NVIDIA L40 vs NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation Comparison

The NVIDIA L40 and NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation are both built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, yet they serve distinctly different segments of the market. The data positions the L40 as a server-focused compute card, while the RTX 5000 Ada is a workstation-oriented offering. Their benchmark scores reveal a significant performance gap, with the L40 leading in every recorded test, but the RTX 5000 Ada counters with a more efficient power profile and a different memory configuration.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark comparison is decisively in favor of the NVIDIA L40. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the L40 scores 330,926, while the RTX 5000 Ada scores 175,286. This results in a delta of 88.8%, meaning the L40 is nearly twice as fast in this compute-oriented workload. This is a massive margin, indicating that the L40’s larger silicon and higher core counts translate directly into raw compute throughput.

The Vulkan test narrows the gap somewhat but still shows a clear L40 victory. Here, the L40 scores 237,295 against the RTX 5000 Ada’s 194,041, a delta of 22.3%. While the L40 remains ahead, the smaller delta suggests that the RTX 5000 Ada’s architecture is relatively more competitive in graphics-oriented APIs, likely due to its higher boost clock. The RTX 5000 Ada’s boost clock of 2550 MHz exceeds the L40’s 2490 MHz, which helps mitigate some of the core count disadvantage in lighter workloads.

Looking at the average benchmark scores, the broader picture reinforces this trend. The L40’s average benchmark score is 284,111, placing it in the 99th percentile of all GPUs. The RTX 5000 Ada’s average score is 184,664, which places it in the 98th percentile. While both are elite performers, the L40 holds a substantial aggregate lead. The L40’s nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation, scores 287,237, which is just 1.1% higher, showing the L40 is essentially on par with that higher-tier card. In contrast, the RTX 5000 Ada’s closest competitor is the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB, with a score of 183,725, a mere 0.5% difference, indicating that the RTX 5000 Ada sits in a highly competitive performance band.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on the same AD102 chip, fabricated on TSMC’s 5 nm process, with an identical transistor count of 76,300 million and a die size of 609 mm². However, the L40 activates significantly more of the chip’s resources. The L40 features 18,176 shading units, 568 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 192 render output units (ROPs). The RTX 5000 Ada, by contrast, has 12,800 shading units, 400 TMUs, and 176 ROPs. This means the L40 has roughly 42% more shading units and 42% more TMUs, which explains its dominance in raw compute throughput.

The ray tracing and tensor core configurations follow the same pattern. The L40 has 142 RT cores and 568 tensor cores, while the RTX 5000 Ada has 100 RT cores and 400 tensor cores. This gives the L40 a 42% advantage in both specialized processing units, which is critical for rendering and AI workloads. The clock speeds, however, tell a different story. The L40 has a base clock of 735 MHz and a boost clock of 2490 MHz, while the RTX 5000 Ada has a base clock of 1155 MHz and a boost clock of 2550 MHz. The RTX 5000 Ada’s higher clocks allow it to be more responsive in latency-sensitive tasks, even though it has fewer cores.

Memory is another major differentiator. The L40 comes with 48 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 864.0 GB/s. The RTX 5000 Ada offers 32 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, resulting in a bandwidth of 576.0 GB/s. The L40’s 50% larger memory capacity and 50% higher bandwidth make it better suited for massive datasets and large model inference. The memory clock is identical at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective), so the bandwidth difference is purely a function of the wider bus on the L40.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA L40 has a significantly higher average benchmark score of 284,111, compared to the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation’s 184,664. This places the L40 in the 99th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 5000 Ada sits in the 98th percentile.

Q: How does the memory bandwidth compare between the two cards?

A: The L40 has a memory bandwidth of 864.0 GB/s, achieved through a 384-bit bus with 48 GB of GDDR6 memory. The RTX 5000 Ada has a bandwidth of 576.0 GB/s, using a 256-bit bus with 32 GB of GDDR6 memory.

Q: Are there any benchmark tests where the RTX 5000 Ada wins?

A: No. In the head-to-head benchmarks, the L40 wins both tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, the L40 scores 330,926 versus 175,286, and in Geekbench Vulkan, the L40 scores 237,295 versus 194,041. The data records 2 wins for the L40 and 0 wins for the RTX 5000 Ada.

Q: What is the difference in thermal design power (TDP)?

