B200 NVL vs L40S

BlackwellvsAda LovelaceUpdated 35 days ago

The NVIDIA B200 NVL emerges as the superior choice for the most common use case of large-scale AI training and inference, delivering 4500 TFLOPS FP16 and 192 GB VRAM to handle modern LLMs infeasible on the L40S. Despite its $10.50 per hour cost, the performance leap justifies investment for high-throughput workloads, while L40S suits budget constraints.

B200 NVL from $3.95/hrL40S from $0.55/hr

Specifications Compared

SpecB200L40S
TDP1000W350W
VRAM192 GB48 GB
CUDA Cores18,43218,176
Memory TypeHBM3eGDDR6X
ArchitectureBlackwellAda Lovelace
Form FactorsSXM, NVLPCIe
InterconnectNVLink, PCIe 6.0, InfiniBandPCIe 4.0
Tensor Cores576568
FP8 Performance9,000 TFLOPS724 TFLOPS
FP16 Performance4,500 TFLOPS362 TFLOPS
FP32 Performance90 TFLOPS91 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance45 TFLOPS1.4 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 outpaces the L40S's 362 TFLOPS, accelerating deep learning training where half-precision computations dominate. For inference, the B200 NVL's 9000 TFLOPS FP8 capability supports quantized models at scales unattainable by the L40S's 724 TFLOPS, reducing latency for large language models. FP32 performance remains close at 90 TFLOPS for B200 NVL and 91 TFLOPS for L40S, suiting traditional HPC tasks equally.

Memory specifications define real-world limits: the B200 NVL's 192 GB HBM3e VRAM and 8000 GB/s bandwidth allow massive batch sizes in training, minimizing data loading bottlenecks that constrain the L40S's 48 GB GDDR6X and 864 GB/s. This disparity affects model sizes, with B200 NVL handling full-parameter fine-tuning of billion-scale models, while L40S suits smaller batches. Power draw of 1000W on B200 NVL versus 350W on L40S influences deployment density in power-sensitive environments.

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

L40S

ProviderGPU ModelVRAMHost SpecsRegionPriceStatusAction
TensorDock
TensorDock
NVIDIA L40S
48GB VRAM
$0.55/GPU/hr
Available
RunPod
RunPod
NVIDIA L40S
48GB VRAM
$0.86/GPU/hr
Massed Compute
Massed Compute
NVIDIA L40S
48GB VRAM
$0.88/GPU/hr
Available
Massed Compute
Massed Compute
2×NVIDIA L40S
48GB VRAM
$0.88/GPU/hr
$1.76/hr total (2×)
Available
Massed Compute
Massed Compute
NVIDIA L40S
48GB VRAM
$0.88/GPU/hr
Available

Compare real-time pricing across 25+ providers

When to Choose the B200 NVL

Opt for the NVIDIA B200 NVL in large-scale LLM training or inference requiring over 48 GB VRAM, such as full fine-tuning of models exceeding 100 billion parameters. Its 4500 TFLOPS FP16 and 8000 GB/s bandwidth enable efficient processing of massive datasets with large batch sizes. Deploy it via NVLink or InfiniBand in multi-GPU clusters for exascale AI research.

When to Choose the L40S

Select the NVIDIA L40S for cost-sensitive inference or fine-tuning of models under 48 GB, where its $0.40 per hour starting price and 23 cloud offers provide accessibility. The 91 TFLOPS FP32 matches B200 NVL closely for scientific simulations, and 350W TDP fits dense PCIe servers. It excels in Stable Diffusion or smaller LLM deployments prioritizing availability over peak throughput.

Use Cases

LLM Training
B200 NVL

The B200 NVL's 192 GB HBM3e VRAM and 4500 TFLOPS FP16 support training of massive LLMs without model parallelism. L40S's 48 GB limits scale to smaller models.

LLM Inference
B200 NVL

B200 NVL's 9000 TFLOPS FP8 and 8000 GB/s bandwidth enable low-latency serving of large quantized models. L40S's 724 TFLOPS FP8 suffices only for modest deployments.

Fine-tuning
B200 NVL

192 GB VRAM on B200 NVL accommodates full-parameter fine-tuning of billion-parameter models. L40S requires parameter-efficient methods due to 48 GB constraint.

Stable Diffusion
L40S

L40S's 362 TFLOPS FP16 and low $0.40 per hour pricing handle image generation efficiently. B200 NVL's capabilities exceed typical needs for this task.

Scientific Computing
Either

FP32 performance is nearly identical at 90 TFLOPS for B200 NVL and 91 TFLOPS for L40S, suiting simulations. Choice depends on VRAM needs versus cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which GPU has more VRAM, B200 NVL or L40S?

The B200 NVL provides 192 GB HBM3e VRAM, four times the L40S's 48 GB GDDR6X. This enables larger models on B200 NVL. L40S fits smaller AI workloads.

How do FP16 performances compare between B200 NVL and L40S?

B200 NVL delivers 4500 TFLOPS FP16, over 12 times the L40S's 362 TFLOPS. This boosts training speed significantly on B200 NVL. L40S remains viable for lighter tasks.

What is the price difference for cloud rentals?

B200 NVL rents from $10.50 per hour with one offer, while L40S starts at $0.40 per hour averaging $1.16 across 23 offers. L40S offers better value for entry-level use. B200 NVL targets high-end needs.

Does B200 NVL or L40S have higher memory bandwidth?

B200 NVL achieves 8000 GB/s, nearly nine times the L40S's 864 GB/s. Higher bandwidth on B200 NVL supports larger batch sizes. L40S bandwidth suffices for standard inference.

Which is more power efficient?

L40S consumes 350W TDP versus B200 NVL's 1000W, allowing denser deployments. B200 NVL's higher power enables superior performance. Efficiency depends on workload scale.

Can L40S handle large model inference like B200 NVL?

L40S's 48 GB VRAM limits it to models under that size, unlike B200 NVL's 192 GB. Use quantization on L40S for approximation. B200 NVL excels in native large-model serving.

Which is cheaper to rent, the B200 or the L40S?

Cloud rental prices for both the B200 and L40S 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 L40S?

The B200 has 192 GB of HBM3e memory. The L40S has 48 GB of GDDR6X memory.

Can I find B200 and L40S 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 L40S?

The B200 uses the Blackwell architecture (2024) while the L40S uses Ada Lovelace (2023). The B200 delivers 12.4x the FP16 throughput and 9.3x the memory bandwidth of the L40S.