A100 SXM4 80GB vs RTX 2060 SUPER

AmperevsTuringUpdated 35 days ago

The A100 SXM4 80GB emerges as the clear winner for most machine learning use cases: its 312 TFLOPS FP16, 80 GB VRAM, and 2039 GB/s bandwidth dwarf the RTX 2060 SUPER's 14 TFLOPS, 8 GB, and 448 GB/s, enabling professional-scale training and inference unattainable on consumer hardware.

A100 SXM4 80GB from $0.73/hr

Specifications Compared

SpecA100RTX-2060
TDP400W160W
VRAM40-80 GB6-12 GB
CUDA Cores6,9121,920
Memory TypeHBM2eGDDR6
ArchitectureAmpereTuring
Form FactorsSXM4, PCIePCIe
InterconnectNVLink, PCIe 4.0, InfiniBand
Tensor Cores432240
FP16 Performance312 TFLOPS6.5 TFLOPS
FP32 Performance19.5 TFLOPS6.5 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance9.7 TFLOPS
INT8 Performance624 TOPS
Memory Bandwidth2,039 GB/s336 GB/s

Performance Analysis

The FP16 performance gap defines AI workloads: the A100 SXM4 80GB achieves 312 TFLOPS compared to the RTX 2060 SUPER's 14 TFLOPS, accelerating deep learning training and inference where half-precision computations dominate. This delta translates to the A100 completing model training epochs up to 20 times faster on large neural networks. FP32 performance at 19.5 TFLOPS versus 7 TFLOPS benefits general-purpose simulations and precision-sensitive tasks on the A100.

Memory capacity and bandwidth profoundly impact usability: 80 GB HBM2e versus 8 GB GDDR6 allows the A100 to handle massive models and batch sizes exceeding 8 GB without swapping, while 2039 GB/s bandwidth minimizes data transfer bottlenecks in memory-intensive operations. The RTX 2060 SUPER suits smaller batches but struggles with large datasets. Higher TDP of 400W on the A100 supports sustained peak performance, unlike the 175W limit on the consumer card.

Live Cloud Pricing

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

A100 SXM4 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
$1.00/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 SXM4 80GB

The A100 SXM4 80GB excels in demanding production environments: large-scale LLM training requiring over 40 GB VRAM or multi-GPU setups via NVLink. Cloud deployment at $0.79 per hour average $1.46 enables scalable HPC and inference without upfront hardware costs. Professionals prioritize its 312 TFLOPS FP16 for rapid iteration on complex models.

When to Choose the RTX 2060 SUPER

The RTX 2060 SUPER fits budget-conscious local workstations: gaming paired with hobbyist ML like small fine-tuning or Stable Diffusion on 8 GB VRAM. Its 175W TDP suits standard desktops without high power infrastructure. Users avoiding cloud fees at $1.46 per hour average select it for everyday tasks within 448 GB/s bandwidth limits.

Use Cases

LLM Training
A100 SXM4 80GB

LLM training demands over 40 GB VRAM and 312 TFLOPS FP16, which the A100 provides; the RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB limits model size severely.

LLM Inference
A100 SXM4 80GB

High-throughput inference benefits from 312 TFLOPS FP16 and 2039 GB/s bandwidth on the A100 for low-latency serving; 14 TFLOPS suffices only for tiny models on the RTX 2060 SUPER.

Fine-tuning
Either

Small-scale fine-tuning fits within 8 GB VRAM on the RTX 2060 SUPER; larger efforts leverage the A100's 80 GB and superior FP16.

Stable Diffusion
RTX 2060 SUPER

Stable Diffusion runs efficiently on Turing RT and tensor cores with 8 GB GDDR6 at 448 GB/s; the RTX 2060 SUPER handles local generation well for consumers.

Scientific Computing
A100 SXM4 80GB

Scientific simulations require 19.5 TFLOPS FP32 and high bandwidth of 2039 GB/s on the A100; the RTX 2060 SUPER's 7 TFLOPS falls short for complex computations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the VRAM difference between A100 SXM4 80GB and RTX 2060 SUPER?

The A100 SXM4 80GB has 80 GB HBM2e VRAM, while the RTX 2060 SUPER offers 8 GB GDDR6. This 10x gap allows the A100 to load massive AI models without issues. Consumer tasks rarely exceed 8 GB on the RTX 2060 SUPER.

How does FP16 performance compare on A100 vs RTX 2060 SUPER?

The A100 delivers 312 TFLOPS FP16, vastly outperforming the RTX 2060 SUPER's 14 TFLOPS. This accelerates AI training by orders of magnitude on the A100. Inference latency drops significantly with the higher throughput.

Is the RTX 2060 SUPER suitable for machine learning?

The RTX 2060 SUPER handles entry-level ML with 14 TFLOPS FP16 and 8 GB VRAM for small models or fine-tuning. It lacks the A100's scale for production. Local gaming rigs benefit from its 175W efficiency.

What are the cloud prices for NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80GB?

Pricing starts from $0.79 per hour with an average of $1.46 per hour across 22 live offers. No cloud offers exist for the RTX 2060 SUPER. Costs scale with usage for flexible AI workloads.

How do power consumption and form factors differ?

The A100 SXM4 80GB consumes 400W in SXM4 form with NVLink support, suited for servers. The RTX 2060 SUPER uses 175W in PCIe for desktops. Datacenter cooling handles the A100's demands.

Which has higher memory bandwidth: A100 or RTX 2060 SUPER?

The A100 achieves 2039 GB/s with HBM2e, over 4.5 times the RTX 2060 SUPER's 448 GB/s GDDR6. Bandwidth boosts batch sizes on the A100. Data-heavy tasks bottleneck less on it.

Which is cheaper to rent, the A100 or the RTX 2060?

Cloud rental prices for both the A100 and RTX 2060 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 2060?

The A100 has 40 to 80 GB of HBM2e memory. The RTX 2060 has 6 to 12 GB of GDDR6 memory.

Can I find A100 and RTX 2060 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 2060?

The A100 uses the Ampere architecture (2020) while the RTX 2060 uses Turing (2019). The A100 delivers 48.0x the FP16 throughput and 6.1x the memory bandwidth of the RTX 2060.

A100 SXM4 80GB vs RTX 2060 SUPER: 80GB vs 12GB | GPUPerHour