Quadro RTX 3000 vs RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation
With 20GB on board versus 6GB for the Quadro RTX 3000, the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation carries more headroom for large models and memory-hungry workloads. Its memory bandwidth is 20% higher (336 GB/s vs 280 GB/s), translating directly to faster inference throughput. Price-wise, the Quadro RTX 3000 undercuts the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation by $1,299 EUR.
Maximum Capacity Reached. Remove a model to add another. (2/2)
Quadro RTX 3000 vs RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation: In-Depth Breakdown
VRAM: Quadro RTX 3000 vs RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation
With 20GB of VRAM against the Quadro RTX 3000's 6GB, the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation has a 14GB edge. VRAM is what determines whether a model fits without quantization at all — a 70B-parameter model in FP16 needs around 140GB, and smaller models still benefit from spare capacity. That extra headroom lets the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation load bigger models and run larger production batch sizes.
Inference Speed: Memory Bandwidth
Memory bandwidth determines how quickly data is fed to the compute units — it's the main bottleneck for autoregressive inference (token generation in LLMs). The Quadro RTX 3000 delivers 336 GB/s versus 280 GB/s on the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation, a 20% edge. For models already loaded into VRAM, token generation speed scales closely with this number: the Quadro RTX 3000 will produce tokens proportionally faster in bandwidth-bound workloads.
AI Training & Compute
FP32 throughput is the metric that matters most for training, scientific simulation, and rendering work. The RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation posts 19.2 TFLOPS versus 5.3 TFLOPS on the Quadro RTX 3000, a 262% compute lead. Expect training jobs and heavy matrix math to finish proportionally sooner on the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation.
Price & Value
The Quadro RTX 3000 lists from $949 EUR, $1,299 EUR less than the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation at $2,248 EUR. For budget-constrained teams, the savings may outweigh the spec gap — especially if the smaller card covers your typical workload.
Which should you buy: Quadro RTX 3000 or RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation?
The two cards trade off differently. Pick the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation when VRAM capacity for larger models is the limiting factor. Pick the Quadro RTX 3000 when your models already fit and you'd rather have the inference speed its higher memory bandwidth provides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the Quadro RTX 3000 or RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation run large language models?
Which is faster for LLM inference, the Quadro RTX 3000 or the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation?
Which is better for AI training?
Which should you buy: Quadro RTX 3000 or RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | Quadro RTX 3000 | RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Turing | Ada Lovelace |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / CUDA Cores) | 1,920 | 6,144✓ |
Memory
| Specification | Quadro RTX 3000 | RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 6 GB | 20 GB✓ |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | 192-bit✓ | 160-bit |
| Bandwidth | 336 GB/s✓ | 280 GB/s |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | Quadro RTX 3000 | RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| TDP | 160 W | 70 W✓ |
| Released | Apr 2019 | — |
Workstation
| Specification | Quadro RTX 3000 | RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation |
|---|---|---|
| FP32 (TFLOPS) | 5.3 TFLOPS | 19.2 TFLOPS✓ |
| ECC | Yes | Yes |
| NVLink | No | No |
| Form factor | single-slot | low-profile |