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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

L40S

2022

Why buy it

✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (48 GB vs 16 GB).
✅More future proof: Ada Lovelace on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌
575.1% HIGHER MSRP
$7,500 MSRPvs$1,111 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.7 vs 17.5 G3D/$ ($7,500 MSRP vs $1,111 MSRP).
❌114.3% higher power demand at 300W vs 140W.
❌10.8% longer card at 267mm vs 241mm.

RTX A4000

2021

Why buy it

✅Costs $6,389 less on MSRP ($1,111 MSRP vs $7,500 MSRP).
✅Delivers 556.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 17.5 vs 2.7 G3D/$ ($1,111 MSRP vs $7,500 MSRP).
✅Draws 140W instead of 300W, a 160W reduction.
✅Measures 241mm instead of 267mm, a 26mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 16 GB vs 48 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

L40S

2022

RTX A4000

2021

Why buy it

✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (48 GB vs 16 GB).
✅More future proof: Ada Lovelace on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Costs $6,389 less on MSRP ($1,111 MSRP vs $7,500 MSRP).
✅Delivers 556.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 17.5 vs 2.7 G3D/$ ($1,111 MSRP vs $7,500 MSRP).
✅Draws 140W instead of 300W, a 160W reduction.
✅Measures 241mm instead of 267mm, a 26mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌
575.1% HIGHER MSRP
$7,500 MSRPvs$1,111 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.7 vs 17.5 G3D/$ ($7,500 MSRP vs $1,111 MSRP).
❌114.3% higher power demand at 300W vs 140W.
❌10.8% longer card at 267mm vs 241mm.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 16 GB vs 48 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Quick Answers

So, is L40S better than RTX A4000?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 20,023 vs 19,463 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer L40S is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

L40S is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2021, more VRAM at 48 GB instead of 16 GB, 195.8% more ray-tracing hardware, and a 5nm process instead of 8nm. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

RTX A4000 can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $1,111 MSRP. L40S is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. L40S is about 575.1% more expensive on MSRP at $7,500 MSRP versus $1,111 MSRP, and you are getting 2.9% higher G3D Mark. Moving to $7,500 MSRP gets you newer hardware, and no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

Is RTX A4000 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. RTX A4000 is still a strong gaming card in 2026: it is very strong for 1080p, good for 1440p, and more limited at 4K. Price is really the swing factor here. If you find it at or below $1,111 MSRP, it remains a very sensible buy. L40S is still the safer recommendation for most fresh builds because it offers a cleaner overall package with newer hardware and no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

L40S Benchmark Check

RTX A4000 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	L40S	RTX A4000
1080p
low	287 FPS	166 FPS
medium	256 FPS	148 FPS
high	216 FPS	125 FPS
ultra	136 FPS	90 FPS
1440p
low	256 FPS	146 FPS
medium	214 FPS	124 FPS
high	158 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	98 FPS	66 FPS
4K
low	117 FPS	70 FPS
medium	98 FPS	60 FPS
high	68 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	59 FPS	38 FPS

Open L40S Open RTX A4000

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	L40S	RTX A4000
1080p
low	784 FPS	261 FPS
medium	629 FPS	219 FPS
high	478 FPS	182 FPS
ultra	416 FPS	158 FPS
1440p
low	646 FPS	187 FPS
medium	528 FPS	150 FPS
high	411 FPS	129 FPS
ultra	332 FPS	107 FPS
4K
low	338 FPS	95 FPS
medium	273 FPS	78 FPS
high	240 FPS	68 FPS
ultra	201 FPS	53 FPS

Open L40S Open RTX A4000

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	L40S	RTX A4000
1080p
low	901 FPS	873 FPS
medium	721 FPS	701 FPS
high	601 FPS	584 FPS
ultra	451 FPS	438 FPS
1440p
low	676 FPS	657 FPS
medium	541 FPS	526 FPS
high	451 FPS	438 FPS
ultra	338 FPS	328 FPS
4K
low	451 FPS	438 FPS
medium	360 FPS	350 FPS
high	300 FPS	292 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	219 FPS

