GPU COMPARISON

H100 SXM vs PCIe: Choosing the Right Form Factor

Summary • 12 Data Sources

What's the difference between H100 SXM and PCIe?

H100 SXM offers 700W TDP, 3.35 TB/s bandwidth, and NVLink connectivity but requires specialized DGX/HGX chassis (~$35K GPU). H100 PCIe uses 350W, has 2.0 TB/s bandwidth, and fits standard servers (~$28K GPU). Choose SXM for multi-GPU training; PCIe for single-GPU inference or limited power budgets.

Key Data Points

Form Factor: SXM (Mezzanine) vs PCIe (Standard Card)
Power (TDP): 700W (SXM) vs 350W (PCIe)
Bandwidth: 3.35 TB/s (SXM) vs 2.0 TB/s (PCIe)
NVLink: 900 GB/s (SXM) vs None (PCIe)
Price: ~$35K (SXM) vs ~$28K (PCIe)

Compare Lease Rates →Calculate Residual Value

SXM vs PCIe Specifications

Specification	H100 SXM5	H100 PCIe	Winner
Form Factor	SXM5 (DGX/HGX required)	PCIe Gen5 x16	PCIe (compatibility)
GPU Memory	80 GB HBM3	80 GB HBM3	Tie
Memory Bandwidth	3.35 TB/s	2.0 TB/s	SXM (+67%)
TDP	700W	350W	PCIe (50% less power)
NVLink	NVLink 4.0 (900 GB/s)	Not available	SXM only
FP8 Performance	3,958 TFLOPS	2,000 TFLOPS	SXM (~2x)
Purchase Price (GPU only)	~$35,000	~$28,000	PCIe (-20%)
Lease Rate (On-Demand)	$2.80 - $3.50/hr	$2.00 - $2.50/hr	PCIe (-25%)
Chassis Requirement	DGX H100, HGX H100	Standard 4U servers	PCIe (flexibility)

Best Use Cases

Choose H100 SXM When:

•Multi-GPU training with NVLink required
•Maximum performance is priority over cost
•Building DGX-style 8-GPU clusters
•Training large language models (7B+)
•Liquid cooling infrastructure available

Choose H100 PCIe When:

•Single-GPU inference workloads
•Limited power budget (350W vs 700W)
•Using existing standard server infrastructure
•Air-cooled datacenter environment
•Cost optimization is priority

Total Cost of Ownership (3-Year)

8x H100 SXM (DGX H100)

Hardware (DGX H100)$500,000

Power (700W x 8 x 3yr)$88,000

Cooling (liquid)$25,000

Support & Maintenance$75,000

Total 3-Year TCO~$688,000

Per-GPU Training Perf3,958 TFLOPS

8x H100 PCIe (Standard Servers)

Hardware (8x GPU + servers)$280,000

Power (350W x 8 x 3yr)$44,000

Cooling (air)$10,000

Support & Maintenance$42,000

Total 3-Year TCO~$376,000

Per-GPU Training Perf2,000 TFLOPS

SXM costs ~83% more but delivers ~98% more training performance. For training-heavy workloads, SXM has better TCO per TFLOP.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I upgrade from PCIe to SXM later?

No, SXM and PCIe are completely different form factors requiring different infrastructure. SXM requires DGX/HGX baseboard with specialized cooling. This is not an upgrade path—it's a full hardware replacement.

Is NVLink really necessary for training?

For multi-GPU training on models larger than 13B parameters, yes. NVLink provides 900 GB/s GPU-to-GPU bandwidth vs ~64 GB/s over PCIe. This 14x bandwidth difference significantly impacts training time for large models.

Which has better residual value?

PCIe cards typically hold value better because they're more versatile and fit standard servers. SXM cards require matching DGX/HGX systems, limiting the resale market. Expect 10-15% better residual on PCIe after 3 years.

What about H100 NVL (dual-GPU)?

The H100 NVL is a PCIe form factor with NVLink Bridge connecting 2 GPUs. It offers NVLink benefits with PCIe compatibility, but only for 2-GPU setups. Good middle ground for small-scale training.