NVIDIA L40S vs NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation Comparison

# NVIDIA L40S vs NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation

The NVIDIA L40S is the dominant performer in this comparison, leading the RTX 4500 Ada Generation by 105.7% in OpenCL and 52.2% in Vulkan, with an average benchmark score of 295,763 versus 166,094. While the RTX 4500 is a capable workstation card in its own right—sitting at the 97th percentile of all GPUs—the L40S sits at the 99th percentile and offers more than double the memory, nearly double the FP32 throughput, and a substantially larger silicon footprint. The data clearly establishes the L40S as the server-class workhorse, while the RTX 4500 serves a different, more power-efficient workstation niche.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA L40S averages 295,763 across benchmark tests, while the RTX 4500 Ada Generation averages 166,094. The L40S is ahead by roughly 78% in aggregate performance.

Q: How do the two cards compare in OpenCL performance?

A: The L40S scores 330,727 in Geekbench OpenCL, versus 160,786 for the RTX 4500. This represents a 105.7% lead for the L40S—more than double the RTX 4500's output.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The L40S comes with 48 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 864.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4500 has 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, providing 432.0 GB/s—exactly half the capacity and half the bandwidth.

Q: Which card is positioned higher in the performance percentile rankings?

A: The L40S ranks in the 99th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 4500 ranks in the 97th percentile. Both are elite performers, but the L40S sits at the very top tier.

Q: How does the RTX 4500 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4500's average score of 166,094 places it 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A5500 and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W7800. It trails the AMD Radeon Pro W6900X by 1.5% and leads the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 40 GB by 2.2%.

Q: What are the power connector requirements?

A: The L40S requires a 16-pin power connector with a suggested 700 W power supply. The RTX 4500 has no power connectors and runs on a suggested 550 W power supply, relying entirely on slot power.

Architecture Differences

The L40S uses the AD102 chip, while the RTX 4500 is built on the AD103 die—both manufactured on TSMC's 5 nm process. The AD102 is substantially larger, with 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, compared to the RTX 4500's 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die. This translates to a transistor density of 125.3M per mm² for the L40S versus 121.1M per mm² for the RTX 4500.

The L40S is designated for the "Server Ada (Lxx)" generation, while the RTX 4500 belongs to the "Workstation Ada (x000A)" generation. Both share the Ada Lovelace architecture, but their design priorities differ. The L40S packs 18,176 shading units, 568 TMUs, 192 ROPs, 142 RT cores, and 568 tensor cores. The RTX 4500 offers 7,680 shading units, 240 TMUs, 80 ROPs, 60 RT cores, and 240 tensor cores—roughly 42% of the L40S's shader count and RT core count.

The L40S has a base clock of 1110 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, whereas the RTX 4500 runs at a much higher base clock of 2070 MHz with a 2580 MHz boost. Despite the L40S's lower base clock, its massive core count drives far higher throughput. Both cards use GDDR6 memory at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective speed, but the L40S's 384-bit bus versus the RTX 4500's 192-bit bus creates the bandwidth differential.

The L40S draws 300 W TDP and is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm in length. The RTX 4500 draws only 210 W, is also dual-slot, and is shorter at 245 mm. The L40S offers one HDMI 2.1 and three DisplayPort 1.4a outputs; the RTX 4500 provides four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, and both connect via PCIe 4.0 x16.

Where Each One Wins

The L40S wins decisively in every benchmark category represented in the data. In OpenCL, it delivers 330,727 points versus the RTX 4500's 160,786—a 105.7% advantage. In Vulkan, the L40S scores 260,799 against 171,401, a 52.2% lead. This makes the L40S the clear choice for compute-heavy workloads that leverage OpenCL or Vulkan APIs, such as scientific simulation, AI inference, or rendering pipelines that offload to GPU compute.

The RTX 4500's advantages are not in raw performance but in efficiency and form factor. It consumes 210 W versus the L40S's 300 W, requires no external power connectors, and has a smaller physical footprint at 245 mm length. Its higher base clock of 2070 MHz suggests it can maintain strong performance in shorter, bursty workloads where the L40S's lower base clock might initially lag before boost kicks in. The RTX 4500 also offers four DisplayPort outputs versus the L40S's three DisplayPort plus one HDMI, which could be relevant for multi-display workstation setups.

