NVIDIA L40 vs NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA L40 wins every recorded benchmark in this comparison. The data shows a clean sweep: 2 wins for the L40, 0 for the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation. This is not a close contest in raw compute. The L40 leads by 165.1% in Geekbench OpenCL and by 117% in Geekbench Vulkan.

The use-case split is defined by scale and physical constraints. The L40 is built for maximum throughput in server environments. Its 48 GB memory capacity, 864.0 GB/s bandwidth, and 90.52 TFLOPS FP32 performance place it firmly in the class of large-model inference, rendering, and simulation workloads. The RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation, with 20 GB memory, 280.0 GB/s bandwidth, and 19.17 TFLOPS FP32, targets compact workstation deployments where the 70 W power draw and 168 mm length matter more than peak compute.

The percentile ranking reinforces this split. The L40 sits at the 99th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the RTX 4000 SFF sits at the 95th. Both are high performers, but the L40 is in a different tier. The L40's average benchmark score is 284111, compared to 117088 for the RTX 4000 SFF.

For workloads that fit within 20 GB of memory and can run within a 70 W envelope, the RTX 4000 SFF is the practical choice. For workloads that need the full 48 GB frame buffer and the highest compute throughput available in this comparison, the L40 is the only option. The data does not show any benchmark where the smaller card wins.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs use the Ada Lovelace architecture and are fabricated by TSMC on a 5 nm process. The similarities end there. The L40 uses the AD102 chip, the largest Ada die, while the RTX 4000 SFF uses the AD104, a smaller and more power-efficient design.

The transistor counts differ substantially. The L40 packs 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 125.3M per mm². The RTX 4000 SFF uses 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, with a density of 121.8M per mm². The L40's die is more than twice the area and more than twice the transistor count.

Compute resources scale accordingly. The L40 has 18,176 shading units, 568 texture mapping units, and 192 ROPs. The RTX 4000 SFF has 6,144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The L40 also carries 142 RT cores and 568 tensor cores, versus 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores on the smaller card. In every compute category, the L40 has roughly three times the resources.

Clock behavior tells a different story. The L40 has a base clock of 735 MHz and a boost clock of 2490 MHz. The RTX 4000 SFF has a base clock of 720 MHz and a boost of 1560 MHz. The L40 boosts much higher, which compounds its architectural advantage. The memory clocks also differ: the L40 runs at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective, while the RTX 4000 SFF runs at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective.

Memory configuration is a major divider. The L40 offers 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, yielding 864.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4000 SFF offers 20 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus, yielding 280.0 GB/s. That is a 3.08x bandwidth advantage for the L40, which matters heavily for memory-bound rendering and AI workloads.

Power and physical design differ dramatically. The L40 has a 300 W TDP, requires a 16-pin power connector, and suggests a 700 W PSU. The RTX 4000 SFF has a 70 W TDP, requires no power connector, and suggests a 250 W PSU. Both are dual-slot cards, but the L40 measures 267 mm long and 111 mm tall, while the RTX 4000 SFF measures 168 mm long and 69 mm tall. The smaller card is roughly two-thirds shorter and significantly lower profile.

Display outputs also differ: the L40 uses 4x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the RTX 4000 SFF uses 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The production status differs as well. The L40 is end-of-life, while the RTX 4000 SFF remains active. The L40 was released on 2022-10-12, the RTX 4000 SFF on 2023-03-20.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL result is the largest gap in this comparison. The L40 scores 330926, while the RTX 4000 SFF scores 124812. That is a 165.1% delta. In practical terms, the L40 delivers roughly 2.65 times the OpenCL score of the smaller card. This benchmark typically stresses raw compute throughput, memory bandwidth, and driver efficiency, all areas where the L40's larger die and 864.0 GB/s bandwidth dominate.

The Geekbench Vulkan result is closer in percentage terms but still decisive. The L40 scores 237295, the RTX 4000 SFF scores 109364, a 117% delta. The L40 delivers roughly 2.17 times the Vulkan score. Vulkan workloads often scale with shader count and memory bandwidth, and the L40's 18,176 shading units versus 6,144 explains much of the difference.

Looking at the nearest rivals provides context for each card. The L40's average score of 284111 places it slightly below the NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation (287237, -1.1%), below the NVIDIA L40S (295763, -3.9%), and above the NVIDIA L20 (251147, +13.1%). The AMD Instinct MI300X leads the L40 by 10.7% with a score of 317994. The L40 is competitive with the top Ada workstation cards, sitting just 1.1% behind the RTX 6000 Ada Generation.

