Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 vs Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080
Verdict
Our overall take, at a glance
Key takeaways
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 leads Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 overall by 9 points (85 vs 76 out of 100).
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 stands out on Core Specifications Base Power: 450 W, Core Specifications Maximum Power: 575 W, Core Specifications Lithography Process: 4 nm.
- Best value: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 (from $699) — the strongest score-per-dollar of the two.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 leads overall
$1,599 at launch
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090
85
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080
76
Best value: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 ($699)
Why it stands out
- Core Specifications Base Power: 450 W
- Core Specifications Maximum Power: 575 W
- Core Specifications Lithography Process: 4 nm
In-depth analysisAI
AI-generated from the cited sources — may be incomplete or inaccurate; verify important details before deciding · generated Jun 2026.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090
The GeForce RTX 4090 is the flagship graphics card in Nvidia's consumer GPU family, succeeding the GeForce RTX 30 series. It is based on Nvidia's Ada Lovelace architecture and features third-generation RT cores and fourth-generation Tensor Cores for hardware acceleration.
Best for High-end graphics tasks
Pros
- Features a TSMC 4N process designed by Nvidia
- Includes three-generation Ray Tracing Cores for accelerated ray tracing
- Supports OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.4, and DirectX Direct3D 12.0 Ultimate APIs
- Features dual NVENC with 8K 10-bit 120FPS AV1 fixed function hardware encoding
Cons
- No NVLink support
- Double-precision performance is 1/64 of single-precision performance
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080
The GeForce RTX 3080 is a GPU from the Nvidia RTX series, based on the Ampere architecture. It was part of a lineup that included various models for different performance tiers. It features Nvidia's second-generation ray tracing (RT) cores and third-generation Tensor Cores.
Best for High-end computing
Pros
- Was available in both 10GB and 12GB versions
- Supports Direct3D, OpenGL, Vulkan, and OpenCL APIs
Cons
- The latest drivers require at least Windows 10
Value for Money
Which is the better deal for the price
Pre-filled with launch prices where known — enter today's price for an up-to-date check. Use the same currency for both.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080
Performance
Higher benchmark score = faster
Nvidia GeForce RTX 409039,178
Nvidia GeForce RTX 308024,400
Benchmark score — a measured indicator of raw performance, not a guarantee of real-world speed.
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Detailed Specifications
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