For single-GPU desktop workstations where power draw and physical space are constrained, the RTX 4500 is the more practical option. For server racks or dedicated compute nodes where performance is paramount and power is less of a concern, the L40S is the unambiguous winner. The L40S's 48 GB memory capacity and 864.0 GB/s bandwidth make it suitable for large datasets that would exceed the RTX 4500's 24 GB capacity.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA L40S | NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation |

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

| Chip | AD102 | AD103 |

| Transistors | 76,300 million | 45,900 million |

| Die Size | 609 mm² | 379 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 125.3M / mm² | 121.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1110 MHz | 2070 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2520 MHz | 2580 MHz |

| Memory Size | 48 GB | 24 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 192 bit |

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

| Shading Units | 18,176 | 7,680 |

| TMUs | 568 | 240 |

| ROPs | 192 | 80 |

| RT Cores | 142 | 60 |

| Tensor Cores | 568 | 240 |

| Pixel Rate | 483.8 GPixel/s | 206.4 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 1,431.4 GTexel/s | 619.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 91.61 TFLOPS | 39.63 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 91.61 TFLOPS (1:1) | 39.63 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 300 W | 210 W |

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

| Suggested PSU | 700 W | 550 W |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| Length | 267 mm | 245 mm |

| Height | 111 mm | 112 mm |

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

| Release Date | 2022-10-12 | 2023-08-08 |

| Predecessor | Server Ampere | Workstation Ampere |

| Successor | Server Hopper | Blackwell PRO W |

| Percentile | 99 | 97 |

| Avg Benchmark Score | 295,763 | 166,094 |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL test shows the most dramatic separation between these two cards. The L40S scores 330,727, while the RTX 4500 manages only 160,786. The 105.7% delta means the L40S is not merely faster—it is more than twice as fast in compute throughput as measured by OpenCL. This aligns with the hardware disparity: the L40S has 18,176 shading units versus 7,680, and its FP32 throughput of 91.61 TFLOPS dwarfs the RTX 4500's 39.63 TFLOPS. The L40S's texture rate of 1,431.4 GTexel/s versus 619.2 GTexel/s further explains the gap.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the margin narrows but remains substantial. The L40S scores 260,799 against 171,401, a 52.2% delta. Vulkan's lower-level API may allow the RTX 4500's higher base clock of 2070 MHz to shine relative to the L40S's 1110 MHz base clock, partially offsetting the core count disadvantage. Still, the L40S's 568 tensor cores and 142 RT cores provide a structural advantage that clock speed alone cannot overcome.

The RTX 4500's nearest rival comparisons put its performance in context. Its average score of 166,094 is nearly identical to the RTX A5500's 165,217 (0.5% delta) and the Radeon PRO W7800's 164,894 (0.7% delta). It also edges out the A100 PCIe 40 GB by 2.2% but trails the Radeon Pro W6900X by 1.5%. Meanwhile, the L40S's nearest rivals are all far more powerful: it sits 3% ahead of the RTX 6000 Ada Generation, 4.1% ahead of the L40, 7% behind the AMD Instinct MI300X, and 11.7% behind the H200 NVL. This shows the L40S competes in a completely different performance class than the RTX 4500.

The Verdict

The NVIDIA L40S is the definitive choice for compute-intensive server workloads. Its 48 GB memory, 864.0 GB/s bandwidth, and 91.61 TFLOPS FP32 performance place it in the 99th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 295,763 that is 78% higher than the RTX 4500's 166,094. The data shows it beating the RTX 4500 by over 100% in OpenCL and by 52% in Vulkan. Organizations running large-scale simulations, AI training, or rendering farms should select the L40S without hesitation—provided they can accommodate its 300 W TDP, 16-pin power connector, and 700 W suggested power supply.

The RTX 4500 Ada Generation serves a different purpose. It is an active, current product that draws 210 W with no external power connectors, making it easier to deploy in existing workstations. Its 24 GB memory and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth are half the L40S's capacity, and its 39.63 TFLOPS FP32 is less than half. Yet it still ranks in the 97th percentile of all GPUs and competes closely with the RTX A5500 and Radeon PRO W7800. For professionals needing solid workstation performance with four DisplayPort outputs and minimal power infrastructure changes, the RTX 4500 is the practical pick.

The verdict is clear: choose the L40S for maximum compute throughput and memory capacity, choose the RTX 4500 for efficiency, simplicity, and workstation flexibility. The L40S's end-of-life production status, however, signals that buyers should consider availability, while the RTX 4500's active status ensures ongoing supply. Both are Ada Lovelace parts with identical API support, but they target different tiers of the market—and the benchmark data reflects that separation unmistakably.