NVIDIA L4 vs NVIDIA PG506-232 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records one direct comparison between the NVIDIA PG506-232 and the NVIDIA L4: the Geekbench OpenCL test. The PG506-232 delivers a score of 225,124, while the L4 records 140,838. This represents a 59.8% advantage for the PG506-232, a substantial margin that places it firmly ahead in raw compute throughput as measured by this workload.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each card provides additional context. The PG506-232 sits 2.4% above the AMD Radeon PRO W7900D (219,827) and 8.7% above the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB (207,124). It trails the NVIDIA L20 by 10.4% (251,147) and leads the NVIDIA RTX 6000D by 14.9% (195,964). The L4, by contrast, sits in a tighter cluster: it is 0.7% behind the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti (131,938), 3.1% behind both the RTX 4000 Ada Generation and the A10M (135,218 and 135,230 respectively), and 3.2% behind the AMD Radeon PRO W6800 (135,396). The L4’s average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 131,072, which places it in the 95th percentile of all GPUs. The PG506-232, with only one recorded benchmark, holds a 99th percentile ranking.

The OpenCL result is decisive: the PG506-232 outperforms the L4 by nearly six-tenths. This is not a marginal win; it is a generational gap in raw compute performance under this specific test. The L4’s Vulkan score of 121,306, which has no counterpart for the PG506-232 in the database, suggests the L4 has some API versatility, but it does not close the gap in OpenCL.

Where Each One Wins

The PG506-232 wins the only head-to-head benchmark recorded, taking the OpenCL test with a 59.8% lead. This suggests its strength lies in compute-heavy tasks that scale with raw FP32 and FP16 throughput. Its FP32 rating is 10.32 TFLOPS, and its FP16 rating is identical at 10.32 TFLOPS (1:1). The L4, by contrast, offers 30.29 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16, yet it scores far lower in OpenCL. This discrepancy implies that the PG506-232’s advantage stems not from peak theoretical rates but from other factors, possibly memory bandwidth or driver optimization for this specific benchmark.

The L4 wins in efficiency-oriented scenarios. Its TDP is 72 W versus 165 W for the PG506-232, and it requires no power connectors, drawing solely from the PCIe slot. The PG506-232 needs an 8-pin EPS connector and a suggested 450 W power supply, whereas the L4 suggests only 250 W. For dense server deployments where power and cooling are constrained, the L4’s lower footprint is a clear operational win, even if its compute score is lower.

Memory architecture also splits the use cases. The PG506-232 uses HBM2 with a 3072-bit bus and 933.1 GB/s bandwidth. The L4 uses GDDR6 with a 192-bit bus and 300.1 GB/s bandwidth. For memory-bound workloads that rely on bandwidth, the PG506-232 has a threefold advantage. For workloads that favor higher clock speeds and more shading units, the L4’s 7424 shading units and 2040 MHz boost clock versus the PG506-232’s 3584 shading units and 1440 MHz boost clock suggest a different performance profile, though the benchmark data does not isolate these factors.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different NVIDIA architectures and process nodes. The PG506-232 uses the GA100 chip on the Ampere architecture, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It contains 54,200 million transistors on a 826 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 65.6M per mm². The L4 uses the AD104 chip on the Ada Lovelace architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process, also at TSMC. It contains 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, yielding a density of 121.8M per mm². The L4’s newer process allows more than double the transistor density per square millimeter.

The PG506-232 has 3584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The L4 has 7424 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. The L4 more than doubles the shading units and adds 60 RT cores, which the PG506-232 lacks entirely. The L4 also has 240 tensor cores versus 224 for the PG506-232. Pixel rates favor the L4 at 163.2 GPixel/s versus 138.2 GPixel/s, and texture rates favor it at 489.6 GTexel/s versus 322.6 GTexel/s. Yet the PG506-232 wins the OpenCL benchmark, highlighting that raw shader counts do not always dictate compute outcomes.

