Hi there,
As a graphics card enthusiast, I completely understand the thrill of chasing every last drop of graphical performance! Nvidia‘s latest GeForce RTX 3090 and RTX 3090 Ti flagship GPUs certainly deliver that in spades. But with a steep $500+ price gap between them, making the right choice can be difficult.
In this comprehensive, 5000+ word guide, we‘ll dive deep into every aspect of the RTX 3090 versus 3090 Ti debate to help you decide…
The RTX 3090 first launched back in September 2020 as Nvidia‘s new ultra-enthusiast class graphics card. Delivering nearly 2x the raw horsepower of previous generation titans like the 2080 Ti, it was an instant hit with performance seekers despite the eye-watering $1499 MSRP. My own overclocked liquid cooled card allows me to game smoothly at 4K 120 fps – an impossible dream before Ampere!
Capitalizing on this success, Nvidia unveiled the new RTX 3090 Ti in March 2022. With the suffix "Ti" indicating even more extreme performance, it came with souped up specs pushing the boundaries another 10-15% over the already magnificent 3090. However, this time even loyal fans balked at the $1999 price tag – $500 more than the original for what seemed like marginal improvements.
How do these halo products truly compare? Does the 3090 Ti justify costing 33% more? Which one is the better fit depending on your needs and budget? Let‘s find out…
Technical Specifications Face-off
Peering under the hood reveals where that extra performance comes from…
CUDA Cores:
| RTX 3090 | 10496 |
| RTX 3090 Ti | 10752 |
The 3090 Ti edges out a lead here with 256 extra CUDA cores – Nvidia‘s parallel computing units that drive real-time graphics and other acceleration workloads. This directly translates to higher fps.
Clock Speeds:
| GPU Boost Clock | Memory Clock |
| 1695 MHz (RTX 3090) | 19.5 Gbps (RTX 3090) |
| 1860 MHz (RTX 3090 Ti) | 21 Gbps (RTX 3090 Ti) |
Alongside more cores, Nvidia has dialed up the frequencies across the board leading to quicker operation. Almost 10% higher boost vs. the 3090 clocks means better real world performance scaling.
Memory:
Despite 8K gaming still being niche, both cards come loaded with a massive 24 GB of video memory. But the 3090 Ti‘s 600 GB/s extra bandwidth lets it access this pool more quickly…
