NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti and RTX 3090 both belong to the Ampere generation, but they occupy very different positions in the lineup, as the benchmark data illustrates. Across ten head-to-head tests, the RTX 3090 secures nine wins, while the RTX 3070 Ti takes only one, yet that single victory is remarkably decisive. The RTX 3090’s overall average benchmark score of 27,565 is actually lower than the RTX 3070 Ti’s 29,945, a counterintuitive result driven by the 3070 Ti’s massive win in one specific test. This contrast between aggregate scores and per-test outcomes makes the two cards a fascinating study in workload-specific behavior.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest margin in either direction belongs to the RTX 3070 Ti in the Geekbench Vulkan test. Here, the 3070 Ti scores 139,541 against the RTX 3090’s 53,927, a delta of 158.8% in favor of the smaller card. This is not a marginal gap; it is a dominant performance in a modern graphics API, indicating that the 3070 Ti’s architecture handles Vulkan workloads with exceptional efficiency relative to its larger sibling. No other test comes close to this magnitude of difference, making it the defining data point for the 3070 Ti.

Every other benchmark goes to the RTX 3090, with margins ranging from slight to substantial. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the 3090 scores 5,118 versus 3,478, a 32% advantage. This is a significant lead in a demanding, modern DirectX 12 title, reflecting the 3090’s raw compute superiority. The Geekbench OpenCL test shows a similar pattern: the 3090 posts 172,758 against 119,718, a 30.7% edge. Compute-heavy tasks clearly favor the 3090, which aligns with its much larger processor configuration.

The PassMark suite reveals a consistent, if less dramatic, pattern. In DirectX 12, the 3090 wins 110 to 91, a 17.3% lead. DirectX 11 shows the 3090 ahead at 220 versus 192, a 12.7% margin. DirectX 10 results are closer, with the 3090 winning 182 to 155, a 14.8% difference. Even in older DirectX 9, the 3090 edges ahead 268 to 261, though the 2.6% margin is nearly negligible. The PassMark G3D test, a general 3D gaming measure, gives the 3090 a 26,645 to 23,356 victory, a 12.3% lead. The GPU compute test shows a larger gap, with the 3090 winning 15,356 to 11,601, a 24.5% advantage. Finally, the 2D test is the closest of all: the 3090 scores 1,063 versus 1,055, a mere 0.8% difference.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3070 Ti’s win is singular but meaningful: it dominates in Geekbench Vulkan, a cross-platform API used in many modern games and applications. The 158.8% delta over the RTX 3090 suggests that for software optimized for Vulkan, the 3070 Ti is not just competitive but dramatically superior. This could translate to real-world advantages in specific titles or workloads that leverage Vulkan’s low-level access, where the 3070 Ti’s smaller, more focused design appears to excel.

The RTX 3090, by contrast, wins everywhere else. Its strengths are most pronounced in compute-heavy and modern DirectX workloads. The 32% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and the 30.7% lead in Geekbench OpenCL are its largest victories, indicating that raw FP32 throughput and memory bandwidth drive its performance. In the PassMark suite, the 3090’s leads are more moderate, ranging from 12.3% to 17.3% in the DirectX tests, with the 2D test being essentially a tie. For users prioritizing DirectX 12 gaming, OpenCL compute, or general 3D rendering, the 3090 is the clear choice. The 3070 Ti is only preferable for Vulkan-centric use cases, where it offers a massive advantage.

Architecture Differences

The two cards share the same Ampere architecture and 8 nm process node from Samsung, but the silicon is fundamentally different. The RTX 3090 uses the GA102 chip, a large die measuring 628 mm² with 28,300 million transistors. The RTX 3070 Ti uses the GA104 chip, which is substantially smaller at 392 mm² with 17,400 million transistors. Transistor density is nearly identical—45.1M per mm² for the 3090 versus 44.4M per mm² for the 3070 Ti—so the performance gap comes from sheer scale rather than design efficiency.

