A100 PCIe 80GB vs RTX 3070 Ti

AmperevsAmpereUpdated 35 days ago

For the predominant use case of AI model training and inference, the A100 PCIe 80GB emerges as the clear winner. Its 80 GB VRAM, 312 TFLOPS FP16, and 2039 GB/s bandwidth enable handling of production-scale workloads infeasible on the RTX 3070 Ti's 8 GB and 20.3 TFLOPS, justifying the higher $0.89 per hour pricing for professionals.

A100 PCIe 80GB from $0.73/hr

Specifications Compared

SpecA100RTX-3070
TDP400W220W
VRAM40-80 GB8 GB
CUDA Cores6,9125,888
Memory TypeHBM2eGDDR6
ArchitectureAmpereAmpere
Form FactorsSXM4, PCIePCIe
InterconnectNVLink, PCIe 4.0, InfiniBand
Tensor Cores432184
FP16 Performance312 TFLOPS20.3 TFLOPS
FP32 Performance19.5 TFLOPS20.3 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance9.7 TFLOPS
INT8 Performance624 TOPS
Memory Bandwidth2,039 GB/s448 GB/s

Performance Analysis

Key spec disparities translate directly to real-world machine learning outcomes. The A100 PCIe 80GB's 312 TFLOPS FP16 performance enables rapid tensor core-accelerated training on large models, far exceeding the RTX 3070 Ti's 20.3 TFLOPS. Its FP32 rate of 19.5 TFLOPS nearly matches the RTX 3070 Ti's 20.3 TFLOPS, but the FP16 delta proves critical for deep learning where half-precision dominates, accelerating iterations by over 15 times in compatible frameworks.

Memory capacity and bandwidth profoundly impact workload feasibility: 80 GB HBM2e on the A100 supports massive batch sizes and models exceeding 8 GB GDDR6 limits on the RTX 3070 Ti, preventing out-of-memory errors in LLM fine-tuning. The 2039 GB/s bandwidth versus 448 GB/s minimizes data transfer bottlenecks, sustaining higher throughput in memory-bound tasks like inference on high-resolution inputs. Consequently, the A100 handles enterprise-scale deployments, while the RTX 3070 Ti suits prototyping with smaller datasets.

Live Cloud Pricing

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

A100 PCIe 80GB

ProviderGPU ModelVRAMHost SpecsRegionPriceStatusAction
Vast.ai
Vast.ai
NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80GB
80GB VRAM
$0.73/GPU/hr
Available
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
NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80GB
80GB VRAM
$1.07/GPU/hr
Available
Denvr
Denvr
8×NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80GB
80GB VRAM
$1.15/GPU/hr
$9.20/hr total (8×)

Compare real-time pricing across 25+ providers

When to Choose the A100 PCIe 80GB

The A100 PCIe 80GB excels in scenarios demanding vast memory and compute: training large language models requiring over 40 GB VRAM or high-batch scientific simulations leveraging 312 TFLOPS FP16. Its 2039 GB/s bandwidth ensures efficient data handling in multi-GPU NVLink setups for distributed training. Cloud users prioritizing speed over cost select it for production pipelines where 80 GB capacity prevents scaling limitations.

When to Choose the RTX 3070 Ti

The RTX 3070 Ti fits budget-driven tasks like lightweight inference or Stable Diffusion generation on models under 8 GB. At $0.06 per hour, it delivers 20.3 TFLOPS FP16 for cost-effective experimentation, ideal for solo developers testing prototypes. Lower 220W TDP suits dense cloud instances without high power overhead.

Use Cases

LLM Training
A100 PCIe 80GB

LLM training demands over 40 GB VRAM for large models, which the A100 PCIe 80GB provides alongside 312 TFLOPS FP16. The RTX 3070 Ti's 8 GB limits it to tiny models.

LLM Inference
A100 PCIe 80GB

High-throughput inference benefits from 80 GB VRAM and 2039 GB/s bandwidth on the A100 for batched enterprise queries. RTX 3070 Ti suffices only for low-volume personal use.

Fine-tuning
A100 PCIe 80GB

Fine-tuning mid-sized models requires 19.5 TFLOPS FP32 and ample memory; A100's 80 GB prevents OOM errors. RTX 3070 Ti works for very small datasets.

Stable Diffusion
RTX 3070 Ti

Stable Diffusion runs efficiently on 8 GB GDDR6 with 20.3 TFLOPS FP16 at $0.06 per hour. A100 overkill for image generation.

Scientific Computing
A100 PCIe 80GB

Simulations leverage 312 TFLOPS FP16 and NVLink interconnects on A100 for complex datasets. RTX 3070 Ti lacks bandwidth for large-scale computations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which GPU has more VRAM?

The A100 PCIe 80GB offers 80 GB HBM2e VRAM, compared to 8 GB GDDR6 on the RTX 3070 Ti. This enables larger models on A100. Bandwidth follows suit at 2039 GB/s versus 448 GB/s.

What are the cloud rental prices?

A100 PCIe 80GB rents from $0.89 per hour, averaging $2.08 across 28 offers. RTX 3070 Ti starts at $0.06 per hour, averaging $0.08 across 2 offers. Prices vary by provider on gpuperhour.com.

Is A100 better for AI training?

Yes, A100's 312 TFLOPS FP16 vastly outperforms RTX 3070 Ti's 20.3 TFLOPS for training. Its 80 GB VRAM supports bigger batches. Consumer GPUs like 3070 Ti lag in datacenter tasks.

Can RTX 3070 Ti handle deep learning?

RTX 3070 Ti manages small-scale deep learning with 20.3 TFLOPS FP16 and 8 GB VRAM. It falters on models over 8 GB. Use it for prototyping at low cost.

What is the power consumption difference?

A100 PCIe 80GB has 400W TDP, higher than RTX 3070 Ti's 220W. This affects cloud instance suitability. A100 pairs with robust cooling in SXM4 or PCIe forms.

Do they support the same interconnects?

A100 includes NVLink, PCIe 4.0, and InfiniBand for multi-GPU scaling. RTX 3070 Ti relies solely on PCIe. This makes A100 superior for clusters.

Which is cheaper to rent, the A100 or the RTX 3070?

Cloud rental prices for both the A100 and RTX 3070 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 3070?

The A100 has 40 to 80 GB of HBM2e memory. The RTX 3070 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory.

Can I find A100 and RTX 3070 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 3070?

The A100 uses the Ampere architecture (2020) while the RTX 3070 uses Ampere (2020). The A100 delivers 15.4x the FP16 throughput and 4.6x the memory bandwidth of the RTX 3070.

A100 PCIe 80GB vs RTX 3070 Ti: 80GB vs 8GB | GPUPerHour