NVIDIA A100 PCIe
Expert rating8.4 / 10
- GPU Brand:
- NVIDIA
- VRAM:
- 80GB HBM2e
- Memory Bandwidth:
- 1935 GB/s
- TDP:
- 300W
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Manufacturer: NVIDIA Last updated: 2026-09-14
NVIDIA A100 PCIe (80GB) Review
The NVIDIA A100 PCIe (80GB) is NVIDIA's previous-generation Ampere datacenter GPU in standard PCIe card form, and it remains one of the most widely deployed AI training and inference accelerators in existing datacenters worldwide.
It has 6,912 CUDA cores and 80GB of HBM2e at 1935 GB/s, and while the newer H100 and H200 outperform it substantially on AI workloads, the A100 PCIe's lower price, wide OEM support, and mature software ecosystem keep it in active use for both training smaller models and inference at scale.
Overview
The A100 PCIe brought NVIDIA's Ampere datacenter architecture to standard PCIe servers, offering 80GB of HBM2e in a passively cooled dual-slot card aimed at datacenters that don't use NVIDIA's proprietary SXM baseboard.
Performance & Use Case
It remains a solid choice for AI training and inference at moderate scale, HPC simulation, and data analytics workloads where H100-class throughput isn't strictly necessary and lower acquisition cost matters.
Comparison to Alternatives
Against the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 (nvidia-a100-sxm4), the PCIe card offers roughly 5% less memory bandwidth and a lower 300W power envelope in exchange for fitting into standard servers rather than requiring an HGX baseboard. Against the NVIDIA H100 PCIe (nvidia-h100-pcie), the A100 PCIe is a full generation behind with roughly a third of the AI training throughput, but costs meaningfully less and remains far more available on the secondary market. Against the NVIDIA L40S (nvidia-l40s), the A100 PCIe is a pure compute card with no ray tracing or display output, while the L40S adds graphics capability at the cost of some AI training throughput.
Specifications
Platform
| GPU Brand | NVIDIA |
|---|---|
| Board Partner | NVIDIA Reference (OEM/hyperscaler servers) |
Identity and type
| Series | Ampere A-Series |
|---|---|
| Tier | Datacenter / AI Accelerator |
Performance
| VRAM | 80 GB |
|---|---|
| Memory Type | HBM2E |
| Boost Clock | 1410 MHz |
| Ray Tracing Support | No |
Physical & Power
| TDP | 300 W |
|---|---|
| Card Length | 267 mm |
| Slot Width | 2 |
Silicon
| Architecture | Ampere (GA100) |
|---|---|
| Process Node | TSMC 7N |
| Shader Units | 6912 |
Memory
| Memory Bus Width | 5120 bit |
|---|---|
| Memory Bandwidth | 1935 GB/s |
Host interface
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 4.0 x16 |
|---|
Market and workstation
| Launch Date | 2021-06 (80GB PCIe variant; 40GB variant launched 2020-05) |
|---|
| NVLink | Optional NVLink bridge, 600 GB/s (2-GPU pairing only) |
|---|---|
| Display Outputs | None - headless compute card |
| Pricing | Enterprise/OEM quote only; street estimates roughly $10,000-$15,000 per card, largely superseded by H100/H200 for new large purchases but still widely deployed |
Expert Review
Reviewed by Burooj Alam. Rated by us, not by users.
Expert rating8.4 / 10
A mature, still-capable workhorse for AI and HPC workloads that don't need Hopper-class throughput - the value pick among NVIDIA's serious datacenter accelerators.
Best for
- AI training and inference at moderate scale
- HPC and scientific computing workloads
- Cost-sensitive datacenter deployments needing proven, mature tooling
Not for
- Gaming or any graphics workload - no display output, no RT cores
- Cutting-edge large language model training - Hopper/Blackwell generations are substantially faster
- Desktop or workstation builds - server-only passive cooling
FAQs
What are the key specifications of the NVIDIA A100 PCIe (80GB)?
The NVIDIA A100 PCIe (80GB) is a graphics card from NVIDIA. Key specs: GPU Brand NVIDIA, Tier Datacenter / AI Accelerator, Board Partner NVIDIA Reference (OEM/hyperscaler servers), VRAM 80GB HBM2e, Memory Type HBM2E.
Who is the NVIDIA A100 PCIe (80GB) best suited to?
It suits ai training and inference at moderate scale, hpc and scientific computing workloads, cost-sensitive datacenter deployments needing proven, mature tooling.
What are the drawbacks of the NVIDIA A100 PCIe (80GB)?
It is a poor fit for gaming or any graphics workload - no display output, no rt cores, cutting-edge large language model training - hopper/blackwell generations are substantially faster, desktop or workstation builds - server-only passive cooling.