The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 is a ridiculously powerful graphics card — here’s what you need to know
If you want to play games at 4K on extreme settings and consume graphics rendering jobs, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 is one of the most potent graphics cards available. It should come as no surprise that this card is one of the most sought-after.
Unfortunately, the $1,499 is not only pricey but also extremely hard to locate in stock. The Nvidia RTX 3080 or Nvidia RTX 3070 may be worth a shot, though they aren’t any easier to locate. To find restocks and buying tips, consult our post on the top-tier Nvidia GeForce RTX 30-series graphics cards.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 Release Date and Price
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 was released on September 24, 2020, however, you may get it right now if you can locate it.
It is one of the most costly gaming-grade GPUs from Nvidia, costing $1,499 in the United States and £1,399 in the United Kingdom. But regrettably, the graphics card is hard to obtain, let alone purchase at wildly inflated prices, as a result of poor supply, chip shortages, and scalpers.
Here are some reasons why you might still want to hold off on upgrading your graphics card.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 Specs
Nvidia RTX 3090 | Nvidia RTX 3080 | Nvidia RTX 3070 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $1,499 | $699 | $499 |
| Nvidia CUDA Cores | 10,496 | 8,704 | 5,888 |
| Boost Clock (GHz) | 1.70 | 1.71 | 1.73 |
| Standard Memory Config | 24GB GDDR6X | 10GB GDDR6X | 8GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Interface Width | 384-bit | 320-bit | 256-bit |
| Maximum Resolution | 7680×4320 | 7680×4320 | 7680×4320 |
| Ports | HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a (3x) | HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a (3x) | HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a (3x) |
If you thought the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090’s price was outrageous, don’t worry; it has the specifications to prove it.
The GPU has 24GB of GDDR6X memory, a 384-bit interface, and a 19.5Gbps memory speed. Although Nvidia hasn’t publicly stated its memory bandwidth, we wouldn’t be shocked to see it going close to 1TB/s. Additionally, the GeForce RTX 3090 has 10,496 CUDA cores and operates at a boost clock rate of 1,700 MHz.
It should come as no surprise that the GeForce RTX 3090 would kill earlier GeForce RTX 2000-series graphics cards and crush the RTX Titan, given the Ampere architecture’s promise of increased performance and efficiency.
Since not many people have an 8K monitor, this effectively means that it can run games at 8K and 60 frames per second, which is absurd. Along with offering third-generation Tensor cores and second-generation deep learning supersampling (DLSS) to lessen the performance impact of ray-tracing on games running at high resolutions, the RTX 3090 promises a significant improvement in ray-tracing performance.
The new GeForce RTX graphics cards can give up to twice the ray-tracing performance of the Turing-based GeForce RTX 2000-series, thanks to the Ampere architecture. Read More; Spotify Icebergify: How To Get Your Iceberg Chart
The GeForce RTX 3090 is anticipated to be a boon for those who make videos and use high-fidelity digital materials, effects, and rendering methods outside of gaming.
The GeForce RTX 3090 is a potent graphics processor. It has a three-slot dual-axial, flow-through architecture that effectively gives the graphics card its silencer and is enormous. This indicates that it can deliver all of the performance it has promised while operating up to 10 times quieter and up to 30 degrees Celsius cooler than the RTX Titan. Remember that the RTX 3080 won’t fit inside a small PC enclosure.
Nvidia RTX 3000 Series Specs: 3090, 3080, and 3070
Check out our table below for the key information on the Founders Editions of the new Ampere cards for the complete technical specifications. This also includes the need for a power supply: While the 3080 and 3090 both require a 750W PSU, the 3070 only needs a 650W PSU. You can also see the sizes of each, with the 3090 requiring three slots and measuring more than 12 inches long. All three cards are HDMI 2.1 compatible.
