Want to know which powerful graphics card is better? The RTX 4080 came out with new tech that made many people wonder how it matches up to the older RTX 3090. Both cards are still top choices for serious gamers and creators. Steam’s latest survey shows these are the cards many users dream of having. Let’s see RTX 3090 vs RTX 4080 performance and which one is right for you!
Technical Specifications of RTX 3090 vs RTX 4080
Here’s what each card has under the hood:
Specification | RTX 3090 | RTX 4080 |
---|---|---|
Architecture | Ampere | Ada Lovelace |
CUDA Cores | 10,496 | 9,728 |
VRAM | 24GB GDDR6X | 16GB GDDR6X |
Memory Bus | 384-bit | 256-bit |
Base Clock | 1.4 GHz | 2.21 GHz |
Boost Clock | 1.7 GHz | 2.51 GHz |
Power Use | 350W | 320W |
RT Cores | 82 (2nd Gen) | 76 (3rd Gen) |
Tensor Cores | 328 (3rd Gen) | 304 (4th Gen) |
The RTX 4080 has fewer cores but runs faster. While the RTX 3090 has a wider memory path, the RTX 4080 uses better tech to make up for it. The RTX 4080 also uses less power to run.
What’s new in the 4080:
- Better ray tracing
- Faster processing
- Improved AI features
- More power efficient
Gaming Performance Analysis
Here’s how these cards run popular games at 4K:
Game Title | RTX 3090 (fps) | RTX 4080 (fps) | DLSS 3.0 Boost |
---|---|---|---|
Cyberpunk 2077 (RT On) | 62 | 75 | +45% |
Flight Simulator | 58 | 71 | +38% |
Spider-Man | 85 | 98 | +42% |
Red Dead 2 | 89 | 102 | N/A |
Control (RT On) | 68 | 82 | +35% |
Quick facts about gaming:
- Games with ray tracing run 15-25% better on the RTX 4080
- Regular games run 10-20% better on the RTX 4080
- With DLSS 3.0, the RTX 4080 can run up to 45% faster
Professional Work PerformanceFor work tasks, things are different. The 3090‘s bigger 24GB memory helps a lot:
What each card does best:
- 3D work: RTX 3090 can handle bigger projects
- Video editing: Both work well, but RTX 4080 renders faster
- AI tasks: RTX 3090’s bigger memory helps with large AI models
- CAD work: Both are good, but RTX 3090 has more room to work
Price and Value
Here’s what to think about when choosing:
- How much you pay now
- Power bill savings over time
- What features you need
- Future software support
Running costs:
- Daily power use (4 hours):
- RTX 3090: about $153 per year
- RTX 4080: about $140 per year
- Cooling needs
- Power supply needs
Future-Proof Features
Both cards will last a long time:
4080 is better for:
- Latest AI upscaling
- Using less power
- Better ray tracing
- Running cooler
3090 is better for:
- More memory for future apps
- Professional work
- Proven stability
- Good resale value
Both cards are great at what they do. The 4080 is better for gaming with new features. The 3090 is better for work that needs lots of memory.
Pick based on what you do:
For Gaming, get the RTX 4080 if you want:
- Newest gaming features
- Lower power bills
- Latest AI upscaling
- Best gaming speed
For Work, get the RTX 3090 if you need:
- More memory
- Professional app support
- Multi-tasking
- Room for bigger projects
Think about what you’ll use it for and how much you can spend. Both cards will work great for years. Just make sure your power supply and cooling can handle them!