NVIDIA

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090

Expert rating7.5 / 10

Architecture:: Ampere (GA102)
CUDA Cores:: 10496
Memory:: 24GB GDDR6X
TDP:: 350W
Launch Price:: $1,499

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Manufacturer: NVIDIA Last updated: September 11, 2026

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Review

The RTX 3090 was Ampere's true flagship, aimed as much at content creators and early AI/ML workloads as at gamers, thanks to a massive 24GB VRAM buffer that dwarfed every other consumer card at the time.

NVIDIA marketed the RTX 3090 partly as a Titan-class card for creators, and its 24GB of GDDR6X memory made it a popular pick for early local AI model work well before that became a mainstream use case for consumer GPUs.

A Prosumer Card as Much as a Gaming Card

NVIDIA marketed the RTX 3090 partly as a "Titan-class" card for creators, and its 24GB of GDDR6X memory made it a popular pick for early local AI model work well before that became a mainstream use case for consumer GPUs.

Diminishing Gaming Returns Over the 3080

In pure gaming benchmarks, the RTX 3090's advantage over the RTX 3080 covered in this batch was often modest relative to its steep price premium, a gap reviewers noted consistently at launch.

Comparison to Alternatives

Against the RTX 3080 covered in this batch, the RTX 3090's main advantage is its 24GB VRAM buffer rather than a dramatically higher gaming frame rate. Against the newer RTX 4090 already on this site, the RTX 3090 trails clearly in both raw performance and efficiency.

Our verdict

Reviewed by Burooj Alam. Rated by us, not by users.

Expert rating7.5 / 10

A 24GB VRAM buffer for creators and local AI work, with modest gaming gains over the 3080.

Best for

Creators and early local-AI users who specifically need a large VRAM buffer on Ampere-era hardware.

Not for

Gaming-only buyers who won't use the extra VRAM headroom.

Specifications

What these specs mean

Platform

GPU Brand	NVIDIA

Identity and type

Product Type	Desktop Add-In Card
Series	GeForce RTX 30

Performance

Memory Type	GDDR6X
Boost Clock	1695 MHz
Ray Tracing Support	Yes

Physical & Power

TDP	350 W
Card Length	313 mm

Silicon

Architecture	Ampere
Process Node	Samsung 8N
Shader Units	10496

Ray tracing and AI

RT Cores	82

Clocks

Base Clock	1395 MHz

Memory

VRAM Capacity	24 GB
Memory Bus Width	384 bit
Memory Bandwidth	936.2 GB/s

Power

Power Connector	1x 12V-2x6

Host interface

PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0

Display and media

DisplayPort Version	DP 1.4a
DisplayPort Count	3
HDMI Version	HDMI 2.1
HDMI Count	1

Market and workstation

MSRP	1499 USD
Launch Date	September 2020

FAQs

What are the key specifications of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (Graphics Card/Ampere GA102/10496 CUDA Cores/24GB GDDR6X/Titan-Class Flagship)?

Key specs for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090: VRAM Capacity 24 GB, Memory Bandwidth 936.2 GB/s, Boost Clock 1695 MHz, TDP 350 W, Card Length 313 mm, Product Type Desktop Add-In Card.

Who is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (Graphics Card/Ampere GA102/10496 CUDA Cores/24GB GDDR6X/Titan-Class Flagship) best suited to?

Best suited to: Creators and early local-AI users who specifically need a large VRAM buffer on Ampere-era hardware.

What are the drawbacks of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (Graphics Card/Ampere GA102/10496 CUDA Cores/24GB GDDR6X/Titan-Class Flagship)?

Not the best fit for: Gaming-only buyers who won't use the extra VRAM headroom.