GeForce RTX 2060 vs GeForce RTX 3090

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 2060

2019Core: 1365 MHzBoost: 1680 MHz
RTX family
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3090

2020Core: 1395 MHzBoost: 1695 MHz
RTX family
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GeForce RTX 2060 vs GeForce RTX 3090 Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

GeForce RTX 2060 vs GeForce RTX 3090 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce RTX 2060 vs GeForce RTX 3090: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce RTX 2060

2019

Why buy it

  • Costs $1,150 less on MSRP ($349 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
  • Delivers 128% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 17.7 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
  • Draws 160W instead of 350W, a 190W reduction.
  • Measures 229mm instead of 312mm, a 83mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3090 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 24 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • Fewer Tensor Cores for AI-powered features like DLSS and frame generation (240 vs 328), which can reduce FPS gains in supported games.
  • GeForce RTX 3090 is the safer long-term pick here because the hardware is newer and the feature stack is stronger.

GeForce RTX 3090

2020

Why buy it

  • 100.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 36.7% more Tensor Cores for AI-powered features like DLSS and frame generation, which can increase overall FPS in supported games (328 vs 240).
  • 300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (24 GB vs 6 GB).
  • Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 329.5% HIGHER MSRP
    $1,499 MSRPvs$349 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 17.7 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($1,499 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
  • 118.8% higher power demand at 350W vs 160W.
  • 36.2% longer card at 312mm vs 229mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 3090 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 100.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 88.4% in PassMark G3D (26,594 vs 14,114), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3090 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 24 GB vs 6 GB of VRAM, a 8nm process instead of 12nm, 82 vs 30 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2020 generation instead of 2019. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 2060 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $1,150 cheaper on MSRP at $349 vs $1,499, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 128% (40.4 vs 17.7), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and lighter 1440p, GeForce RTX 2060 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and strong 1440p headroom, GeForce RTX 3090 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce RTX 2060 vs GeForce RTX 3090 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 2060

The GeForce RTX 2060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 7 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1365 MHz to 1680 MHz. It has 1920 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 160W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 30 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 14,114 points. Launch price was $349.

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3090

The GeForce RTX 3090 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1395 MHz to 1695 MHz. It has 10496 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 350W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 82 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 26,594 points. Launch price was $1,499.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 2060 scores 14,114 versus the GeForce RTX 3090's 26,594 — the GeForce RTX 3090 leads by 88.4%. The GeForce RTX 2060 is built on Turing while the GeForce RTX 3090 uses Ampere, both on 12 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 1,920 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 10,496 (GeForce RTX 3090). Raw compute: 6.451 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 35.58 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3090). Boost clocks: 1680 MHz vs 1695 MHz. Ray tracing: 30 RT cores (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 82 (GeForce RTX 3090) with 240 Tensor cores vs 328.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060GeForce RTX 3090
G3D Mark Score
14,114
26,594+88%
Architecture
Turing
Ampere
Process Node
12 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
1920
10496+447%
Compute (TFLOPS)
6.451 TFLOPS
35.58 TFLOPS+452%
Boost Clock
1680 MHz
1695 MHz
ROPs
48
112+133%
TMUs
120
328+173%
L1 Cache
1.9 MB
10.3 MB+442%
L2 Cache
3 MB
6 MB+100%
Ray Tracing Cores
30
82+173%
Tensor Cores
240
328+37%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060GeForce RTX 3090
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 2060 has 6 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3090 carries 24 GB. GeForce RTX 3090 gives you 300% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 336 GB/s (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 936 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3090) — a 178.6% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3090. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 2060 and 384-bit on the GeForce RTX 3090. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 6 MB (GeForce RTX 3090) — the GeForce RTX 3090 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060GeForce RTX 3090
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
24 GB+300%
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6X
Memory Bandwidth
336 GB/s
936 GB/s+179%
Bus Width
192-bit
384-bit+100%
L2 Cache
3 MB
6 MB+100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3090). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060GeForce RTX 3090
DirectX
12 Ultimate (12_2)
12 Ultimate
Vulkan
1.3
1.4+8%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Turing) (GeForce RTX 2060) vs NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3090). Decoder: NVDEC (Turing) vs NVDEC 5th gen. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3090).

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060GeForce RTX 3090
Encoder
NVENC (Turing)
NVENC 7th gen
Decoder
NVDEC (Turing)
NVDEC 5th gen
Codecs
H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 2060 draws 160W versus the GeForce RTX 3090's 350W — a 74.5% difference. The GeForce RTX 2060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 750W (GeForce RTX 3090). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 229mm vs 312mm, occupying 2 vs 3 slots. Typical load temperature: 72 vs 85°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060GeForce RTX 3090
TDP
160W-54%
350W
Recommended PSU
500W-33%
750W
Power Connector
8-pin
2x 8-pin
Length
229mm
312mm
Height
113mm
140mm
Slots
2-33%
3
Temp (Load)
72-15%
85°C
Perf/Watt
88.2+16%
76.0
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 2060 came in at $349, while the GeForce RTX 3090 launched at $1499. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 2060 was 76.7% cheaper ($1150 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 17.7 (GeForce RTX 3090) — the GeForce RTX 2060 offers 128.2% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3090 (2020 vs 2019).

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060GeForce RTX 3090
MSRP
$349-77%
$1499
Performance per Dollar
40.4+128%
17.7
Codename
TU106
GA102
Release
January 7 2019
September 1 2020
Ranking
#168
#37

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