NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti vs NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation Comparison

The NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti represent two distinct philosophies in high-end GPU design, separated by a generation and aimed at different primary workloads. The data shows a near-even split in the head-to-head benchmarks, with each card claiming a victory in one test. This guide breaks down where each card excels, what makes them different under the hood, and which one is the right choice based strictly on the benchmark results and technical specifications.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark results indicate a clear division of labor. The NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation takes the win in the Geekbench OpenCL test, scoring 175,286 against the RTX 3090 Ti's 174,441. This is a narrow 0.5% margin, but it places the Ada card ahead in a general-purpose compute workload that often reflects raw FP32 and shading throughput. This suggests an advantage in tasks that heavily utilize the GPU's parallel processing cores for non-gaming applications.

Conversely, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti demonstrates its strength in the Geekbench Vulkan test, achieving a score of 215,633 compared to the RTX 5000 Ada's 194,041. This is a substantial 10% lead for the older card. Vulkan is a low-level graphics API, and this result indicates the RTX 3090 Ti holds a significant edge in gaming and graphics-rendering scenarios that leverage this API. The data suggests that for pure graphics performance in modern APIs, the Ampere card is the clear winner.

Looking at the broader context, the RTX 5000 Ada Generation sits in the 98th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 184,664. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB (0.5% ahead) and the A100 SXM4 40 GB (1.3% behind). The RTX 3090 Ti, on the other hand, holds the 95th percentile with an average score of 131,938. This puts it in a different performance tier overall, competing with cards like the NVIDIA L4 (0.7% ahead) and the RTX 4000 Ada Generation (2.4% behind). The average score difference is stark, but the Vulkan result shows the 3090 Ti is not without its strengths.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures and manufacturing processes. The RTX 5000 Ada Generation uses the AD102 chip built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 5 nm process. This is a massive chip, containing 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, yielding a density of 125.3M transistors per mm². In contrast, the RTX 3090 Ti uses the GA102 chip based on the older Ampere architecture, built by Samsung on an 8 nm process. It packs 28,300 million transistors on a slightly larger 628 mm² die, resulting in a much lower density of 45.1M per mm². The process advantage is clear: the Ada card fits nearly three times the transistors into a similar physical space.

These architectural and process differences translate into a significant core configuration gap. The RTX 5000 Ada Generation boasts 12,800 shading units, 400 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 176 render output units (ROPs). It also features 100 RT cores and 400 tensor cores. The RTX 3090 Ti, by comparison, has fewer of everything: 10,752 shading units, 336 TMUs, 112 ROPs, 84 RT cores, and 336 tensor cores. This core advantage is reflected in the compute specifications. The Ada card delivers 65.28 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a matching 65.28 TFLOPS of FP16 (1:1), while the Ampere card delivers 40.00 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16 (1:1). The RTX 5000 Ada Generation is theoretically 63% faster in raw compute throughput.

The memory subsystems are also fundamentally different. The RTX 5000 Ada Generation uses 32 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 576.0 GB/s. The RTX 3090 Ti uses 24 GB of faster GDDR6X memory on a wider 384-bit bus, achieving a much higher bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. This is a critical difference; the 3090 Ti has nearly double the memory bandwidth, which likely explains its strong Vulkan performance despite having fewer cores. The Ada card has more capacity for large datasets, but the Ampere card can move data much faster.

The Verdict

The choice between these two GPUs comes down to the primary workload, as the data points to distinctly different strengths. For users focused on general-purpose compute and raw parallel processing power, the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation is the superior choice. Its higher core count, newer architecture, and leading performance in the OpenCL benchmark make it the more capable workstation card for tasks that are not strictly graphics-bound. Its 32 GB of memory also provides more headroom for large datasets.

For those whose primary focus is gaming or applications that heavily utilize the Vulkan API, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti is arguably the better performer. Its 10% lead in the Vulkan benchmark is a decisive indicator of its graphics prowess. The higher memory bandwidth is a key asset in this scenario, allowing for faster texture and geometry processing. While it has less VRAM and a lower average benchmark score, its performance in this specific and important graphics test cannot be ignored.

