L40 vs RTX 5000 Ada

Ada LovelacevsAda LovelaceUpdated 35 days ago

The L40 emerges as the superior choice for most AI workloads: its 48 GB VRAM, 864 GB/s bandwidth, and 90.5 TFLOPS outperform the RTX 5000 Ada's 32 GB, 576 GB/s, and 65.3 TFLOPS by 38.6 to 50 percent. Despite higher pricing from $0.67 per hour, the performance uplift justifies selection for training and large-scale inference.

L40 from $0.55/hrRTX 5000 Ada from $0.55/hr

Specifications Compared

SpecL40RTX-5000-ADA
TDP300W250W
VRAM48 GB32 GB
CUDA Cores18,17612,800
Memory TypeGDDR6GDDR6
ArchitectureAda LovelaceAda Lovelace
Form FactorsPCIePCIe
Interconnect
Tensor Cores568400
FP16 Performance90.5 TFLOPS65.3 TFLOPS
FP32 Performance90.5 TFLOPS65.3 TFLOPS
INT8 Performance724 TOPS1,044 TOPS
Memory Bandwidth864 GB/s576 GB/s

Performance Analysis

Compute performance favors the L40: its 90.5 TFLOPS in FP16 and FP32 exceeds the RTX 5000 Ada's 65.3 TFLOPS by 38.6 percent, accelerating matrix operations central to deep learning. This delta translates to faster training epochs and inference latencies in neural networks, particularly where half-precision computations dominate.

Memory bandwidth impacts data throughput profoundly: the L40's 864 GB/s enables larger batch sizes than the RTX 5000 Ada's 576 GB/s, reducing overhead in training loops and improving utilization for large models. For instance, vision transformers or LLMs benefit from this, as higher bandwidth minimizes stalls during weight loading.

VRAM capacity determines model scalability: 48 GB on the L40 supports sequences up to 50 percent longer than the 32 GB on the RTX 5000 Ada without model parallelism. In inference, this allows serving larger batches; in training, it accommodates bigger datasets. The L40's 300W TDP sustains peak performance longer than the 250W RTX 5000 Ada under sustained loads, though efficiency per watt leans toward the latter at 0.261 TFLOPS/W versus 0.302 TFLOPS/W.

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
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

RTX 5000 Ada

ProviderGPU ModelVRAMHost SpecsRegionPriceStatusAction
TensorDock
TensorDock
NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation
32GB VRAM
$0.55/GPU/hr
Available
RunPod
RunPod
NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation
32GB VRAM
$0.83/GPU/hr

Compare real-time pricing across 25+ providers

When to Choose the L40

Opt for the L40 in memory-intensive AI workloads such as training large language models exceeding 32 GB VRAM requirements. Its 48 GB capacity and 864 GB/s bandwidth handle extended context lengths and high-resolution datasets without fragmentation. Cloud users prioritizing throughput over cost will value the 90.5 TFLOPS for 38.6 percent faster iterations across 14 pricing options starting at $0.67 per hour.

When to Choose the RTX 5000 Ada

Select the RTX 5000 Ada for cost-sensitive deployments like inference on mid-sized models fitting within 32 GB VRAM. At $0.25 per hour average $0.51, it delivers 65.3 TFLOPS efficiently at 250W TDP, ideal for batch processing under budget constraints. Its 576 GB/s bandwidth suffices for standard fine-tuning tasks across fewer but economical 5 cloud offers.

Use Cases

LLM Training
L40

The L40's 48 GB VRAM and 90.5 TFLOPS support larger models and batches compared to the RTX 5000 Ada's 32 GB and 65.3 TFLOPS.

LLM Inference
L40

Higher 864 GB/s bandwidth on the L40 enables bigger inference batches; 48 GB VRAM fits extended contexts better than 32 GB.

Fine-tuning
Either

Both offer comparable FP16/FP32 at 90.5 versus 65.3 TFLOPS; choose RTX 5000 Ada for cost savings if models fit 32 GB.

Stable Diffusion
L40

L40's 48 GB VRAM manages high-resolution generations without swapping; 38.6 percent higher FLOPS speeds diffusion steps.

Scientific Computing
RTX 5000 Ada

RTX 5000 Ada's lower $0.25 per hour pricing suits simulations within 32 GB; 250W TDP provides efficiency for FP32 tasks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which has more VRAM, L40 or RTX 5000 Ada?

The L40 offers 48 GB GDDR6 VRAM, exceeding the RTX 5000 Ada's 32 GB. This advantage supports larger models in AI tasks.

How do their FLOPS compare?

L40 delivers 90.5 TFLOPS in FP16 and FP32, 38.6 percent above the RTX 5000 Ada's 65.3 TFLOPS. This boosts training and inference speeds.

What is the price difference in cloud rentals?

RTX 5000 Ada starts at $0.25 per hour averaging $0.51 across 5 offers; L40 from $0.67 averaging $0.89 over 14 offers.

Does bandwidth differ significantly?

L40 provides 864 GB/s, 50 percent more than RTX 5000 Ada's 576 GB/s. Higher bandwidth improves batch processing in ML pipelines.

Which is better for power efficiency?

RTX 5000 Ada achieves 0.261 TFLOPS per watt at 250W TDP, slightly outperforming L40's 0.302 TFLOPS per watt at 300W.

Are both suitable for PCIe servers?

Yes, both use PCIe form factors without specified interconnects. They integrate easily into standard cloud GPU instances.

Which is cheaper to rent, the L40 or the RTX 5000 Ada?

Cloud rental prices for both the L40 and RTX 5000 Ada 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 5000 Ada?

The L40 has 48 GB of GDDR6 memory. The RTX 5000 Ada has 32 GB of GDDR6 memory.

Can I find L40 and RTX 5000 Ada 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 5000 Ada?

The L40 uses the Ada Lovelace architecture (2023) while the RTX 5000 Ada uses Ada Lovelace (2023). The L40 delivers 1.4x the FP16 throughput and 1.5x the memory bandwidth of the RTX 5000 Ada.