NVIDIA L40 vs NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation Comparison

# NVIDIA L40 vs NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation

The NVIDIA L40 and NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation are both built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, but they target distinctly different segments of the professional GPU market. The L40, a server-class part with 48 GB of memory, delivers an average benchmark score of 284,111, placing it in the 99th percentile of all GPUs. The RTX 4500 Ada Generation, a workstation-focused card with 24 GB of memory, achieves an average score of 166,094, sitting in the 97th percentile. The gap between them is substantial—the L40 leads by roughly 71% in average benchmark performance—yet each card has a clear role based on workload characteristics and physical requirements.

Where Each One Wins

The L40 wins decisively in raw compute throughput. Its FP32 performance of 90.52 TFLOPS more than doubles the RTX 4500's 39.63 TFLOPS, and the same 1:1 ratio applies to FP16, making the L40 the obvious choice for compute-heavy tasks like training, simulation, or large-scale rendering. The L40 also carries 142 RT cores versus 60 on the RTX 4500, and 568 tensor cores versus 240, giving it a massive advantage in ray-traced workloads and AI inference. The memory subsystem reinforces this lead: 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus delivers 864.0 GB/s of bandwidth, exactly double the RTX 4500's 432.0 GB/s over a 192-bit bus. For datasets that exceed 24 GB, the L40's capacity is not just a convenience but a requirement.

The RTX 4500 Ada Generation wins in efficiency and deployment flexibility. Its 210 W TDP is 30% lower than the L40's 300 W, and it requires no external power connector—the L40 needs a 16-pin connector. The suggested power supply for the RTX 4500 is 550 W versus 700 W for the L40. The RTX 4500 is also shorter at 245 mm (9.6 inches) versus 267 mm (10.5 inches) for the L40, though both are dual-slot cards. The RTX 4500 has a higher base clock of 2070 MHz compared to the L40's 735 MHz, and a slightly higher boost clock of 2580 MHz versus 2490 MHz. This clock advantage does not translate into overall performance, but it does mean the RTX 4500 can handle lighter, latency-sensitive tasks without spinning up a large silicon die.

In benchmark-specific terms, the L40 wins both head-to-head tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, the L40 scores 330,926 against 160,786 for the RTX 4500, a 105.8% delta. In Geekbench Vulkan, the L40 scores 237,295 against 171,401, a 38.4% delta. The Vulkan margin is notably smaller, suggesting the RTX 4500 holds up better in graphics-oriented API workloads than in raw compute.

The Verdict

The data points to a simple split: choose the L40 when memory capacity and compute throughput are the primary constraints. The L40's 48 GB frame buffer, 864.0 GB/s bandwidth, and 90.52 TFLOPS FP32 make it suitable for large language models, high-resolution rendering, or multi-GPU server deployments where the 300 W TDP and 16-pin power requirement are acceptable. Its average score of 284,111 places it within 1.1% of the RTX 6000 Ada Generation and 3.9% of the L40S, but 13.1% ahead of the L20. The L40 is an end-of-life product, while the RTX 4500 is active, but the performance gap is too large to ignore for compute-centric buyers.

Choose the RTX 4500 Ada Generation when power draw, physical size, or power connector availability are limiting factors. Its 210 W TDP, no external power connector, and 550 W suggested PSU make it easier to slot into existing workstations. Its average score of 166,094 is essentially tied with the RTX A5500 (0.5% ahead) and the AMD Radeon PRO W7800 (0.7% ahead), while trailing the Radeon Pro W6900X by 1.5% and leading the A100 PCIe 40 GB by 2.2%. The RTX 4500 is competitive within its workstation class, but it is not in the same performance tier as the L40.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The OpenCL benchmark shows the largest gap. The L40's 330,926 score is 105.8% higher than the RTX 4500's 160,786. This more than doubling reflects the L40's 2.3x advantage in shading units (18,176 vs 7,680), 2.4x in TMUs (568 vs 240), and 2.4x in ROPs (192 vs 80). The texture rate of 1,414.3 GTexel/s on the L40 versus 619.2 GTexel/s on the RTX 4500 reinforces the compute gap. In FP32, the L40 delivers 90.52 TFLOPS, which is 2.28 times the RTX 4500's 39.63 TFLOPS—a ratio that closely matches the OpenCL delta.

