NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 vs NVIDIA L40S
Side-by-side local AI comparison — VRAM, memory bandwidth, model compatibility, and estimated tokens per second across 70 open-weight models.
Quick verdict
NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 wins for local AI inference. It has 48 GB more VRAM and 56% more memory bandwidth, runs 57 models natively (vs 52), and exclusively fits 5 models the other cannot.
Analysis
The NVIDIA L40S was the data center's answer to the 48 GB workstation gap when it launched in late 2023. The RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell, arriving two years later, turns that comparison on its head: more VRAM, higher bandwidth, and a lower price tag.
Head-to-head, the Pro 6000 leads on every spec directly relevant to LLM inference: 96 GB vs 48 GB VRAM, 1,344 vs 864 GB/s bandwidth, and Blackwell architecture vs Ada. The L40S does offer passive cooling in a dual-slot PCIe card optimized for rack-mount servers, and it adds hardware-accelerated video encode/decode that matters for mixed multimedia and inference workloads. The L40S also has an established support footprint in cloud and colocation infrastructure. But for new on-prem purchases purely focused on LLM inference throughput, the Pro 6000 delivers a decisive performance-per-dollar advantage.
Bottom line: Existing L40S deployments are not urgently due for replacement — the card still handles 70B models well and cloud providers will run it for years. For new on-prem hardware decisions in 2025, the RTX Pro 6000 is the better investment: it runs the same 70B models with more headroom, faster, and at lower initial cost. The L40S remains relevant in environments where rack-mount form factor, video processing pipelines, or existing datacenter contracts drive the decision.
Specs comparison
| Spec | NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 | NVIDIA L40S |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM | 96 GB | 48 GB |
| Memory type | GDDR7 | GDDR6 |
| Bandwidth | 1344 GB/s(+56%) | 864 GB/s |
| Architecture | Blackwell | Ada Lovelace |
| Backend | CUDA | CUDA |
| Tier | Workstation | Datacenter |
| Released | 2025 | 2023 |
| Models (native) | 57 | 52 |
Estimated tokens per second
Computed from memory bandwidth and model active-parameter weight. Assumes model fits natively in VRAM.
| Model | NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 | NVIDIA L40S | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Llama 3.3 70B Instruct(70B) | 38.4 t/s(NVFP4) | 24.7 t/s(NVFP4) | +55% |
| Qwen 3.6 27B(27B) | 24.9 t/s(BF16) | 64 t/s(NVFP4) | -61% |
| Llama 3.1 8B Instruct(8B) | 42 t/s(FP32) | 27 t/s(FP32) | +56% |
| Qwen 2.5 7B Instruct(7.6B) | 44.2 t/s(FP32) | 28.4 t/s(FP32) | +56% |
Delta is NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 relative to NVIDIA L40S.
Only NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 can run(5)
Only NVIDIA L40S can run(0)
No exclusive models — NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 can run everything NVIDIA L40S can.
Both run natively(52)
These models fit in VRAM on both GPUs. Bandwidth determines which runs them faster.
- Nemotron 3 Super 120B246.4 t/svs240.7 t/s
- GPT-OSS 120B591.4 t/svs577.8 t/s
- Llama 4 Scout 109B173.9 t/svs169.9 t/s
- GLM-4.5 Air 106B246.4 t/svs240.7 t/s
- GLM-4.6V 106B246.4 t/svs240.7 t/s
- Qwen 2.5 72B Instruct37.3 t/svs24 t/s
- Llama 3.3 70B Instruct38.4 t/svs24.7 t/s
- DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B38.4 t/svs24.7 t/s
- Llama 3.1 70B Instruct38.4 t/svs24.7 t/s
- Mixtral 8x7B Instruct v0.1229.2 t/svs147.3 t/s
- Command-R 35B19.2 t/svs49.4 t/s
- Qwen 3.5 35B-A3B (MoE)246.4 t/svs633.6 t/s
- Qwen 3.6 35B19.2 t/svs49.4 t/s
- Yi 1.5 34B Chat19.5 t/svs50.2 t/s
- Qwen3 32B20.5 t/svs52.7 t/s
- Qwen 2.5 32B Instruct20.7 t/svs53.2 t/s
- +36 more on both
Which should you choose?
- • You need to run larger models (>48 GB VRAM)
- • Faster token generation is the priority
- • You want the newer architecture and longer driver support lifecycle
Frequently asked questions
- Which is better for local AI, the NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 or NVIDIA L40S?
- For local AI inference, the NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 has the edge. It offers 96 GB VRAM (vs 48 GB) and 1344 GB/s bandwidth (vs 864 GB/s), letting it run 57 models natively in VRAM vs 52 for its rival.
- How much VRAM does the NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 have vs the NVIDIA L40S?
- The NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 has 96 GB of GDDR7 at 1344 GB/s. The NVIDIA L40S has 48 GB of GDDR6 at 864 GB/s. The NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 has 48 GB more VRAM, allowing it to run 5 models the NVIDIA L40S cannot fit natively.
- Can the NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 run Llama 3.3 70B?
- Yes. The NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 runs Llama 3.3 70B natively at NVFP4 quantization at approximately 38.4 tokens per second.
- Can the NVIDIA L40S run Llama 3.3 70B?
- Yes. The NVIDIA L40S runs Llama 3.3 70B natively at NVFP4 quantization at approximately 24.7 tokens per second.
- What is the difference between the NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 and NVIDIA L40S for AI?
- The key difference for AI inference is VRAM and memory bandwidth. The NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 has 96 GB VRAM at 1344 GB/s (CUDA backend). The NVIDIA L40S has 48 GB VRAM at 864 GB/s (CUDA backend). VRAM determines which models fit; bandwidth determines tokens per second. The NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 runs 57 models natively vs 52 for the NVIDIA L40S.