NVIDIA L40S vs NVIDIA RTX A4500 Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA L40S dominates the NVIDIA RTX A4500 Mobile in every recorded test. In Geekbench OpenCL, the L40S scores 330,727 against 105,307 for the mobile part, a 214.1% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, the gap widens further, with the L40S posting 260,799 versus 76,960, a 238.9% lead. These are not marginal differences; they represent a roughly threefold performance advantage across both compute APIs.

The L40S average benchmark score of 295,763 places it in the 99th percentile of all GPUs tracked in the database. Its closest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation at 287,237 (3% behind), the NVIDIA L40 at 284,111 (4.1% behind), and the AMD Instinct MI300X at 317,994 (7% ahead). The L40S also trails the NVIDIA H200 NVL, which scores 334,891, a gap of 11.7%. These figures show the L40S operating in the upper tier of server-class accelerators, competitive with the fastest data center parts available.

The RTX A4500 Mobile, by contrast, averages 91,134 across its benchmark suite, placing it in the 93rd percentile. Its nearest rival, the desktop NVIDIA RTX A4500, scores 91,671, a difference of only 0.6%, meaning the mobile version is essentially performance-equivalent to the desktop card of the same name. The AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 sits 1.4% ahead at 92,466, while the NVIDIA Quadro GP100 trails by 4.2% at 87,445, and the AMD Radeon PRO W7600 is 4.6% behind at 87,108. The mobile part is competitive within its own class, but that class sits far below the L40S.

Looking at the individual tests, the L40S wins both recorded benchmarks, achieving the higher score in Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. The margin in Vulkan is slightly larger, suggesting the L40S architecture scales particularly well in that API, but both results point to the same conclusion: the L40S outperforms the RTX A4500 Mobile by a factor of more than three in synthetic compute workloads.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and are built on different manufacturing processes. The L40S uses the AD102 chip, based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 5 nm process. The RTX A4500 Mobile uses the GA104 chip, based on the older Ampere architecture, fabricated by Samsung on an 8 nm process. This node difference is significant: the L40S packs 76,300 million transistors into a 609 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 125.3 million per square millimeter. The RTX A4500 Mobile contains only 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die, for a density of 44.4 million per square millimeter. The newer process allows the L40S to fit more than four times the transistor count onto a die that is only about 55% larger in area.

The execution resources differ accordingly. The L40S has 18,176 shading units, 568 texture mapping units, 192 render output units, 142 ray tracing cores, and 568 tensor cores. The RTX A4500 Mobile has 5,888 shading units, 184 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 46 ray tracing cores, and 184 tensor cores. In every category, the L40S offers roughly three times the hardware resources of the mobile part, which aligns with the observed benchmark deltas.

The L40S also features higher clock speeds. Its base clock is 1110 MHz with a boost of 2520 MHz, while the RTX A4500 Mobile operates at 930 MHz base and 1500 MHz boost. The memory systems are equally divergent. The L40S ships with 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 864.0 GB/s of bandwidth at an effective 18 Gbps. The RTX A4500 Mobile has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, providing 512.0 GB/s at 16 Gbps effective. The L40S offers triple the memory capacity and about 69% more bandwidth.

The generation labels in the database reinforce the positioning: the L40S belongs to the Server Ada (Lxx) generation, while the RTX A4500 Mobile belongs to the Ampere-MW (Ax000) generation. The L40S predecessor is Server Ampere, and its successor is Server Hopper. The RTX A4500 Mobile predecessor is Quadro Turing-M, and its successor is Ada-MW. Both parts are end-of-life in the database, with the L40S released on 2022-10-12 and the RTX A4500 Mobile released on 2022-03-21.

Power and physical specifications also separate the two. The L40S has a 300 W TDP, requires a single 16-pin power connector, and is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm in length and 111 mm in height. The RTX A4500 Mobile has a 140 W TDP and no power connectors, as it draws power through the host system. The L40S suggested PSU is 700 W, while the mobile part has no such requirement. Both use PCIe 4.0 x16 interfaces, and both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The L40S output options include 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the mobile part's outputs are described as portable device dependent.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA L40S has an average benchmark score of 295,763, while the NVIDIA RTX A4500 Mobile averages 91,134.

Q: How large is the performance gap in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The L40S scores 330,727 compared to 105,307 for the RTX A4500 Mobile, a 214.1% difference.

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

A: The L40S uses the AD102 chip with 76,300 million transistors, while the RTX A4500 Mobile uses the GA104 chip with 17,400 million transistors.

