A40 vs RTX 2080 Ti

AmperevsTuringUpdated 35 days ago

The NVIDIA A40 emerges as the superior choice for most machine learning workloads due to its 48 GB VRAM and 37.4 TFLOPS compute, enabling larger models and faster training than the RTX 2080 Ti's 11 GB and 10.1 TFLOPS. Despite higher costs averaging $1.31 per hour, the performance gains justify selection for professional AI tasks over the budget-friendly RTX 2080 Ti.

A40 from $0.08/hrRTX 2080 Ti from $0.13/hr

Specifications Compared

SpecA40RTX-2080
TDP300W215W
VRAM48 GB8-11 GB
CUDA Cores10,7522,944
Memory TypeGDDR6GDDR6
ArchitectureAmpereTuring
Form FactorsPCIePCIe
InterconnectNVLinkNVLink
Tensor Cores336368
FP16 Performance37.4 TFLOPS10.1 TFLOPS
FP32 Performance37.4 TFLOPS10.1 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance0.6 TFLOPS
INT8 Performance299 TOPS
Memory Bandwidth696 GB/s616 GB/s

Performance Analysis

The A40's 37.4 TFLOPS in FP16 and FP32 outperforms the RTX 2080 Ti's 10.1 TFLOPS by approximately 3.7 times, translating to faster model training and inference times in deep learning pipelines. This FP16 and FP32 parity on the A40 supports efficient mixed-precision training, reducing computation time for large neural networks compared to the RTX 2080 Ti's lower throughput. Higher memory bandwidth of 696 GB/s on the A40 versus 616 GB/s on the RTX 2080 Ti allows for larger batch sizes in training, minimizing data transfer bottlenecks and improving overall throughput in memory-bound workloads. The A40's 48 GB VRAM capacity versus 11 GB enables processing of massive models without swapping to system RAM, a critical advantage for inference on large language models. Power consumption differs at 300 W TDP for the A40 and 215 W for the RTX 2080 Ti, impacting density in multi-GPU setups but favoring the RTX 2080 Ti for low-power scenarios.

Live Cloud Pricing

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

A40

ProviderGPU ModelVRAMHost SpecsRegionPriceStatusAction
TensorDock
TensorDock
NVIDIA RTX A4000
16GB VRAM
$0.08/GPU/hr
Available
Vast.ai
Vast.ai
8×NVIDIA RTX A4000
16GB VRAM
$0.15/GPU/hr
$1.17/hr total (8×)
Available
Hyperstack
Hyperstack
2×NVIDIA RTX A4000
16GB VRAM
$0.15/GPU/hr
$0.30/hr total (2×)
Available
Hyperstack
Hyperstack
NVIDIA RTX A4000
16GB VRAM
$0.15/GPU/hr
Available
Vast.ai
Vast.ai
8×NVIDIA RTX A4000
16GB VRAM
$0.16/GPU/hr
$1.28/hr total (8×)
Available

RTX 2080 Ti

ProviderGPU ModelVRAMHost SpecsRegionPriceStatusAction
Vast.ai
Vast.ai
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti
11GB VRAM
$0.13/GPU/hr
Available

Compare real-time pricing across 25+ providers

When to Choose the A40

Opt for the NVIDIA A40 in scenarios demanding high VRAM, such as training large language models requiring over 11 GB or scientific simulations with extensive datasets fitting within 48 GB GDDR6. Its 37.4 TFLOPS FP16 performance excels in inference for production deployments where low latency on 696 GB/s bandwidth supports large batch sizes. Cloud users benefit from 23 live offers starting at $0.24 per hour for sustained high-compute tasks.

When to Choose the RTX 2080 Ti

Choose the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti for budget-conscious gaming, lightweight fine-tuning, or Stable Diffusion generation where 11 GB VRAM suffices and 10.1 TFLOPS meets needs. Its lower TDP of 215 W suits edge deployments or power-sensitive clouds, with pricing from $0.06 per hour average $0.11 per hour across 6 offers providing value for intermittent use. NVLink interconnect matches the A40 for multi-GPU scaling in smaller setups.

Use Cases

LLM Training
A40

The A40's 48 GB VRAM handles massive LLM datasets, unlike the RTX 2080 Ti's 11 GB limit. Its 37.4 TFLOPS FP16 outperforms the 10.1 TFLOPS for faster convergence.

LLM Inference
A40

48 GB VRAM supports full model loading for low-latency inference on large LLMs. 696 GB/s bandwidth enables bigger batches than the RTX 2080 Ti's 616 GB/s.

Fine-tuning
A40

High 37.4 TFLOPS FP32 speeds up fine-tuning iterations on datasets exceeding 11 GB. A40's capacity prevents out-of-memory errors common on RTX 2080 Ti.

Stable Diffusion
Either

RTX 2080 Ti's 11 GB VRAM suffices for standard resolutions at 10.1 TFLOPS. A40 offers headroom for high-res batches but at higher $1.31 per hour average cost.

Scientific Computing
A40

48 GB VRAM and 37.4 TFLOPS FP32 excel in simulations with large matrices. Bandwidth of 696 GB/s outperforms RTX 2080 Ti for data-intensive HPC workloads.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the VRAM difference between A40 and RTX 2080 Ti?

The A40 provides 48 GB GDDR6 VRAM, while the RTX 2080 Ti offers 11 GB. This allows the A40 to manage significantly larger AI models without memory constraints.

How do compute performances compare?

A40 achieves 37.4 TFLOPS in FP16 and FP32, compared to 10.1 TFLOPS for the RTX 2080 Ti in both. This results in roughly 3.7 times faster processing for training and inference.

What are the cloud pricing differences?

A40 starts from $0.24 per hour averaging $1.31 per hour across 23 offers. RTX 2080 Ti is cheaper at $0.06 per hour averaging $0.11 per hour across 6 offers.

Which has higher memory bandwidth?

The A40 leads with 696 GB/s versus the RTX 2080 Ti's 616 GB/s. Higher bandwidth supports larger batch sizes in deep learning workloads.

Do both support NVLink?

Yes, both the A40 and RTX 2080 Ti feature NVLink interconnect for multi-GPU communication. This enables scalable performance in clustered setups.

What are the TDP ratings?

A40 has a 300 W TDP, higher than the RTX 2080 Ti's 215 W. Lower TDP on RTX 2080 Ti benefits power-limited environments.

Which is cheaper to rent, the A40 or the RTX 2080?

Cloud rental prices for both the A40 and RTX 2080 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 A40 have compared to the RTX 2080?

The A40 has 48 GB of GDDR6 memory. The RTX 2080 has 8 to 11 GB of GDDR6 memory.

Can I find A40 and RTX 2080 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 A40 and the RTX 2080?

The A40 uses the Ampere architecture (2020) while the RTX 2080 uses Turing (2018). The A40 delivers 3.7x the FP16 throughput and 1.1x the memory bandwidth of the RTX 2080.

A40 vs RTX 2080 Ti: 3.7x FP16 Gap, 48GB vs 11GB | GPUPerHour