GeForce RTX 3090 vs Radeon RX 9070 XT

CPU

GPU

GeForce RTX 3090

2020Core: 1395 MHzBoost: 1695 MHz

RTX family

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Radeon RX 9070 XT

2025Core: 1660 MHzBoost: 2970 MHz

RX family

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GeForce RTX 3090 vs Radeon RX 9070 XT Performance Spectrum

GeForce RTX 3090

24 GB 350

26,594

0.0%

GeForce GTX 1070 Ti

GeForce GTX 1070 SLI

GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile

RTX 5000 Ada Generation Mobile

GeForce RTX 5070

RTX 5000 Ada Generation

GeForce RTX 5070 Ti

GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER

Radeon RX 9070 XT

16 GB 304

26,922

+1.2%

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 3090 vs Radeon RX 9070 XT 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 3090 vs Radeon RX 9070 XT: 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 3090

2020

Why buy it

✅33.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (24 GB vs 16 GB).

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1 (2025).
❌Radeon RX 9070 XT is the safer long-term pick here because the hardware is newer and the feature stack is stronger.
❌
150.3% HIGHER MSRP
$1,499 MSRPvs$599 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 17.7 vs 44.9 G3D/$ ($1,499 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
❌15.1% higher power demand at 350W vs 304W.

Radeon RX 9070 XT

2025

Why buy it

✅Costs $900 less on MSRP ($599 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
✅Delivers 153.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.9 vs 17.7 G3D/$ ($599 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1 (2025).
✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 4.0 (2025) on 4nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
✅Draws 304W instead of 350W, a 46W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3090 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 16 GB vs 24 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.

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 33.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon RX 9070 XT instead at 26,922 vs 26,594, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon RX 9070 XT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer feature stack, with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) and FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1 (2025), while GeForce RTX 3090 is limited to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) and no comparable frame-generation support, a 4nm process instead of 8nm, and a newer 2025 generation instead of 2020. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon RX 9070 XT makes the most sense to buy today. It is $900 cheaper on MSRP at $599 vs $1,499, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 153.3% (44.9 vs 17.7), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. GeForce RTX 3090 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce RTX 3090 vs Radeon RX 9070 XT Technical Specifications

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

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.

Radeon RX 9070 XT

The Radeon RX 9070 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 6 2025. It features the RDNA 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1660 MHz to 2970 MHz. It has 4096 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 304W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 64 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 26,922 points. Launch price was $599.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce RTX 3090 scores 26,594 and the Radeon RX 9070 XT reaches 26,922 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce RTX 3090 is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 9070 XT uses RDNA 4.0, both on 8 nm vs 4 nm. Shader units: 10,496 (GeForce RTX 3090) vs 4,096 (Radeon RX 9070 XT). Raw compute: 35.58 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3090) vs 48.66 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 9070 XT). Boost clocks: 1695 MHz vs 2970 MHz. Ray tracing: 82 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3090) vs 64 (Radeon RX 9070 XT) with 328 Tensor cores vs 128.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3090	Radeon RX 9070 XT
G3D Mark Score	26,594	26,922+1%
Architecture	Ampere	RDNA 4.0
Process Node	8 nm	4 nm
Shading Units	10496+156%	4096
Compute (TFLOPS)	35.58 TFLOPS	48.66 TFLOPS+37%
Boost Clock	1695 MHz	2970 MHz+75%
ROPs	112	128+14%
TMUs	328+28%	256
L2 Cache	6 MB	8 MB+33%
Ray Tracing Cores	82+28%	64
Tensor Cores	328+156%	128

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 9070 XT is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The GeForce RTX 3090 does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce RTX 3090 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon RX 9070 XT leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3090	Radeon RX 9070 XT
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 2 Super Resolution	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3090 has 24 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 9070 XT carries 16 GB. GeForce RTX 3090 gives you 50% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 936 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3090) vs 640 GB/s (Radeon RX 9070 XT) — a 46.3% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3090. Memory bus width is 384-bit on the GeForce RTX 3090 and 256-bit on the Radeon RX 9070 XT. L2 Cache: 6 MB (GeForce RTX 3090) vs 8 MB (Radeon RX 9070 XT) — the Radeon RX 9070 XT has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3090	Radeon RX 9070 XT
VRAM Capacity	24 GB+50%	16 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6X	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	936 GB/s+46%	640 GB/s
Bus Width	384-bit+50%	256-bit
L2 Cache	6 MB	8 MB+33%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3090) vs 12 Ultimate (Radeon RX 9070 XT). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3090	Radeon RX 9070 XT
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12 Ultimate
Vulkan	1.4	1.4
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3090) vs VCN (Enhanced) (Radeon RX 9070 XT). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs VCN (Enhanced). Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3090) vs AV1,H.264,H.265,VP9 (Radeon RX 9070 XT).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3090	Radeon RX 9070 XT
Encoder	NVENC 7th gen	VCN (Enhanced)
Decoder	NVDEC 5th gen	VCN (Enhanced)
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1	AV1,H.264,H.265,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3090 draws 350W versus the Radeon RX 9070 XT's 304W — a 14.1% difference. The Radeon RX 9070 XT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (GeForce RTX 3090) vs 750W (Radeon RX 9070 XT). Power connectors: 2x 8-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 312mm vs 288mm, occupying 3 vs 3 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3090	Radeon RX 9070 XT
TDP	350W	304W-13%
Recommended PSU	750W	750W
Power Connector	2x 8-pin	2x 8-pin
Length	312mm	288mm
Height	140mm	120mm
Slots	3	3
Temp (Load)	85°C	75°C-12%
Perf/Watt	76.0	88.6+17%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3090 came in at $1499, while the Radeon RX 9070 XT launched at $599. On MSRP, Radeon RX 9070 XT was 60% cheaper ($900 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 17.7 (GeForce RTX 3090) vs 44.9 (Radeon RX 9070 XT) — the Radeon RX 9070 XT offers 153.7% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 9070 XT (2025 vs 2020).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3090	Radeon RX 9070 XT
MSRP	$1499	$599-60%
Performance per Dollar	17.7	44.9+154%
Codename	GA102	Navi 48
Release	September 1 2020	March 6 2025
Ranking	#37	#31

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