GeForce RTX 3090 vs Radeon RX 5700 XT
The GeForce RTX 3090 is a massive performance leap — leading the Radeon RX 5700 XT by roughly 117% in our performance index. It also comes out ahead on value, making it the straightforward pick if the price fits your budget.
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GeForce RTX 3090 vs Radeon RX 5700 XT: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: GeForce RTX 3090 vs Radeon RX 5700 XT
The GeForce RTX 3090 is dramatically faster, around 117% ahead of the Radeon RX 5700 XT. That gap is enough to move it up a tier: the GeForce RTX 3090 is comfortable at 1440p, while the Radeon RX 5700 XT is better matched to 1080p.
Price & Value
On price, expect to pay $1,083 EUR for the Radeon RX 5700 XT versus $1,990 EUR for the GeForce RTX 3090. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the GeForce RTX 3090 wins on performance-per-dollar by about 18%. The Radeon RX 5700 XT still sits about $684 EUR above its $399 EUR MSRP. The GeForce RTX 3090 still sits about $491 EUR above its $1,499 EUR MSRP.
Power & Efficiency
The Radeon RX 5700 XT pulls less power (225W vs 350W), so it's the easier card to cool and the lighter load on your PSU. The faster GeForce RTX 3090 draws more overall but extracts more performance from each watt — plan for a sturdier power supply if you pick it. Its more modern Ampere architecture on a Samsung 8nm process is part of why it does more with each watt.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
With 24GB against 8GB, the GeForce RTX 3090 has more headroom for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative/AI tasks where the Radeon RX 5700 XT's 8GB can fall short.
Features & Ecosystem
Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce RTX 3090 brings NVIDIA DLSS upscaling/frame generation and stronger ray tracing, while the Radeon RX 5700 XT offers AMD FSR upscaling and strong rasterization value. If you lean on upscaling or ray tracing, that ecosystem difference can matter as much as the frame-rate gap.
Which should you buy: GeForce RTX 3090 or Radeon RX 5700 XT?
The GeForce RTX 3090 is the all-round winner here — it's faster and the better value, so buy it if it fits your budget. Only consider the Radeon RX 5700 XT if you find it at a steep discount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the GeForce RTX 3090 better than the Radeon RX 5700 XT?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce RTX 3090 or the Radeon RX 5700 XT?
Is the GeForce RTX 3090 worth the extra $907 EUR over the Radeon RX 5700 XT?
Does the GeForce RTX 3090 have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: GeForce RTX 3090 or Radeon RX 5700 XT?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce RTX 3090 | Radeon RX 5700 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Ampere | RDNA |
| Process Node | Samsung 8nm | TSMC N7 |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 10,496✓ | 2,560 |
| Ray Tracing Cores | 82 | — |
| Tensor / AI Cores | 328 | — |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce RTX 3090 | Radeon RX 5700 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,395 MHz | 1,605 MHz✓ |
| Boost Clock | 1,695 MHz | 1,905 MHz✓ |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce RTX 3090 | Radeon RX 5700 XT |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 24 GB✓ | 8 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6X | GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | 384-bit✓ | 256-bit |
| Memory Speed | 19.5 Gbps✓ | 14 Gbps |
| Bandwidth | 936 GB/s✓ | 448 GB/s |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | GeForce RTX 3090 | Radeon RX 5700 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| TDP | 350 W | 225 W✓ |
| Power Connectors | 1x 12-pin | 1x 8-pin + 1x 6-pin |
| Released | Sep 2020 | Jul 2019 |
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