Specifications Compared
| Spec | A100 | RTX 3060 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 400W | 170W |
| VRAM | 40-80 GB | 8-12 GB |
| CUDA Cores | 6,912 | 3,584 |
| Memory Type | HBM2e | GDDR6 |
| Architecture | Ampere | Ampere |
| FP16 (dense) | 312 TFLOPS | Not published |
| Form Factors | SXM4, PCIe | PCIe |
| INT8 (dense) | 624 TOPS | Not published |
| Interconnect | NVLink, PCIe 4.0, InfiniBand | PCIe 4.0 |
| Tensor Cores | 432 | 112 |
| FP32 Performance | 19.5 TFLOPS | 12.7 TFLOPS |
| FP64 Performance | 9.7 TFLOPS | Not published |
| Memory Bandwidth | 2,039 GB/s | 360 GB/s |
| FP16 (with sparsity) | 624 TFLOPS | Not published |
| INT8 (with sparsity) | 1,248 TOPS | Not published |
Performance Analysis
The A100 dense FP16 performance of 312 TFLOPS exceeds any published figure for the RTX 3060 and the A100 sparse FP16 rating of 624 TFLOPS further widens the gap for compatible workloads. This delta allows the A100 to complete matrix operations in training and inference at rates the RTX 3060 cannot match when measured against its FP32 baseline of 12.7 TFLOPS. Memory bandwidth of 2039 GB/s on the A100 versus 360 GB/s on the RTX 3060 directly influences maximum batch sizes with the A100 sustaining larger batches in memory bound scenarios. The A100 dense INT8 rating of 624 TOPS and sparse rating of 1248 TOPS provide additional throughput options not published for the RTX 3060.
Current On-Demand Offers
Cheapest secure on-demand offer per provider that is reported in stock right now, per GPU per hour; multi-GPU instances show the whole-instance price alongside. Deploy opens the DeployGPU console for providers on the platform, otherwise the provider's own site. Stock is rechecked every minute.
A100
| Provider | Region | GPUs | Per GPU / hr | Instance / hr | Deploy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LeaderGPU | The Netherlands | 8 | $0.68 | $5.42 | Deploy |
| Vast.ai | Czechia, CZ | 1 | $0.73 | — | Deploy |
| ThunderCompute | USA | 1 | $1.09 | — | Deploy |
| Hyperstack | CANADA-1 | 1 | $1.35 | — | Deploy |
| Massed Compute | us-central-3 | 1 | $1.35 | — | Deploy |
11 providers in stock, 39 offers (cheapest per provider shown). All A100 offers, price history and alerts
RTX 3060
1 provider in stock, 2 offers (cheapest per provider shown). All RTX 3060 offers, price history and alerts
Notify me when A100 drops below a price
One email when the cheapest in-stock on-demand price per GPU-hour falls below your threshold. Cheapest right now: $0.68/GPU-hr.
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When to Choose the A100
The A100 suits large scale training jobs that require 40 to 80 GB HBM2e capacity and 2039 GB/s bandwidth to hold extensive models. Its dense FP16 rating of 312 TFLOPS and FP32 rating of 19.5 TFLOPS support accelerated scientific computing tasks where the 400W TDP is acceptable. Multi GPU NVLink configurations further favor the A100 for distributed workloads.
When to Choose the RTX 3060
The RTX 3060 fits smaller inference or fine tuning tasks that fit within 8 to 12 GB GDDR6 and operate at its FP32 rating of 12.7 TFLOPS. Its 170W TDP enables deployment in standard workstations without specialized power infrastructure. PCIe interconnect alone meets the needs of single card consumer applications.
Use Cases
The A100 supplies 40 to 80 GB HBM2e and dense FP16 performance of 312 TFLOPS that accommodate large models the RTX 3060 8 to 12 GB cannot hold.
The A100 dense FP16 rating of 312 TFLOPS and 2039 GB/s bandwidth support higher throughput than the RTX 3060 FP32 rating of 12.7 TFLOPS.
The A100 40 to 80 GB capacity and 19.5 TFLOPS FP32 rating handle parameter updates at scales beyond the RTX 3060 limits.
The RTX 3060 8 to 12 GB GDDR6 and 170W TDP suffice for typical image generation workloads without requiring the A100 higher power draw.
The A100 FP32 rating of 19.5 TFLOPS combined with 2039 GB/s bandwidth accelerates simulations the RTX 3060 12.7 TFLOPS cannot match.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the FP32 performance of each GPU?▾
The A100 reaches 19.5 TFLOPS in FP32 and the RTX 3060 reaches 12.7 TFLOPS in FP32. These figures guide selection for precision sensitive scientific workloads.
Does the A100 support sparsity in FP16?▾
The A100 lists dense FP16 at 312 TFLOPS and FP16 with sparsity at 624 TFLOPS. The RTX 3060 has no published FP16 rating for either mode.
What memory bandwidth separates the two cards?▾
The A100 achieves 2039 GB/s while the RTX 3060 achieves 360 GB/s. Higher bandwidth on the A100 permits larger batch sizes in bandwidth limited operations.
Which GPU has the lower TDP?▾
The RTX 3060 TDP is 170W compared with the A100 TDP of 400W. Lower power draw makes the RTX 3060 suitable for standard desktop installations.
Can the RTX 3060 use NVLink?▾
The RTX 3060 supports only PCIe 4.0 interconnect. The A100 adds NVLink and InfiniBand options for multi GPU scaling.
Which is cheaper to rent, the A100 or the RTX 3060?▾
Cloud rental prices for both the A100 and RTX 3060 vary by provider, configuration, and availability. This page shows live pricing from 25+ providers updated every 60 seconds. Scroll to the Live Cloud Pricing section to compare current rates.
How much VRAM does the A100 have compared to the RTX 3060?▾
The A100 has 40 to 80 GB of HBM2e memory. The RTX 3060 has 8 to 12 GB of GDDR6 memory.
Can I find A100 and RTX 3060 GPUs available to rent right now?▾
Yes. This page shows real-time availability across 25+ cloud GPU providers. The Live Cloud Pricing section displays only in-stock offers with current pricing.
What is the main difference between the A100 and the RTX 3060?▾
The A100 uses the Ampere architecture (2020) while the RTX 3060 uses Ampere (2021). The A100 has 40-80 GB of HBM2e at 2,039 GB/s; the RTX 3060 has 8-12 GB of GDDR6 at 360 GB/s, so the A100 has 5.7x the memory bandwidth of the RTX 3060.
Rent these GPUs
Each GPU page lists every current on-demand offer by provider, per GPU-hour, updated every minute.
Related comparisons
How this page is made
- Specifications come from the NVIDIA, AMD and Intel datasheets for the A100 and the RTX 3060. Dense and sparse throughput are listed separately.
- Prices and availability are live: every offer shown is an in-stock, on-demand listing from a provider we track, rechecked every minute.
- The written comparison (overview, performance notes, when to choose each card, verdict, use cases and FAQ) was drafted with an AI model from the specification table above and passed an automated check that rejects any figure not in that table. It was last generated on . It contains no prices; those are always read live.
- Read how we collect the data, or report an error on this page.
Next steps
- Rent A100Every current offer by provider, daily price history and a price alert.
- Rent RTX 3060Every current offer by provider, daily price history and a price alert.
- GPU price indexHow on-demand prices for the major GPUs have moved, updated daily.
- All GPUsEvery GPU we track, with current lows and provider counts.