The 3090 packs 10,496 shading units, 328 texture mapping units, and 112 ROPs, compared to the 3070 Ti’s 6,144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. Ray tracing and tensor core counts follow the same pattern: the 3090 has 82 RT cores and 328 tensor cores, while the 3070 Ti has 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores. This explains the 3090’s compute advantage. Its FP32 rating is 35.58 TFLOPS versus 21.75 TFLOPS for the 3070 Ti, and FP16 is identical at 1:1 ratios for both. Pixel and texture rates also favor the 3090: 189.8 GPixel/s and 556.0 GTexel/s versus 169.9 GPixel/s and 339.8 GTexel/s.

Clock speeds invert the expected order. The 3070 Ti has a higher base clock at 1575 MHz and boost at 1770 MHz, while the 3090 runs at 1395 MHz base and 1695 MHz boost. Memory clocks also differ slightly, with the 3090 at 1219 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective) against the 3070 Ti’s 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The 3090 compensates for its lower core clocks with far more memory: 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus, yielding 936.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The 3070 Ti offers 8 GB on a 256-bit bus, with 608.3 GB/s. Both use PCIe 4.0 x16 and have identical display outputs: 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

FAQ

Q: Why does the RTX 3070 Ti have a higher average benchmark score than the RTX 3090 despite losing most tests?

A: The average is skewed by the Geekbench Vulkan result, where the 3070 Ti scores 139,541 against the 3090’s 53,927, a 158.8% delta. This single large win pulls the 3070 Ti’s average up to 29,945, while the 3090’s nine narrower wins result in an average of 27,565.

Q: Is the RTX 3090 always faster in DirectX 12?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the 3090 leads by 32% (5,118 vs 3,478). However, the Vulkan result shows the 3070 Ti can be dramatically faster in a different modern API, so performance is API-dependent rather than universally favoring the 3090.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The RTX 3090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus, delivering 936.2 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3070 Ti has 8 GB on a 256-bit bus, with 608.3 GB/s. The 3090’s memory bandwidth is 54% higher, which contributes to its compute and high-resolution performance.

Q: How do the physical designs compare?

A: The RTX 3090 is a triple-slot card measuring 336 mm in length and 140 mm in height, with a width of 61 mm. The RTX 3070 Ti is a dual-slot card at 267 mm long and 112 mm tall. The 3090 is substantially larger, consistent with its higher 350 W TDP versus 290 W for the 3070 Ti.

Q: Which card has better compute performance?

A: The RTX 3090 wins the PassMark GPU compute test 15,356 to 11,601, a 24.5% lead, and the Geekbench OpenCL test 172,758 to 119,718, a 30.7% lead. Its FP32 rating of 35.58 TFLOPS versus 21.75 TFLOPS confirms the 3090’s compute dominance.

Q: Are there any tests where the cards are nearly tied?

A: The PassMark G2D test shows a 0.8% difference (1,063 vs 1,055), and the DirectX 9 test shows a 2.6% gap (268 vs 261). These are the closest margins, indicating that for legacy 2D and DirectX 9 workloads, the two cards are effectively equivalent.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 |

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

| Chip | GA104 | GA102 |

| Process Node | 8 nm | 8 nm |

| Transistors | 17,400 million | 28,300 million |

| Die Size | 392 mm² | 628 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 44.4M / mm² | 45.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1575 MHz | 1395 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1770 MHz | 1695 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective) | 1219 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 24 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 608.3 GB/s | 936.2 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 6144 | 10496 |

| TMUs | 192 | 328 |

| ROPs | 96 | 112 |

| RT Cores | 48 | 82 |

| Tensor Cores | 192 | 328 |

| Pixel Rate | 169.9 GPixel/s | 189.8 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 339.8 GTexel/s | 556.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 21.75 TFLOPS | 35.58 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 21.75 TFLOPS (1:1) | 35.58 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 290 W | 350 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | Triple-slot |

| Suggested PSU | 600 W | 750 W |

| Length | 267 mm (10.5 inches) | 336 mm (13.2 inches) |

| Height | 112 mm (4.4 inches) | 140 mm (5.5 inches) |

| Width | N/A | 61 mm (2.4 inches) |

| Launch MSRP | 599 USD | 1,499 USD |

| Release Date | 2021-05-30 | 2020-08-31 |