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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090

NVIDIA
VS
NVIDIA
Performance
GeForce RTX 3060
28,37527% of 104,937
GeForce RTX 3090117% better
61,51859% of 104,937

The GeForce RTX 3090 has 117% better performance than the GeForce RTX 3060 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Performance per dollar
GeForce RTX 3060110% better
86.2553% of 161.45
GeForce RTX 3090
41.0425% of 161.45

The GeForce RTX 3060 has 110% better value for the money than the GeForce RTX 3090 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

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Summary

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About the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 GPU

The GeForce RTX 3060 is a desktop graphics card by NVIDIA. It launched in Q1 2021 with a suggested retail price of $329. Its GA106 chip that powers the GPU uses the Ampere architecture and is fabricated on the 8 nm process.

This GPU is paired with 12 GB of GDDR6 VRAM. Its 1,875 MHz memory clock and 192 bit interface gives it a bandwidth of 360 Gb/s. This impacts how much data it can store, and how fast it transfers the data to and from memory.

The RTX 3060 is a dual slot graphics card, taking up 2 PCIe slots. It supports HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a display ports. This desktop card has a TDP of 170 W. NVIDIA recommends using a power supply of at least 450 W with this card. A power supply lower than this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.

The GeForce RTX 3060 has the 83rd highest 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 540 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 27.04% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 28,375 score and $329 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 86.25. This is the 29th best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

About the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 GPU

The GeForce RTX 3090 is a desktop graphics card by NVIDIA. It launched in Q3 2020 with a suggested retail price of $1,499. Its GA102 chip that powers the GPU uses the Ampere architecture and is fabricated on the 8 nm process.

This GPU is paired with 24 GB of GDDR6X VRAM. Its 1,219 MHz memory clock and 384 bit interface gives it a bandwidth of 936.2 Gb/s. This impacts how much data it can store, and how fast it transfers the data to and from memory.

The RTX 3090 is a large graphics card, taking up 3 PCIe slots. It supports HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a display ports. This desktop card has a TDP of 350 W. NVIDIA recommends using a power supply of at least 750 W with this card. A power supply lower than this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.

The GeForce RTX 3090 has the 15th highest 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 540 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 58.62% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 61,518 score and $1,499 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 41.04. This is the 69th best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

General Info

General overview of the GPU, including details like its manufacturer, release date, launch price, and current production status.

InfoGeForce RTX 3060GeForce RTX 3090
ManufacturerNVIDIANVIDIA
ArchitectureAmpereAmpere
Market SegmentDesktopDesktop
Release DateQ1 2021Q3 2020
Launch Price (MSRP)$329$1,499
Production StatusActiveActive
ShopCheck PriceCheck Price

Gaming Performance

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Select a game to compare FPS metrics

Display FPS for F1 24
F1 24
Display FPS for Senua's Saga Hellblade 2
Senua's Saga Hellblade 2
Display FPS for Ghost of Tsushima
Ghost of Tsushima
Display FPS for Dragon's Dogma 2
Dragon's Dogma 2
Display FPS for Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon Forbidden West
Display FPS for Alone in the Dark (2024)
Alone in the Dark (2024)
Display FPS for Sons of the Forest
Sons of the Forest

FPS Benchmarks

This table showcases the average frame rate (FPS) achieved both GPUs in at various resolutions. Frame rate is a crucial indicator of how smoothly the GPU can run the game. A higher FPS generally translates to a smoother gameplay experience.

  • Frames Per Second
FPS data for F1 24
F1 24
GeForce RTX 3060GeForce RTX 3090
Low - 1080p
--
498 FPS
Medium - 1080p
--
446 FPS
High - 1080p
--
340 FPS
Ultra - 1080p
--
118 FPS
QHD - 1440p
--
79 FPS
4K UHD - 2160p
--
41 FPS
FPS Source: Notebookcheck

Compare Frames Per Second (FPS)

The average frame rate (FPS) in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, higher FPS results in a smoother gameplay experience.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce RTX 3060 orGeForce RTX 3090

Compare Cost Per Frame

The average cost per frame in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. Generally, a lower cost per frame implies better value for your money.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce RTX 3060 orGeForce RTX 3090
GPUCost Per Frame
GeForce RTX 408021.8-41%
Radeon RX 7900 XT24.3-34%
Radeon RX 680028.11-24%
Radeon RX 6950 XT36.39-2%
GeForce RTX 309037.01

Benchmark Performance

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Performance
GeForce RTX 3060
28,37527% of 104,937
GeForce RTX 3090117% better
61,51859% of 104,937

The GeForce RTX 3090 has 117% better performance than the GeForce RTX 3060 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The GeForce RTX 3060 is ranked 83rd with a score of 28,375, and the GeForce RTX 3090 is ranked 15th with a score of 61,518.

