L40 vs H100 PCIe 80GB
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | L40 | H100 PCIe 80GB | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 31,682 | 17,927 | +76.7% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 231 | 141 | +63.8% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 147 | 89 | +65.2% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 84 | 50 | +68.0% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 90.5 | 51.2 | +76.7% |
| VRAM | 48 GB GDDR6 | 80 GB HBM2e | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 864 | 2,000 | -56.8% |
| TDP (W) | 300 | 350 | — |
| Stable Diffusion (it/s) | 36.2 | 20.5 | +76.6% |
| LLM inference (tokens/s) | 53 | 143 | -62.9% |
- L40 averages 147 fps at 1440p versus 89 fps — about 65% faster.
- L40 draws less power (300W vs 350W).
Verdict: L40 or H100 PCIe 80GB?
L40 advantages
- 1440p gaming (+39%)
- 4K gaming (+40%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+43%)
- AI image generation (+43%)
- Power efficiency (+14%)
H100 PCIe 80GB advantages
- Video memory (+40%)
- Memory bandwidth (+57%)
- Local LLM inference (+63%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the L40 if you game at 1440p.
- 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 4K or drive a high-resolution display.
L40 vs H100 PCIe 80GB: which should you choose?
L40 — NVIDIA desktop graphics card (2022, Ada Lovelace) with 48 GB of GDDR6, averaging 147 fps at 1440p.
H100 PCIe 80GB — NVIDIA desktop graphics card (2022, Hopper) with 80 GB of HBM2e, averaging 89 fps at 1440p.
L40 vs H100 PCIe 80GB: L40 is faster for gaming. L40 averages 147 fps at 1440p versus 89 fps — about 65% 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 (84 vs 50 fps) VRAM (48GB vs 80GB) 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 300 W versus 350 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 L40 better than the H100 PCIe 80GB?
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 65% faster.
What is the main difference between the L40 and the H100 PCIe 80GB?
L40 averages 147 fps at 1440p versus 89 fps — about 65% faster. L40 draws less power (300W vs 350W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the L40 if you game at 1440p. Choose the H100 PCIe 80GB if you play the latest titles at high textures or do GPU-accelerated work.
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.