L40 vs P100

Ada LovelacevsPascalUpdated 35 days ago

The L40 emerges as the clear winner for most modern use cases. Its 48 GB VRAM and 90.5 TFLOPS outperform the P100's 16 GB and 9.3 TFLOPS by wide margins, handling current AI demands that the 2016 Pascal GPU cannot scale to efficiently.

L40 from $0.55/hrP100 from $0.60/hr

Specifications Compared

SpecL40P100
TDP300W250W
VRAM48 GB16 GB
CUDA Cores18,1763,584
Memory TypeGDDR6HBM2
ArchitectureAda LovelacePascal
Form FactorsPCIeSXM2, PCIe
InterconnectNVLink
Tensor Cores568
FP16 Performance90.5 TFLOPS9.3 TFLOPS
FP32 Performance90.5 TFLOPS9.3 TFLOPS
INT8 Performance724 TOPS
Memory Bandwidth864 GB/s732 GB/s

Performance Analysis

The L40's 90.5 TFLOPS in FP16 and FP32 vastly exceeds the P100's 9.3 TFLOPS, enabling up to tenfold faster matrix operations critical for deep learning. This delta accelerates neural network training, where FP16 handles mixed-precision computations efficiently, and FP32 ensures precise gradient updates. Inference benefits similarly, with the L40 processing larger models at higher throughputs. The L40's 864 GB/s bandwidth surpasses the P100's 732 GB/s, supporting bigger batch sizes in training: for instance, models requiring over 16 GB VRAM fit entirely on the L40, reducing data transfer bottlenecks and improving utilization. The P100's HBM2 suits memory-intensive tasks modestly, but its lower capacity limits scalability for contemporary large language models.

Live Cloud Pricing

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

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
RunPod
RunPod
NVIDIA L40S
48GB VRAM
$0.86/GPU/hr
Massed Compute
Massed Compute
NVIDIA L40
48GB VRAM
$0.86/GPU/hr
Available
Massed Compute
Massed Compute
2×NVIDIA L40
48GB VRAM
$0.86/GPU/hr
$1.72/hr total (2×)
Available

P100

ProviderGPU ModelVRAMHost SpecsRegionPriceStatusAction
LeaderGPU
LeaderGPU
2×NVIDIA Tesla P100
16GB VRAM
$0.60/GPU/hr
$1.20/hr total (2×)
Available

Compare real-time pricing across 25+ providers

When to Choose the L40

Select the L40 for demanding AI workloads like training large models or high-resolution rendering. Its 48 GB VRAM accommodates datasets exceeding 16 GB, and 90.5 TFLOPS delivers rapid iterations. At $0.67 per hour minimum, it justifies the cost for production-scale inference serving thousands of queries daily.

When to Choose the P100

Choose the P100 for budget-constrained prototyping or legacy software compatibility. Its $0.07 per hour pricing enables extensive experimentation without high costs, suitable for small-scale scientific simulations leveraging 732 GB/s bandwidth. The 250W TDP fits power-limited setups.

Use Cases

LLM Training
L40

The L40's 48 GB VRAM and 90.5 TFLOPS FP16 support large models and batches infeasible on the P100's 16 GB and 9.3 TFLOPS.

LLM Inference
L40

High 864 GB/s bandwidth and 90.5 TFLOPS enable low-latency serving of billion-parameter models, unlike the P100's limitations.

Fine-tuning
L40

90.5 TFLOPS FP32 precision speeds parameter updates on datasets over 16 GB, surpassing P100 capabilities.

Stable Diffusion
L40

48 GB VRAM handles high-resolution image generation at 90.5 TFLOPS, avoiding the P100's 16 GB memory constraints.

Scientific Computing
Either

P100 suffices for modest simulations at $0.07 per hour with 732 GB/s bandwidth; L40 excels in complex, memory-heavy analyses.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much faster is the L40 than the P100?

The L40 delivers 90.5 TFLOPS in FP16 and FP32, about 9.7 times the P100's 9.3 TFLOPS. This translates to significantly quicker training and inference for AI tasks.

Which has more VRAM, L40 or P100?

The L40 provides 48 GB GDDR6 VRAM, three times the P100's 16 GB HBM2. This enables larger models and batch sizes on the L40.

What is the price difference between L40 and P100 in the cloud?

L40 starts at $0.67 per hour averaging $0.89 across 14 offers, while P100 is from $0.07 per hour averaging $0.25 across 3 offers. P100 suits low-budget needs.

Does the L40 support PCIe form factor?

Yes, the L40 uses PCIe, matching one of the P100's form factors alongside SXM2. Both integrate into standard data center servers.

Is the P100 still viable for machine learning?

The P100's 9.3 TFLOPS and 732 GB/s bandwidth work for basic ML on small models under 16 GB. Modern workloads favor the L40's superior specs.

What architectures do L40 and P100 use?

L40 employs 2023 Ada Lovelace architecture; P100 uses 2016 Pascal. The generational gap yields L40's 864 GB/s bandwidth over P100's 732 GB/s.

Which is cheaper to rent, the L40 or the P100?

Cloud rental prices for both the L40 and P100 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 L40 have compared to the P100?

The L40 has 48 GB of GDDR6 memory. The P100 has 16 GB of HBM2 memory.

Can I find L40 and P100 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 L40 and the P100?

The L40 uses the Ada Lovelace architecture (2023) while the P100 uses Pascal (2016). The L40 delivers 9.7x the FP16 throughput and 1.2x the memory bandwidth of the P100.

L40 vs P100: 9.7x FP16 Gap, 48GB vs 16GB | GPUPerHour