RTX 4090 vs RTX 3090

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Combined performance score

RTX 3090
69.24

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 3090 by 44% in our combined benchmark results.

General info

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in performance ranking191
Place by popularitynot in top-1007
Value for money13.6010.69
ArchitectureAmpere (2020−2022)Ada Lovelace
GPU code nameAmpere GA102AD102-300-A1
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Release date24 September 2020 (3 years old)20 September 2022 (1 year old)
Launch price (MSRP)$1,499 $1,599
Current price$1198 (0.8x MSRP)$1756 (1.1x MSRP)
Value for money

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

RTX 3090 has 27% better value for money than RTX 4090.

Technical specs

General performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. These parameters indirectly speak of performance, but for precise assessment you have to consider their benchmark and gaming test results. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores1049616384
Core clock speed1400 MHz2235 MHz
Boost clock speed1700 MHz2520 MHz
Number of transistors28,300 million76,300 million
Manufacturing process technology8 nm5 nm
Power consumption (TDP)350 Watt450 Watt
Texture fill rate556.01,290

Size and compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

InterfacePCIe 4.0 x16PCIe 4.0 x16
Length313 mm304 mm
Width3-slot3-slot
Supplementary power connectors1x 12-pin1x 16-pin

Memory

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeGDDR6XGDDR6X
Maximum RAM amount24 GB24 GB
Memory bus width384 Bit384 Bit
Memory clock speed19500 MHz21000 MHz
Memory bandwidth936.2 GB/s1,008 GB/s
Shared memory--

Video outputs and ports

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
HDMI++

API support

List of supported graphics and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX12 Ultimate (12_2)12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model6.56.6
OpenGL4.64.6
OpenCL2.03.0
Vulkan1.21.3
CUDA8.58.9

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark performance comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

RTX 3090 69.24
RTX 4090 100.00
+44.4%

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 3090 by 44% in our combined benchmark results.


Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark, part of Passmark PerformanceTest suite. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

Benchmark coverage: 25%

RTX 3090 26834
RTX 4090 38753
+44.4%

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 3090 by 44% in Passmark.

3DMark Vantage Performance

3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.

Benchmark coverage: 17%

RTX 3090 121431
RTX 4090 137170
+13%

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 3090 by 13% in 3DMark Vantage Performance.

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

Benchmark coverage: 17%

RTX 3090 61569
RTX 4090 104937
+70.4%

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 3090 by 70% in 3DMark 11 Performance GPU.

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

Benchmark coverage: 14%

RTX 3090 47774
RTX 4090 73174
+53.2%

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 3090 by 53% in 3DMark Fire Strike Graphics.

3DMark Cloud Gate GPU

Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid.

Benchmark coverage: 14%

RTX 3090 231656
RTX 4090 250667
+8.2%

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 3090 by 8% in 3DMark Cloud Gate GPU.

3DMark Ice Storm GPU

Ice Storm Graphics is an obsolete benchmark, part of 3DMark suite. Ice Storm was used to measure entry level laptops and Windows-based tablets performance. It utilizes DirectX 11 feature level 9 to display a battle between two space fleets near a frozen planet in 1280x720 resolution. Discontinued in January 2020, it is now superseded by 3DMark Night Raid.

Benchmark coverage: 8%

RTX 3090 763636
RTX 4090 771257
+1%

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 3090 by 1% in 3DMark Ice Storm GPU.

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 maya-04

Benchmark coverage: 3%

RTX 3090 300
RTX 4090 310
+3.3%

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 3090 by 3% in SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 maya-04.

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 sw-03

Benchmark coverage: 3%

RTX 3090 105
RTX 4090 127
+21.5%

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 3090 by 22% in SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 sw-03.

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 snx-02

Benchmark coverage: 3%

RTX 3090 16
RTX 4090 28
+72%

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 3090 by 72% in SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 snx-02.

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 catia-04

Benchmark coverage: 3%

RTX 3090 170
RTX 4090 265
+56.3%

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 3090 by 56% in SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 catia-04.

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 creo-01

Benchmark coverage: 3%

RTX 3090 93
RTX 4090 120
+28.1%

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 3090 by 28% in SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 creo-01.

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 mediacal-01

Benchmark coverage: 3%

RTX 3090 86
RTX 4090 268
+211%

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 3090 by 211% in SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 mediacal-01.

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 showcase-01

Benchmark coverage: 3%

RTX 3090 262
RTX 4090 437
+66.8%

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 3090 by 67% in SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 showcase-01.

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 energy-01

Benchmark coverage: 3%

RTX 3090 26
RTX 4090 84
+227%

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 3090 by 227% in SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 energy-01.

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 3dsmax-05

Benchmark coverage: 2%

RTX 3090 368
RTX 4090 550
+49.3%

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 3090 by 49% in SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 3dsmax-05.

