NVLink Performance Impact on Llama 3.3 and Gemma 4 Workloads
July 22, 2026
Testing dual RTX 3090 setups shows that NVLink benefits tensor parallelism during inference and FSDP during training, whereas layer splitting and DDP show minimal gains. Performance improvements are most visible when inter-GPU communication is frequent at every layer or step.
HOW THIS AFFECTS YOU
●
builderYou should prioritize NVLink for tensor parallel inference and FSDP training to avoid PCIe bottlenecks.
●
researcherThis confirms that inter-GPU bandwidth remains a critical factor for distributed training methods like FSDP.