| RTX 3090 | RTX 3080 | RTX 3070 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CUDA Cores | 10496 | 8704 | 5888 |
| Boost Clock | 1.7 GHz | 1.71 GHz | 1.73 GHz |
| Memory Config | 24GB GDDR6X | 10GB GDDR6X | 8GB GDDR6 |
| HDMI 2.1 Support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Power Consumption | 350 W | 320 W | 220 W |
| Recommended PSU | 750 W | 750 W | 650 W |
| Dimensions (inches) | 12.3″ x 5.4″ (3-slots) | 11.2″ x 4.4″ (2-slot) | 9.5″ x 4.4″ (2-slot) |
| Launch Date | September 24, 2020 | September 17, 2020 | October 2020 |
| Price (USD) | $1500 | $700 | $500 |
The Ampere-based RTX 3080 will be constructed with 30 shader-TFLOPS (2.7x), 58 RT-TFLOPS (1.7x), and 283 Tensor-TFLOPS in comparison to the Turing-based RTX 2080. (2.7x). In the Nvidia reveal video, which you can watch a clip of below, many additional details were provided.
We also got a sneak peek at how an Ampere-based RTX card will perform compared to current-gen cards, and the gains are significant. According to Nvidia, the RTX 3080 is twice as fast as the RTX 2080 in general—the folks at Digital Foundry did a hands-on preview testing relative performance and came away with around 70% to 90% performance increases depending on the game and situation. The more affordable RTX 3070 is even said to outperform the RTX 2080 Ti at roughly half the price. The RTX 3090 is said to be 50% faster than the Titan RTX enthusiast card. The following graph compares Turing and Ampere’s performance in a variety of games, including Control.
These new RTX 30-series cards feature a new cooling system that includes fans on both sides of the board that push and pull air in both directions independently to help with temperature management. Nvidia claims these cards will be quieter and cooler than their RTX 20-series counterparts. In terms of the Founders Edition board, here’s a look at the new RTX 3080 video card:
The Ampere architecture follows on the heels of the Turing-based RTX 20 series, which pioneered real-time ray tracing and AI in graphics hardware. These video cards have multiple processing cores (RT Core and Tensor Core) to handle the heavy workload and enable features such as high-performance ray tracing in games and DLSS (AI-based supersampling).
During the Nvidia stream, we learned that Fortnite will support ray tracing and DLSS on PC. The company also demonstrated ray tracing effects in Cyberpunk 2077 and shared a Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War trailer to demonstrate ray tracing. Black Ops Cold War will be a cross-generational and cross-play release, with players of all platforms able to enjoy the game together. It’ll be available on November 13th.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 Outlook
For the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090, you probably need to be a hardcore PC player or devoted game streamer prepared to spend $1,499. But Nvidia has you covered with the RTX 3090 if you’re looking for the best GPU technology. Read also: 5 robot vacuum tips for shiny floors
The GeForce RTX 3090 has few competitors, given its pricing and specifications, except its larger sibling, the RTX 3090 Ti. The RTX 3090 seems to have advanced the bar so much that AMD will probably find it difficult to compete with it at this extremely high level.
Nvidia has produced an ambitious graphics card for gamers and makers of digital content with the GeForce RTX 3090. It enhances the enjoyment of playing the best PC games.
GeForce RTX 3090 Frequently Asked Question (FAQs)
What is so special about RTX 3090?
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 is the most powerful graphics card on the market today, with playable 8K gaming performance as well as jaw-dropping 3D rendering and encoding performance. However, this level of power comes at a high cost.
What are the requirements for RTX 3090?
The RTX 3090 Ti will also require a lot of power. Because the card consumes up to 450 watts, you’ll need a power supply capable of delivering at least 850 watts (with some boards likely to exceed that). This is an increase from the RTX 3090’s 350-watt draw and 750-watt power supply requirement.
Does RTX 3090 need cooling?
When it becomes available in a week or two, Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3090 Ti promises to compete for the best graphics card for gaming, but this card will require a lot of power and a lot of cooling.
Can RTX 3090 run all games?
The GeForce RTX 3090 will outperform the majority of games at 1080p, so raise your screen resolution to 1440p or 4K and enjoy the stunning AAA game visuals. This is how gaming should be done, but you’ll probably have to pay a premium for the GeForce RTX 3090.
Can a 3090 handle 4K?
To achieve 4K at 144 frames per second, you’ll need the best graphics cards money can buy, which may be difficult to find right now. As of this writing, an RTX 3080 Ti, RTX 3090, or RTX 3090 Ti from NVIDIA is required to achieve close to 4K 144Hz in demanding games.
