The demand exceeded Nvidia’s predicted numbers which caused a massive GPU shortage. Nonetheless, the series overall is a massive upgrade featuring the third generation of tensor cores and a performance boost over the preceding RTX 20 series. Unlike Nvidia’s general lineup, RTX 30 series had one hidden mammoth that nobody anticipated, the GeForce RTX 3090 GPU is the flagship graphics card in the series featuring double VRAM over the RTX 3080 TI. According to Nvidia, their latest flagship graphics card is built for native 8K gaming at 30 FPS. The card is capable of running the majority of the game at 8K with a 30 FPS frame rate limit. The frame rate can be pushed further using DLSS. The card can support up to five displays on a single unit with 2X HDMI 2.1 ports and 3X DisplayPort 1.4a. Compared to the Titan RTX, the graphics card is almost 50 percent faster than the Titan series. The mammoth graphics card features 10496 CUDA cores with a base clock speed of 1.40 GHz that can be boosted to 1.70 GHz. That being said, choosing the best RTX 3090 can be tricky, and with this updated guide, you will know exactly which one is the best RTX 3090 GPU you will be buying.
Best RTX 3090 Graphics Card – Comparison Chart
A Quick Look At The Best RTX 3090 GPUs:
Best RTX 3090
I know the pain of finding the best RTX 3090 cards from the market; that’s why I gathered and reviewed everything below. Yeah, it took some dire time to gather all these cards, but for you, this guide will make the job done efficiently.
#1- ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 3090 (O24G – OC Variant)
The ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 3090 is the flagship version of Nvidia’s RTX 3090 by ASUS. ASUS builds on the GeForce “Ampere” architecture for enthusiastic consumers and prosumers alike.
Clock Speed: 1860 MHz (Boost Clock) 1890 MHz (OC Mode). Video Memory: 24GB GDDR6X. Bus Standard: PCI Express 4.0 Recommended PSU: 850W. Power Consumption: Between 350W to 450W Overclocked. Power Connectors: 3x 8-Pin. Ports: 2x Native HDMI 2.1 & 3x Native DisplayPort 1.4a. Dimensions: 12.53 x 5.51 x 2.27 Inch.
The fastest variant of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 GPU. Outstanding native 4K gaming performance. Impressive cooling performance. Excellent base and boost clock speeds and factory overclocked advantage. Fastest flagship RTX 3090 graphics card variants in the PC market. Attractive design with subtle RGB lighting system beneath the metallic exterior.
Backplate is not fully wraped around, leaving back of the GPU die open.
The GPU features a triple axial fan design with a reversed rotational direction middle fan. It is a bulky GPU with a 2.9-slot design, nothing surprising considering how powerful the GPU is. On the top side, it has an RGB lighting system that backlit the gorgeous-looking fans, making the GPU even more beautiful, than it already is. That is enough introduction of the ROG STRIX RTX 3090. Let us talk about the performance. The card performance is exactly what you might have guessed. It is by far one of the fastest and best RTX 3090 variants, with MSI Gaming X TRIO comes at a close second. Out of six to seven games that I have seen benchmarked, this card performance was on the top in every game tested. The results seemed similar in 1440p and 4K resolutions. The card also dominated the benchmarks scores across multiple popular benchmarking software like 3DMark: Time Spy, Uniengine 2 Superposition. No other card came close, except for the 3080. In the cooling department, not only it has an attractive design, but those fans and heatsink are not for aesthetics only. The card managed to stay at 33 degrees Celsius at idle, and under high stress, the temperatures lingered at the 75 degrees Celsius mark. Nvidia’s reference RTX 3090 is listed for a 1.40 GHz base clock and 1.70 GHz boost clock. After careful tweaking, the card reached 2.0 GHz point for stable performance.
#2- MSI RTX 3090 VENTUS 3X (24G OC)
The VENTUS 3X is the gaming beast by MSI to compete with other versions of the flagship RTX 3090 graphics card by other manufactures. Built on the “Ampere” architecture featuring the third generation of tensor cores and second generation of RT cores for ray-tracing. ASUS ROG STRIX 3090 is a beauty and a beast in a single package. It can easily perform the most exacting daily life tasks. It is the fastest and one of the best RTX 3090 versions that you will find in the market due to the higher factory overclocked clock speeds. The card is already tweaked for the best possible performance, with a smaller room to push the clock speed a bit further. You can push the clock speeds of the STRIX depending on how much power you can assign, but the performance gain is insignificant. The user can choose from multiple BIOSes rather than dedicated apps for boosting the performance or setting the performance for a more peaceful or quieter performance. The gaming performance of this monstrous GPU is undoubtedly the best out of any graphics card that Nvidia has ever built, but there is not a significant difference between the performance of 3080 Ti and 3090 considering the prices. If you have enough money to spare, the ROG STRIX 3090 is the fastest and the most powerful graphics version.
Clock Speed: 1725 MHz (Boost Clock) Video Memory: 24GB GDDR6X Bus Standard: PCI Express 4.0 Recommended PSU: 750W Power Consumption: 350W or 430W Overclocked. Power Connectors: 2x 8-Pin. Ports: 3x DisplayPort v1.4a & 1x HDMI 2.1 Dimensions: 12 x 4.72 x 2.24 Inch
Triple-fan form factor for better heat dissipation. Additional support bracket for preventing the graphics card reinforcement. Decent gaming performance for 4K resolution and 144Hz refresh rate. Attractive design. Metallic backplate with embedded heat pipes for additional cooling.
No lighting system.
The card has the looks that you would expect from the premium, top-of-the-line graphics card. Though, unlike the Gaming X TRIO series, VENTUS 3X does not feature any lighting system. Do not let no RGB lighting distract you from the sheer performance of this card. VENTUS is built to perform, and its solid build quality ensures top-notch performance. Due to the global chip shortage and how expensive the graphics card is these days, it is harder to collect data, especially the gaming performance, temperatures of every GPU on the market. You can expect over 100 FPS in most games, including the most demanding games at 1440p. At 4K, the card delivers over 70-80 FPS on average. The temperatures of this card are not the best that I have seen in a few gaming benchmarks videos, but if you have decent airflow in your case, you can expect 72-75 degrees Celsius under stress and 32-35 degrees Celsius at idle. It consumes the same power as the reference card with 350 watts at 4K or higher resolution gaming. It requires a 2x 8-pin power connector, and 750 watts of PSU is recommended for having a smoother gaming experience. You can get a more powerful PSU if you are thinking about overclocking your VENTUS 3X. It supports up to 4 displays featuring a 3x 1.4a DisplayPort and 1X HDMI 2.1 port. There is room for overclocking, and the triple fan form factor has the potential for overclocking. You can overclock the memory speed to 1800, 1900, or even 2000 MHz, depending mainly on how much juice you can assign for your VENTUS 3X.
#3- EVGA RTX 3090 XC3 Ultra
Next up, we have the XC3 Ultra Gaming flagship RTX 3090 version manufactured by EVGA. XC3 Ultra features the unique EVGA looks, highly distinguishable, which might not be a bad thing. If you are into the design of most EVGA cards, you will find this GPU attractive. The MSI GeForce RTX 3090 VENTUS 3X is the gaming beast manufactured by MSI for 4K and 8K gaming. The graphics card is loaded with features, and no matter what type of process you throw at this marvelous piece of hardware, it will complete the job with ease. The card remained uncontested compared to anything that AMD has to offer. The card is a decent-looking card without any RGB lighting system. If your PC has enough RGB, the card will sit fine with the lighting. If you are getting the VENTUS 3X during the critical chip shortage and higher graphics cards prices, at a decent price. Go for it! You will not be disappointed by this graphics card’s outstanding performance in games at native 4K or 8K even.