The Vulkan benchmark narrows the gap. The L40's 237,295 score is 38.4% higher than the RTX 4500's 171,401. This smaller margin suggests that Vulkan workloads, which often stress driver overhead and draw call throughput, benefit from the RTX 4500's higher clocks (2070 MHz base, 2580 MHz boost) and lower latency characteristics. The RTX 4500's pixel rate of 206.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 619.2 GTexel/s are lower in absolute terms, but the per-clock efficiency appears better in this API. Even so, the L40 still wins by a comfortable margin.

Looking at the rivals, the L40's nearest competitor is the L40S, which scores 295,763 on average, just 3.9% higher. The RTX 6000 Ada Generation sits 1.1% behind the L40 at 287,237. The AMD Instinct MI300X is 10.7% ahead of the L40, making it a stronger compute option if the software stack supports it. For the RTX 4500, the closest rival is the Radeon Pro W6900X at 168,574 (1.5% ahead), followed by the RTX A5500 at 165,217 (0.5% behind) and the Radeon PRO W7800 at 164,894 (0.7% behind). The A100 PCIe 40 GB is 2.2% behind the RTX 4500, which is notable given the A100's server pedigree.

FAQ

Q: Which card has more memory and what is the bandwidth difference?

The L40 has 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 864.0 GB/s. The RTX 4500 Ada Generation has 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 432.0 GB/s. The L40 offers exactly double the bandwidth.

Q: How do the FP32 compute figures compare?

The L40 delivers 90.52 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the RTX 4500 delivers 39.63 TFLOPS. The L40 is 2.28 times faster in this metric, which aligns with its 105.8% lead in the OpenCL benchmark.

Q: What is the power draw difference?

The L40 has a TDP of 300 W and requires a 16-pin power connector with a suggested 700 W power supply. The RTX 4500 has a TDP of 210 W, requires no external power connector, and suggests a 550 W power supply.

Q: Are these cards the same architecture?

Both are based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, but they use different chips. The L40 uses the AD102 chip with 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, while the RTX 4500 uses the AD103 chip with 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die. Both are fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process.

Q: How do the cards compare in Vulkan performance?

The L40 leads with a score of 237,295 versus 171,401 for the RTX 4500, a 38.4% delta. This is a smaller gap than the OpenCL difference, indicating the RTX 4500 is relatively stronger in graphics-oriented workloads.

Q: Which card has a higher boost clock?

The RTX 4500 has a higher boost clock at 2580 MHz, compared to the L40's 2490 MHz. The base clocks are more divergent: 2070 MHz for the RTX 4500 versus 735 MHz for the L40.

Architecture Differences

The L40 is built on the AD102 chip, which contains 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die. The RTX 4500 uses the AD103 chip, which has 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die. Both use TSMC's 5 nm process, with the L40 achieving a transistor density of 125.3 million per mm² versus 121.1 million per mm² for the RTX 4500. The L40's larger die allows for 18,176 shading units, 568 TMUs, 192 ROPs, 142 RT cores, and 568 tensor cores. The RTX 4500 has 7,680 shading units, 240 TMUs, 80 ROPs, 60 RT cores, and 240 tensor cores. The L40 has more than double the shading units, TMUs, and ROPs, and a similar ratio for RT and tensor cores.

Memory architecture differs significantly. The L40 uses a 384-bit bus with 48 GB of GDDR6, while the RTX 4500 uses a 192-bit bus with 24 GB. Both operate at 2250 MHz memory clock with 18 Gbps effective speed, but the L40's wider bus yields 864.0 GB/s versus 432.0 GB/s. The pixel rate is 478.1 GPixel/s for the L40 and 206.4 GPixel/s for the RTX 4500; the texture rate is 1,414.3 GTexel/s versus 619.2 GTexel/s.

The physical and power profiles also diverge. The L40 is 267 mm long, the RTX 4500 is 245 mm; both are dual-slot and 111-112 mm tall. The L40 draws 300 W with a 16-pin connector and a 700 W suggested PSU, while the RTX 4500 draws 210 W with no external connector and a 550 W suggested PSU. Both use PCIe 4.0 x16 and have four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, with identical API support: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The L40 is part of the Server Ada (Lxx) generation, released on 2022-10-12, and is now end-of-life. The RTX 4500 is part of the Workstation Ada (x000A) generation, released on 2023-08-08, and remains active. The L40's predecessor is Server Ampere and its successor is Server Hopper; the RTX 4500's predecessor is Workstation Ampere and its successor is Blackwell PRO W. Neither card has a launch MSRP listed in the data. The L40 sits in the 99th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 4500 sits in the 97th, reflecting the L40's higher absolute performance despite its older release date.