A100 SXM4 40GB vs RTX 5880 Ada

AmperevsAda LovelaceUpdated 35 days ago

The A100 SXM4 40GB emerges as the winner for the most common use case of AI model training and inference. Its 312 TFLOPS FP16 and 2039 GB/s bandwidth deliver superior throughput for large-scale workloads, bolstered by cloud pricing from $1.00 per hour, outweighing the RTX 5880 Ada's advantages in FP32 and power efficiency.

A100 SXM4 40GB from $0.73/hr

Specifications Compared

SpecA100RTX-5880-ADA
TDP400W285W
VRAM40-80 GB48 GB
CUDA Cores6,91214,080
Memory TypeHBM2eGDDR6
ArchitectureAmpereAda Lovelace
Form FactorsSXM4, PCIePCIe
InterconnectNVLink, PCIe 4.0, InfiniBand
Tensor Cores432440
FP16 Performance312 TFLOPS69.7 TFLOPS
FP32 Performance19.5 TFLOPS69.7 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance9.7 TFLOPS
INT8 Performance624 TOPS1,115 TOPS
Memory Bandwidth2,039 GB/s960 GB/s

Performance Analysis

Key spec differences reveal distinct strengths in real-world applications. The A100's 2039 GB/s bandwidth dwarfs the RTX 5880 Ada's 960 GB/s, enabling larger batch sizes in training: models process data 2.1 times faster without bottlenecks. Its 312 TFLOPS FP16 vastly exceeds the 69.7 TFLOPS on the RTX 5880 Ada, accelerating mixed-precision training common in deep learning by up to 4.5 times. Conversely, the RTX 5880 Ada's equal 69.7 TFLOPS FP16 and FP32 outperforms the A100's 19.5 TFLOPS FP32 by 3.6 times, favoring single-precision tasks like simulations or graphics. For inference, the A100 handles high-throughput scenarios via NVLink scaling, while the RTX 5880 Ada's 48 GB VRAM supports slightly larger models than the A100's 40 GB, though slower bandwidth limits batch efficiency. Power efficiency tilts toward the RTX 5880 Ada at 285W versus 400W, reducing cooling demands in single-node setups. Overall, bandwidth and FP16 dominance make the A100 ideal for memory-intensive AI pipelines.

Live Cloud Pricing

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

A100 SXM4 40GB

ProviderGPU ModelVRAMHost SpecsRegionPriceStatusAction
Vast.ai
Vast.ai
NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80GB
80GB VRAM
$0.73/GPU/hr
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
Denvr
Denvr
4×NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80GB
80GB VRAM
$1.15/GPU/hr
$4.60/hr total (4×)
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 SXM4 40GB

Opt for the A100 SXM4 40GB in datacenter environments requiring multi-GPU scaling via NVLink or InfiniBand. Its 2039 GB/s bandwidth and 312 TFLOPS FP16 excel in LLM training with large batches, where cloud availability from $1.00 per hour enables cost-effective scaling across six providers.

When to Choose the RTX 5880 Ada

Select the RTX 5880 Ada for workstation deployments needing 48 GB VRAM and 69.7 TFLOPS FP32 performance. Its 285W TDP and Ada Lovelace features suit single-GPU inference or rendering, offering 3.6 times the A100's FP32 throughput despite lacking current cloud offers.

Use Cases

LLM Training
A100 SXM4 40GB

The A100's 312 TFLOPS FP16 and 2039 GB/s bandwidth support massive batch sizes essential for efficient LLM training. The RTX 5880 Ada's 69.7 TFLOPS FP16 falls short for such compute-intensive tasks.

LLM Inference
A100 SXM4 40GB

High bandwidth of 2039 GB/s on the A100 enables larger inference batches with lower latency. NVLink scaling further advantages multi-GPU inference over the RTX 5880 Ada's single PCIe setup.

Fine-tuning
A100 SXM4 40GB

A100's 40 GB HBM2e and 312 TFLOPS FP16 accelerate fine-tuning of large models via mixed precision. Superior bandwidth prevents data stalls compared to the RTX 5880 Ada's 960 GB/s.

Stable Diffusion
RTX 5880 Ada

RTX 5880 Ada's Ada Lovelace architecture and 69.7 TFLOPS FP32 optimize generative tasks like Stable Diffusion. Its 48 GB VRAM handles high-resolution generations more readily than the A100's 40 GB.

Scientific Computing
Either

A100 suits bandwidth-heavy simulations with 2039 GB/s; RTX 5880 Ada fits FP32-dominant codes at 69.7 TFLOPS. Choice depends on multi-GPU needs versus single-node efficiency.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which GPU has higher memory bandwidth?

The A100 SXM4 40GB provides 2039 GB/s with HBM2e, over twice the RTX 5880 Ada's 960 GB/s GDDR6. This difference impacts batch sizes in AI workloads significantly.

What are the FP16 performance differences?

A100 delivers 312 TFLOPS FP16, 4.5 times the RTX 5880 Ada's 69.7 TFLOPS. This makes A100 preferable for mixed-precision training tasks.

Is the RTX 5880 Ada available in the cloud?

No live cloud offers exist for the RTX 5880 Ada currently. The A100 SXM4 40GB starts at $1.00 per hour across six providers, averaging $2.53 per hour.

Which has more VRAM?

RTX 5880 Ada offers 48 GB GDDR6 versus A100's 40 GB HBM2e. However, A100's bandwidth compensates in high-throughput scenarios.

What is the power consumption comparison?

RTX 5880 Ada uses 285W TDP, lower than A100's 400W. This favors RTX 5880 Ada in power-constrained workstations.

Can these GPUs scale in multi-GPU setups?

A100 supports NVLink and InfiniBand for efficient multi-GPU communication. RTX 5880 Ada relies solely on PCIe, limiting scalability.

Which is cheaper to rent, the A100 or the RTX 5880 Ada?

Cloud rental prices for both the A100 and RTX 5880 Ada 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 5880 Ada?

The A100 has 40 to 80 GB of HBM2e memory. The RTX 5880 Ada has 48 GB of GDDR6 memory.

Can I find A100 and RTX 5880 Ada 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 5880 Ada?

The A100 uses the Ampere architecture (2020) while the RTX 5880 Ada uses Ada Lovelace (2024). The A100 delivers 4.5x the FP16 throughput and 2.1x the memory bandwidth of the RTX 5880 Ada.

A100 SXM4 40GB vs RTX 5880 Ada: 80GB vs 48GB | GPUPerHour