GPU Showdown

GeForce RTX 3060 8 GBvsGeForce RTX 4090

The GeForce RTX 3060 8 GB is a budget-friendly card for 1080p gaming, while the RTX 4090 is an enthusiast-grade monster built for 4K and creative work.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 8 GB
8 GB · 170W
VS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
24 GB · 450W
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060 8 GB

Ampere · TSMC 8 nm · 2022

37score
3.5/ 5
0 votes
VRAM
8 GB
TDP
170W
CUDA Cores
3,584
Boost Clock
1777 MHz

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NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4090

Ada Lovelace · TSMC 5 nm · 2022

92score
3.8/ 5
0 votes
VRAM
24 GB
TDP
450W
Shaders
16,384
Boost Clock
2520 MHz

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Aggregate Performance

Overall Performance Score

A unified score from combined synthetic and real-world benchmarks. 100 represents the fastest consumer GPU available.

RTX 3060 8 GB
37
RTX 4090Winner
92
RTX 4090 leads by 148.6% in aggregate performance.
Where they rank overall
#2RTX 509094
#3RTX 409092
#4RTX 508086
#73GTX 108038
#74RTX 3060 8 GB37
#75RX 660036
Technical Specifications

Side-by-Side Specs

Every detail compared. Highlighted cells indicate the leading value for that metric.

SpecsRTX 3060 8 GBRTX 4090
General
ArchitectureAmpereAda Lovelace
Process Node8 nm5 nm
Memory
VRAM8 GB24 GB
Memory TypeGDDR6GDDR6X
Memory Bus128-bit384-bit
Bandwidth240 GB/s1010 GB/s
Compute
CUDA Cores3,58416,384
TMUs112512
ROPs48176
Boost Clock1777 MHz2520 MHz
FP3212.74 TF82.58 TF
Power
TDP170450
Power Connectors1x 12-pin1x 16-pin
Display
Max Resolution7680×43207680×4320
Display Outputs1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
Verdict

Which should you buy?

Winner overall

The GeForce RTX 4090 wins overall for anyone needing top-tier 4K or high-refresh gaming and creative work.

Best value

For budget-minded buyers, the GeForce RTX 4090 is overkill and far more expensive, while the GeForce RTX 3060 8 GB offers decent 1080p gaming at a lower cost.

When the other wins

The GeForce RTX 3060 8 GB is the right choice for a compact, power-efficient build where you only play less demanding titles at 1080p.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is the RTX 3060 8 GB better than the RTX 4090?

Overall the RTX 4090 is the stronger graphics card: it ranks higher in our aggregate performance score (92 vs 37 out of 100), so it leads the RTX 3060 8 GB in most workloads.

How much faster is the RTX 4090 than the RTX 3060 8 GB?

Based on our aggregated benchmark scores the RTX 4090 is roughly 149% faster than the RTX 3060 8 GB overall. The real-world gap varies by game, resolution and settings.

Which should you buy, the RTX 3060 8 GB or the RTX 4090?

If you want the most performance, pick the RTX 4090. If the RTX 3060 8 GB is meaningfully cheaper where you shop, it can be the better value for similar real-world results — check current prices and the full spec comparison above before deciding.