Clock Speed: 1725 MHz Boost Clock Video Memory: 24GB GDDR6X. Bus Standard: PCI Express 4.0. Recommended PSU: 750W Power Consumption: 350W or 450W If Overclocked. Power Connectors: 2x 8-Pin. Ports: 3x DisplayPort v1.4a & 1x HDMI 2.1 Dimensions: 11.23 x 4.38 x 2.2 Inch
Solid build quality, with metallic backplate. Excellent gaming performance at 4K and 8K resolutions Solid cooling performance Metallic backplate with cut-outs for improving airflow. Decent room for overclocking. Triple fan form factor with 2.2 slot width, compact than most premium RTX 3090s.
The design might not be for everyone. Can get noisy with fans running at maximum RPM.
Only the top side of the GPU has RGB lighting, featuring the ARGB-lit logo. If you are a fan of minimalism, this card is for your PC. On the front, the graphics card has triple asynchronous fans for unparalleled cooling performance. The XC3 Ultra is relatively compact, then most high-end RTX 3090 variants having A 2.2 slot width. It has an 11.23-inch length and 4.38-inch height. On the rear, the GPU has 4 output ports, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x HDMI 2.1 port. The card is rated for 350 watts of power consumption under high-stress work. However, at 4K or 8K, the card can cross the 400 watts of power, implying sufficient power is supplied to the GPU. The overclocked Founders Edition seemed to cross 405 watts of power and assuming the card clocks higher than FE. You can expect up to 450 watts of power consumption. Then again, it is due to high overclocked speeds, at stock and boost clock speeds the card did stay around the 380 watts power mark. EVGA graphics cards have one of the best cooling performances than the competition. Under high stress, the card remained around 70 degrees Celsius point. To maintain this temperature, the fans ran at their maximum RPM, generating audible noise. Let us talk about overclocking. EVGA cards are decent but not the best when it comes to overclocking. Although they are not the fastest out-of-the-box, the card can be overclocked up to 1850 MHz, way higher than the stock boost clock speed of 1725 MHz. Assuming excellent airflow and high-power supply, you can expect the card to touch up to 1900 or even 2000 MHz.
#4- MSI RTX 3090 GAMING X TRIO
The Gaming X TRIO is a gaming beast that packs a punch at other RTX 3090 variants available for gaming enthusiasts looking for the best 3090 version in the PC market. The XC3 Ultra Gaming is the flagship beast by EVGA released to compete with other 3090 versions released by competing manufacturers. At a single glance, the card is built for performance rather than looks. Performance-wise the graphics card crushes the competition and slays the benchmarks results compared to AMD’s flagship graphics cards. The graphics card edged out lower-end RTX 30 series GPUs, which is as expected. That’s the whole reason why it’s the number 3rd best RTX 3090 GPU.
Clock Speed: 1785 MHz Boost Clock Video Memory: 24GB GDDR6X. Bus Standard: PCI Express 4.0 Recommended PSU: 750W Power Consumption: 375W or 460W If Overclocked. Power Connectors: 3x 8-Pin Ports: 3x DisplayPort v1.4a & 1x HDMI 2.1 Dimensions: 12.71 x 5.51 x 2.2 Inch
Attractive, sleek design with a minimal RGB lighting system. Bulky heatsink paired with a triple, TORX 4.0 technology-based fans for maximum heat dissipation. One of the fastest, out-of-the-box versions of the RTX 3090 series. Metallic backplate with embedded heat pipes for additional cooling. Unmatched 4K and 8K gaming performance.
A bulky form factor might not fit in most cases.
It features a triple-fan form factor, featuring the company’s latest TORX 4.0 technology for exceptional air pressure and airflow to keep the temperatures under check, without taking a hit on the performance. It is loaded with features and features an RBG lighting system on the front and top sides of the GPU, adding more value to the aesthetics of the card. On the backside, it has a metallic matte-finish backplate with embedded heat pipes for additional heat dissipation. X TRIO has 3X DisplayPort 1.4a and 1x HDMI 2.1 port supporting up to 4 displays, it would have been nice if the card had a USB Type-C port as well. This card is tailored for performance, and boy does it decimates the graphs and numbers, making it possibly the fastest card in the market, only a bit shy of the ROG STRIX RTX 3090. In contrast to the Founders Edition, the X TRIO did have a significant performance difference. Interestingly the power consumption is the same as the Founders Edition, peaking the power at around 375 watts point. The temperature of the GPU was observed to stay around 70 degrees Celsius, peaking at 74 degrees. Almost double-digit higher than the 64 degrees temperature of the Founders Edition. Decent cooling, but not the best. Furthermore, it is factory tweaked for maximum possible performance, leaving little room for improvement. If you have the power to spare, you can pump the clock speed even further, beware of the temperatures though.
#5- EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 FTW3 Ultra
We have talked about the EVGA XC3 Ultra Gaming graphics card, which was a decent, capable version of Nvidia RTX 3090 but not EVGA’s best model. Presenting the EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 FTW3 Ultra Gaming, the bigger, badass, and one of the quietest RTX 3090 variants with excellent cooling performance. The MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming X TRIO is one of the fastest out-of-the-box variants of the RTX 3090 GPUs. The flagship graphics card leaves no room for the competitors to breathe and destroys benchmarks and gaming alike. This card is overkill if you are looking for the best possible gaming experience out of any GPU as of now, it is just, that powerful. It is capable of running even the most demanding games at 70+ FPS frame rate at native 4K, making it a true 4K card. The story does not end here. This ridiculous thing also makes the same games playable at the ridiculous 8K display with an acceptable framerate of 30 FPS or more, without considering DLSS. After carefully tweaking and playing with the DLSS and graphics settings, you can make 8K 60 FPS a reality. The card is future-proof for sure. The card is built to run games at 4K and higher resolutions which it does and will keep doing for a few years. So, if you are getting this GPU at an acceptable price in your area, grab it before it is too late.
Clock Speed: 1800 MHz Boost Clock Video Memory: 24GB GDDR6X. Bus Standard: PCI Express 4.0 Recommended PSU: 750W Power Consumption: 350W or 450W Overclocked. Power Connectors: 3x 8-Pin. Ports: 3x DisplayPort v1.4a & 1x HDMI 2.1 Dimensions: 11.81 x 5.38 x 2.7 Inch
Unrivaled gaming performance at 4K and 8K respectively. Unique and attractive design with embedded RGB lighting system in the top-mid side on the front. Metallic backplate with embedded heat pipes for additional cooling Triple fan, a compact form factor that will fit in most cases with Standard-ITX builds. Factory overclocked out-of-the-box.
Gets noisy when fans run at full RPM. Bulky in weight but it’s still bearable if we see the pros and premium features.
Unlike the XC3, this time, we have the FTW3 loaded with an RGB lighting system embedded on the top-front side of the graphics card. The card is compact like its XC3 sibling, designed to fit in most of the cases. On the rear, it features 3x DisplayPort 1.4a and 1x HDMI 2.1 port. The heatsink is specially designed for exceptional cooling without making it heavier and bulkier than the competing graphics cards. Under maximum possible stress, the card peaked under 70 degrees maintaining temperatures around 62 to 68 degrees Celsius. The power draw peaked at 385 watts at normal VBIOS settings at 1080p and 4K gaming performance. There is still more power available for the GPU for serious overclocking, peaking at over 450 watts at 1080p and 4K. The gaming performance of this card is out of the world, trading blows with the best RTX 3090 GPU, the ROG STRIX 3090. You can expect the highest possible frame rate compared with most variants and the Founders Edition at 4K or 8K resolutions respectively. Of course, allocating more power and DLSS, you can expect many games to cross the 80-90 FPS frame rate limit at 4K.
