AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT vs NVIDIA L40S Comparison

# NVIDIA L40S vs AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT: A Benchmark Database Analysis

The NVIDIA L40S and AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT occupy fundamentally different segments of the graphics hardware spectrum. The L40S is a server-class accelerator built on Ada Lovelace architecture, while the RX 6850M XT is a mobile RDNA 2.0 part designed for high-end laptops. The recorded benchmark data shows a decisive performance gap, with the L40S achieving an average benchmark score of 295,763 against the RX 6850M XT's 78,940. The L40S sits in the 99th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the RX 6850M XT reaches the 92nd percentile. This separation reflects not merely a generational difference but a fundamental divergence in design goals, power envelopes, and target workloads.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA L40S in OpenCL benchmarks?

A: The L40S scores 330,727 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 288.9% higher than the RX 6850M XT's 85,040. This represents a nearly fourfold advantage in raw compute throughput.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference between the two cards?

A: The L40S averages 295,763 across all recorded benchmarks, while the RX 6850M XT averages 78,940. The L40S also holds a 99th percentile ranking versus the RX 6850M XT's 92nd percentile.

Q: Which GPU has more memory, and does it matter for benchmark performance?

A: The L40S has 48 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 864.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 6850M XT has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, providing 432.0 GB/s. The L40S's quadruple memory capacity and double bandwidth directly support its much higher compute throughput.

Q: Are there any benchmark tests where the AMD card wins?

A: In the head-to-head benchmarks recorded, the L40S wins both tests. The RX 6850M XT has zero recorded wins against the L40S in the database's direct comparison.

Q: How do the nearest rivals compare to each card?

A: The L40S's closest rival is the NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation, which scores 287,237 (3% lower). The RX 6850M XT's closest rival is the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB at 79,396, which scores 0.6% lower.

Q: What architecture differences explain the performance gap?

A: The L40S uses Ada Lovelace on a 5 nm process with 76,300 million transistors, while the RX 6850M XT uses RDNA 2.0 on 7 nm with 17,200 million transistors. The L40S also has 18,176 shading units versus 2,560, and 568 tensor cores versus none on the AMD part.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is substantial. The L40S is built on NVIDIA's Ada Lovelace architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It integrates 76,300 million transistors onto a 609 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 125.3 million per square millimeter. This is a server-oriented design, released in the Server Ada generation, with a dual-slot form factor and a 300 W TDP. The RX 6850M XT, by contrast, uses AMD's RDNA 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 7 nm process, also at TSMC. It packs 17,200 million transistors onto a 335 mm² die, with a transistor density of 51.3 million per square millimeter. As a mobile part, it is classified as an IGP (integrated graphics package) with a 165 W TDP.

The compute resources differ by an order of magnitude. The L40S features 18,176 shading units, 568 texture mapping units, and 192 render output units. It also includes 142 RT cores and 568 tensor cores, the latter enabling AI acceleration that the AMD part lacks entirely. The RX 6850M XT has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 40 RT cores, with no tensor core equivalent. This structural difference means the L40S can handle parallel compute workloads, particularly those leveraging tensor operations, at a scale the mobile AMD GPU cannot approach.

Clock behavior also diverges. The L40S has a base clock of 1110 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz. The RX 6850M XT has a higher base clock of 2321 MHz and a boost of 2581 MHz, with a game clock of 2463 MHz. Despite the AMD part's higher base frequency, the L40S's massive shader count and memory subsystem produce far greater aggregate throughput. The L40S achieves 91.61 TFLOPS FP32 and 91.61 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1 ratio), while the RX 6850M XT delivers 13.21 TFLOPS FP32 and 26.43 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1 ratio). The L40S's FP16 performance is 3.5 times higher in absolute terms, and its FP32 output is nearly seven times higher.

Both GPUs support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API-level features are comparable. However, the underlying hardware capabilities, particularly in ray tracing and tensor operations, are vastly different. The L40S has 142 RT cores versus 40 on the RX 6850M XT, and 568 tensor cores versus zero. Memory architecture reinforces this gap: 48 GB on a 384-bit bus with 864.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 12 GB on a 192-bit bus with 432.0 GB/s.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data records two direct head-to-head comparisons, and the L40S wins both. In Geekbench OpenCL, the L40S scores 330,727 against 85,040 for the RX 6850M XT, a delta of 288.9%. In Geekbench Vulkan, the L40S scores 260,799 against 99,483, a delta of 162.2%. These are not close contests; they represent a dominant performance margin in compute-oriented workloads.

