NVIDIA L40 vs NVIDIA RTX A5500 Comparison

The NVIDIA L40 and NVIDIA RTX A5500 are both end-of-life professional GPUs from NVIDIA, but they target different segments within the workstation and server markets. The L40, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, is positioned as a server-class compute accelerator, while the RTX A5500, using the older Ampere architecture, is a workstation-oriented card. The benchmark data shows a significant performance gulf between the two, with the L40 winning both head-to-head tests by wide margins, yet the A5500 still holds relevance in specific deployment scenarios due to its lower power and physical requirements. This analysis breaks down where each card excels, the architectural differences that drive their performance, and the practical implications of the data.

Where Each One Wins

The performance split is unambiguous: the NVIDIA L40 wins every benchmark category recorded, taking both head-to-head tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, the L40 scores 330,926 against the A5500's 174,637, a lead of 89.5%. In Geekbench Vulkan, the L40 posts 237,295 versus 155,797, a 52.3% advantage. This dominance is reflected in their overall average benchmark scores, where the L40's 284,111 is 71.9% higher than the A5500's 165,217.

However, the "win" is not solely about raw compute. The RTX A5500 wins on power efficiency and system integration. Its 230 W TDP is 70 W lower than the L40's 300 W, and it requires a less demanding 550 W suggested PSU compared to the L40's 700 W. The A5500 also uses a single 8-pin power connector instead of the L40's 16-pin, making it easier to slot into existing workstation power designs. For a system builder prioritizing lower power draw and simpler cabling over peak throughput, the A5500 is the more practical choice. The L40 wins on absolute performance and memory capacity, while the A5500 wins on operational simplicity and power footprint.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are separated by a full architecture generation. The L40 uses the AD102 chip on TSMC's 5 nm process, while the A5500 uses the GA102 chip on Samsung's 8 nm process. This process advantage is stark: the L40 packs 76,300 million transistors into a 609 mm² die, yielding a density of 125.3 million transistors per mm². The A5500, in contrast, has only 28,300 million transistors on a larger 628 mm² die, for a density of 45.1 million per mm². The L40's die is actually slightly smaller, yet contains 2.7 times more transistors, a direct result of the denser manufacturing node.

The compute resources scale accordingly. The L40 features 18,176 shading units, 568 TMUs, and 192 ROPs, compared to the A5500's 10,240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. Ray tracing hardware follows the same pattern: the L40 has 142 RT cores and 568 tensor cores, while the A5500 has 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores. The L40's FP32 throughput is rated at 90.52 TFLOPS, nearly 2.7 times the A5500's 34.10 TFLOPS. Memory also differs in capacity, with the L40 offering 48 GB GDDR6 versus the A5500's 24 GB GDDR6, though both use a 384-bit bus. The L40's memory runs at 18 Gbps effective for 864.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the A5500's 16 Gbps effective yields 768.0 GB/s.

The L40 is a server-generation product (Server Ada, Lxx), while the A5500 is a workstation product (Workstation Ampere, Ax000). This lineage explains the L40's higher transistor budget and density, aimed at sustained compute workloads, versus the A5500's more modest configuration designed for professional graphics tasks. Both support PCIe 4.0 x16 and have identical display outputs (4x DisplayPort 1.4a), but the L40's dual-slot design and 16-pin connector indicate a different power delivery philosophy than the A5500's dual-slot with an 8-pin.

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 A5500's 165,217. This places the L40 in the 99th percentile of all GPUs, while the A5500 sits in the 97th percentile.

Q: How much faster is the L40 in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The L40 scores 330,926 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 89.5% higher than the A5500's 174,637. This is the largest performance delta between the two cards in any benchmark.

Q: What are the memory capacities of each card?

A: The L40 comes with 48 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the A5500 has 24 GB of GDDR6 memory. Both use a 384-bit memory bus, but the L40's memory runs at a faster 18 Gbps effective versus the A5500's 16 Gbps effective.

Q: Which card has a lower power consumption requirement?

A: The RTX A5500 has a 230 W TDP and requires a 550 W suggested PSU, while the L40 has a 300 W TDP and requires a 700 W suggested PSU. The A5500 also uses a single 8-pin power connector, compared to the L40's 16-pin connector.

Q: Are there any benchmark tests where the A5500 wins?

A: No. The head-to-head benchmark data shows the L40 winning both recorded tests (Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan), with the A5500 recording zero wins.

Q: What is the transistor density difference between the two chips?

