GeForce RTX 3070 vs L40

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3070

2020Core: 1500 MHzBoost: 1725 MHz
RTX family
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VS

L40

2022Core: 735 MHzBoost: 2490 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce RTX 3070 vs L40 Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

GeForce RTX 3070 vs L40: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce RTX 3070

2020

Why buy it

  • Costs $30,501 less on MSRP ($499 MSRP vs $31,000 MSRP).
  • Delivers 4125.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 1.1 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $31,000 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • Draws 220W instead of 300W, a 80W reduction.
  • Measures 242mm instead of 267mm, a 25mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (22,172 vs 32,601).
  • Less VRAM, with 8 GB vs 48 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • L40 is the safer long-term pick here because the hardware is newer and the feature stack is stronger.

L40

2022

Why buy it

  • +47% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • 500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (48 GB vs 8 GB).
  • Better long-term bet: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 4nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • 6112.4% HIGHER MSRP
    $31,000 MSRPvs$499 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.1 vs 44.4 G3D/$ ($31,000 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
  • 36.4% higher power demand at 300W vs 220W.
  • 10.3% longer card at 267mm vs 242mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
L40 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 47% in PassMark G3D (32,601 vs 22,172), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
L40 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 48 GB vs 8 GB of VRAM, a 4nm process instead of 8nm, 142 vs 46 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2022 generation instead of 2020. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 3070 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $30,501 cheaper on MSRP at $499 vs $31,000, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 4125.1% (44.4 vs 1.1), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and strong 1440p, GeForce RTX 3070 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1440p and 4K headroom, L40 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce RTX 3070 vs L40 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3070

The GeForce RTX 3070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1500 MHz to 1725 MHz. It has 5888 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 22,172 points. Launch price was $499.

NVIDIA

L40

The L40 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 13 2022. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 735 MHz to 2490 MHz. It has 18176 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 142 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 32,601 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3070 scores 22,172 versus the L40's 32,601 — the L40 leads by 47%. The GeForce RTX 3070 is built on Ampere while the L40 uses Ada Lovelace, both on 8 nm vs 4 nm. Shader units: 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 18,176 (L40). Raw compute: 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 90.52 TFLOPS (L40). Boost clocks: 1725 MHz vs 2490 MHz. Ray tracing: 46 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 142 (L40) with 184 Tensor cores vs 568.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070L40
G3D Mark Score
22,172
32,601+47%
Architecture
Ampere
Ada Lovelace
Process Node
8 nm
4 nm
Shading Units
5888
18176+209%
Compute (TFLOPS)
20.31 TFLOPS
90.52 TFLOPS+346%
Boost Clock
1725 MHz
2490 MHz+44%
ROPs
96
192+100%
TMUs
184
568+209%
L1 Cache
5.8 MB
17.8 MB+207%
L2 Cache
4 MB
96 MB+2300%
Ray Tracing Cores
46
142+209%
Tensor Cores
184
568+209%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3070 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The L40 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070L40
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3070 has 8 GB of VRAM, while the L40 carries 48 GB. L40 gives you 500% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 448 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 960 GB/s (L40) — a 114.3% advantage for the L40. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3070 and 384-bit on the L40. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 96 MB (L40) — the L40 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070L40
VRAM Capacity
8 GB
48 GB+500%
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
448 GB/s
960 GB/s+114%
Bus Width
256-bit
384-bit+50%
L2 Cache
4 MB
96 MB+2300%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 12.2 (L40). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070L40
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12.2+2%
Vulkan
1.4+8%
1.3
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3070) vs NVENC 8th Gen (L40). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs NVDEC 5th Gen. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs AV1,HEVC,H.264,VP9 (L40).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070L40
Encoder
NVENC 7th gen
NVENC 8th Gen
Decoder
NVDEC 5th gen
NVDEC 5th Gen
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9
AV1,HEVC,H.264,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3070 draws 220W versus the L40's 300W — a 30.8% difference. The GeForce RTX 3070 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 750W (L40). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 16-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 80°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070L40
TDP
220W-27%
300W
Recommended PSU
650W-13%
750W
Power Connector
8-pin
16-pin
Length
242mm
267mm
Height
112mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75°C-6%
80°C
Perf/Watt
100.8
108.7+8%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3070 came in at $499, while the L40 launched at $31000. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3070 was 98.4% cheaper ($30501 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 1.1 (L40) — the GeForce RTX 3070 offers 3936.4% better value. The newer card here is L40 (2022 vs 2020).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070L40
MSRP
$499-98%
$31000
Performance per Dollar
44.4+3936%
1.1
Codename
GA104
AD102
Release
September 1 2020
October 13 2022
Ranking
#63
#61

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