AMD Radeon RX 590 GME vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which card wins more head-to-head benchmarks in the database?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 wins 2 out of 3 recorded comparisons. It takes the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test and the Geekbench OpenCL test. The AMD Radeon RX 590 GME wins the Geekbench Vulkan test.

Q: How large is the performance gap in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test?

A: The RTX 3090 scores 5118, while the RX 590 GME scores 1001. That is a delta of negative 80.4 percent for the AMD card, meaning the NVIDIA card is roughly five times faster in this specific DX12 workload.

Q: Does the RX 590 GME beat the RTX 3090 in any benchmark?

A: Yes. In Geekbench Vulkan, the RX 590 GME scores 60508 versus the RTX 3090's 53927, a 12.2 percent advantage. This is the only recorded test where the older AMD card comes out ahead.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The RX 590 GME has an average benchmark score of 32601 across its recorded tests. The RTX 3090 has an average score of 27565. This average includes different test sets, so it does not directly translate to overall performance superiority.

Q: How do these cards rank against all GPUs in the database?

A: The RX 590 GME sits at the 77th percentile, while the RTX 3090 sits at the 73rd percentile. Despite the RTX 3090's higher raw scores in most tests, the percentile ranking is close, reflecting the different benchmark suites recorded for each card.

Q: What are the closest rivals for each card based on average score?

A: For the RX 590 GME, the closest rival is the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 with a delta of 0.2 percent. For the RTX 3090, the closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile with a delta of 0.5 percent.

Architecture Differences

The RX 590 GME is built on the Polaris 20 chip using GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It packs 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 24.6 million per square millimeter. This is an older design that predates hardware ray tracing and tensor core acceleration; the card has no RT cores and no tensor cores.

The RTX 3090 uses the GA102 chip with Ampere architecture, built on an 8 nm process at Samsung. It contains 28,300 million transistors on a much larger 628 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 45.1 million per square millimeter. Ampere introduces dedicated hardware for ray tracing and AI acceleration: the RTX 3090 has 82 RT cores and 328 tensor cores. This is a fundamental architectural leap over GCN 4.0, enabling features like DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) versus the RX 590 GME's DirectX 12 (12_0). The RTX 3090 also supports Vulkan 1.4, while the RX 590 GME supports Vulkan 1.3.

The memory subsystems differ completely. The RX 590 GME uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3090 uses 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus with 936.2 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3090's memory clocks run at 1219 MHz with 19.5 Gbps effective, while the RX 590 GME's memory runs at 2000 MHz with 8 Gbps effective.

The RX 590 GME has 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The RTX 3090 has 10496 shading units, 328 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. Pixel and texture rates follow accordingly: the RX 590 GME hits 45.44 GPixel/s and 204.5 GTexel/s, while the RTX 3090 reaches 189.8 GPixel/s and 556.0 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 6.543 TFLOPS for the AMD card versus 35.58 TFLOPS for the NVIDIA card.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test is the most lopsided result. The RTX 3090 scores 5118 versus the RX 590 GME's 1001, a delta of negative 80.4 percent. This is a modern DX12 workload that heavily favors Ampere's architecture, raw compute throughput, and memory bandwidth. The RX 590 GME is simply outmatched here, and the score difference reflects more than just a generational gap; it shows the RTX 3090 delivering over five times the performance in this specific scenario.

Geekbench OpenCL shows a similar pattern, though slightly less extreme. The RTX 3090 scores 172758 against the RX 590 GME's 36294, a delta of negative 79 percent. This test stresses general compute and the RTX 3090's massive FP32 throughput (35.58 TFLOPS) and higher memory bandwidth (936.2 GB/s) dominate. The RX 590 GME's 6.543 TFLOPS and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are simply insufficient to compete.