The L40S's wins extend to its overall benchmark profile. With an average score of 295,763, it sits 3% above the NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation (287,237) and 4.1% above the NVIDIA L40 (284,111). It trails the AMD Instinct MI300X by 7% (317,994) and the NVIDIA H200 NVL by 11.7% (334,891), but those are even larger server accelerators. The RX 6850M XT, with an average of 78,940, sits very close to its nearest rivals: it is 0.6% above the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79,396), 0.8% below the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605), and 1.1% below the GeForce RTX 5090 (79,842). It does beat the RTX 5090 D by 1.6% (77,712).

The RX 6850M XT's wins, if any, would come in scenarios not captured by the head-to-head tests. It has a higher base clock than the L40S, and as a mobile part, it is designed for power-constrained environments. Its FP16 output of 26.43 TFLOPS, while lower than the L40S's absolute FP16, is achieved at a much lower TDP of 165 W versus 300 W. For workloads that fit within 12 GB of memory and do not require tensor cores, the RX 6850M XT could be sufficient, but the database shows no benchmark where it outperforms the L40S.

The L40S wins decisively in raw compute, memory bandwidth, and feature set. Its 864.0 GB/s bandwidth is exactly double the RX 6850M XT's 432.0 GB/s. Its pixel rate of 483.8 GPixel/s is nearly three times the AMD part's 165.2 GPixel/s. Its texture rate of 1,431.4 GTexel/s dwarfs the 413.0 GTexel/s of the RX 6850M XT. These metrics point to the L40S as the clear choice for compute-heavy tasks, large model inference, and any workload that can utilize its tensor cores.

The Verdict

The recorded data supports an unambiguous conclusion: the NVIDIA L40S is the superior performer in every benchmark category measured. It wins both head-to-head tests, holds a higher average score by a factor of 3.7, and ranks in the 99th percentile of all GPUs. The RX 6850M XT, while a capable mobile GPU in the 92nd percentile, cannot compete with the L40S in absolute compute throughput, memory capacity, or bandwidth.

Who should pick the L40S? The data suggests anyone running server-side compute workloads, AI inference or training that benefits from tensor cores, or applications requiring large memory footprints. The 48 GB frame buffer and 864.0 GB/s bandwidth make it suitable for large datasets and high-resolution rendering tasks. Its 300 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate a stationary, datacenter-oriented deployment. The L40S's nearest rivals are other server accelerators, and it outperforms both the RTX 6000 Ada Generation and the L40 in average score.

Who should pick the RX 6850M XT? The data shows it is a competitive mobile part, sitting within 1.1% of the GeForce RTX 5090 and slightly above the RTX 5090 D. It is end-of-life, as is the L40S, but it serves a fundamentally different purpose: high-performance graphics in a portable form factor. Its 165 W TDP and IGP classification mean it is designed for laptops. For users who need mobile compute with DirectX 12 Ultimate support and 12 GB of GDDR6, the RX 6850M XT is a reasonable choice, but it is not a substitute for the L40S in any benchmark the database records.

The verdict is not about value or efficiency; it is about capability. The L40S is in a different performance class. Any workload that fits within the L40S's power and space envelope will see dramatically higher performance. The RX 6850M XT's higher base clock and lower power draw are its only advantages, and neither translates into a benchmark win. For compute, the L40S is the answer. For mobile graphics, the RX 6850M XT has a role, but it is not a rival to the L40S in the recorded data.

Specification Differences

The following table lists only the fields where the two GPUs differ, based on the database records.

| Specification | NVIDIA L40S | AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT |

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

| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | RDNA 2.0 |

| Generation | Server Ada (Lxx) | Navi Mobile (RX 6000M) |

| Process Node | 5 nm | 7 nm |

| Transistors | 76,300 million | 17,200 million |

| Die Size | 609 mm² | 335 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 125.3M / mm² | 51.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1110 MHz | 2321 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2520 MHz | 2581 MHz |

| Game Clock | N/A | 2463 MHz |

| Memory Size | 48 GB | 12 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 864.0 GB/s | 432.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 18,176 | 2,560 |

| TMUs | 568 | 160 |

| ROPs | 192 | 64 |

| RT Cores | 142 | 40 |

| Tensor Cores | 568 | N/A |

| Pixel Rate | 483.8 GPixel/s | 165.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 1,431.4 GTexel/s | 413.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 91.61 TFLOPS | 13.21 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 91.61 TFLOPS (1:1) | 26.43 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 300 W | 165 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

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

| Suggested PSU | 700 W | N/A |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | Portable Device Dependent |

| Dimensions | 267 mm (10.5 inches) length, 111 mm (4.4 inches) height | N/A |

| Release Date | 2022-10-12 | 2022-01-03 |

| Predecessor | Server Ampere | Polaris Mobile |

| Successor | Server Hopper | N/A |

| Benchmark Average | 295,763 | 78,940 |

| Percentile vs All GPUs | 99 | 92 |

| Nearest Rival (higher) | NVIDIA H200 NVL (334,891, +11.7%) | GeForce RTX 5090 D (77,712, -1.6%) |