A100 SXM4 80GB vs RTX 4070

AmperevsAda LovelaceUpdated 35 days ago

The A100 SXM4 80GB claims victory for prevalent AI workloads like model training and high-volume inference: 312 TFLOPS FP16 and 80 GB VRAM deliver 10x throughput over the RTX 4070's 29.1 TFLOPS and 12 GB, justifying $1.39 per hour average for production-scale needs.

A100 SXM4 80GB from $0.73/hrRTX 4070 from $0.50/hr

Specifications Compared

SpecA100RTX-4070
TDP400W200W
VRAM40-80 GB12 GB
CUDA Cores6,9125,888
Memory TypeHBM2eGDDR6X
ArchitectureAmpereAda Lovelace
Form FactorsSXM4, PCIePCIe
InterconnectNVLink, PCIe 4.0, InfiniBand
Tensor Cores432184
FP16 Performance312 TFLOPS29.1 TFLOPS
FP32 Performance19.5 TFLOPS29.1 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance9.7 TFLOPS
INT8 Performance624 TOPS466 TOPS
Memory Bandwidth2,039 GB/s504 GB/s

Performance Analysis

The A100's 312 TFLOPS FP16 performance dwarfs the RTX 4070's 29.1 TFLOPS: this gap accelerates neural network training, where half-precision tensor operations via specialized cores cut epochs significantly. Conversely, both GPUs match at 29.1 TFLOPS FP32 on the RTX 4070, but the A100's 19.5 TFLOPS suits HPC less optimally than its training prowess. Inference benefits from the A100's bandwidth for high-throughput serving of large models.

Memory specs dictate real-world viability: the A100's 2039 GB/s bandwidth and 80 GB VRAM enable enormous batch sizes in training without out-of-memory errors, sustaining gradients across billion-parameter models. The RTX 4070's 504 GB/s and 12 GB cap it at smaller batches or quantized inference, risking swaps on datasets over 10 GB. Power draw follows suit at 400W for A100 versus 200W for RTX 4070, influencing cloud scalability and heat management.

These traits position the A100 for enterprise training runs and the RTX 4070 for rapid prototyping or edge deployment.

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
8×NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80GB
80GB VRAM
$1.15/GPU/hr
$9.20/hr total (8×)

RTX 4070

ProviderGPU ModelVRAMHost SpecsRegionPriceStatusAction
RunPod
RunPod
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti
12GB VRAM
$0.50/GPU/hr

Compare real-time pricing across 25+ providers

When to Choose the A100 SXM4 80GB

The A100 SXM4 80GB proves superior for large-scale LLM training: its 80 GB VRAM accommodates models exceeding 12 GB, while 312 TFLOPS FP16 speeds convergence on datasets with massive batches. Multi-GPU setups via NVLink scale to clusters, ideal for research labs handling 100 billion parameter architectures.

When to Choose the RTX 4070

The RTX 4070 fits cost-sensitive inference or fine-tuning of compact models: at $0.07 per hour, it processes tasks within 12 GB VRAM efficiently using 29.1 TFLOPS FP16. Lower 200W TDP suits single-node prototyping, gaming-integrated workflows, or Stable Diffusion where Ada Lovelace optimizations shine.

Use Cases

LLM Training
A100 SXM4 80GB

A100's 80 GB VRAM and 312 TFLOPS FP16 support massive models and large batches unattainable on RTX 4070's 12 GB limit.

LLM Inference
A100 SXM4 80GB

High 2039 GB/s bandwidth enables serving large models at scale; RTX 4070 suits only sub-12 GB quantized variants.

Fine-tuning
A100 SXM4 80GB

80 GB capacity handles parameter-efficient tuning on full models; 312 TFLOPS FP16 accelerates iterations over RTX 4070.

Stable Diffusion
RTX 4070

RTX 4070's 29.1 TFLOPS FP32/FP16 and Ada features optimize image generation efficiently at low $0.07 per hour cost.

Scientific Computing
A100 SXM4 80GB

A100's HBM2e bandwidth and NVLink excel in simulations needing high FP16 throughput beyond RTX 4070's scope.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the A100 better than RTX 4070 for AI training?

Yes, the A100's 312 TFLOPS FP16 and 80 GB VRAM outperform RTX 4070's 29.1 TFLOPS and 12 GB by enabling larger models and batches. Training times drop significantly on A100 for deep learning pipelines.

How does VRAM differ between A100 and RTX 4070?

A100 offers 80 GB HBM2e versus RTX 4070's 12 GB GDDR6X. This allows A100 to load full large language models without quantization.

What are the cloud prices for these GPUs?

A100 SXM4 80GB starts at $0.45 per hour averaging $1.39 across 25 offers; RTX 4070 begins at $0.07 per hour averaging $0.14 over 2 offers.

RTX 4070 vs A100 for inference?

A100 excels with 2039 GB/s bandwidth for high-throughput large-model serving; RTX 4070 handles smaller models cost-effectively at 504 GB/s.

Power consumption comparison?

A100 draws 400W TDP for peak performance; RTX 4070 uses 200W, suiting lower-power or desktop cloud instances.

Which has higher memory bandwidth?

A100 achieves 2039 GB/s with HBM2e, over 4x the RTX 4070's 504 GB/s GDDR6X. This boosts data-heavy compute tasks.

Which is cheaper to rent, the A100 or the RTX 4070?

Cloud rental prices for both the A100 and RTX 4070 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 4070?

The A100 has 40 to 80 GB of HBM2e memory. The RTX 4070 has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory.

Can I find A100 and RTX 4070 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 4070?

The A100 uses the Ampere architecture (2020) while the RTX 4070 uses Ada Lovelace (2023). The A100 delivers 10.7x the FP16 throughput and 4.0x the memory bandwidth of the RTX 4070.

A100 SXM4 80GB vs RTX 4070: 10.7x FP16 Gap, 80GB vs 12GB | GPUPerHour