The data is not a unanimous victory for either card. The RTX 5000 Ada Generation wins the compute race, while the RTX 3090 Ti wins the graphics race. The RTX 5000 Ada Generation is a more modern, efficient, and compute-focused product, while the RTX 3090 Ti is a powerful, bandwidth-rich graphics card that still holds its own in API-specific tests. The RTX 3090 Ti also carries a launch MSRP of 1,999 USD, a figure not available for the Ada card. Ultimately, the "best" card depends entirely on whether the user prioritizes the OpenCL compute workload or the Vulkan graphics workload.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation has a significantly higher average benchmark score of 184,664, placing it in the 98th percentile of all GPUs. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti has an average score of 131,938, placing it in the 95th percentile.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 5000 Ada Generation in the OpenCL benchmark?

A: The RTX 5000 Ada Generation scores 175,286 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 0.5% higher than the RTX 3090 Ti's score of 174,441.

Q: In which benchmark does the RTX 3090 Ti win, and by how much?

A: The RTX 3090 Ti wins the Geekbench Vulkan benchmark, scoring 215,633 compared to the RTX 5000 Ada Generation's 194,041. This represents a 10% advantage for the 3090 Ti.

Q: What is the difference in memory bandwidth between the two cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti has a significantly higher memory bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s, while the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation offers 576.0 GB/s.

Q: Which GPU has more VRAM?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation has more VRAM, offering 32 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory.

Q: What are the core count differences between the two GPUs?

A: The RTX 5000 Ada Generation has 12,800 shading units, 400 TMUs, 176 ROPs, 100 RT cores, and 400 tensor cores. The RTX 3090 Ti has 10,752 shading units, 336 TMUs, 112 ROPs, 84 RT cores, and 336 tensor cores.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two cards are directly compared in two benchmark tests, with each winning one.

In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation emerges victorious with a score of 175,286, narrowly edging out the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti's score of 174,441. The delta here is a mere 0.5%, indicating a very close contest in this compute-heavy workload. This slim margin is surprising given the RTX 5000 Ada's larger core count and higher TFLOPS rating, but it shows that the 3090 Ti's architecture is still highly capable in OpenCL tasks.

The tables are turned in the Geekbench Vulkan test. Here, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti takes a decisive win with a score of 215,633, comfortably ahead of the RTX 5000 Ada Generation's 194,041. This is a 10% delta in favor of the 3090 Ti. This substantial difference highlights the Ampere card's strength in low-level graphics APIs. The RTX 3090 Ti's superior memory bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s, compared to 576.0 GB/s for the Ada card, likely plays a significant role in this outcome, allowing it to feed its graphics pipeline faster.

These two results paint a clear picture. The RTX 5000 Ada Generation wins the general compute race, while the RTX 3090 Ti wins the graphics-specific race. The 0.5% OpenCL margin suggests near-parity in that specific compute test, while the 10% Vulkan margin shows a clear and substantial advantage for the older card in graphics. This split result means that the performance hierarchy is not absolute and is heavily dependent on the software API being used.

Specification Differences

The following specifications differ between the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti.

• Architecture: Ada Lovelace vs. Ampere
• Process Node: 5 nm (TSMC) vs. 8 nm (Samsung)
• Transistors: 76,300 million vs. 28,300 million
• Die Size: 609 mm² vs. 628 mm²
• Shading Units: 12800 vs. 10752
• TMUs: 400 vs. 336
• ROPs: 176 vs. 112
• RT Cores: 100 vs. 84
• Tensor Cores: 400 vs. 336
• Base Clock: 1155 MHz vs. 1560 MHz
• Boost Clock: 2550 MHz vs. 1860 MHz
• FP32 Performance: 65.28 TFLOPS vs. 40.00 TFLOPS
• FP16 Performance: 65.28 TFLOPS (1:1) vs. 40.00 TFLOPS (1:1)
• Memory Size: 32 GB vs. 24 GB
• Memory Type: GDDR6 vs. GDDR6X
• Memory Bus Width: 256 bit vs. 384 bit
• Memory Bandwidth: 576.0 GB/s vs. 1.01 TB/s
• TDP: 250 W vs. 450 W
• Suggested PSU: 600 W vs. 850 W
• Slot Width: Dual-slot vs. Triple-slot
• Dimensions (LxH): 267 mm x 112 mm vs. 336 mm x 140 mm
• Display Outputs: 4x DisplayPort 1.4a vs. 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
• Release Date: 2023-08-08 vs. 2022-01-26
• Production Status: Active vs. End-of-life