#6- PNY GeForce RTX 3090 24GB XLR8
The PNY GeForce RTX 3090 XLR8 is the gaming overlord by PNY, which is as closer to the reference card as it gets. It features a unique design with an embedded RGB lighting system on the front. The FTW3 Ultra Gaming is a gaming beast by EVGA built for a different audience. It shreds the gaming performance benchmarks leaving no competition whatsoever. Now, this is more for professional graphics-intensive tasks like rendering, CAD, 3D graphics, etc. However, if you are planning to use this beast, you will not be disappointed by the sweet FPS, even in the most demanding titles at 4K. The graphics card also features huge 24 GBs of GDDR6X memory which can complete any graphics taxing process with ease. The card has everything that an enthusiastic gamer is looking for in a GPU, ARGB, triple fans, and a unique heatsink for brilliant cooling performance. The card might get noisy under extreme stress. If that is not an issue, the FTW3 Ultra Gaming will not let you down. That’s all for this GPU from the best RTX 3090 round-up list.
Clock Speed: 1695 MHz Boost Clock & 1395 MHz Base Clock. Video Memory: 24GB GDDR6X. Bus Standard: PCI-Express 4.0 Recommended PSU: 750W Power Consumption: 350W or 420W If Pushed To Limits. Power Connectors: 2x 8-Pin. Ports: 3x DisplayPort 1.4 & 1x HDMI 2.1 Dimensions: 11.57 x 4.41 x 2.20 Inch
Attractive, unique design. Ample amounts of RGB lighting system for aesthetics. Decent 4K and 8K gaming performance. A lot of room for overclocking. Outstanding cooling performance.
Bulky, 3 slot, triple-fan form factor takes a lot of space and will not fit in many cases. Slower base and boost clock speeds just like Founders Edition. It’s like Founder’s Edition with flashy looks.
On the top, the GeForce RTX logo is lit with RGB lighting. It features a triple-fan form factor. It requires two 8-pin connectors for power. This card is one of the girthiest cards that I have seen, featuring a 3-slot form factor. The card does have RGB on the front, as well as, on the top, but the lighting is not obnoxious and can easily blend with the aesthetics of the PC. The GPU supports up to 4 displays; 3x DisplayPort 1.4 and 1x HDMI 2.1 ports. With the help of triple fans and the massive heatsink, you can expect the temperature to peak at 70 degrees and around 32 degrees Celsius at idle. These are the temperatures that you can expect with decent airflow in the PC case. If there is little to no room, the temps could cross the 80 degrees Celsius mark. The gaming performance of the card is exactly in the middle, not too bad, and neither the best. The card has a similar performance as the Founders Edition as it runs the same coolers. Anything that the FE RTX 3090 is capable of, you can expect the same performance or even better with the XLR8 Gaming Revel EPIX-X. Lastly, as per PNY, the XLR8 is expected to consume around 350 watts of power during intense graphical processing like 4K gaming. The power numbers are generated based on the stock base and boost clock speeds. It can cross up to 420 watts of power, given that there is the power to spare.
#7- NVIDIA RTX 3090 Founders Edition
The GeForce RTX 3090 Founders Edition is a take on by Nvidia to compete with its AIB partners and AMD alike. Though the graphics card decimates the competition by a convincing margin to the point that it does not look like a competition anymore but a professional boxer beating street thugs in a fight. The PNY RTX 3090 XLR8 Gaming Revel EPIC-X is a ferocious GPU that is overpowering and cannot be fully utilized to its full potential for at least a couple of years. There is nothing special to talk about the XLR8 as it performs exactly how you can expect. The card is decent and such, but it is nothing extraordinary. The Founders Edition is a better choice, however, in every aspect. This is one of the noticeable flaws if you are going with this graphics card. Other than that, that card might exceed the expectations in gaming, especially at 4K and 8K resolutions. Moreover, there is a lot more room available for overclocking, which will boost the performance of the graphics card further, not to forget the revolutionary DLSS technology. These many features and all the new exciting designs make this the number 6th best RTX 3090 GPU in this round-up.
Clock Speed: 1695 MHz Boost Clock & 1395 MHz Base Clock. Video Memory: 24GB GDDR6X. Bus Standard: PCI-Express 4.0 Recommended PSU: 750W Power Consumption: 350W or 430W If Overclocked. Power Connectors: 2x 8-Pin. Ports: 3x DisplayPort 1.4 & 1x HDMI 2.1 Dimensions: 12.3 x 5.4 x 2.4 Inch
Impressive 4K gaming performance or high refresh rate monitors Aesthetically pleasing design Outstanding cooling performance Decent overclocking capabilities
The enormous size, 3-slot form factor may not fit inside most PC cases. Aesthetically really simple.
Enough of my poor depiction of the RTX 3090, the RTX 3090 FE features a one-of-a-kind graphics card design that no one ever saw. It features a unique contrast of a dull copper-colored metal frame with a black heatsink embedded with the frame. On the front, there is a single fan, but there is a second fan hidden on the opposite side of the first fan, inside the heatsink. It is a thick graphics card with a 3-slot form factor that makes even the Standard-ITX board looks like mini-ITX boards. It features 3x DisplayPort and 1x HDMI ports with HDCP 2.3 support, allowing the user to run four displays on a single unit, excellent for content creators or enthusiasts running multiple monitor setups. Depending on the location, the card will sit around the 32-35 degrees Celsius temperature mark. Interestingly, the graphics card is under extreme stress, peaking at 72 degrees Celsius, giving serious competition to its AIB partners. The RTX 3090 is a power-hungry beast and consumes a whopping 350 watts of power on average without any special overclocking. At stock clock speeds, the card struggle with running games at 8K resolution despite Nvidia’s claimed “8K 60FPS” argument.
#8- ASUS TUF RTX 3090 OC Edition
ASUS generally has a wide variety designed for the majority of consumers. For medium to high and enthusiastic level budget is covered by the ROG series of products while the TUF series cover budget oriented as well and enthusiastic level products. No doubt, the RTX 3090 is possibly the best graphics card. It is just so powerful that it eventually makes it overkill. It is harder to recommend a graphics card that is worth thousands of dollars only for gaming. If you are in the professional market getting a card with similar performance as a Titan graphics card, then you will not regret getting the RTX 3090 FE. It will complete the same job as you would expect from a Titan GPU with a few thousand dollars price difference. It is understandable if you are an enthusiast and looking for future proof, the best possible graphics card that you can get for your gaming rig, it is still overkill, considering how many resources of the GPU is not even utilized during 4K gaming, I meant what are you going to do with the 24 GB of VRAM? In the end, if you are looking for a graphics card with impressive heat dissipation, lower noise levels, room, and support for overclocking, the RTX 3090 FE from our best RTX 3090 graphics cards is you should consider purchasing.
Clock Speed: 1740 MHz (Boost Clock) & 1770 MHz (OC Mode) Video Memory: 24GB GDDR6X. Bus Standard: PCI Express 4.0 Recommended PSU: 850W Power Consumption: 350W or 450W When Overclocked. Power Connectors: 2x 8-Pin Ports: 2x Native HDMI 2.1 & 3x Native DisplayPort 1.4a. Dimensions: 11.8 x 4.99 x 2.03 Inch
Solid build quality, featuring mostly metallic body. Gorgeous, minimalistic design, with an attractive metallic backplate. Outstanding 4K gaming performance best suited for 75-144Hz display monitors. Much faster than the Founders Edition. Affordable compared to other 3090 versions in the market with little to no performance difference. Dual BIOS for toggling different modes.