A: The L40 has a TDP of 300 W, which is higher than the RTX 5000 Ada’s 250 W. Consequently, the L40 also suggests a 700 W power supply, while the RTX 5000 Ada suggests a 600 W unit.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The RTX 5000 Ada has a higher boost clock of 2550 MHz, compared to the L40’s 2490 MHz. The RTX 5000 Ada also has a higher base clock of 1155 MHz versus the L40’s 735 MHz.

Q: Are both cards based on the same physical chip?

A: Yes, both use the AD102 chip with the Ada Lovelace architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. They share the same transistor count of 76,300 million and the same die size of 609 mm².

Specification Differences

The specification sheets diverge on several key points. The most obvious difference is memory: the L40 has 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus with 864.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RTX 5000 Ada has 32 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 576.0 GB/s bandwidth. The core configurations differ significantly, with the L40 boasting 18,176 shading units, 568 TMUs, 192 ROPs, 142 RT cores, and 568 tensor cores. The RTX 5000 Ada has 12,800 shading units, 400 TMUs, 176 ROPs, 100 RT cores, and 400 tensor cores.

Clock speeds also differ, with the L40 running at 735 MHz base and 2490 MHz boost, while the RTX 5000 Ada runs at 1155 MHz base and 2550 MHz boost. This leads to different compute rates: the L40 achieves 90.52 TFLOPS FP32 and 1,414.3 GTexel/s texture rate, while the RTX 5000 Ada achieves 65.28 TFLOPS FP32 and 1,020.0 GTexel/s. The pixel rates are closer, at 478.1 GPixel/s for the L40 and 448.8 GPixel/s for the RTX 5000 Ada. The power draw is lower on the RTX 5000 Ada, at 250 W versus the L40’s 300 W, with correspondingly lower suggested PSU ratings of 600 W and 700 W, respectively. The physical dimensions are nearly identical, with both cards measuring 267 mm in length and 111 mm or 112 mm in height, respectively. The production status also differs: the L40 is end-of-life, while the RTX 5000 Ada remains active. The release dates are also different, with the L40 released on 2022-10-12 and the RTX 5000 Ada on 2023-08-08.

The Verdict

The data paints a clear picture: the NVIDIA L40 is the superior performer in every recorded benchmark. Its average benchmark score of 284,111 is 53.8% higher than the RTX 5000 Ada’s 184,664. In the head-to-head tests, the L40 leads by 88.8% in OpenCL and 22.3% in Vulkan. For users who prioritize raw compute throughput, the L40 is the unequivocal choice. Its 48 GB memory capacity and 864.0 GB/s bandwidth also make it better suited for large-scale AI models and data processing. The L40’s nearest rival, the RTX 6000 Ada Generation, is only 1.1% faster, solidifying the L40’s position as a top-tier compute card.

The RTX 5000 Ada, however, is not without merit. Its lower TDP of 250 W and higher boost clock of 2550 MHz suggest better efficiency per watt in certain workloads, and its smaller footprint in terms of power requirements makes it easier to integrate into existing workstation setups. Its nearest rival, the A100 SXM4 80 GB, is only 0.5% slower, indicating that the RTX 5000 Ada is a highly competitive workstation card in its own right. The choice between the two comes down to whether the user needs the L40’s extra compute and memory capacity, or prefers the RTX 5000 Ada’s lower power draw and active production status.

Where Each One Wins

The L40 wins decisively in compute-heavy scenarios. Its 90.52 TFLOPS FP32 performance is 38.7% higher than the RTX 5000 Ada’s 65.28 TFLOPS, making it the better option for scientific simulation, deep learning training, and any workload that saturates the GPU’s cores. The 48 GB memory capacity is also a key advantage for tasks that require loading very large models or datasets into VRAM, such as large language model inference or rendering massive scenes. The L40’s 864.0 GB/s bandwidth ensures that this large memory pool can be fed quickly, minimizing bottlenecks.

The RTX 5000 Ada wins in scenarios where power efficiency and clock speed are more important than raw core count. Its 250 W TDP is 16.7% lower than the L40’s 300 W, which can be a deciding factor in dense workstation environments with limited cooling or power delivery. The higher boost clock of 2550 MHz may also provide a slight edge in lightly-threaded or latency-sensitive applications where a single core’s speed is the limiting factor. For a professional who needs a capable workstation card with a modern feature set and an active production status, the RTX 5000 Ada is the more practical choice, even if it trails the L40 in absolute performance.