NVIDIA H100 SXM VS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
Comparing NVIDIA's Hopper-based H100 SXM against the Ada Lovelace-based RTX 4090. This cross-generational comparison reveals significant architectural improvements.
RTX 4090
📊 Detailed Specifications Comparison
| Specification | H100 SXM | RTX 4090 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture & Design | |||
| Architecture | Hopper | Ada Lovelace | - |
| Process Node | 4nm | 4nm | - |
| Target Market | datacenter | consumer | - |
| Form Factor | SXM5 | 3-slot PCIe | - |
| Memory | |||
| VRAM Capacity | 80GB | 24GB | +233% |
| Memory Type | HBM3 | GDDR6X | - |
| Memory Bandwidth | 3.35 TB/s | 1.01 TB/s | +232% |
| Memory Bus | 5120-bit | 384-bit | - |
| Compute Units | |||
| CUDA Cores | 16,896 | 16,384 | +3% |
| Tensor Cores | 528 | 512 | +3% |
| Performance (TFLOPS) | |||
| FP32 (Single Precision) | 67 TFLOPS | 82.58 TFLOPS | -19% |
| FP16 (Half Precision) | 1979 TFLOPS | 165.15 TFLOPS | +1098% |
| TF32 (Tensor Float) | 989 TFLOPS | N/A | |
| FP64 (Double Precision) | 34 TFLOPS | N/A | |
| Power & Connectivity | |||
| TDP (Power) | 700W | 450W | +56% |
| PCIe | PCIe 5.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 | - |
| NVLink | NVLink 4.0 (900 GB/s) | Not available | - |
🎯 Use Case Recommendations
LLM & Large Model Training
NVIDIA H100 SXM
Higher VRAM capacity and memory bandwidth are critical for training large language models. The H100 SXM offers 80GB compared to 24GB.
AI Inference
NVIDIA H100 SXM
For inference workloads, performance per watt matters most. Consider the balance between FP16/INT8 throughput and power consumption.
Budget-Conscious Choice
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
Based on current cloud pricing, the RTX 4090 starts at a lower hourly rate.
NVIDIA H100 SXM is Best For:
- LLM training
- Foundation model pre-training
- Small-scale inference
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is Best For:
- Image generation
- AI development
- Enterprise production
Frequently Asked Questions
Which GPU is better for AI training: H100 SXM or RTX 4090?
For AI training, the key factors are VRAM size, memory bandwidth, and tensor core performance. The H100 SXM offers 80GB of HBM3 memory with 3.35 TB/s bandwidth, while the RTX 4090 provides 24GB of GDDR6X with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth. For larger models, the H100 SXM's higher VRAM capacity gives it an advantage.
What is the price difference between H100 SXM and RTX 4090 in the cloud?
Cloud GPU rental prices vary by provider and region. Based on our data, H100 SXM starts at $0.73/hour while RTX 4090 starts at $0.20/hour. This represents a 265% price difference.
Can I use RTX 4090 instead of H100 SXM for my workload?
It depends on your specific requirements. If your model fits within 24GB of VRAM and you don't need the additional throughput of the H100 SXM, the RTX 4090 can be a cost-effective alternative. However, for workloads requiring maximum memory capacity or multi-GPU scaling, the H100 SXM's NVLink support (NVLink 4.0 (900 GB/s)) may be essential.
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