H100 PCIe 80GB vs L40
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | H100 PCIe 80GB | L40 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 17,927 | 31,682 | -43.4% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 141 | 231 | -39.0% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 89 | 147 | -39.5% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 50 | 84 | -40.5% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 51.2 | 90.5 | -43.4% |
| VRAM | 80 GB HBM2e | 48 GB GDDR6 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 2,000 | 864 | +131.5% |
| TDP (W) | 350 | 300 | — |
| Stable Diffusion (it/s) | 20.5 | 36.2 | -43.4% |
| LLM inference (tokens/s) | 143 | 53 | +169.8% |
- L40 averages 147 fps at 1440p versus 89 fps — about 39% faster.
- L40 draws less power (300W vs 350W).
Verdict: H100 PCIe 80GB or L40?
H100 PCIe 80GB advantages
- Video memory (+40%)
- Memory bandwidth (+57%)
- Local LLM inference (+63%)
L40 advantages
- 1440p gaming (+39%)
- 4K gaming (+40%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+43%)
- AI image generation (+43%)
- Power efficiency (+14%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the H100 PCIe 80GB if you play the latest titles at high textures or do GPU-accelerated work.
- Choose the L40 if you game at 1440p.
- Choose the H100 PCIe 80GB if you work with high-resolution textures or memory-bound workloads.
H100 PCIe 80GB vs L40: which should you choose?
H100 PCIe 80GB — NVIDIA desktop graphics card (2022, Hopper) with 80 GB of HBM2e, averaging 89 fps at 1440p.
L40 — NVIDIA desktop graphics card (2022, Ada Lovelace) with 48 GB of GDDR6, averaging 147 fps at 1440p.
H100 PCIe 80GB vs L40: L40 is faster for gaming. L40 averages 147 fps at 1440p versus 89 fps — about 39% faster. L40 draws less power (300W vs 350W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the L40 averages 147 fps against 89. At 4K (50 vs 84 fps) VRAM (80GB vs 48GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
AI and creator workloads
Beyond gaming, the L40 is quicker for AI image generation (36.2 vs 20.5 it/s in Stable Diffusion) and local LLM inference (143 vs 53 tokens/s), which increasingly matters for creators and developers.
Power and value
Board power is 350 W versus 300 W, which affects PSU headroom, case cooling and noise.
The verdict
Both are credible choices in the graphics card comparison space; the specification table above lays out every metric so you can weigh the trade-offs that matter to you. Pick the one whose strengths line up with how you will actually use it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the H100 PCIe 80GB better than the L40?
L40 takes the overall edge, though H100 PCIe 80GB wins in specific areas worth weighing. L40 averages 147 fps at 1440p versus 89 fps — about 39% faster.
What is the main difference between the H100 PCIe 80GB and the L40?
L40 averages 147 fps at 1440p versus 89 fps — about 39% faster. L40 draws less power (300W vs 350W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the H100 PCIe 80GB if you play the latest titles at high textures or do GPU-accelerated work. Choose the L40 if you game at 1440p.
Methodology
Graphics cards are compared on 3DMark Time Spy scores, average gaming frame rates at 1080p/1440p/4K, FP32 compute throughput, VRAM capacity and type, memory bandwidth, board power (TDP) and launch MSRP — plus AI workload throughput (Stable Diffusion iterations/s and local LLM tokens/s) where measured. Vintage and server GPUs without modern benchmark results are compared on specifications only, clearly labelled. Frame rates are averages across a game suite at high settings; specific titles vary.