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NVIDIARTX 30AmpereOut of production

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090

Ampere's halo card, bought as much for its 24 GB memory pool as for its frame rates. Six years on the memory is still the reason to own one; the rasterisation performance is now upper-mid-range and it lacks every feature added since.

Performance index, 1440p
50
Upper mid-range
VRAM
24 GB
GDDR6X
Board power
350 W
750 W PSU recommended
Launch MSRP
$1,499
No verified current price
Compare this GPUIs this the right card for me?
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 graphics card

Where to buy

$1,499MSRP

Launch MSRP. CompareYourGPU has no verified street price for this card, so this is a reference point rather than what it sells for today.

This card is out of production, so street prices are especially unpredictable.

No retailer links are configured for this card yet. CompareYourGPU does not publish purchase links it cannot stand behind, so nothing is shown here rather than a button that goes nowhere.

Should you buy it?

The RTX 3090 in one screen

Generated from this card's own specifications and its standing against every other card CompareYourGPU tracks. Every line below is backed by a figure on this page.

Should you buy it?

Niche recommendation

This card is out of production. New stock is scarce and priced unpredictably, so it only makes sense at a genuine discount against a current-generation equivalent.

Best for

1440p gaming at 100+ FPS

Why

  • Estimated performance index of 50 at 1440p, where 100 is the fastest card CompareYourGPU tracks.
  • 24 GB of memory is comfortable for 1440p, so texture settings stay out of the conversation.
  • Supports FSR 3.1 Frame Generation (vendor-agnostic, game-dependent).
  • At 1440p the RTX 3090 is 2% slower than the RTX 5070 while costing $950 more, which makes it the weaker buy of the two on price alone. Based on launch MSRP.

Derived from this card's specifications, CompareYourGPU's estimated performance indices and launch MSRP. No verified current price is on record.

Watch out for

Performance per dollar is weak relative to the rest of the database, so you are paying for the top end rather than for efficiency of spend.

Consider instead
  • RTX 5090 if ray tracing is your priority. Its ray tracing index is 100 against 42, at $1,999.

Estimated

RTX 3090 gaming performance

How the card is expected to hold up at each resolution, and how it sits against the cards closest to it.

1080p

55

- Upper mid-range

130-190 FPS

Estimated, typical modern AAA game at High settings, no upscaling.

144+ FPS class

24 GB gives real headroom at 1080p, including with ray tracing and high-resolution texture packs.

1440p

50

- Upper mid-range

90-130 FPS

Estimated, typical modern AAA game at High settings, no upscaling.

100+ FPS class

24 GB gives real headroom at 1440p, including with ray tracing and high-resolution texture packs.

4K

46

- Upper mid-range

45-70 FPS

Estimated, typical modern AAA game at High settings, no upscaling.

Below 60 FPS natively

24 GB gives real headroom at 4K, including with ray tracing and high-resolution texture packs.

CompareYourGPU estimate

Performance indices are aggregated from public review coverage, not measured by CompareYourGPU. Frame-rate ranges are modelled from those indices. How this is calculated.

How the RTX 3090 compares at 1440p against the cards closest to it.

CompareYourGPU estimate. 100 = the fastest card tracked.

Ray tracing performance at 1440p, RTX 3090 against the same peer group.

CompareYourGPU estimate. Ray-traced performance does not track rasterisation performance, which is why it is charted separately.

Measured

Gaming benchmarks

Frame-rate figures transcribed from named third-party measurements, grouped so that two different test methodologies are never mixed in one table.

Third-party suite rating

No third-party measured rating for this card

The published rankings CompareYourGPU transcribes do not include the RTX 3090. The estimated performance index above is the alternative, and it is labelled as an estimate.

Per-game measured results

No verified benchmark data yet

CompareYourGPU only publishes frame-rate figures it can attribute to a named, linkable measurement, and none have been transcribed for the RTX 3090 yet. The estimated performance indices above are clearly labelled as estimates and are the honest alternative until measured runs are recorded here.

Read how benchmark data is handled.

In the meantime, the game pages set out what makes each title demanding and which resolutions this class of card suits. Heavy titles worth checking: Cyberpunk 2077, Red Dead Redemption 2, Hogwarts Legacy.

Reserved advertising space. No advertising network is connected yet, so nothing is served here.

Manufacturer figures

RTX 3090 specifications

Published by the manufacturer. Terms with a dotted underline can be expanded for a plain-English explanation.

Graphics processor

Architecture
Ampere
GPU die
GA102
10,496NVIDIA calls these CUDA cores
Data unavailable
82
328
1,400 MHz
1,700 MHz

Memory

24 GB
GDDR6X
384-bit
936 GB/s
Memory speed
19.5 Gbps

Power and cooling

350 W
750 W
Power connectors
2x 8-pin

Physical

Length
313 mm
Height from bracket
138 mm
3 slotsFounders Edition. Partner boards vary.

Display outputs

Outputs
3x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x HDMI 2.1
Display support
Up to 4 simultaneous displays; 8K 60 Hz with DSC

Release and availability

Launch date
September 24, 2020
Generation
RTX 30
$1,499
Availability
Out of production

Technologies and features

What this card supports, and what each feature actually does for you.