Radeon RX 6900XT performs better at a lower price. Lack of a noticeable RGB lighting system except for the top-right edge of the card.
The TUF RTX 3090 OC is another RTX 3090 graphics card other than the ROG STRIX RTX 3090 graphics card having its own charm and aesthetics. Under the case, it features the same architecture and gigantic 24 GBs of VRAM. It features a triple-fan cooling system to keep the components of the graphics card cool, enough to keep the card running at full clock speeds for peace of mind high-end gaming. It is a big graphics card with a 2.7-slot form factor, not the biggest but still big enough to prevent users from installing it into their casing especially builds with mini-ITX boards. ASUS tailored this flagship GPU for robust performance paired with unparalleled cooling performance thanks to the solid build quality of this beast. The gaming performance of this graphics card is exactly what you might expect, probably better. You can expect over 75 FPS frame rate on average in 99 percent of the games at native 4K, the FPS numbers can be boosted further with the help of the DLSS technology. Now, as far as power consumption goes, to get this type of gaming performance, you should have at least 850 watts of power supply installed in your PC case, well, according to what ASUS suggests. On stock clock speeds, the card consumed around 350 watts of power during 4K gaming. If you are planning to run games at 8K, you can expect the card to consume up to 420 watts of power alone, without considering overclocking. After overclocking, the consumption bumps up even further.
#9- ZOTAC RTX 3090 Trinity OC
The GeForce RTX 3090 Trinity is the flagship RTX 3090 version by the Chinese GPU manufacturer ZOTAC. The card is packed with features and looks, featuring a triple fan form factor coupled with the improved and better IceStorm 2.0 cooling solution. The ASUS TUF RTX 3090 is an excellent, solid-built graphics card, tailored for unrivaled gaming performance with impressive cooling performance. For the most part, the card is overkill unless you have plans for high-end graphics work or 8K gaming. Other than that, almost half of the VRAM will be unutilized. A 3080 Ti or the Radeon RX 6900XT is a far better choice and makes more sense to get. Unless you get lucky and can find this graphics card closer to the MSRP, it is a steal. Otherwise, there are better options to choose from. Well, that makes this graphics card the number 8th on our best RTX 3090 GPU round-up.
Clock Speed: 1710 MHz Boost Clock. Video Memory: 24GB GDDR6X. Bus Standard: PCI Express 4.0 Recommended PSU: 750W Power Consumption: 350W or 440W If Pushed Over Limits. Power Connectors: 2x 8-Pin. Ports: 3x DisplayPort 1.4a & 1x HDMI 2.1 Dimensions: 12.5 x 4.75 x 2.28 Inch
Attractive design, matte-finish metallic front plate. Long heatsink fused with heat pipes for optimal heat dissipation. Minimal RGB lighting on the top side, adding more to the aesthetics. Metallic die-cast backplate with embedded ARGB LED lighting Amazing 4K gaming performance. Overclocked out-of-the-box
Limited on-board power allowed.
It features a matte-finish metallic body with a slick-looking design that catches the attention of a person under a single glance. Not only the front looks beautiful, but the rear of the card also is not shabby either. It features a metallic backplate with an embedded RGB lit logo. The triple-fan design works well with the wide, not-so-thick heatsink of the GPU by keeping the temperatures under a certain limit where you can game with full focus, without having to worry about frying the PCB. Gaming performance is similar to what I have observed with other 3090 versions with a few FPS differences here and there, overall, it is faster than any GPU from the RTX 30 series. There is nothing special to discuss as far as gaming is concerned this card knows how to do its job. The fans on this GPU are decent and have a pretty decent RPM. Not the fastest, but they are not slow either. At idle, the card peaked at 35 degrees, and you can expect the temperature to rise somewhat in between 70 to 75 degrees Celsius. The fans at their maximum RPM are not that noisy, just average.
#10- Gigabyte RTX 3090 GAMING OC
This GPU is one of the few 3090 variants manufactured and built by one of the older AIB partners of Nvidia, Gigabyte. The graphics card is not the best version of the 3090 by Gigabyte but falls in the middle in terms of clock speeds and gaming performance. The ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 3090 is a gaming ornament manufactured by ZOTAC to compete with the RTX 3090 variants by ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, etc. The card performance is well decent, but it is still not the fastest version. Nonetheless, it is costly, but it delivers as well. It is an excellent card for pure, native 4K gaming without any upscaling, but if you plan to play competitive titles with over 200 FPS, you will enjoy this card’s performance in competitive titles at maxed-out graphics, such type of FPS framerate might be impossible on slower graphics cards.
Clock Speed: 1755 MHz Boost Clock. Video Memory: 24GB GDDR6X. Bus Standard: PCI Express 4.0 Recommended PSU: 750W Power Consumption: 350W to 450W If Overclocked. Power Connectors: 2x 8-Pin Ports: 3x DisplayPort 1.4a & 2x HDMI 2.1 Dimensions: 12.59 x 5.07 x 2.1 Inch
One of the best-looking graphics card versions of the RTX 3090 Attractive metallic backplate Excellent gaming performance, best suited for high resolutions or high refresh rate monitors Outstanding cooling performance Relatively quieter than most 3090 versions under high stress.
Thick and bulky heatsink form factor will cause issues for people with compact systems.
It features the Gigabyte’s custom cooler rather than the cooler installed on Founders Edition. Unlike most Windforce graphics cards, this piece of hardware is a beauty as each nook and cranny oozes solid build quality and attractive aesthetics. It comes with a triple-fan, 3-slot form factor, 12.3 inches in length, and 5.4 inches in width, making it a bulky card that will give people with compact systems a serious headache. On the rear, the card features a metallic, specially designed backplate which is gorgeous but lacks any embedded ARGB LED lighting of any sort. Talking about RGB, the card does have RGB located on the right corner or the top side. The GPU features 3x DisplayPort and 2x HDMI ports in total. People will extra monitors will take advantage of the additional output slots. It destroyed the benchmarks results as expected, and the gaming performance is not too bad. However, since this GPU is not the best that Gigabyte has to offer but I will take it. It featured double-digit performance gains over the lower versions of the RTX 30 series but comparing the performance with high-end versions, the performance difference gets smaller. One of the good things about the GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC is its factory tweaked base and boost clock speeds. However, there is still room available for improvement, but only if you have more than 400 watts of energy to spare.
#11- ZOTAC RTX 3090 AMP Core Holo
The AMP Core Holo is the flagship, fastest version of the RTX 3090 by ZOTAC, featuring higher base and boost clock speeds, more room for overclocking, and more RGB on the front plate. The Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC is loaded with features for a native 4k gaming experience. With the powerful Ampere architecture and a whopping 24 GB GDDR6X memory, the card can take any onerous tasks, be it gaming or rendering. It is an excellent graphics card for content creators or enthusiasts looking for the best RTX 3090 graphics card that money can buy. It supports up to 5 displays on a single graphics card, while most RTX 3090 variants feature up to 4 display slots at max.
