B200 NVL vs L40

BlackwellvsAda LovelaceUpdated 35 days ago

The NVIDIA B200 NVL emerges as the clear winner for demanding AI workloads like LLM training and inference, where 192 GB VRAM, 4500 TFLOPS FP16, and 8000 GB/s bandwidth deliver unmatched scale despite $10.50 per hour pricing. The L40 lags in capacity for frontier models, making the B200 NVL essential for performance-critical applications.

B200 NVL from $3.95/hrL40 from $0.55/hr

Specifications Compared

SpecB200L40
TDP1000W300W
VRAM192 GB48 GB
CUDA Cores18,43218,176
Memory TypeHBM3eGDDR6
ArchitectureBlackwellAda Lovelace
Form FactorsSXM, NVLPCIe
InterconnectNVLink, PCIe 6.0, InfiniBand
Tensor Cores576568
FP8 Performance9,000 TFLOPS
FP16 Performance4,500 TFLOPS90.5 TFLOPS
FP32 Performance90 TFLOPS90.5 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance45 TFLOPS
INT8 Performance9,000 TOPS724 TOPS
Memory Bandwidth8,000 GB/s864 GB/s

Performance Analysis

The B200 NVL's FP16 performance of 4500 TFLOPS vastly exceeds the L40's 90.5 TFLOPS, making it superior for training large neural networks that rely on mixed-precision computations to speed up iterations while maintaining accuracy. In contrast, FP32 performance remains comparable at 90 TFLOPS for the B200 NVL and 90.5 TFLOPS for the L40, suiting traditional single-precision workloads equally. The B200 NVL's FP8 capability at 9000 TFLOPS optimizes inference for quantized models, reducing latency in deployment scenarios. Higher memory bandwidth of 8000 GB/s on the B200 NVL versus 864 GB/s on the L40 enables larger batch sizes, which shortens training times and improves throughput for memory-bound tasks like transformer models. The B200 NVL's 1000W TDP demands robust cooling and power infrastructure, unlike the L40's efficient 300W, influencing deployment in dense cloud clusters.

Live Cloud Pricing

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

B200 NVL

ProviderGPU ModelVRAMHost SpecsRegionPriceStatusAction
Nebius
Nebius
NVIDIA B200 SXM
192GB VRAM
$3.95/GPU/hr
Cirrascale
Cirrascale
8×NVIDIA B200 SXM
192GB VRAM
$4.79/GPU/hr
$38.32/hr total (8×)
Cirrascale
Cirrascale
8×NVIDIA B200 SXM
192GB VRAM
$5.39/GPU/hr
$43.12/hr total (8×)
Cirrascale
Cirrascale
8×NVIDIA B200 SXM
192GB VRAM
$5.69/GPU/hr
$45.52/hr total (8×)
RunPod
RunPod
NVIDIA B200 SXM
192GB VRAM
$5.89/GPU/hr

L40

ProviderGPU ModelVRAMHost SpecsRegionPriceStatusAction
TensorDock
TensorDock
NVIDIA L40S
48GB VRAM
$0.55/GPU/hr
Available
RunPod
RunPod
NVIDIA L40
48GB VRAM
$0.82/GPU/hr
Massed Compute
Massed Compute
NVIDIA L40
48GB VRAM
$0.86/GPU/hr
Available
RunPod
RunPod
NVIDIA L40S
48GB VRAM
$0.86/GPU/hr
Massed Compute
Massed Compute
2×NVIDIA L40
48GB VRAM
$0.86/GPU/hr
$1.72/hr total (2×)
Available

Compare real-time pricing across 25+ providers

When to Choose the B200 NVL

Opt for the NVIDIA B200 NVL in scenarios requiring massive VRAM, such as training LLMs with billions of parameters that exceed 48 GB, leveraging its 192 GB HBM3e to avoid fragmentation. Its 4500 TFLOPS FP16 and 8000 GB/s bandwidth excel in multi-GPU setups via NVLink and PCIe 6.0, ideal for research labs or enterprises pushing model scales. The form factors SXM and NVL support high-density racks for exascale computing.

When to Choose the L40

Select the NVIDIA L40 for budget-conscious deployments where 48 GB GDDR6 suffices, such as fine-tuning mid-sized models or running multiple inference instances, with pricing from $0.67 per hour across 14 providers. Its 300W TDP fits standard PCIe slots and lower-power environments, enabling scalable clusters without specialized infrastructure. Balanced FP16 and FP32 at 90.5 TFLOPS handles graphics and simulation tasks efficiently.

Use Cases

LLM Training
B200 NVL

The B200 NVL's 192 GB HBM3e VRAM and 4500 TFLOPS FP16 support training massive models without memory constraints. The L40's 48 GB limits scale.

LLM Inference
B200 NVL

9000 TFLOPS FP8 and 8000 GB/s bandwidth on the B200 NVL enable low-latency serving of large quantized models. L40 suits smaller deployments only.

Fine-tuning
B200 NVL

192 GB VRAM accommodates full model loading during fine-tuning of large LLMs. L40's 48 GB requires gradient checkpointing.

Stable Diffusion
L40

L40's 90.5 TFLOPS FP16 and 48 GB GDDR6 handle image generation efficiently at low cost. B200 NVL overkill for typical resolutions.

Scientific Computing
Either

L40's balanced 90.5 TFLOPS FP32 fits simulations; B200 NVL's 90 TFLOPS FP32 scales to larger datasets with 192 GB VRAM.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the VRAM difference between NVIDIA B200 NVL and L40?

The B200 NVL offers 192 GB HBM3e VRAM, while the L40 provides 48 GB GDDR6. This allows the B200 NVL to manage models four times larger without offloading.

How do FP16 performances compare?

B200 NVL achieves 4500 TFLOPS FP16, compared to L40's 90.5 TFLOPS. This gap accelerates AI training by nearly 50 times on the B200 NVL.

What are the cloud pricing ranges?

NVIDIA B200 NVL starts at $10.50 per hour across one offer. NVIDIA L40 begins at $0.67 per hour across 14 offers, averaging $0.89 per hour.

Which has higher memory bandwidth?

B200 NVL delivers 8000 GB/s, over nine times the L40's 864 GB/s. Higher bandwidth supports larger batches in training.

What are the TDP ratings?

B200 NVL requires 1000W TDP, demanding advanced cooling. L40 uses 300W, suitable for standard servers.

Is B200 NVL available in PCIe form factor?

B200 NVL supports SXM and NVL form factors with NVLink. L40 uses PCIe exclusively.

Which is cheaper to rent, the B200 or the L40?

Cloud rental prices for both the B200 and L40 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 B200 have compared to the L40?

The B200 has 192 GB of HBM3e memory. The L40 has 48 GB of GDDR6 memory.

Can I find B200 and L40 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 B200 and the L40?

The B200 uses the Blackwell architecture (2024) while the L40 uses Ada Lovelace (2023). The B200 delivers 49.7x the FP16 throughput and 9.3x the memory bandwidth of the L40.

B200 NVL vs L40: 49.7x FP16 Gap, 192GB vs 48GB | GPUPerHour