A: The L40's AD102 chip has a transistor density of 125.3 million per mm², while the A5500's GA102 chip has a density of 45.1 million per mm². This is due to the L40 using a 5 nm TSMC process versus the A5500's 8 nm Samsung process.

Specification Differences

The following table lists only the fields where the two GPUs differ, based on the provided data:

| Specification | NVIDIA L40 | NVIDIA RTX A5500 |

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

| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | Ampere |

| Generation | Server Ada (Lxx) | Workstation Ampere (Ax000) |

| Process Node | 5 nm (TSMC) | 8 nm (Samsung) |

| Transistors | 76,300 million | 28,300 million |

| Die Size | 609 mm² | 628 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 125.3M / mm² | 45.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 735 MHz | 1080 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2490 MHz | 1665 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 2250 MHz / 18 Gbps effective | 2000 MHz / 16 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 48 GB | 24 GB |

| Memory Bandwidth | 864.0 GB/s | 768.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 18,176 | 10,240 |

| TMUs | 568 | 320 |

| ROPs | 192 | 96 |

| RT Cores | 142 | 80 |

| Tensor Cores | 568 | 320 |

| Pixel Rate | 478.1 GPixel/s | 159.8 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 1,414.3 GTexel/s | 532.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 90.52 TFLOPS | 34.10 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 300 W | 230 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 16-pin | 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 700 W | 550 W |

| Height | 111 mm (4.4 inches) | 112 mm (4.4 inches) |

| Release Date | 2022-10-12 | 2022-03-21 |

| Predecessor | Server Ampere | Quadro Turing |

| Successor | Server Hopper | Workstation Ada |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two recorded head-to-head benchmarks tell a consistent story of L40 superiority, but the magnitude of the win varies by API. In Geekbench OpenCL, the L40's 330,926 score crushes the A5500's 174,637, a delta of 89.5%. This is the strongest result for the L40, reflecting its massive advantage in raw compute throughput—90.52 TFLOPS versus 34.10 TFLOPS—and its 2.7x higher shading unit count. The OpenCL workload scales almost linearly with these resources, making the near-doubling of performance predictable.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the L40's lead narrows to 52.3%, with scores of 237,295 versus 155,797. The smaller delta suggests that Vulkan's driver overhead or specific workload characteristics do not fully utilize the L40's extra hardware. Still, a 52.3% advantage is substantial. The L40's higher pixel rate (478.1 GPixel/s vs 159.8 GPixel/s) and texture rate (1,414.3 GTexel/s vs 532.8 GTexel/s) contribute to this win, but the relative performance gap in Vulkan is less than half of what it is in OpenCL. This indicates that the A5500's architecture, despite being older, has better relative efficiency in API-specific tasks that are less compute-bound.

Looking at the broader context, the L40's average score of 284,111 places it just 1.1% below the NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation (287,237) and 3.9% below the L40S (295,763), while sitting 13.1% above the L20 (251,147) and 10.7% below the AMD Instinct MI300X (317,994). The A5500's average of 165,217 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon PRO W7800 (164,894, a 0.2% difference) and the RTX 4500 Ada Generation (166,094, a -0.5% difference). This shows that the A5500 competes in a completely different performance tier than the L40.

The Verdict

The data directs a clear choice for different user profiles. The NVIDIA L40 is the pick for any workload that demands maximum compute throughput, large memory capacity, and high-bandwidth data movement. Its 48 GB memory and 864.0 GB/s bandwidth are double the A5500's capacity, and its FP32 performance is 2.7 times higher. The L40's 99th percentile ranking and average score of 284,111 place it in the top tier of server accelerators, close to the RTX 6000 Ada Generation and L40S. For AI inference, scientific simulation, or rendering tasks that can consume 48 GB of data, the L40's 89.5% lead in OpenCL is decisive.

The NVIDIA RTX A5500 remains a viable option only where the L40's power envelope is prohibitive. Its 230 W TDP, 550 W PSU requirement, and 8-pin connector allow it to drop into existing workstation chassis without major power delivery upgrades. Its 165,217 average score still places it in the 97th percentile, and its Vulkan performance is only 52.3% behind the L40, not the 89.5% seen in OpenCL. This makes the A5500 a reasonable choice for applications that are Vulkan-optimized and power-constrained. However, the data cannot justify picking the A5500 for raw performance; it loses both benchmark tests and trails in every compute specification. The verdict is simple: the L40 wins on all measured performance, while the A5500 wins only on operational simplicity and lower system power demands.