Clock Speed: 1755 MHz Boost Clock. Video Memory: 24GB GDDR6X. Bus Standard: PCI Express 4.0 Recommended PSU: 800W Power Consumption: 375W or 430W If Overclocked. Power Connectors: 3x 8-Pin. Ports: 3x DisplayPort 1.4a & 1x HDMI 2.1 Dimensions: 12.9 x 5.4 x 2.3 Inch
Gorgeous design with embedded RGB on the front plate Metallic backplate with embedded RGB lighting Outstanding 4k and 8K gaming performance Decent cooling performance Faster than the Founders Edition
Relatively expensive with little performance advantage over the competing graphics cards Noisy compared to other custom versions of the RTX 3090
It features the same cooler as the Trinity OC but with better clock speeds. The size of the card lies in between compact and massive, with a 2.5-slot, triple fans form factor. On the back, you will find a metallic backplate with integrated RBG, this time with a pattern along with the logo. You can plug up to four displays on the single unit having 3x DisplayPort and 1x HDMI port. Besides its unique look, the GPU has 10496 CUDA cores, 82 RT cores, 328 tensor cores with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory that is a 384-bit wide interface. The card topped the gaming benchmarks, surprisingly the performance was only a little bit better than AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, and take each of these cards prices into consideration, the 6900 XT is more attractive to choose from, or the RTX 3080 Ti offering excellent valve over the RTX 3090. Nonetheless, if you are a content creator or an enthusiastic game that wants the maximum possible frame rates with currently available technology, the AMP Core Holo is a beast that is perfect for the job.
#12- Gigabyte AORUS RTX 3090 Xtreme WATERFORCE
Over time, GPU manufacturers have tried coming up with unique GPU ideas. But the generic graphic card design with heatsinks and two fans stuck with most GPUs. For higher-end GPUs, there is an additional fan with a thick heatsink and better components. Zotac has a few versions of the RTX 3090 GPU, and AMP is one of the few versions that consumers can get from the market at a premium price. It is not the fastest RTX 3090 by Zotac but still gets the job done. If you are bothered by a few FPS differences, you might want to look for another variant. Besides the minute differences compared to the top-tier best RTX 3090 variants, the AMP is a solid choice to go for. The card offers everything that a top-of-the-line graphics card is expected to provide, solid 4K performance check, extremely high number of cores check, dedicated ray-tracing cores, monstrous VRAM check, supports multi displays check, future proof check, 8K gaming possible check, it is a complete package.
Clock Speed: 1785 MHz Boost Clock (Can Go Further). Video Memory: 24GB GDDR6X. Bus Standard: PCI Express 4.0 Recommended PSU: 750W Power Consumption: 350W or 460W Overclocked. Power Connectors: 2x 8-Pin. Ports: 3x DisplayPort 1.4a & 2x HDMI 2.1, & 1x HDMI 2.0 Card’s Dimensions: 9.92 x 5.31 x 1.57 Inch Radiator Size: 240mm. Radiator’s Fan Size: 2x 120mm.
Gorgeous aesthetic design Built-in IO liquid cooling out of the box Exceptional cooling performance Compact design, built to fit in most cases, ideal for mini-ITX builds Outstanding 4K gaming performance. Room for high boost clock speeds due to liquid cooling
Risk of liquid leakage, which can permanently damage the system. One of the most expensive versions of the RTX 3090.
However, as crazy as it might sound, rarely there are GPUs with built-in AIO cooling and presenting you Gigabyte Aorus GeForce RTX 3090 Xtreme. Featuring a water-cooled AIO cooler build by none other than Gigabyte themselves. Sure, there are liquid cooling solutions, but those are sold separately. There is rarely any GPU released with a built-in AIO cooling system. This card is by far the gorgeous looking card that I have ever seen, with embedded RGB, adding even more to the looks. The GPU features 240mm radiators paired with 2x 120mm ARGB fans with multiple RGB modes to choose from and 2x 8-pin slots for power. This GPU is a beast on its own, featuring a boost overclocks of 1785 MHz out of the box, at least 90 MHz than the reference card. Since it features an AIO cooler, you can pump this boost clock even further even possibly up to the 1870 MHz mark. The card is already faster than the reference card and can be overclocked to an even higher frequency. It can be turned the card into the fastest RTX 3090 in the world, beating the likes of ROG STRIX RTX 3090 and MSI RTX 3090 Gaming X Trio. The card has the potential to crush the gaming benchmarks. The fans on the radiator might generate audible noise running at full RPM, that is under extreme stress as liquid cooling is way efficient than air cooling. There is one big risk that you should be cautious of. Since it is an AIO liquid-cooled GPU, after potential leakage, it might cause damage to your system or could cause issues replacing the cooler. With great power comes great responsibility. Though, there is a 4-year warranty for a peace of mind gaming experience.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 Performance & Benchmarks!
The RTX 3090 is a product for people who want the best graphics processing solution for their PCs and have the budget to afford so. It is built mainly for processing graphic intensive processes like animation, 3D rendering, modeling, or editing videos at 4K or 8K. There are so many competitive RTX 3090 variants, each with its looks and performance. The Gigabyte AORUS GeForce RTX 3090 Xtreme Waterforce is in a league of its own, probably even a tier above the fastest and best RTX 3090 GPUs available in the market or on the internet. It features a unique AIO liquid cooler for unparalleled cooling performance making a difference of up to two digits. The custom AIO cooler opens room for the card for overclocking. That is if the PC has the required power supply. Overall it is a solid, premium graphics card built for the enthusiast that has the money to spare. Other than, that there are not many reasons to buy this graphics card at a high price. If you can utilize the massive 24 GB VRAM buffer or you are a content creator or a professional graphics worker. The RTX 3090 is of great value. Generally speaking, the performance difference between RTX 3080 Ti and the 3090 is not that wide, but still, it’s a better choice for most gamers looking for a high-end GPU. The RTX 30 series overall is an excellent GPU series release offering up to 40 percent performance gain over the RTX 20 series GPU series. The cards are excellent if you have your eyes on lower resolution but higher refresh rates like 1080p and 240Hz refresh rates. As the resolution increases from 1080p to 1440p and 4K, the differences between the flagship RTX 3090 and RTX 3080 Ti or the 3080 shrinks to single-digit percentages, which makes the RTX 3090 seem unworthy of investment. However, Nvidia claims the RTX 3090 is not just for gaming, which is obvious seeing the gigantic 24 GB memory buffer. That being said, a lot of people will be setting their sights on the RTX 3090, and nothing is more exciting than checking the gaming benchmarks. Normally, I would not post the results of 1080p for a GPU like the RTX 3090, but as an exception and curiosity, I will be posting them anyways. I hope these gaming benchmarks will surely help you to pick the best RTX 3090 GPU variant of your choice in no time from the list I posted above. Down below are the specifications of the test system for 1080p benchmarks:
CPU: Core i9-10900K. Memory: 32 GB @ 3600 MHz. GPU: RTX 3090 Founder Edition. PSU: 1000W Corsair.
