benchmark data to confirm this.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every specification category in the database.

| Specification | NVIDIA H800 SXM5 | NVIDIA N1X 48SM |

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

| Chip | GH100 | GB20B |

| Architecture | Hopper | Blackwell 2.0 |

| Generation | Server Hopper (Hxx) | Blackwell IGP (N1x) |

| Transistors | 80,000 million | unknown |

| Die Size | 814 mm² | 382 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 98.3M / mm² | null |

| Base Clock | 1095 MHz | 741 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1755 MHz | 2346 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1313 MHz, 5.3 Gbps effective | 1067 MHz, 8.5 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 80 GB | 128 GB |

| Memory Type | HBM3 | LPDDR5X |

| Memory Bus Width | 5120 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 3.36 TB/s | 273.2 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 16896 | 6144 |

| TMUs | 528 | 384 |

| ROPs | 24 | 48 |

| RT Cores | null | 48 |

| Tensor Cores | 528 | 192 |

| Pixel Rate | 42.12 GPixel/s | 112.6 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 926.6 GTexel/s | 900.9 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 59.30 TFLOPS | 28.83 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 237.2 TFLOPS (4:1) | 28.83 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 700 W | unknown |

| Slot Width | SXM Module | IGP |

| Power Connectors | 8-pin EPS | None |

| Suggested PSU | 1100 W | null |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | 1x HDMI |

| DirectX | null | N/A |

| OpenGL | null | N/A |

| Vulkan | null | N/A |

| Release Date | 2023-03-20 | 2026-05-31 |

| Predecessor | Server Ada | null |

| Successor | Server Blackwell | null |

The release dates place the H800 in March 2023 and the N1X in May 2026, a gap of over three years. The H800 has defined predecessor and successor products in the Server Ada and Server Blackwell lines, while the N1X has neither.

The Verdict

The recorded data positions the H800 SXM5 as a high-throughput compute accelerator with massive memory bandwidth and FP32/FP16 capabilities. Its 59.30 TFLOPS FP32 and 237.2 TFLOPS FP16 outputs, combined with 3.36 TB/s memory bandwidth, target workloads that demand raw numerical throughput and rapid data movement. The 700 W TDP and SXM Module form factor confirm its server-oriented design.

The N1X 48SM presents a different profile. Its 28.83 TFLOPS FP32 and FP16 performance, 128 GB LPDDR5X memory, and 112.6 GPixel/s pixel rate suggest a more balanced, integrated solution. The 48 RT cores and HDMI output indicate graphics capability that the H800 lacks entirely. The IGP form factor with no power connectors implies a low-power, system-integrated design.

For users requiring maximum compute throughput, the H800's 2.06 times FP32 advantage and 8.23 times FP16 advantage make it the clear choice. For applications needing large memory capacity, the N1X's 128 GB exceeds the H800's 80 GB by 60%. For rendering or display tasks, the N1X's RT cores and HDMI output provide functionality the H800 does not offer.

The N1X's higher boost clock of 2346 MHz versus 1755 MHz could benefit burst workloads, while the H800's higher base clock of 1095 MHz versus 741 MHz suggests more consistent sustained performance. The N1X's 48 ROPs double the H800's 24, aiding pixel throughput.

Both GPUs sit at the 50th percentile among all GPUs in the database, and neither has recorded benchmark scores. This leaves performance conclusions drawn from specifications rather than direct measurements.

Where Each One Wins

The H800 SXM5 wins decisively in raw compute throughput. Its 59.30 TFLOPS FP32 and 237.2 TFLOPS FP16 outputs outperform the N1X by 2.06 and 8.23 times respectively. Tensor core counts of 528 versus 192 reinforce this advantage for deep learning workloads. The 3.36 TB/s memory bandwidth, 12.3 times the N1X's 273.2 GB/s, gives the H800 a commanding lead in memory-bound operations. The 5120-bit bus width versus 256-bit further emphasizes the H800's data movement capacity.

The N1X 48SM wins in memory capacity, offering 128 GB versus 80 GB, a 60% increase. This could benefit workloads requiring large model residency without frequent host transfers. The N1X also wins in pixel rate at 112.6 GPixel/s versus 42.12 GPixel/s, a 2.67 times advantage. Its 48 ROPs double the H800's 24, supporting higher fill rates. The 48 RT cores provide ray tracing capability absent from the H800. The N1X's 2346 MHz boost clock exceeds the H800's 1755 MHz, potentially enabling faster burst execution. The HDMI output allows display connectivity, which the H800 lacks entirely.

Texture rates are effectively tied, with the H800 at 926.6 GTexel/s and the N1X at 900.9 GTexel/s, a 2.9% margin that workload characteristics could easily reverse. The H800's 528 TMUs exceed the N1X's 384, but the N1X's higher boost clock compensates in this metric.

The release timeline shows the H800 arriving in March 2023 with a defined product lineage, while the N1X appears in May 2026 without predecessor or successor entries. The H800's 700 W TDP and 1100 W suggested PSU indicate a power-hungry accelerator, while the N1X's unknown TDP and absent power connectors suggest a more energy-conscious design.