Supported. This card uses 2nd-generation RT cores.

DLSS 4 Super Resolution, DLSS Ray Reconstruction, FSR 3.1, XeSS. Availability in any individual game depends on the developer implementing it.

FSR 3.1 Frame Generation (vendor-agnostic, game-dependent). Frame generation raises the displayed frame rate without improving responsiveness, so it works best on top of an already playable frame rate.

No AV1 encode. 7th-generation NVENC with HEVC and H.264 encode. No AV1 encode.. 5th-generation NVDEC with AV1, HEVC and H.264 decode.

Strengths, weaknesses and who it suits

CompareYourGPU's assessment, grounded in the specifications above rather than in marketing material.

Strengths

  • 24 GB of GDDR6X, still unusual outside the current flagship
  • 936 GB/s of memory bandwidth
  • Capable 1440p and entry 4K performance

Weaknesses

  • 350 W for mid-range current performance
  • No DLSS Frame Generation and no AV1 encode
  • Out of production

Best for

  • Memory-hungry creator work
  • 1440p gaming on the second-hand market

Not ideal for

  • New purchases at list price
  • Small or quiet builds

Price, value and efficiency

What the card costs, what that price should be for the performance, and what it returns per dollar and per watt.

$1,499MSRP

Launch MSRP. CompareYourGPU has no verified street price for this card, so this is a reference point rather than what it sells for today.

ExpensiveFair price for this performance: $776

Good buy below $714 · expensive above $869

The fair price is where this card’s performance index falls on the price-to-performance line fitted across every card CompareYourGPU tracks. It describes the current market, it is not a recommendation, and it moves when prices do. Calculated from launch MSRP across the database, because no verified street prices are on record.

Performance per dollar

3.3

Performance index points per $100 at 1440p, calculated from launch MSRP.

That places it in the bottom quarter of the database on value.

Performance per watt

14.3

Performance index points per 100 W of board power at 1440p.

That places it in the bottom quarter of the database on efficiency.

RTX 3090 frequently asked questions

Is the RTX 3090 good for 1080p gaming?
CompareYourGPU's model estimates roughly 130-190 FPS in a typical modern AAA game at High settings with no upscaling, which is a modelled estimate rather than a measurement. That puts it in the 144+ FPS class at this resolution before upscaling is considered. 24 GB gives real headroom at 1080p, including with ray tracing and high-resolution texture packs.
Is the RTX 3090 good for 1440p gaming?
CompareYourGPU's model estimates roughly 90-130 FPS in a typical modern AAA game at High settings with no upscaling, which is a modelled estimate rather than a measurement. That puts it in the 100+ FPS class at this resolution before upscaling is considered. 24 GB gives real headroom at 1440p, including with ray tracing and high-resolution texture packs.
Is the RTX 3090 good for 4K gaming?
CompareYourGPU's model estimates roughly 45-70 FPS in a typical modern AAA game at High settings with no upscaling, which is a modelled estimate rather than a measurement. That is below a sustained 60 FPS at this resolution without upscaling. 24 GB gives real headroom at 4K, including with ray tracing and high-resolution texture packs.
How much VRAM does the RTX 3090 have?
The RTX 3090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, giving 936 GB/s of bandwidth. 24 GB gives real headroom at 1440p, including with ray tracing and high-resolution texture packs.
What power supply does the RTX 3090 need?
NVIDIA recommends a 750 W power supply for a complete system built around the RTX 3090, which draws 350 W of board power. It uses 2x 8-pin.
Which upscaling technologies does the RTX 3090 support?
It supports DLSS 4 Super Resolution, DLSS Ray Reconstruction, FSR 3.1, XeSS. For frame generation it supports FSR 3.1 Frame Generation (vendor-agnostic, game-dependent). Support for any individual upscaler also depends on the game implementing it, so availability varies title by title.
Is the RTX 3090 good for ray tracing?
Its ray tracing index is 42 at 1440p, against a rasterisation index of 50, so it retains about 84% of its standing once ray tracing is enabled. That is a moderate result: ray tracing costs it somewhat more than average. Both figures are CompareYourGPU estimates, not measurements.
How much does the RTX 3090 cost?
It launched at $1,499 MSRP and is now out of production. CompareYourGPU does not publish a current street price because it does not yet carry a verified price feed, so check a retailer for what it actually sells for today.
What competes with the RTX 3090?
Its closest competitor from another manufacturer is the RX 9070 at $549. On CompareYourGPU's estimated 1440p index the RTX 3090 is about 9% behind, before ray tracing, memory capacity and upscaling support are taken into account.

Sources and last updated

Sources

Record last edited . Specifications last checked against the manufacturer’s own page on .

How to read this page

  • Specifications are the manufacturer’s own published figures, cited on the left.
  • Performance indices and frame-rate ranges are CompareYourGPU estimates and are labelled as such wherever they appear.
  • Prices are launch MSRP unless a verified current price is on record. CompareYourGPU publishes no price it has not checked.
  • Strengths, weaknesses and suitability are editorial judgements derived from the specifications above.
Read the full methodology