Check out the 1080p results down below: Call of duty: Modern Warfare In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the card delivered around 228 FPS on average at maxed-out graphical settings. 155 FPS were recorded as the lowest 1%. It sees a single-digit frame rate difference compared to the RTX 3080. Horizon Zero Dawn In Horizon Zero Dawn, we are looking at a solid 159 frame rate on average at ultimate quality preset. In this title, the RTX 3090 maintained a convincing lead over the RTX 3080 with a double-digit frame difference. The GPU managed over 124 FPS as 1% lowest. Doom: Eternal Doom Eternal is a decently optimized game. We are looking at around 350 FPS on average at Nightmare quality preset. In closed areas, the FPS even touched the 450 FPS frame rate, which is bonkers. It is possibly the highest recorded FPS in a single-player title. Fortnite Fortnite is comparatively less taxing than most competitive titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Battlefield V, etc. In Fortnite, we are looking at an average FPS frame rate of around 250 to 270 FPS with 160 FPS as 1% lowest. Interestingly, the RTX 3080 was only 3-4 FPS slower. Similar results are observed for the 1% lowest FPS. That is an impressive result coming out from the 3090. The Division 2 In The Division 2, the RTX 3090 managed to deliver around 195 FPS on average, barely touching the 200 FPS mark. It maintained a convincing double-digit FPS lead over the 3080 and over 50 FPS difference compared to the 2080 TI. On average, we are looking at a 232 FPS frame rate in most games with a $6.46 cost per frame at the MSRP of the RTX 3090, double the amount of the 3080. If you are thinking about a setup paired with a 1080p, 240Hz monitor or higher, then the RTX 3090 is the perfect GPU to get your hands on. Let’s see how it performs in 1440p: 1080p is like a walk in a park for the 3090, and 1440 is somewhat similar. Even at 1440p, the card is a behemoth averaging over 120 FPS in the majority of the titles, competitive and single-player included. The testing system for the 1440p test is given down below:
CPU: Core i9-10900K Memory: 32 GB @ 3200 MHz GPU: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC PSU: Corsair AX1200
Without any further ado, let us check the gaming results at 1440p: Call of duty: Modern Warfare Starting with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, we are seeing a frame rate over 185 FPS on average and 151 FPS as 1% lowest at Ultra Details. The RTX 3080 maintained over 175 FPS on average. The RTX 3090 taking the crow in this title at 1440p. The 1% lowest FPS difference between these GPUs is very minute, surprisingly. CS: GO The results for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are rather interesting. The RTX 3090 maintained a solid lead over the RTX 3080, maintaining over 50 FPS differences over the latter. However, the 1% lowest FPS was almost halved, which surprised me the most. Similar results were observed for 3080 and 2080 TI, respectively. Doom: Eternal In Doom Eternal, we can observe similar performance as we did in 1080p. The card delivered over 318 FPS on average, with 258 FPS as the 1% Lowest at Ultra Nightmare preset. RTX 3080 was almost 30 FPS slower, preserving a frame rate of around 289 FPS on average. 230 FPS were recorded as 1% lowest Red Dead Redemption 2 The results for Red Dead Redemption are quite underwhelming at 1440p. We are looking at 112 FPs on average and 89 FPS as the 1% lowest. The RTX 3080 was only 6% slower than the RTX 3090 on average at 1440p. The difference will keep shrinking as we keep increasing the resolution, making the RTX 3080 an excellent value card for 1440p and 4K gaming. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Microsoft Flight Simulator is a simulator, not a game, and running it at 30 FPS is not bad. At ultra-preset, we are looking at 58 FPS on average, with 35 FPS as the 1% lowest. The 3080 was only 2% slower than the 3090, averaging, at 56 FPS on average and 30 FPS as 1% lowest. The 3090 was 10% faster than the 2080 Ti in this title, averaging over 48 FPS. The results were similar to what I expected from the RTX 3090, staying at the top of the benchmarks. There is one thing to note here is the percentage difference between the 3080 and 3090 is shrinking as we move on to higher resolutions. Now let’s test at the ultimate eye candy 4K: Things begin to change at 4K resolution as all of the graphical processing depends mostly on the graphics card rather than the CPU. It is the perfect metric to test the capabilities of the graphics card. The test system that was used for testing games at 4K is listed down below:
CPU: Core i7-10700K Memory: 32 GB @ 3600 MHz GPU: PNY GeForce RTX 3090 XLR8 PSU: Corsair RM850X White 80Plus Gold 850W
Without wasting any time, here are the results of 4K testing: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Starting with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, we are looking at 70 FPS on average, with 53 FPS as 1% lowest. It is 27 percent faster than the RTX 2080 TI, delivering around 55 FPS on average at Ultra preset. Assassin’s Creed is not the best game when it comes to optimization, so it is harder to judge the performance of the 3090. Cyberpunk 2077 Cyberpunk 2077 is a demanding title, and the card managed over 70 FPS on average, with 60 FPS as 1% lowest. The RTX 2080 Ti has an average of 57 FPS and 51 FPS as 1% lowest, making it almost 23 percent slower than its predecessor. The GPU consumed around 341 watts of power on average, 36 percent more than the RTX 2080 TI. Shadow of the Tomb Raider Up next is the Shadow of the Tomb Raider. We are looking at an average of 87 FPS at ultra-preset. The minimum number of FPS that I observed was 78 FPS, with 1% lowest. The RTX 2080 Ti delivered over 62 FPS on average and 30 FPS as 1% lowest, making it 40 percent slower than the RTX 3090 in this title. Power consumption-wise, the 3090 consumed 336 watts on average compared to the 250 watts of the RTX 2080 TI, consuming 34 percent less than the 3090 Red Dead Redemption 2 In Red Dead Redemption 2, an average of 82 FPS is maintained by the RTX 3090, dropping at 73 FPS as 1% lowest and highest graphical settings. The RTX 2080 Ti managed to deliver a solid 60 FPS frame rate and dropping at 59 FPS as the lowest 1%, solid and consistent performance coming out from the RTX 2080 TI, still almost 37 percent lower than the predecessor. Horizon Zero Dawn Lastly, we have Horizon Zero Dawn is the next title that we will be looking at. At native 4K and Ultra Quality preset, we are looking at 75 FPS frame rate on average and 47 FPS as the lowest 1%. The 2080 Ti struggled and did not cross the 60 FPS frame rate, maintaining a 55 FPS frame rate, making the RTX 2080 Ti almost 27 percent slower.
Power Supply (PSUs) For The Best RTX 3090
The RTX 30 series is an ambitious launch by Nvidia, doubling the performance over the preceding RTX 20 series GPUs. Along with performance, the power consumption is also increased in the RTX 30 series. It is the flagship version, and the best the RTX 30 series has to offer. However, having such a buffed-up graphics card requires an equally powerful power supply. Without a decent, high-end power supply, getting an RTX 30 series GPU may leave a bitter taste in your mouth, especially the RTX 3090 if you are upgrading from RTX 2080 Ti or older series of GPU. We will be sticking to the 3090 for the time being. Nvidia rated their 3090 graphics cards for 350 watts of power consumption under high stress, and the company recommends using 750 watts of reliable PSU for a hassle-free experience. Without overclocking and using the graphics card at stock clock speeds, the total power consumption is observed to be around 530-550 watts on average which are almost 50 watts shy of 600 watts, so if you are sitting with 750 watts PSU in your PC, it will have you more than covered. However, if you are getting anything other than the Founders Edition and want to overclock your graphics card, the graphics card exceeds 400 watts of power, and in extreme cases, you can expect it to consume up to 420 or 430 watts. Due to many factors, the RTX 3080 looks like a better purchase than the 3090. However, the RTX 3090 is better in the performance-per-watt department. The 3080 consumed 327 watts on average at 4K resolution, only 6 percent less than the RTX 3090. One of the best things about getting a Founders Edition version of the RTX 3090 is the temperatures and quietness during running. It is one of the coolest 3090 with the lowest noise levels, then again, this is all possible without taking overclocking into consideration. Well that being said the most important reason I have to push my whole energy into this segment is to help you guys choosing the right compatible PSUs with your best RTX 3090 GPUs.
Best RTX 3090 – Everything You Need To Know Before Buying!