The RTX 4000 SFF's average score of 117088 places it nearly even with the NVIDIA GB10 (117393, -0.3%), slightly below the AMD Radeon PRO W7700 (118976, -1.6%), and ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB (114395, +2.4%) and the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile (113944, +2.8%). The small Ada card is right in the middle of its peer group, neither leading nor trailing by more than a few percentage points.

The benchmark data shows the L40 is not just faster, it is faster by a margin large enough to place it in a different workload category. The 165.1% OpenCL delta is not a marginal improvement; it is a generational leap in throughput.

The Verdict

The data supports a straightforward verdict: choose the NVIDIA L40 when maximum compute and memory capacity are the priority, and choose the NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation when physical size and power draw are the constraints.

The L40 is the clear performance leader in every recorded benchmark. Its 48 GB memory and 864.0 GB/s bandwidth make it suitable for large datasets, high-resolution rendering, and AI model training or inference that exceeds the 20 GB capacity of the smaller card. Its 90.52 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is 4.72 times the RTX 4000 SFF's 19.17 TFLOPS. The 99th percentile ranking versus 95th confirms its higher standing in the overall GPU landscape.

The RTX 4000 SFF is not a weak card; it sits in the 95th percentile of all GPUs and trades nearly evenly with the NVIDIA GB10 and AMD Radeon PRO W7700. But its role is different. At 70 W with no power connector, it can be deployed in compact workstations, small form factor systems, and dense multi-GPU configurations where the L40's 300 W TDP and 267 mm length would not fit. The 20 GB memory is still generous for many workstation tasks, and the 19.17 TFLOPS FP32 is respectable.

The L40's end-of-life status is a consideration, but the data shows it remains a top-tier performer. The RTX 4000 SFF is active and newer, which may matter for long-term procurement. For raw performance, the L40 is the unambiguous choice. For space-constrained, power-limited deployments, the RTX 4000 SFF is the only viable option in this pair.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA L40. It scores 330926 in Geekbench OpenCL and 237295 in Geekbench Vulkan, versus 124812 and 109364 for the RTX 4000 SFF. The L40 leads by 165.1% in OpenCL and 117% in Vulkan.

Q: How do their memory capacities compare?

A: The L40 has 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus with 864.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 4000 SFF has 20 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus with 280.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The L40 has a 300 W TDP, requires a 16-pin power connector, and suggests a 700 W PSU. The RTX 4000 SFF has a 70 W TDP, requires no power connector, and suggests a 250 W PSU.

Q: Which card is smaller physically?

A: The RTX 4000 SFF is much smaller. It measures 168 mm in length and 69 mm in height, while the L40 measures 267 mm in length and 111 mm in height. Both are dual-slot cards.

Q: How does the L40 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The L40's average score is 284111. It sits 1.1% below the NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation (287237), 3.9% below the NVIDIA L40S (295763), 13.1% above the NVIDIA L20 (251147), and 10.7% below the AMD Instinct MI300X (317994).

Q: How does the RTX 4000 SFF compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4000 SFF's average score is 117088. It sits 0.3% below the NVIDIA GB10 (117393), 1.6% below the AMD Radeon PRO W7700 (118976), 2.4% above the NVIDIA Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB (114395), and 2.8% above the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile (113944).

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA L40 | NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation |

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

| Chip | AD102 | AD104 |

| Generation | Server Ada (Lxx) | Workstation Ada (x000A) |

| Transistors | 76,300 million | 35,800 million |

| Die Size | 609 mm² | 294 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 125.3M / mm² | 121.8M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 735 MHz | 720 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2490 MHz | 1560 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 2250 MHz, 18 Gbps effective | 1750 MHz, 14 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 48 GB | 20 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 160 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 864.0 GB/s | 280.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 18176 | 6144 |

| TMUs | 568 | 192 |

| ROPs | 192 | 64 |

| RT Cores | 142 | 48 |

| Tensor Cores | 568 | 192 |

| Pixel Rate | 478.1 GPixel/s | 99.84 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 1,414.3 GTexel/s | 299.5 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 90.52 TFLOPS | 19.17 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 90.52 TFLOPS (1:1) | 19.17 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 300 W | 70 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 16-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 700 W | 250 W |

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a | 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a |

| Length | 267 mm (10.5 inches) | 168 mm (6.6 inches) |

| Height | 111 mm (4.4 inches) | 69 mm (2.7 inches) |

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

| Release Date | 2022-10-12 | 2023-03-20 |

| Predecessor | Server Ampere | Workstation Ampere |

| Successor | Server Hopper | Blackwell PRO W |

| Percentile vs All GPUs | 99 | 95 |

| Average Benchmark Score | 284111 | 117088 |

| Geekbench OpenCL | 330926 | 124812 |

| Geekbench Vulkan | 237295 | 109364 |