Open L40S Open RTX A4000

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	L40S	RTX A4000
1080p
low	483 FPS	282 FPS
medium	422 FPS	246 FPS
high	376 FPS	201 FPS
ultra	288 FPS	173 FPS
1440p
low	345 FPS	217 FPS
medium	312 FPS	193 FPS
high	274 FPS	159 FPS
ultra	209 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	224 FPS	132 FPS
medium	193 FPS	113 FPS
high	153 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	117 FPS	73 FPS

Open L40S Open RTX A4000

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of L40S and RTX A4000

L40S

The L40S is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 13 2022. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 1110 MHz to 2520 MHz. It has 18176 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 142 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 20,023 points.

RTX A4000

The RTX A4000 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 12 2021. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 735 MHz to 1560 MHz. It has 6144 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 140W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 48 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 19,463 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The L40S scores 20,023 and the RTX A4000 reaches 19,463 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The L40S is built on Ada Lovelace while the RTX A4000 uses Ampere, both on 5 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 18,176 (L40S) vs 6,144 (RTX A4000). Raw compute: 91.61 TFLOPS (L40S) vs 19.17 TFLOPS (RTX A4000). Boost clocks: 2520 MHz vs 1560 MHz. Ray tracing: 142 RT cores (L40S) vs 48 (RTX A4000) with 568 Tensor cores vs 192.

Feature	L40S	RTX A4000
G3D Mark Score	20,023+3%	19,463
Architecture	Ada Lovelace	Ampere
Process Node	5 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	18176+196%	6144
Compute (TFLOPS)	91.61 TFLOPS+378%	19.17 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	2520 MHz+62%	1560 MHz
ROPs	192+100%	96
TMUs	568+196%	192
L1 Cache	17.8 MB+197%	6 MB
L2 Cache	48 MB+1100%	4 MB
Ray Tracing Cores	142+196%	48
Tensor Cores	568+196%	192

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The RTX A4000 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The L40S relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	L40S	RTX A4000
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The L40S comes with 48 GB of VRAM, while the RTX A4000 has 16 GB. The L40S offers 200% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 960 GB/s (L40S) vs 448 GB/s (RTX A4000) — a 114.3% advantage for the L40S. Bus width: 384-bit vs 192-bit. L2 Cache: 48 MB (L40S) vs 4 MB (RTX A4000) — the L40S has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	L40S	RTX A4000
VRAM Capacity	48 GB+200%	16 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	960 GB/s+114%	448 GB/s
Bus Width	384-bit+100%	192-bit
L2 Cache	48 MB+1100%	4 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.2 (L40S) vs 12.2 (RTX A4000). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	L40S	RTX A4000
DirectX	12.2	12.2
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 8th Gen (L40S) vs 7th Gen NVENC (RTX A4000). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs 5th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,AV1 (L40S) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode) (RTX A4000).

Feature	L40S	RTX A4000
Encoder	NVENC 8th Gen	7th Gen NVENC
Decoder	NVDEC 5th Gen	5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs	H.264,H.265,AV1	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode)

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The L40S draws 300W versus the RTX A4000's 140W — a 72.7% difference. The RTX A4000 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 800W (L40S) vs 650W (RTX A4000). Power connectors: 16-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 267mm vs 241mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 75°C.

Feature	L40S	RTX A4000
TDP	300W	140W-53%
Recommended PSU	800W	650W-19%
Power Connector	16-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	267mm	241mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	1-50%
Temp (Load)	85°C	75°C-12%
Perf/Watt	66.7	139.0+108%

💰

Value Analysis

The L40S launched at $7500 MSRP, while the RTX A4000 launched at $1111. The RTX A4000 costs 85.2% less ($6389 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.7 (L40S) vs 17.5 (RTX A4000) — the RTX A4000 offers 548.1% better value. The L40S is the newer GPU (2022 vs 2021).