I know in this section, you are going to ask me about the things we must look at before buying the best RTX 3090. Right? Do not worry! More Reading: Best RTX 2070 Graphics Card Below are some of the most asked things people really want to know about this series. Some things are new, while some old stuff also got revolutionary tweaks as well. Some stuff is not really going to guide you in deciding the best RTX 3090 graphics card but surely help you to grab enough knowledge relevant to these GPUs.
8K HDR Gaming
The world’s first graphics card with real 8K HDR gaming power because of some serious work in visual effects and rendering. The developers added more textures, shades, and other stuff to make your gaming experience enhanced as compared to the 4k graphics. The blurriness is not a problem anymore as now a total of 33 million pixels will run anything at 7680×4320 display. If you make a rough comparison between the 8K, 4K (8 million), and 1080p (2 million) gaming, you can see a vast difference for various objects at an excellent distance. With more pixels and power, you can now play your favorite games at the full potential without any tweaking of your hardware. 8K gaming enables you to see everything in more detail and clarity with the HQ HDR experience. Also, thanks to the 24 GDDRX6 memory to maintain comprehensive stability and to load the high tier assets in no time. Lastly, there were a lot of challenges for developers while creating this experience for us because 8K graphics require 4x more assets if we compare it with 4k graphics and 16x more assets (1080p gaming). At the same time, there is enormous free VRAM that should be available too. Now, all these together makes this easy for us to experience the true 8K HDR gaming while playing our favorite games. Suggested Reading: Best RTX 2080 Super Graphics Cards
CUDA Cores And VRAM
CUDA (or Compute Unified Device Architecture) cores are parallel processors in Nvidia graphics cards. These work similarly to the CPU cores like dual-core, quad-core, etc. The larger the number of CUDA Cores a GPU will have, the faster it will process data. The larger the number of CUDA Cores a GPU will have, the larger chunks of data it will process, more processed data will result in a higher frame rate in games, for instance. The RTX 3090 has by far the highest number of CUDA Cores over the 10000 mark, 10496 to be precise, one of the biggest reasons why the RTX 3090 is on another level than its predecessor. RTX 3080 Ti comes closest to the 3090 with 10240 CUDA Cores in total, 18 percent more than the 3080. VRAM is the next biggest factor that will decide your purchase. The 3090 features a humongous 24 GB of GDDR6X VRAM buffer. Normally the consumers are used to see up to 11 or 12 GB of GDDR6X VRAM buffer. The 3080 Ti features 12 GB, 3080 features 10 GB, and 2080 Ti features 11 GB of GDDR6 memory. In gaming, the maximum amount of VRAM you will utilize is around 8 to 10 GB max, which will leave over half of the VRAM unutilized, making the 3090 a wasted potential. Now, if you believe your work can benefit from the 24 GB VRAM buffer and will help you save time and other stuff, then RTX 3090 is the best graphics card for you, otherwise, you should consider either the 3080 or the 3080 TI.
Ray Tracing And DLSS 2.0 Performance
It has been over two years since Nvidia officially revealed their RTX 20 series of graphics cards that are capable of real-time ray tracing along with the game-changer DLSS technology. Frankly speaking, both of these features failed to appeal to the general masses and made the RTX 20 series a flop than a huge success compared to the GTX 1000 graphics card series. It has been two years, and there have not been many games that have implemented Nvidia ray-tracing technology into their games, making the RTX series GPU rather for rasterization instead of pure ray-tracing prowess. I mean, what good is technology if you cannot use it with a few exceptions, right? However, the DLSS technology turned the tides in Nvidia’s favor, and the fun thing is DLSS 1.0 was also a flop, it was highly criticized as it made games unplayable due to the technology being fresh and bugs. DLSS 2.0 is a different story. In short, what DLSS does is it takes an image rendered at a lower resolution, let us say 1080p, and uses AI to scale those images to a higher resolution like 1440p hence lower load on GPU and can throw more FPS rather than rendering the image at native 1440p. Ensuring higher FPS at 1440p or 4K. This technology is limited to the RTX series of the graphics card, and if you are going to buy any card from the RTX series for DLSS, I would say, definitely go for it. The differences are hardly noticeable unless you pay extra attention to the details making 4K 60 FPS gaming possible even with slower and lower-end RTX graphics cards. We have yet to see DLSS in most games, but, AMD also released their FidelityFX technology to compete with DLSS. More competition means more developers will start implementing this technology hence a win for the consumers and prosumers alike. The DLSS has three mods implemented in most games; Ultra Performance will scale a low resolution rendered image for maximum framerate possible, then there is the performance that upscales decent quality images to the desired resolution, and lasting quality, it will upscale a high-quality image at a higher resolution than performance for a best visual experience. You can also turn off the DLSS in games for a smoother and pleasant experience, DLSS is recommended for games having the ray-tracing option. Usually, turning ray tracing on decreases the FPS drastically. To tackle the FPS drop, you can select from the above-mentioned DLSS modes.
Power Consumption, Thermals, And Noise
It is no surprise that the RTX 3090 is a power-hungry beast and requires an equally powerful PSU to keep up. If you have a custom version of the 3090 by AIB partners of Nvidia, that is. The Founders Edition is rated for 350 watts of power consumption, and practically it does stay around this mark. The GPU peaks at the 380-400 watts mark after overclocking. Having this high-power consumption makes the card hotter rapidly, and to keep the temperatures in check, almost all of the RTX versions come with beefy heatsinks. The GPU crushes the benchmarks results gaining a convincing lead over the competing cards. You might wonder the temps would be higher but let me tell you, this graphics card is a true monster in the literal sense. It would crush the benchmarks results while remaining within the 60 degrees Celsius limit. The maximum it can go is 70 degrees which is nothing but laud-worthy. At maximum RPM, the card might get noisy, but only if the card is pushed at that limit. At stock clock speeds, the card is relatively quiet, and you would not notice the fans running at all unless you pay your full attention to the fans. The Founders Edition is a well thought and designed product in every aspect. It has excellent thermal performance moreover, the noise levels are exceptional. It is by far one of the quietest graphics cards in the market, it is buffed with top-of-the-line features. Nvidia has left no stone unturned to make this card their exquisite masterpiece for enthusiasts and content creators.
Nvidia AMPERE Architecture
I’m not going to share any boring stuff here, but I still managed to discuss something handy and exciting about the new NVIDIA’s AMPERE Architecture here. Nvidia’s new RTX-30 series is based on the newly launched Ampere Architecture, and it’s a codename for the GPU unit developed by Nvidia as the successor to both the Volta and Turing architectures. A few of the things that you should know related to the new AMPERE architecture, even its not associated with this buying guide, but sharing is caring, as I mentioned. 1- More CUDA cores are going to expand the overall gaming experience.2- New custom Samsung’s 8nm process.3- More bandwidth is now linked.4- GDDRX6 memory up to 24 GB has been attached.5- All based on PCI-E 4.0 with SR-IOV support.6- NVLINK 3.0.7- 2nd generation Ray-tracing cores.8- 3rd generation Tensor cores with FP16.9- Multi-Instance GPU (MIG) to equally produce the same performance across all the cores.10- 5 NVDECS Last but not least, NVIDIA A100 Tensor Core GPU will give you 20x more performance with the Tensor Float (TF32). It will reduce all the bulkiness across the critical assets that you require for your computer services. When combined with the MIG technology, PCI-E 4.0 interface, NVIDIA NVLINK, NVIDIA NVSwitch, it will just finish the essential tasks with 3x more speed and quality.