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD195
−35.9%
265
+35.9%
1440p134
−58.2%
212
+58.2%
4K92
−63%
150
+63%

Performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 207
−8.7%
225
+8.7%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 138
−70.3%
235
+70.3%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 113
−154%
287
+154%
Battlefield 5 172
−12.2%
190−200
+12.2%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 177
−0.6%
170−180
+0.6%
Cyberpunk 2077 176
−26.1%
222
+26.1%
Far Cry 5 202
−3.5%
209
+3.5%
Far Cry New Dawn 169
−5.3%
178
+5.3%
Forza Horizon 4 175
−77.7%
300−350
+77.7%
Hitman 3 199
−10.1%
210−220
+10.1%
Horizon Zero Dawn 191
−44%
275
+44%
Red Dead Redemption 2 172
−6.4%
180−190
+6.4%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 251
−17.1%
294
+17.1%
Watch Dogs: Legion 129
−45.7%
188
+45.7%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 121
−82.6%
221
+82.6%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 101
−146%
248
+146%
Battlefield 5 158
−22.2%
190−200
+22.2%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 169
−5.3%
170−180
+5.3%
Cyberpunk 2077 151
−41.7%
214
+41.7%
Far Cry 5 194
−3.6%
201
+3.6%
Far Cry New Dawn 162
−5.6%
171
+5.6%
Forza Horizon 4 175
−77.7%
300−350
+77.7%
Hitman 3 196
−11.7%
210−220
+11.7%
Horizon Zero Dawn 167
−49.7%
250
+49.7%
Metro Exodus 176
−28.4%
226
+28.4%
Red Dead Redemption 2 132
−38.6%
180−190
+38.6%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 231
−24.7%
288
+24.7%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 369
−55.3%
573
+55.3%
Watch Dogs: Legion 116
−49.1%
173
+49.1%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 92
−94.6%
179
+94.6%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 90
−144%
220
+144%
Battlefield 5 146
−32.2%
190−200
+32.2%
Cyberpunk 2077 134
−56.7%
210
+56.7%
Far Cry 5 177
−5.6%
187
+5.6%
Far Cry New Dawn 144
−6.9%
154
+6.9%
Forza Horizon 4 166
−87.3%
300−350
+87.3%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 180
−69.4%
305
+69.4%
Watch Dogs: Legion 105
−45.7%
153
+45.7%

1440p
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 149
+0%
140−150
+0%
Hitman 3 178
−19.7%
210−220
+19.7%
Horizon Zero Dawn 141
−68.1%
237
+68.1%
Metro Exodus 115
−53.9%
177
+53.9%
Red Dead Redemption 2 92
−1.1%
90−95
+1.1%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 168
−61.3%
271
+61.3%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 82
−89%
155
+89%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 78
−135%
183
+135%
Battlefield 5 130
−50.8%
190−200
+50.8%
Cyberpunk 2077 93
−65.6%
154
+65.6%
Far Cry 5 171
−8.8%
186
+8.8%
Far Cry New Dawn 139
−9.4%
152
+9.4%
Forza Horizon 4 164
−72.6%
280−290
+72.6%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 120−130
−109%
268
+109%
Watch Dogs: Legion 89
−70.8%
152
+70.8%

4K
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 96
+0%
95−100
+0%
Hitman 3 119
−7.6%
120−130
+7.6%
Horizon Zero Dawn 45
−316%
187
+316%
Metro Exodus 76
−80.3%
137
+80.3%
Red Dead Redemption 2 64
+0%
60−65
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 97
−91.8%
186
+91.8%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 152
−84.2%
280
+84.2%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 65
−84.6%
120
+84.6%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 56
−114%
120
+114%
Battlefield 5 113
−20.4%
130−140
+20.4%
Cyberpunk 2077 46
−73.9%
80
+73.9%
Far Cry 5 108
−60.2%
173
+60.2%
Far Cry New Dawn 107
−35.5%
145
+35.5%
Forza Horizon 4 147
−72.8%
250−260
+72.8%
Watch Dogs: Legion 59
−98.3%
117
+98.3%

This is how RTX 3090 and RTX 4090 compete in popular games:

1080p resolution:

  • RTX 4090 is 35.9% faster than RTX 3090

1440p resolution:

  • RTX 4090 is 58.2% faster than RTX 3090

4K resolution:

  • RTX 4090 is 63% faster than RTX 3090

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

  • in Horizon Zero Dawn, with 4K resolution and the High Preset, the RTX 4090 is 316% faster than the RTX 3090.

All in all, in popular games:

  • RTX 4090 is ahead in 65 tests (96%)
  • there's a draw in 3 tests (4%)

Advantages and disadvantages


Performance score 69.24 100.00
Recency 24 September 2020 20 September 2022
Cost $1499 $1599
Chip lithography 8 nm 5 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 350 Watt 450 Watt

The GeForce RTX 4090 is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce RTX 3090 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

User ratings

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite graphics card.


NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090
GeForce RTX 3090
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
GeForce RTX 4090

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