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.

L40

2022

Why buy it

✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (48 GB vs 32 GB).
✅More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (32,601 vs 35,431).
❌Weaker long-term outlook: RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.
❌
1192.2% HIGHER MSRP
$31,000 MSRPvs$2,399 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.1 vs 14.8 G3D/$ ($31,000 MSRP vs $2,399 MSRP).
❌50% higher power demand at 300W vs 200W.

RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell

2025

Why buy it

✅+8.7% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $28,601 less on MSRP ($2,399 MSRP vs $31,000 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1304.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 14.8 vs 1.1 G3D/$ ($2,399 MSRP vs $31,000 MSRP).
✅More future proof: Blackwell 2.0 (2025−2026) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 200W instead of 300W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 32 GB vs 48 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

L40

2022

RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell

2025

Why buy it

✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (48 GB vs 32 GB).
✅More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅+8.7% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $28,601 less on MSRP ($2,399 MSRP vs $31,000 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1304.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 14.8 vs 1.1 G3D/$ ($2,399 MSRP vs $31,000 MSRP).
✅More future proof: Blackwell 2.0 (2025−2026) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 200W instead of 300W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (32,601 vs 35,431).
❌Weaker long-term outlook: RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.
❌
1192.2% HIGHER MSRP
$31,000 MSRPvs$2,399 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.1 vs 14.8 G3D/$ ($31,000 MSRP vs $2,399 MSRP).
❌50% higher power demand at 300W vs 200W.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 32 GB vs 48 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Quick Answers

So, is RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell better than L40?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 32,601 vs 35,431 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (200W vs 300W).

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

RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2025 generation instead of 2022 and 8.7% more raw performance headroom. That extra performance headroom should help it hold higher settings and newer game demands for longer.

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

RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell is about $28,601 cheaper on MSRP at $2,399 MSRP versus $31,000 MSRP, and you are getting 8.7% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 1304.4%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is L40 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. L40 is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is excellent for 1080p and 1440p maxed-out gaming, and still very capable for 4K in many titles. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $31,000 MSRP, even if RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

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.

L40 Benchmark Check

RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	L40	RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell
1080p
low	281 FPS	275 FPS
medium	252 FPS	255 FPS
high	207 FPS	216 FPS
ultra	131 FPS	189 FPS
1440p
low	251 FPS	260 FPS
medium	211 FPS	216 FPS
high	152 FPS	172 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	155 FPS
4K
low	116 FPS	179 FPS
medium	97 FPS	149 FPS
high	66 FPS	112 FPS
ultra	57 FPS	100 FPS

Open L40 Open RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	L40	RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell
1080p
low	525 FPS	709 FPS
medium	407 FPS	574 FPS
high	310 FPS	418 FPS
ultra	268 FPS	356 FPS
1440p
low	440 FPS	546 FPS
medium	351 FPS	458 FPS
high	273 FPS	351 FPS
ultra	215 FPS	279 FPS
4K
low	233 FPS	300 FPS
medium	183 FPS	252 FPS
high	162 FPS	222 FPS
ultra	134 FPS	183 FPS

Open L40 Open RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	L40	RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell
1080p
low	999 FPS	925 FPS
medium	999 FPS	757 FPS
high	978 FPS	682 FPS
ultra	734 FPS	591 FPS
1440p
low	970 FPS	716 FPS
medium	880 FPS	586 FPS
high	734 FPS	516 FPS
ultra	550 FPS	442 FPS
4K
low	569 FPS	497 FPS
medium	493 FPS	411 FPS
high	437 FPS	362 FPS
ultra	367 FPS	302 FPS

Open L40 Open RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	L40	RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell
1080p
low	492 FPS	932 FPS
medium	430 FPS	858 FPS
high	383 FPS	752 FPS
ultra	293 FPS	688 FPS
1440p
low	346 FPS	714 FPS
medium	311 FPS	645 FPS
high	273 FPS	564 FPS
ultra	208 FPS	504 FPS
4K
low	229 FPS	525 FPS
medium	197 FPS	476 FPS
high	156 FPS	425 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	378 FPS

Open L40 Open RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of L40 and RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell

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.

RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell

The RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 18 2025. It features the Blackwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1635 MHz to 2407 MHz. It has 10496 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 82 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 35,431 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the L40 scores 32,601 versus the RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell's 35,431 — the RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell leads by 8.7%. The L40 is built on Ada Lovelace while the RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell uses Blackwell 2.0, both on 4 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 18,176 (L40) vs 10,496 (RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell). Raw compute: 90.52 TFLOPS (L40) vs 50.53 TFLOPS (RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell). Boost clocks: 2490 MHz vs 2407 MHz. Ray tracing: 142 RT cores (L40) vs 82 (RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell) with 568 Tensor cores vs 328.

Feature	L40	RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell
G3D Mark Score	32,601	35,431+9%
Architecture	Ada Lovelace	Blackwell 2.0
Process Node	4 nm	5 nm
Shading Units	18176+73%	10496
Compute (TFLOPS)	90.52 TFLOPS+79%	50.53 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	2490 MHz+3%	2407 MHz
ROPs	192+71%	112
TMUs	568+73%	328
L1 Cache	17.8 MB+73%	10.3 MB
L2 Cache	96 MB+50%	64 MB
Ray Tracing Cores	142+73%	82
Tensor Cores	568+73%	328

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The L40 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	L40	RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell
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 L40 comes with 48 GB of VRAM, while the RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell has 32 GB. The L40 offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 960 GB/s (L40) vs 1024 GB/s (RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell) — a 6.7% advantage for the RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell. Bus width: 384-bit vs 384-bit. L2 Cache: 96 MB (L40) vs 64 MB (RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell) — the L40 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	L40	RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell
VRAM Capacity	48 GB+50%	32 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR7
Memory Bandwidth	960 GB/s	1024 GB/s+7%
Bus Width	384-bit	384-bit
L2 Cache	96 MB+50%	64 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.2 (L40) vs 12.2 (RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	L40	RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell
DirectX	12.2	12.2
Vulkan	1.3	1.4+8%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 8th Gen (L40) vs 9th Gen NVENC (2x) (RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs 6th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: AV1,HEVC,H.264,VP9 (L40) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell).

Feature	L40	RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell
Encoder	NVENC 8th Gen	9th Gen NVENC (2x)
Decoder	NVDEC 5th Gen	6th Gen NVDEC
Codecs	AV1,HEVC,H.264,VP9	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The L40 draws 300W versus the RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell's 200W — a 40% difference. The RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (L40) vs 650W (RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell). Power connectors: 16-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 267mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 80°C.

Feature	L40	RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell
TDP	300W	200W-33%
Recommended PSU	750W	650W-13%
Power Connector	16-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	267mm	267mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	80°C	80°C
Perf/Watt	108.7	177.2+63%

💰

Value Analysis

The L40 launched at $31000 MSRP, while the RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell launched at $2399. The RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell costs 92.3% less ($28601 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.1 (L40) vs 14.8 (RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell) — the RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell offers 1245.5% better value. The RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell is the newer GPU (2025 vs 2022).