Performance per dollar
GeForce RTX 3060110% better
86.2553% of 161.45
GeForce RTX 3090
41.0425% of 161.45

The GeForce RTX 3060 has 110% better value for the money than the GeForce RTX 3090 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The GeForce RTX 3060 is ranked 29th with a performance per dollar of 86.25, and the GeForce RTX 3090 is ranked 69th with a performance per dollar of 41.04.

Relative Performance

The average score in the benchmark test can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce RTX 3060 or
GPUBenchmark Performance
GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER68,373+141%
Radeon RX 7800 XT65,610.5+131%
GeForce RTX 309061,518+117%
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti60,980+115%
GeForce RTX 407059,969+111%
GeForce GTX 108029,263+3%
Radeon RX Vega 5629,086+3%
GeForce RTX 306028,375
GeForce GTX 1070 Ti27,503-3%
GeForce RTX 206027,162.5-4%

Relative Value For Money

The average performance per dollar in the benchmark test can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. A higher score implies a better value for your money.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce RTX 3060 or

Benchmark Scores

This table showcases the average performance scores achieved by both GPUs across industry-standard benchmark tests. These scores provide a valuable insight into overall performance. Powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.

  • Popular
BenchmarkGeForce RTX 3060GeForce RTX 3090
3DMark Time Spy Graphics
8,559
19,198
(+124.3%)
3DMark Time Spy Score
8,721
18,739
(+114.87%)
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
120,745
231,612
(+91.82%)
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
21,379
47,241
(+120.97%)
3DMark Night Raid Graphics
96,914
142,919
(+47.47%)
3DMark 11 Performance Score
25,149
47,895
(+90.44%)
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
246.6
368
(+49.23%)
PassMark G3D Mark
17,045
26,795
(+57.2%)
PassMark G2D Mark
979
1,053
(+7.56%)
Benchmarks Source: Notebookcheck

Technical Specs

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Graphics Processor

General information about the graphics processing unit like their architecture, manufacturing process size, and transistor count. Newer GPU architectures generally bring efficiency improvements and may introduce technologies that enhance graphical capabilities.

SpecGeForce RTX 3060GeForce RTX 3090
CodenameGA106GA102
ArchitectureAmpereAmpere
Process Size8 nm8 nm
Transistors12,000 million28,300 million

Memory Details

Memory specifications like their capacity, bandwidth, and clock speeds. GPU memory stores graphics data like frames, textures, and shadows which helps display rendered images. These specs are crucial for graphics-intense applications like gaming and 3D modeling.

SpecGeForce RTX 3060GeForce RTX 3090
Memory Size12 GB24 GB
Memory TypeGDDR6GDDR6X
Memory Bandwidth360 Gb/s936.2 Gb/s
Memory Clock1,875 MHz1,219 MHz
Memory Interface192 bit384 bit
L1 Cache128 KB128 KB
L2 Cache3 MB6 MB

Board Compatibility

Compatibility information like their slot size, bus interface, power consumption, and display support. These specs are useful for verifying compatibility with your motherboard, power supply, and monitor.

SpecGeForce RTX 3060GeForce RTX 3090
Slots2 slots3 slots
Bus InterfacePCIe 4.0 x16PCIe 4.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)170 W350 W
Suggested PSU450 W750 W
Power Connectors1x 12-pin1x 12-pin
OutputsHDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4aHDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a

Cores & Clock Speeds

Processing power information like its cores and clock speed. These specs impact how fast they can process graphics. Each type of core or component serves a specific computational purpose.

SpecGeForce RTX 3060GeForce RTX 3090
CUDA Cores3,58410,496
Stream Multiprocessors (SM)2882
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)112328
Render Output Units (ROP)48112
Tensor Cores112328
Ray Tracing Cores2882
Core Clock Speed1,320 MHz1,395 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Boost)1,777 MHz1,695 MHz

Theoretical Performance

Theoretical performance numbers derived from the raw specifications of the different components like core count and clock speeds. While these provide a glimpse into peak processing power, they do not represent real-world performance.

SpecGeForce RTX 3060GeForce RTX 3090
Pixel Fill Rate85.3 GPixel/s189.8 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate199 GTexel/s556 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance12.74 TFLOPS35.58 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance199 GFLOPS556 GFLOPS

API Support

Graphics API versions supported by these graphics cards. APIs evolve over time, introducing new features and functionalities. Older GPUs may not support recent versions.

SpecGeForce RTX 3060GeForce RTX 3090
DirectX12 Ultimate (12_2)12 Ultimate (12_2)
OpenCL3.03.0
OpenGL4.64.6
Shader Model6.76.7

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* Performance rating, performance per dollar, and rankings are based on the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark and MSRP.