H100 PCIe vs RTX 3060

HoppervsAmpereUpdated 35 days ago

The H100 PCIe emerges as the superior choice for prevalent cloud AI workloads like model training and inference. Its 1979 TFLOPS FP16, 80 to 94 GB VRAM, and 3350 GB/s bandwidth deliver orders-of-magnitude faster performance than the RTX 3060's 12.7 TFLOPS and 12 GB limits, justifying the higher $1.25 per hour cost for professional scalability.

H100 PCIe from $1.90/hrRTX 3060 from $0.23/hr

Specifications Compared

SpecH100RTX-3060
TDP700W170W
VRAM80-94 GB12 GB
CUDA Cores16,8963,584
Memory TypeHBM3GDDR6
ArchitectureHopperAmpere
Form FactorsSXM5, PCIe, NVLPCIe
InterconnectNVLink, PCIe 5.0, InfiniBand
Tensor Cores528112
FP8 Performance3,958 TFLOPS
FP16 Performance1,979 TFLOPS12.7 TFLOPS
FP32 Performance67 TFLOPS12.7 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance34 TFLOPS
INT8 Performance3,958 TOPS
Memory Bandwidth3,350 GB/s360 GB/s

Performance Analysis

The H100's FP16 performance of 1979 TFLOPS accelerates deep learning training by enabling faster matrix multiplications in neural networks, a vast improvement over the RTX 3060's 12.7 TFLOPS. Its FP32 rate of 67 TFLOPS supports precise simulations, exceeding the RTX 3060's 12.7 TFLOPS. For inference, H100's FP8 at 3958 TFLOPS handles high-throughput serving of quantized models efficiently.

Memory bandwidth defines workload feasibility: H100's 3350 GB/s sustains large batch sizes in training loops, minimizing data starvation, whereas RTX 3060's 360 GB/s restricts batches and increases iteration times. The H100's 80 to 94 GB VRAM accommodates massive models without swapping, unlike the RTX 3060's 12 GB limit which forces model sharding or downsizing. Power draw reflects this: H100 at 700W for peak output, RTX 3060 at 170W for lighter duties.

These specs translate to real-world gains: H100 completes large-scale training epochs in minutes where RTX 3060 requires hours.

Live Cloud Pricing

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

H100 PCIe

ProviderGPU ModelVRAMHost SpecsRegionPriceStatusAction
Hyperstack
Hyperstack
4×NVIDIA H100 PCIe
80GB VRAM
$1.90/GPU/hr
$7.60/hr total (4×)
Available
Hyperstack
Hyperstack
2×NVIDIA H100 PCIe
80GB VRAM
$1.90/GPU/hr
$3.80/hr total (2×)
Available
Hyperstack
Hyperstack
8×NVIDIA H100 PCIe
80GB VRAM
$1.90/GPU/hr
$15.20/hr total (8×)
Available
Hyperstack
Hyperstack
NVIDIA H100 PCIe
80GB VRAM
$1.90/GPU/hr
Available
Hyperstack
Hyperstack
8×NVIDIA H100 PCIe
80GB VRAM
$1.95/GPU/hr
$15.60/hr total (8×)
Available

RTX 3060

ProviderGPU ModelVRAMHost SpecsRegionPriceStatusAction
Vast.ai
Vast.ai
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
12GB VRAM
$0.23/GPU/hr
Available
Vast.ai
Vast.ai
2×NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
12GB VRAM
$0.23/GPU/hr
$0.45/hr total (2×)
Available
Vast.ai
Vast.ai
2×NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
12GB VRAM
$0.23/GPU/hr
$0.45/hr total (2×)
Available
Vast.ai
Vast.ai
2×NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
12GB VRAM
$0.23/GPU/hr
$0.45/hr total (2×)
Available

Compare real-time pricing across 25+ providers

When to Choose the H100 PCIe

Select the H100 PCIe for large-scale LLM training or inference requiring over 80 GB VRAM and 1979 TFLOPS FP16 throughput. Its 3350 GB/s bandwidth supports massive batch sizes in production environments. Datacenter form factors like PCIe and 700W TDP integrate seamlessly into enterprise clusters with NVLink interconnects.

When to Choose the RTX 3060

Opt for the RTX 3060 in budget-constrained prototyping, gaming, or small-scale inference with models under 12 GB. Its $0.03 per hour starting price and 170W TDP suit personal or edge deployments. The 12.7 TFLOPS FP16/FP32 performance handles Stable Diffusion or fine-tuning lightweight networks adequately.

Use Cases

LLM Training
H100 PCIe

H100's 1979 TFLOPS FP16 and 80-94 GB VRAM enable training of billion-parameter models with large batches. RTX 3060's 12 GB VRAM cannot accommodate such scales.

LLM Inference
H100 PCIe

H100's 3958 TFLOPS FP8 supports high-throughput serving of quantized LLMs. RTX 3060 lacks FP8 and sufficient bandwidth at 360 GB/s.

Fine-tuning
H100 PCIe

H100 handles parameter-efficient fine-tuning on large models via 67 TFLOPS FP32. RTX 3060 suits only small models under 12 GB.

Stable Diffusion
RTX 3060

RTX 3060's 12.7 TFLOPS FP16 generates images quickly at low $0.07 per hour average cost. H100 overkill for consumer diffusion tasks.

Scientific Computing
H100 PCIe

H100's 3350 GB/s bandwidth and 700W TDP excel in simulations needing high FP32 at 67 TFLOPS. RTX 3060 limits complex datasets.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the VRAM difference between H100 PCIe and RTX 3060?

H100 PCIe provides 80 to 94 GB HBM3 VRAM, enabling large models. RTX 3060 has 12 GB GDDR6, suitable for smaller workloads. This gap affects batch sizes and model capacity.

How do cloud prices compare for these GPUs?

H100 PCIe starts at $1.25 per hour, averaging $2.75 per hour across 17 offers. RTX 3060 begins at $0.03 per hour, averaging $0.07 per hour over 12 offers. Pricing reflects performance disparity.

Which has higher FP16 performance?

H100 delivers 1979 TFLOPS FP16, ideal for AI training. RTX 3060 offers 12.7 TFLOPS, adequate for entry-level tasks. H100 provides over 150 times the throughput.

What are the TDPs of these GPUs?

H100 PCIe consumes 700W for maximum compute. RTX 3060 uses 170W, better for low-power setups. Higher TDP correlates with H100's datacenter design.

Can RTX 3060 handle LLM inference?

RTX 3060 manages small LLMs under 12 GB VRAM at 12.7 TFLOPS FP16. Larger models require H100's 80-94 GB and 3958 TFLOPS FP8. Use RTX 3060 for prototyping only.

What memory bandwidth do they offer?

H100 achieves 3350 GB/s with HBM3, supporting huge batches. RTX 3060 provides 360 GB/s GDDR6, limiting data-intensive tasks. Bandwidth drives training efficiency.

Which is cheaper to rent, the H100 or the RTX 3060?

Cloud rental prices for both the H100 and RTX 3060 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 H100 have compared to the RTX 3060?

The H100 has 80 to 94 GB of HBM3 memory. The RTX 3060 has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory.

Can I find H100 and RTX 3060 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 H100 and the RTX 3060?

The H100 uses the Hopper architecture (2022) while the RTX 3060 uses Ampere (2021). The H100 delivers 155.8x the FP16 throughput and 9.3x the memory bandwidth of the RTX 3060.

H100 PCIe vs RTX 3060: 155.8x FP16 Gap, 94GB vs 12GB | GPUPerHour