Tesla K40 vs L40S
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | Tesla K40 | L40S | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 1,764 | 32,060 | -94.5% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 31 | 234 | -86.8% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 17 | 148 | -88.5% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 9 | 84 | -89.3% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 5.0 | 91.6 | -94.5% |
| VRAM | 12 GB GDDR5 | 48 GB GDDR6 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 288 | 864 | -66.7% |
| TDP (W) | 235 | 350 | — |
- L40S averages 148 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 89% faster.
- Tesla K40 draws less power (235W vs 350W).
Verdict: Tesla K40 or L40S?
Tesla K40 advantages
- Power efficiency (+33%)
L40S advantages
- 1440p gaming (+89%)
- 4K gaming (+89%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+94%)
- Video memory (+75%)
- Memory bandwidth (+67%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the Tesla K40 if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
- Choose the L40S if you game at 1440p.
Tesla K40 vs L40S: which should you choose?
Tesla K40 — NVIDIA desktop graphics card (2013, Kepler) with 12 GB of GDDR5, averaging 17 fps at 1440p.
L40S — NVIDIA desktop graphics card (2023, Ada Lovelace) with 48 GB of GDDR6, averaging 148 fps at 1440p.
Tesla K40 vs L40S: L40S is faster for gaming. L40S averages 148 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 89% faster. Tesla K40 draws less power (235W vs 350W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the L40S averages 148 fps against 17. At 4K (9 vs 84 fps) VRAM (12GB vs 48GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 235 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 Tesla K40 better than the L40S?
L40S is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. L40S averages 148 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 89% faster.
What is the main difference between the Tesla K40 and the L40S?
L40S averages 148 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 89% faster. Tesla K40 draws less power (235W vs 350W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the Tesla K40 if you want lower power draw, heat and noise. Choose the L40S 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.