PCI Express 4.0, SLI, And RTX IO
With the addition of PCI Express 4.0, you can now enjoy the proper bandwidth speed for your best RTX 3090 series. The interface can now increase the bandwidth speed up to 32GB/second in all directions, and it’s double as compared to the RTX-20 series. One thing that most of the people were saying about SLI support was that they are going to eliminate it in the RTX-30 series is not an authentic piece of paper anymore as they are again continuing the SLI support with all new NVLink 3. With this addition, the overall bandwidth speed will get more boost and performance in all the directions equally. Introducing you to the Nvidia RTX IO advanced super-fast algorithm. Now, enjoy instant game loading times and shutter-free navigation while playing games without any lag. I know you must be thinking that with the new incredible performance of Gen4 NVMe SSDs, there is no need for this feature, but what if I say that still a new generation of I/O architecture is required to load the games 2x faster? The faster, the better, isn’t it? RTX IO is a suite of technologies developed by Nvidia to enable the GPU-based loading and other essential game assets rapidly while using the new Microsoft’s DirectStorage API for Windows to offload tons of assets in no time up to 100x more speed.
Overclocking And Undervolting
Overclocking is a sensitive topic and should not be messed with unless you are an expert or know what you are doing. Though, if you get the custom version of the GeForce RTX 3090, chances are the card will be factory tweaked for overclocking out of the box, and you do not have to do anything as the performance is near to maximum with little room to push further. Even the Founders Edition features 1.40 GHz of base clock speed that peaks up to 1.7 GHz. These numbers are already decent, going toe-to-toe with the versions manufactured by AIB partners of Nvidia. The card has a decent room for overclocking and can be pushed further depending on how excessive power it can draw from the power supply. I am talking about 420 to 450 watts of power consumption, almost 100 watts more than the rated value. Undervolting, as the term suggests, means to limit the volts supplied to the hardware. It is a technique of limiting volts supplied to GPU or CPU for better control over thermals and overclocking stability. Undervolting has its own set of advantages, and since the card is already way too powerful for daily use, you might consider undervolting the GPU. Mostly it can be done with the aid of third-party software like the popular MSI Afterburner for overclocking. One of the biggest advantages of undervolting is if you somehow managed to retain the same clock speeds while reducing the number of volts it would make your GPU more energy-efficient and will save you the electricity bills. Undervolting will also prevent the fans from running at maximum RPM, decreasing noise, and since less power is fed to the GPU, it will mean lower amounts of heat release. However, undervolting to a greater extent might also prevent you from getting the juicy frames in your video games, as you will possibly bottleneck your system’s performance.
Weight, Dimensions & Pricing
The Founders Edition of the RTX 3090 is a buffed boy weighing over 2.1KG in weight, and you can imagine why the 3-slot and thick heatsink is one of the reasons for its heavyweight. By far, it is one of the bulkiest and heaviest GPUs that Nvidia has ever manufactured and in general as well. The RTX 3090 is not for mini-ITX builds it makes even the Standard-ITX form factor motherboards look like mini-ITX motherboards – that is how big this card is. Featuring two 110mm fans and for the I/O panel, we have the generic configuration as most GPUs, 3X DisplayPort 1.4a and 1x HDMI 2.1 ports. It is by far Nvidia’s best design and graphics card to date. The weight and dimensions make sense due to the crazy amount of CUDA cores and VRAM it offers. It packs over 21 percent more than the RTX 3080 and almost 3 percent more than the RTX 3080 TI. Of course, the 3090 is the most expensive out of the RTX 30 series, with 3080 Ti right behind. Most of the RTX 3090 variants by the AIB partners are priced at a few hundred dollars above. Each of them features a unique set of qualities. Some feature a faster base and boost clock speeds, while other feature more premium components. In the end, the Founders Edition still provides the best value, hands down. At least in my eyes. If you have enough money to spare, then whichever version you will choose, it will get the job done. That being said, all of these cards are way above their MSRP, and until the supply and demand ratio balances, these flagship graphics cards will not be getting cheaper. If you are a patient person and want to wait for the prices to normalize, I have bad news for you. The prices might remain the same throughout 2022 and possibly till the mid of 2023. Though, the world is still not ready for pure native 8K gaming but is now possible thanks to the DLSS technology. I guess this is what Nvidia had their eyes on when they first introduced the RTX 20 series graphics cards and DLSS. That being said, if you have a 4K monitor with a high refresh rate, then you are in for a treat as the card can deliver up to 70-80 FPS on average, which can be boosted further with DLSS and few graphical tweaks. It is truly an outstanding and revolutionary graphics card that team green has ever released build for high-end gaming, as well as, Titan level performance with only 25 percent of the price, probably less. Lastly, I am excited to see how much time will Nvidia take to make native 8K 60 FPS gaming a reality? RTX 40 series cards, or will it be one more generation? Only time will tell.
Question 1: What is the best RTX 3090 card?
Every variant of the 3090 is best in one way or another, each of the cards will provide you with similar gaming and cooling performance and similar noise levels with very minute differences. Though if we are talking about the best RTX 3090 graphics card with faster clock speeds, the ROG STRIX RTX 3090 monster by ASUS. There are two more contenders for this spot, the MSI RTX 3090 Gaming X TRIO (which is of course one of the best RTX 3090 with performance stability and the Gigabyte AORUS GeForce RTX 3090 Xtreme Waterforce which is the best RTX 3090 with the better cooling system.
Question 2: Is there anything better than an RTX 3090?
The 3090 is the flagship graphics card released by Nvidia for the general public. There are more powerful graphics that do come to mind but are not suited for gaming. They are built for servers and work requiring high graphics processing prowess. For gaming, the GPU that comes closest in terms of 4K gaming is the Radeon RX 6900XT or the RTX 3080 TI, both offering better or you can say similar value than the 3090.
Question 3: Who should buy the RTX 3090?
Content creator and enthusiasts that are looking for the best possible graphics card that money can buy. People who believe they can utilize the monstrous 24 GB memory buffer for 3D animation, rendering, and raw 8K footage editing, if you fall in this category of people, then the RTX 3090 will be of great value.
Question 4: Is buying a 3090 worth it?
Yes, only if the card is on sale at MSRP or a little above. If the card cost is way above the MSRP, is it better to look for an RTX 3080 or the 3080 Ti with minute gaming differences and provide high value considering their prices. If your work can benefit from the 24 GBs of GDDR6X memory buffer for professional work, and money is not a concern to you, then again, yes, a 3090 is worth the purchase.
Question 5: Is Zotac RTX 3090 Good?
I will say the Zotac RTX 3090 is not the best RTX 3090 graphics card but is a decent card loaded with excellent features, solid build quality, and aesthetics. Performance-wise it performs, exactly as you can expect, outstanding 4K gaming check, faster than the Founders Edition check, aesthetically pleasing design check, and much more.
Question 6: What is the AMD equivalent to RTX 3090?
AMD released their anticipated Radeon RX 6900 XT to compete directly with the RTX 3090, and it surely does and gives the competitor a tough time with only a single-digit FPS difference in the majority of the games while costing way less than the 3090.
Question 7: How much better is RTX 3090 than 3080?
In some games, the RTX 3090 is 40 percent faster than the 3080, and sometimes the difference shrinks to single-digit percentages. The difference is convincingly huge at lower resolutions like 1080p, and the gaps shrink at 1440p and 4K, making the 3080 a decent value card.
Question 8: Can I play my games at 8k?
Despite Nvidia claims, the RTX 3090 cannot provide an 8K 60FPS as of now. Nvidia first broke the 4K shell after releasing their GTX 900 cards, the 3090 is Nvidia take to crack the 8K shell. With the help of DLSS, however, you can have a solid frame rate at 8K, but you should consider the price of an 8K monitor first before purchasing the 3090.
