Specifications Compared
| Spec | L40 | RTX-3060 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 300W | 170W |
| VRAM | 48 GB | 12 GB |
| CUDA Cores | 18,176 | 3,584 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR6 |
| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | Ampere |
| Form Factors | PCIe | PCIe |
| Interconnect | ||
| Tensor Cores | 568 | 112 |
| FP16 Performance | 90.5 TFLOPS | 12.7 TFLOPS |
| FP32 Performance | 90.5 TFLOPS | 12.7 TFLOPS |
| INT8 Performance | 724 TOPS | |
| Memory Bandwidth | 864 GB/s | 360 GB/s |
Performance Analysis
The L40's 90.5 TFLOPS in FP16 and FP32 vastly outpaces the RTX 3060 Ti's 12.7 TFLOPS, translating to roughly seven times higher throughput for machine learning training and inference tasks that rely on half-precision or single-precision floating point operations. Training large neural networks benefits from this delta, as the L40 processes tensor operations far quicker, reducing epoch times significantly. Inference workloads see similar gains, with the L40 handling more concurrent requests due to superior compute density.
Memory specifications define practical limits: the L40's 48 GB VRAM supports batch sizes up to four times larger than the RTX 3060 Ti's 12 GB, critical for training models exceeding 10 billion parameters without swapping to system RAM. The 864 GB/s bandwidth on the L40 versus 360 GB/s on the RTX 3060 Ti minimizes bottlenecks in data-heavy workloads, enabling larger effective batch sizes and faster gradient updates. The L40's 300W TDP sustains peak performance longer than the RTX 3060 Ti's 170W in prolonged sessions.
Live Cloud Pricing
Real-time prices from 25+ providers. Updated every 60 seconds.
L40
| Provider | GPU Model | VRAM | Host Specs | Region | Price | Status | Action | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 TensorDock | NVIDIA L40S 48GB VRAM | 48GB | 0 vCPU 0GB RAM | Wolverhampton | $0.55/GPU/hr | Available | ||
 RunPod | NVIDIA L40 48GB VRAM | 48GB | 8 vCPU 94GB RAM | 🌍global | $0.82/GPU/hr | |||
RunPod | NVIDIA L40S 48GB VRAM | 48GB | 16 vCPU 94GB RAM | 🌍global | $0.86/GPU/hr | |||
 Massed Compute | NVIDIA L40 48GB VRAM | 48GB | 14 vCPU 72GB RAM 625GB Storage | Iowa | $0.86/GPU/hr | Available | ||
Massed Compute | 2×NVIDIA L40 48GB VRAM | 48GB | 26 vCPU 144GB RAM 1250GB Storage | Iowa | $0.86/GPU/hr $1.72/hr total (2×) | Available |
RTX 3060 Ti
| Provider | GPU Model | VRAM | Host Specs | Region | Price | Status | Action | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Vast.ai | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB VRAM | 12GB | 36 vCPU 31GB RAM 862GB Storage | Texas | $0.23/GPU/hr | Available | ||
Vast.ai | 2×NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB VRAM | 12GB | 24 vCPU 55GB RAM 1940GB Storage | Texas | $0.23/GPU/hr $0.45/hr total (2×) | Available | ||
Vast.ai | 2×NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB VRAM | 12GB | 128 vCPU 168GB RAM 715GB Storage | Texas | $0.23/GPU/hr $0.45/hr total (2×) | Available | ||
Vast.ai | 2×NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB VRAM | 12GB | 64 vCPU 126GB RAM 3050GB Storage | Texas | $0.23/GPU/hr $0.45/hr total (2×) | Available |
When to Choose the L40
Opt for the L40 in demanding AI and HPC scenarios requiring substantial VRAM and compute. Its 48 GB GDDR6 excels for training or fine-tuning large language models where 12 GB on the RTX 3060 Ti falls short, preventing out-of-memory errors. Cloud users prioritizing 90.5 TFLOPS performance at $0.90 per hour average will find it ideal for production-scale inference serving high volumes.
When to Choose the RTX 3060 Ti
The RTX 3060 Ti suits budget-conscious prototyping and lightweight tasks. At $0.06 per hour average, it delivers 12.7 TFLOPS FP32 for small-scale fine-tuning or Stable Diffusion generation where 12 GB VRAM suffices. Developers testing code or running inference on models under 7 billion parameters benefit from its low 170W TDP and PCIe compatibility without overspending.
Use Cases
The L40's 48 GB VRAM and 90.5 TFLOPS FP16 support training models over 30 billion parameters, while the RTX 3060 Ti's 12 GB limits it to smaller scales.
High 864 GB/s bandwidth and 90.5 TFLOPS on the L40 enable low-latency serving of large models; the RTX 3060 Ti struggles with batch sizes beyond small inferences.
48 GB VRAM on the L40 accommodates full fine-tuning datasets, unlike the 12 GB on the RTX 3060 Ti which requires gradient checkpointing.
RTX 3060 Ti's 12 GB handles standard image generation at 12.7 TFLOPS; L40's 48 GB adds value only for high-resolution or batch-heavy workflows.
L40's 90.5 TFLOPS FP32 accelerates simulations with large datasets, surpassing the RTX 3060 Ti's capacity for memory-intensive computations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which GPU has more VRAM: L40 or RTX 3060 Ti?▾
The L40 provides 48 GB GDDR6 VRAM, four times the 12 GB GDDR6 on the RTX 3060 Ti. This difference allows the L40 to load much larger AI models without issues. Cloud pricing reflects this: L40 at $0.67 per hour minimum versus $0.03 for the RTX 3060 Ti.
How do FP32 performance numbers compare?▾
The L40 achieves 90.5 TFLOPS FP32, over seven times the RTX 3060 Ti's 12.7 TFLOPS. This impacts training speed directly in scientific computing. Both share PCIe form factors for easy cloud deployment.
What is the memory bandwidth difference?▾
L40 offers 864 GB/s bandwidth compared to 360 GB/s on the RTX 3060 Ti. Higher bandwidth reduces data transfer delays in inference. It pairs with the L40's 300W TDP for sustained performance.
Which is cheaper in the cloud?▾
RTX 3060 Ti starts at $0.03 per hour averaging $0.06 across 2 offers, far below L40's $0.67 minimum and $0.90 average over 15 offers. Cost favors RTX 3060 Ti for light tasks. L40 justifies expense via 90.5 TFLOPS compute.
What architectures do they use?▾
L40 uses Ada Lovelace from 2023; RTX 3060 Ti employs Ampere from 2021. Ada brings efficiency gains in FP16 at 90.5 TFLOPS. Both fit PCIe slots without interconnect needs.
Which has higher TDP?▾
L40 draws 300W TDP versus 170W on RTX 3060 Ti. Higher TDP enables L40's peak 90.5 TFLOPS longer. Consider power limits in cloud instances.
Which is cheaper to rent, the L40 or the RTX 3060?▾
Cloud rental prices for both the L40 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 L40 have compared to the RTX 3060?▾
The L40 has 48 GB of GDDR6 memory. The RTX 3060 has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory.
Can I find L40 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 L40 and the RTX 3060?▾
The L40 uses the Ada Lovelace architecture (2023) while the RTX 3060 uses Ampere (2021). The L40 delivers 7.1x the FP16 throughput and 2.4x the memory bandwidth of the RTX 3060.