The Geekbench Vulkan result flips the script. The RX 590 GME scores 60508, beating the RTX 3090's 53927 by 12.2 percent. This is an anomaly when compared to the other tests. Vulkan performance on the RX 590 GME appears to be strong relative to its hardware, while the RTX 3090's Vulkan driver or benchmark characteristics may not translate its raw power into a proportional score. This single win does not offset the massive losses in the other two tests, but it does highlight that the AMD card is not universally slower in every API workload.

The Verdict

The data clearly favors the RTX 3090 for anyone prioritizing raw performance in modern DX12 and OpenCL compute workloads. The 3DMark Steel Nomad result shows a 80.4 percent deficit for the RX 590 GME, and Geekbench OpenCL shows a 79 percent deficit. These are not marginal differences; they represent entirely different performance tiers. The RTX 3090 is a high-end card designed for demanding workloads, and the recorded benchmarks confirm that.

The RX 590 GME is an end-of-life product from the Polaris generation. It wins only in Geekbench Vulkan, where it beats the RTX 3090 by 12.2 percent. For users who specifically rely on Vulkan applications, this is a relevant data point. However, the overall picture is that the RTX 3090 is the superior card for almost all recorded scenarios. The RTX 3090 also carries hardware ray tracing and tensor cores, features the RX 590 GME lacks entirely.

The RTX 3090 does consume more power, with a TDP of 350 W versus 175 W, and it requires a larger power supply (750 W suggested versus 450 W). It is also physically larger at 336 mm long, triple-slot, versus the RX 590 GME's 241 mm dual-slot design. These are practical considerations, but the performance gap is so large that they do not change the verdict for most users.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 590 GME | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 |

|---|---|---|

| Process node | 14 nm | 8 nm |

| Transistors | 5,700 million | 28,300 million |

| Die size | 232 mm² | 628 mm² |

| Base clock | 1257 MHz | 1395 MHz |

| Boost clock | 1420 MHz | 1695 MHz |

| Memory size | 8 GB | 24 GB |

| Memory type | GDDR5 | GDDR6X |

| Memory bus | 256 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 256.0 GB/s | 936.2 GB/s |

| Shading units | 2304 | 10496 |

| TMUs | 144 | 328 |

| ROPs | 32 | 112 |

| RT cores | None | 82 |

| Tensor cores | None | 328 |

| Pixel rate | 45.44 GPixel/s | 189.8 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 204.5 GTexel/s | 556.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 6.543 TFLOPS | 35.58 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 175 W | 350 W |

| Slot width | Dual-slot | Triple-slot |

| Power connectors | 1x 8-pin | 1x 12-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 750 W |

| Bus interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| DirectX version | 12 (12_0) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Vulkan version | 1.3 | 1.4 |

| Length | 241 mm | 336 mm |

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3090 wins decisively in DX12 gaming workloads and general OpenCL compute. The 3DMark Steel Nomad test shows it outperforming the RX 590 GME by 80.4 percent, making it the clear choice for modern DirectX 12 games and GPU-accelerated compute tasks like rendering or machine learning inference. Its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 936.2 GB/s bandwidth also make it suitable for large datasets, though the benchmark data does not directly test memory capacity limits.

The RX 590 GME wins in Geekbench Vulkan, with a 12.2 percent advantage over the RTX 3090. This suggests that for Vulkan-based workloads, particularly older games or specific compute APIs that favor GCN architecture, the AMD card can hold its own. The RX 590 GME also has a significantly lower TDP of 175 W, which means it can be installed in systems with a 450 W power supply, and its 241 mm length fits in smaller cases. The RTX 3090 requires a 750 W power supply and a 336 mm case clearance.

For a practical builder, the choice depends on workload. If the priority is modern gaming, DX12 performance, or compute-heavy tasks, the RTX 3090 is the only rational option based on the recorded data. If the priority is a compact, low-power card for Vulkan-specific applications, the RX 590 GME offers a niche advantage, but it comes with the caveat of being end-of-life and substantially slower in every other measured test.