A100 PCIe 40GB vs GTX 1070

AmperevsPascalUpdated 35 days ago

The NVIDIA A100 PCIe 40GB emerges as the superior choice for most modern workloads: its 312 TFLOPS FP16, 40 GB VRAM, and 2039 GB/s bandwidth deliver unmatched performance in AI training and inference compared to the GTX 1070's 6.5 TFLOPS and 8 GB limits. Cloud pricing from $0.60 per hour justifies selection over unavailable 1070 options.

A100 PCIe 40GB from $0.73/hr

Specifications Compared

SpecA100GTX-1070
TDP400W150W
VRAM40-80 GB8 GB
CUDA Cores6,9121,920
Memory TypeHBM2eGDDR5
ArchitectureAmperePascal
Form FactorsSXM4, PCIePCIe
InterconnectNVLink, PCIe 4.0, InfiniBand
Tensor Cores432
FP16 Performance312 TFLOPS6.5 TFLOPS
FP32 Performance19.5 TFLOPS6.5 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance9.7 TFLOPS
INT8 Performance624 TOPS
Memory Bandwidth2,039 GB/s256 GB/s

Performance Analysis

The A100 PCIe 40GB dominates in compute performance: its 312 TFLOPS FP16 capability accelerates deep learning training and inference by nearly 48 times over the GTX 1070's 6.5 TFLOPS, enabling faster iterations on large neural networks that rely on half-precision arithmetic. In FP32 tasks like scientific computing, the A100's 19.5 TFLOPS provides three times the throughput of the 1070's 6.5 TFLOPS, reducing computation times significantly.

Memory specifications further widen the gap: 40 GB HBM2e VRAM on the A100 supports massive models and datasets that the 1070's 8 GB GDDR5 cannot handle, preventing out-of-memory errors in training. The 2039 GB/s bandwidth allows the A100 to process larger batch sizes without stalling, whereas the 1070's 256 GB/s creates bottlenecks in data-heavy inference, limiting effective throughput by up to eightfold.

Power draw reflects these capabilities: the A100's 400W TDP sustains peak performance in dense clusters via NVLink and PCIe 4.0, while the 1070's 150W suits single-node consumer systems but scales poorly.

Live Cloud Pricing

Real-time prices from 25+ providers. Updated every 60 seconds.

A100 PCIe 40GB

ProviderGPU ModelVRAMHost SpecsRegionPriceStatusAction
Vast.ai
Vast.ai
2×NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80GB
80GB VRAM
$0.73/GPU/hr
$1.47/hr total (2×)
Available
LeaderGPU
LeaderGPU
8×NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80GB
80GB VRAM
$0.90/GPU/hr
$7.20/hr total (8×)
Available
Vast.ai
Vast.ai
2×NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80GB
80GB VRAM
$1.00/GPU/hr
$2.00/hr total (2×)
Available
Vast.ai
Vast.ai
NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80GB
80GB VRAM
$1.07/GPU/hr
Available
Denvr
Denvr
4×NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80GB
80GB VRAM
$1.15/GPU/hr
$4.60/hr total (4×)

Compare real-time pricing across 25+ providers

When to Choose the A100 PCIe 40GB

Select the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 40GB for AI training and large-model inference: its 40 GB VRAM accommodates datasets exceeding the GTX 1070's 8 GB limit, and 312 TFLOPS FP16 speeds up workflows by orders of magnitude. Cloud availability from $0.60 per hour makes it ideal for scalable, on-demand professional use cases like LLM development.

Enterprise environments benefit from its 2039 GB/s bandwidth and interconnects such as NVLink, enabling multi-GPU setups unattainable with the 1070.

When to Choose the GTX 1070

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 fits legacy desktop gaming or lightweight tasks: its 150W TDP and PCIe form factor integrate easily into consumer PCs without high power demands. For basic inference on models under 8 GB or non-AI graphics, its 6.5 TFLOPS suffices where cloud access is unnecessary.

Budget-conscious users with on-premises hardware prefer it, as no cloud offers exist, avoiding the A100's $1.85 per hour average cost.

Use Cases

LLM Training
A100 PCIe 40GB

The A100's 40 GB VRAM and 312 TFLOPS FP16 handle massive language models that exceed the 1070's 8 GB capacity. Training times reduce dramatically due to 2039 GB/s bandwidth supporting large batches.

LLM Inference
A100 PCIe 40GB

A100's high FP16 throughput at 312 TFLOPS enables real-time serving of large LLMs, unlike the 1070's 6.5 TFLOPS which bottlenecks at scale. 40 GB VRAM fits full models without quantization.

Fine-tuning
A100 PCIe 40GB

Fine-tuning benefits from A100's 19.5 TFLOPS FP32 and ample VRAM for parameter-efficient methods on datasets too big for 1070's 8 GB.

Stable Diffusion
A100 PCIe 40GB

A100 accelerates image generation with 312 TFLOPS FP16, processing high-resolution batches via 2039 GB/s bandwidth far beyond 1070 capabilities.

Scientific Computing
A100 PCIe 40GB

A100's 19.5 TFLOPS FP32 outperforms 1070's 6.5 TFLOPS in simulations, with 40 GB VRAM enabling complex datasets.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the VRAM difference between A100 PCIe 40GB and GTX 1070?

The A100 PCIe 40GB provides 40 GB HBM2e VRAM, while the GTX 1070 has 8 GB GDDR5. This allows the A100 to load models five times larger without memory issues.

How does FP16 performance compare?

A100 achieves 312 TFLOPS in FP16, compared to 6.5 TFLOPS on GTX 1070. This results in up to 48 times faster half-precision AI workloads on the A100.

What are the cloud prices for these GPUs?

NVIDIA A100 PCIe 40GB starts at $0.60 per hour, averaging $1.85 per hour across 11 offers. GTX 1070 has no live cloud offers available.

Which has higher memory bandwidth?

A100 offers 2039 GB/s, dwarfing the GTX 1070's 256 GB/s. This enables larger batch sizes and reduced latency in data-intensive tasks.

What are the TDPs of these GPUs?

The A100 has a 400W TDP for sustained high performance, versus the GTX 1070's 150W suited for consumer systems. Higher TDP correlates with greater compute capacity.

When was each architecture released?

Ampere for A100 launched in 2020, while Pascal for GTX 1070 dates to 2016. The four-year gap explains the A100's superior specs across metrics.

Which is cheaper to rent, the A100 or the GTX 1070?

Cloud rental prices for both the A100 and GTX 1070 vary by provider, configuration, and availability. This page shows live pricing from 25+ providers updated every 60 seconds. Scroll to the Live Cloud Pricing section to compare current rates.

How much VRAM does the A100 have compared to the GTX 1070?

The A100 has 40 to 80 GB of HBM2e memory. The GTX 1070 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory.

Can I find A100 and GTX 1070 GPUs available to rent right now?

Yes. This page shows real-time availability across 25+ cloud GPU providers. The Live Cloud Pricing section displays only in-stock offers with current pricing.

What is the main difference between the A100 and the GTX 1070?

The A100 uses the Ampere architecture (2020) while the GTX 1070 uses Pascal (2016). The A100 delivers 48.0x the FP16 throughput and 8.0x the memory bandwidth of the GTX 1070.

A100 PCIe 40GB vs GTX 1070: 48.0x FP16 Gap, 80GB vs 8GB | GPUPerHour