Q: Which GPU has more memory bandwidth?

A: The L40S provides 864.0 GB/s of bandwidth from 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus; the RTX A4500 Mobile provides 512.0 GB/s from 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus.

Q: Are both GPUs still in production?

A: No, both are listed as end-of-life in the database.

Q: How do the two compare in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The L40S scores 260,799 versus 76,960 for the RTX A4500 Mobile, a 238.9% advantage for the L40S.

Specification Differences

The specification table highlights every point of divergence between the two parts.

| Specification | NVIDIA L40S | NVIDIA RTX A4500 Mobile |

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

| Chip | AD102 | GA104 |

| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | Ampere |

| Generation | Server Ada (Lxx) | Ampere-MW (Ax000) |

| Process node | 5 nm | 8 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Samsung |

| Transistors | 76,300 million | 17,400 million |

| Die size | 609 mm² | 392 mm² |

| Transistor density | 125.3M / mm² | 44.4M / mm² |

| Base clock | 1110 MHz | 930 MHz |

| Boost clock | 2520 MHz | 1500 MHz |

| Memory clock | 2250 MHz, 18 Gbps effective | 2000 MHz, 16 Gbps effective |

| Memory size | 48 GB | 16 GB |

| Memory bus width | 384 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 864.0 GB/s | 512.0 GB/s |

| Shading units | 18176 | 5888 |

| TMUs | 568 | 184 |

| ROPs | 192 | 96 |

| RT cores | 142 | 46 |

| Tensor cores | 568 | 184 |

| Pixel rate | 483.8 GPixel/s | 144.0 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 1,431.4 GTexel/s | 276.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 91.61 TFLOPS | 17.66 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 91.61 TFLOPS (1:1) | 17.66 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 300 W | 140 W |

| Slot width | Dual-slot | Not specified |

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

| Suggested PSU | 700 W | Not specified |

| Display outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | Portable device dependent |

| Dimensions | 267 mm x 111 mm | Not specified |

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

| Predecessor | Server Ampere | Quadro Turing-M |

| Successor | Server Hopper | Ada-MW |

The two parts share some specifications: both use GDDR6 memory, both run on PCIe 4.0 x16, and both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The manufacturer is NVIDIA for both. The launch MSRP is not recorded for either product.

Where Each One Wins

The L40S wins every benchmark category in which both are measured. It holds a 214.1% lead in Geekbench OpenCL and a 238.9% lead in Geekbench Vulkan. Its 48 GB memory capacity, 864.0 GB/s bandwidth, and 91.61 TFLOPS of FP32 compute make it suitable for large-scale server workloads, including training and inference tasks that demand high throughput and substantial memory. The dual-slot form factor, 300 W TDP, and dedicated power connector indicate a stationary installation in a server chassis with adequate cooling and power delivery. The 99th percentile ranking confirms that the L40S sits near the top of the database's GPU hierarchy.

The RTX A4500 Mobile wins no recorded benchmarks against the L40S. Its strengths lie elsewhere: the 140 W TDP and absence of power connectors make it suitable for portable workstations where the L40S physically cannot operate. The 16 GB memory capacity is still substantial for a mobile part, and the 512.0 GB/s bandwidth is respectable in that class. The 93rd percentile ranking places it well above the median GPU. Its nearest rival, the desktop RTX A4500, is statistically indistinguishable in average score, meaning the mobile part loses little performance to its desktop counterpart. For workloads that must run on a laptop, the RTX A4500 Mobile is competitive within its segment.

The Verdict

The data supports only one conclusion for raw performance: the NVIDIA L40S is the superior GPU in absolute terms. It triples the RTX A4500 Mobile's scores in both recorded benchmarks, offers three times the memory capacity, and delivers more than five times the FP32 throughput. For any user with a fixed installation and access to server power and cooling, the L40S is the clear choice. Its 99th percentile ranking and proximity to the H200 NVL and Instinct MI300X in the rivals table confirm that it belongs in the top tier of accelerators.

The RTX A4500 Mobile is the appropriate selection only when the workload must run on a mobile platform. Its 140 W TDP, lack of power connectors, and portable device dependent display outputs make it suitable for laptops and mobile workstations. Within that market, it is a strong performer, matching the desktop RTX A4500 and outperforming the Quadro GP100 and Radeon PRO W7600. But the benchmark results show no scenario where the mobile part beats the L40S in compute performance. The choice is therefore driven by form factor and deployment context rather than by any performance advantage, since the recorded data shows the L40S ahead in every measured test.