L40S vs RTX 5060

Ada LovelacevsBlackwellUpdated 36 days ago

For the most common cloud use case of AI model training and inference, the L40S emerges as the clear winner: its 362 TFLOPS FP16, 48 GB VRAM, and 864 GB/s bandwidth enable workloads infeasible on the RTX 5060's 23.1 TFLOPS and 12 GB VRAM, justifying the higher $1.10 per hour average cost with superior throughput.

L40S from $0.55/hrRTX 5060 from $0.27/hr

Specifications Compared

SpecL40SRTX-5060
TDP350W180W
VRAM48 GB12 GB
CUDA Cores18,1764,608
Memory TypeGDDR6XGDDR7
ArchitectureAda LovelaceBlackwell
Form FactorsPCIePCIe
InterconnectPCIe 4.0
Tensor Cores568144
FP8 Performance724 TFLOPS
FP16 Performance362 TFLOPS23.1 TFLOPS
FP32 Performance91 TFLOPS23.1 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance1.4 TFLOPS
INT8 Performance724 TOPS370 TOPS
Memory Bandwidth864 GB/s448 GB/s

Performance Analysis

The L40S outperforms the RTX 5060 dramatically in compute metrics, with 362 TFLOPS FP16 versus 23.1 TFLOPS: this gap favors the L40S for AI training where half-precision calculations dominate, accelerating model convergence by handling larger batches. In FP32, the L40S's 91 TFLOPS exceeds the RTX 5060's 23.1 TFLOPS, benefiting scientific simulations and rendering that require single-precision accuracy.

Memory capacity and bandwidth define practical limits: the L40S's 48 GB VRAM supports batch sizes for models exceeding 12 GB, such as large language models, while the RTX 5060 restricts users to smaller datasets. The 864 GB/s bandwidth on the L40S enables faster data transfers than the RTX 5060's 448 GB/s, reducing bottlenecks in inference pipelines with high throughput demands. Power draw reflects this, at 350W for the L40S versus 180W for the RTX 5060, implying higher infrastructure costs but superior sustained performance.

These specs translate to real-world advantages for the L40S in professional workloads, whereas the RTX 5060 suits lighter tasks where its newer architecture provides efficiency gains at lower costs.

Live Cloud Pricing

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

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

RTX 5060

ProviderGPU ModelVRAMHost SpecsRegionPriceStatusAction
Vast.ai
Vast.ai
4×NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti
16GB VRAM
$0.27/GPU/hr
$1.07/hr total (4×)
Available

Compare real-time pricing across 25+ providers

When to Choose the L40S

The L40S excels in scenarios demanding high VRAM and compute: training or fine-tuning large language models benefits from its 48 GB GDDR6X and 362 TFLOPS FP16, accommodating models that exceed the RTX 5060's 12 GB limit. Datacenter tasks like multi-GPU inference leverage its 864 GB/s bandwidth and PCIe 4.0 interconnect for scalable clusters.

Professionals prioritizing raw performance over cost select the L40S, especially at $0.40 per hour entry pricing across 18 cloud offers.

When to Choose the RTX 5060

The RTX 5060 fits budget-conscious users with modest workloads: its 12 GB GDDR7 VRAM and 23.1 TFLOPS FP16 suffice for inference on smaller models or Stable Diffusion at low resolutions. The 180W TDP and $0.07 per hour starting price (average $0.14 per hour) across 9 offers make it ideal for prototyping or personal projects.

Gaming or edge computing favors the RTX 5060's Blackwell architecture for efficiency in lighter PCIe-based setups.

Use Cases

LLM Training
L40S

The L40S's 362 TFLOPS FP16 and 48 GB VRAM handle large-scale training batches, far surpassing the RTX 5060's 23.1 TFLOPS and 12 GB limits.

LLM Inference
L40S

High memory bandwidth of 864 GB/s on the L40S supports high-throughput serving of large models, unlike the RTX 5060's 448 GB/s.

Fine-tuning
L40S

48 GB VRAM enables fine-tuning of substantial models without splitting, exceeding the RTX 5060's capacity.

Stable Diffusion
RTX 5060

The RTX 5060's 23.1 TFLOPS FP32 and low $0.07 per hour cost suffice for image generation at consumer scales.

Scientific Computing
L40S

91 TFLOPS FP32 on the L40S accelerates simulations, outperforming the RTX 5060's 23.1 TFLOPS.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which GPU has more VRAM, L40S or RTX 5060?

The L40S provides 48 GB GDDR6X VRAM, compared to the RTX 5060's 12 GB GDDR7. This makes the L40S suitable for larger AI models.

How do the FP16 performances compare?

The L40S achieves 362 TFLOPS in FP16, while the RTX 5060 reaches 23.1 TFLOPS. The L40S offers over 15 times the half-precision compute for training.

What are the cloud pricing differences?

L40S rentals start at $0.40 per hour with an average of $1.10 per hour across 18 offers; RTX 5060 starts at $0.07 per hour averaging $0.14 per hour across 9 offers.

Which has higher memory bandwidth?

The L40S delivers 864 GB/s bandwidth versus the RTX 5060's 448 GB/s. This benefits data-heavy workloads on the L40S.

Is the RTX 5060 more power efficient?

Yes, the RTX 5060 has a 180W TDP compared to the L40S's 350W. It suits low-power cloud instances.

What architecture do they use?

The L40S uses Ada Lovelace from 2023; the RTX 5060 uses Blackwell from 2025. Blackwell provides newer efficiency features.

Which is cheaper to rent, the L40S or the RTX 5060?

Cloud rental prices for both the L40S and RTX 5060 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 L40S have compared to the RTX 5060?

The L40S has 48 GB of GDDR6X memory. The RTX 5060 has 12 GB of GDDR7 memory.

Can I find L40S and RTX 5060 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 L40S and the RTX 5060?

The L40S uses the Ada Lovelace architecture (2023) while the RTX 5060 uses Blackwell (2025). The L40S delivers 15.7x the FP16 throughput and 1.9x the memory bandwidth of the RTX 5060.

L40S vs RTX 5060: 15.7x FP16 Gap, 48GB vs 12GB | GPUPerHour