Memory differs fundamentally. The PG506-232 packs 24 GB of HBM2 across a 3072-bit bus, achieving 933.1 GB/s. The L4 also has 24 GB, but it is GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, achieving 300.1 GB/s. The PG506-232’s memory clock is 1215 MHz (2.4 Gbps effective), while the L4’s is 1563 MHz (12.5 Gbps effective). The L4’s faster effective clock does not compensate for the narrower bus.

Form factors also diverge. The PG506-232 is dual-slot, 267 mm long, and 112 mm high. The L4 is single-slot, 169 mm long, and 56 mm high. The PG506-232 requires an 8-pin EPS power connector; the L4 has none. The PG506-232 is end-of-life, released in April 2021, while the L4 is active, released in March 2023. The L4 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4; the PG506-232 has no recorded API support in the database.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA PG506-232 scores 225,124, which is 59.8% higher than the NVIDIA L4’s 140,838 in the Geekbench OpenCL test.

Q: How does the PG506-232 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The PG506-232 is 2.4% above the AMD Radeon PRO W7900D, 8.7% above the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB, and 14.9% above the NVIDIA RTX 6000D, but it trails the NVIDIA L20 by 10.4%.

Q: How does the L4 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The L4 is 0.7% below the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti, 3.1% below both the RTX 4000 Ada Generation and the A10M, and 3.2% below the AMD Radeon PRO W6800.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The PG506-232 has 933.1 GB/s bandwidth from HBM2 on a 3072-bit bus, while the L4 has 300.1 GB/s from GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus.

Q: Which card has more shading units and what is the clock speed difference?

A: The L4 has 7424 shading units with a boost clock of 2040 MHz, while the PG506-232 has 3584 shading units with a boost clock of 1440 MHz.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The PG506-232 has a 165 W TDP and requires an 8-pin EPS connector, while the L4 has a 72 W TDP and requires no power connectors.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split. For raw compute performance in OpenCL, the PG506-232 is the superior choice, leading by 59.8% and ranking in the 99th percentile of all GPUs. Its HBM2 memory with 933.1 GB/s bandwidth provides a massive advantage for memory-intensive workloads. The L4, at 95th percentile, is not close in this metric.

However, the L4 wins on efficiency and physical footprint. Its 72 W TDP, single-slot design, and lack of power connectors make it ideal for densely packed servers with limited power budgets. Its 5 nm process and higher transistor density (121.8M per mm² versus 65.6M per mm²) indicate a more modern design. The L4 also supports modern APIs like DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, which the PG506-232 does not record.

For users prioritizing compute throughput and memory bandwidth, the PG506-232 is the pick. For users prioritizing power efficiency, space, and API compatibility, the L4 is the pick. The benchmark data does not support a single winner; it supports a use-case-dependent choice.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA PG506-232 | NVIDIA L4 |

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

| Chip | GA100 | AD104 |

| Architecture | Ampere | Ada Lovelace |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 54,200 million | 35,800 million |

| Die Size | 826 mm² | 294 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 65.6M / mm² | 121.8M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 930 MHz | 795 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1440 MHz | 2040 MHz |

| Memory Type | HBM2 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 3072 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 933.1 GB/s | 300.1 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 3584 | 7424 |

| TMUs | 224 | 240 |

| ROPs | 96 | 80 |

| RT Cores | None | 60 |

| Tensor Cores | 224 | 240 |

| Pixel Rate | 138.2 GPixel/s | 163.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 322.6 GTexel/s | 489.6 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 10.32 TFLOPS | 30.29 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 10.32 TFLOPS (1:1) | 30.29 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 165 W | 72 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | Single-slot |

| Power Connectors | 8-pin EPS | None |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 250 W |

| Dimensions (Length) | 267 mm | 169 mm |

| Dimensions (Height) | 112 mm | 56 mm |

| DirectX Support | None | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| OpenGL Support | None | 4.6 |

| Vulkan Support | None | 1.4 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | Active |

| Release Date | 2021-04-11 | 2023-03-20 |