A100 PCIe 40GB vs RTX 4080 SUPER

AmperevsAda LovelaceUpdated 35 days ago

For the most common use case of LLM training, the A100 PCIe 40GB is the clear winner due to its 40 GB VRAM and 312 TFLOPS FP16 performance, enabling larger models and batches than the RTX 4080 SUPER's 16 GB and 48.7 TFLOPS limits. Cost-conscious users may prefer the latter for inference, but raw capability favors the A100.

A100 PCIe 40GB from $0.73/hrRTX 4080 SUPER from $0.50/hr

Specifications Compared

SpecA100RTX-4080
TDP400W320W
VRAM40-80 GB16 GB
CUDA Cores6,9129,728
Memory TypeHBM2eGDDR6X
ArchitectureAmpereAda Lovelace
Form FactorsSXM4, PCIePCIe
InterconnectNVLink, PCIe 4.0, InfiniBand
Tensor Cores432304
FP16 Performance312 TFLOPS48.7 TFLOPS
FP32 Performance19.5 TFLOPS48.7 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance9.7 TFLOPS
INT8 Performance624 TOPS780 TOPS
Memory Bandwidth2,039 GB/s717 GB/s

Performance Analysis

The A100's FP16 performance of 312 TFLOPS vastly outpaces the RTX 4080 SUPER's 48.7 TFLOPS, making it ideal for deep learning training where tensor core operations dominate. In contrast, the RTX 4080 SUPER's equal 48.7 TFLOPS across FP16 and FP32 supports balanced workloads like inference or graphics rendering, where the A100's mere 19.5 TFLOPS FP32 limits versatility outside AI-specific tasks.

Memory specifications drive real-world impacts: the A100's 2039 GB/s bandwidth and 40 GB VRAM allow batch sizes up to 4x larger than the RTX 4080 SUPER's 16 GB and 717 GB/s in memory-bound training scenarios. This enables faster convergence in large models without gradient accumulation hacks required on the consumer GPU.

Power draw differences are notable, with the A100 at 400W TDP versus 320W, implying higher infrastructure costs but sustained performance in multi-GPU clusters via NVLink, absent on the PCIe-only RTX 4080 SUPER.

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×)

RTX 4080 SUPER

ProviderGPU ModelVRAMHost SpecsRegionPriceStatusAction
RunPod
RunPod
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER
16GB VRAM
$0.50/GPU/hr
RunPod
RunPod
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080
16GB VRAM
$0.50/GPU/hr

Compare real-time pricing across 25+ providers

When to Choose the A100 PCIe 40GB

Choose the A100 PCIe 40GB for large-scale AI training requiring over 16 GB VRAM, such as LLMs with billions of parameters. Its 2039 GB/s bandwidth supports massive batch sizes, reducing training time by enabling efficient data throughput unavailable on the RTX 4080 SUPER.

Enterprise environments benefit from the A100's NVLink interconnect and InfiniBand support, facilitating multi-GPU scaling for scientific computing workloads exceeding the RTX 4080 SUPER's PCIe limitations.

When to Choose the RTX 4080 SUPER

The RTX 4080 SUPER excels in cost-sensitive inference or fine-tuning of models fitting within 16 GB VRAM, offering 48.7 TFLOPS FP32 at $0.17 per hour starting price. Its Ada Lovelace architecture provides modern features like improved ray tracing for hybrid graphics-AI tasks.

Developers prototyping or running Stable Diffusion benefit from the lower 320W TDP and average $0.32 per hour pricing, avoiding the A100's $1.85 per hour overhead for sub-40 GB needs.

Use Cases

LLM Training
A100 PCIe 40GB

The A100's 40 GB VRAM and 2039 GB/s bandwidth handle large models and batches critical for training efficiency. The RTX 4080 SUPER's 16 GB restricts scale.

LLM Inference
RTX 4080 SUPER

RTX 4080 SUPER's 48.7 TFLOPS FP16/FP32 and low $0.17/hr pricing suit serving smaller models. A100 overkill for most inference at $1.85/hr average.

Fine-tuning
Either

Fine-tuning often fits 16 GB VRAM; RTX 4080 SUPER is cheaper, but A100 accelerates with 312 TFLOPS FP16 if datasets demand more memory.

Stable Diffusion
RTX 4080 SUPER

RTX 4080 SUPER's Ada architecture and 48.7 TFLOPS FP32 optimize image generation at low cost. A100's datacenter focus adds unnecessary expense.

Scientific Computing
A100 PCIe 40GB

A100's 312 TFLOPS FP16 and NVLink scaling excel in HPC simulations. RTX 4080 SUPER lacks interconnects for clusters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the VRAM difference between A100 PCIe 40GB and RTX 4080 SUPER?

The A100 provides 40 GB HBM2e VRAM, while the RTX 4080 SUPER has 16 GB GDDR6X. This allows the A100 to manage larger models without swapping.

How do FP16 performances compare?

A100 achieves 312 TFLOPS FP16, far exceeding the RTX 4080 SUPER's 48.7 TFLOPS. This gap favors A100 in tensor-heavy AI training.

Which has higher memory bandwidth?

A100 offers 2039 GB/s versus RTX 4080 SUPER's 717 GB/s. Higher bandwidth on A100 supports bigger batches in memory-intensive tasks.

What are the cloud rental prices?

A100 PCIe 40GB starts at $0.60/hr (avg $1.85/hr) across 11 offers; RTX 4080 SUPER at $0.17/hr (avg $0.32/hr) across 3 offers. RTX is far cheaper for light use.

Is RTX 4080 SUPER good for AI training?

It handles small-to-medium training with 48.7 TFLOPS FP16/FP32 in 16 GB VRAM. For large LLMs, A100's 40 GB and higher specs are required.

Which GPU has lower TDP?

RTX 4080 SUPER draws 320W TDP compared to A100's 400W. Lower power suits edge or single-node setups.

Which is cheaper to rent, the A100 or the RTX 4080?

Cloud rental prices for both the A100 and RTX 4080 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 RTX 4080?

The A100 has 40 to 80 GB of HBM2e memory. The RTX 4080 has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory.

Can I find A100 and RTX 4080 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 RTX 4080?

The A100 uses the Ampere architecture (2020) while the RTX 4080 uses Ada Lovelace (2022). The A100 delivers 6.4x the FP16 throughput and 2.8x the memory bandwidth of the RTX 4080.

A100 PCIe 40GB vs RTX 4080 SUPER: 80GB vs 16GB | GPUPerHour