NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti vs NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a clear overall winner in this comparison. The NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation takes both benchmark wins over the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti, with an overall score of 2 wins to 0. The margin of victory, however, is not uniform across the two tests.

The largest gap appears in the Geekbench OpenCL test. The RTX 6000 Ada Generation scores 311,629 points, while the RTX 3090 Ti manages 174,441 points. This translates to a 78.6% advantage for the workstation card. That is a substantial lead, indicating a major difference in raw compute throughput for general-purpose GPU workloads. The OpenCL benchmark often stresses raw shader and compute performance, and here the Ada Lovelace card is in a different league entirely. The RTX 6000 Ada Generation's FP32 compute rating of 91.06 TFLOPS, combined with its 18,176 shading units, helps explain this dominance. The RTX 3090 Ti, with 10,752 shading units and 40.00 TFLOPS FP32, is less than half the shading unit count and less than half the FP32 throughput.

The second test, Geekbench Vulkan, shows a closer but still decisive result. The RTX 6000 Ada Generation scores 262,845 points, versus 215,633 points for the RTX 3090 Ti. The delta here is 21.9%. While this is a significant win, it is much narrower than the OpenCL gap. The Vulkan API exercises graphics and compute paths differently, and the RTX 3090 Ti's higher base clock (1560 MHz versus 915 MHz) and boost clock (1860 MHz versus 2505 MHz, though the Ada part boosts much higher) may narrow the gap in certain workloads. Still, the Ada card's architectural advantages carry the day.

Looking at the broader database context, the RTX 6000 Ada Generation sits in the 99th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 287,237. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA L40S at 295,763 (2.9% faster), the AMD Instinct MI300X at 317,994 (9.7% faster), and the NVIDIA L40 at 284,111 (1.1% slower). The RTX 3090 Ti, by contrast, sits in the 95th percentile, with an average score of 131,938. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA L4 at 131,072 (0.7% slower), the NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation at 135,218 (2.4% faster), and the AMD Radeon PRO W6800 at 135,396 (2.6% faster). The RTX 3090 Ti's average score is less than half of the RTX 6000 Ada Generation's average, which underscores how far apart these two products are in the database's performance hierarchy.

The Verdict

The data points to a straightforward conclusion: the NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation is the superior performer in every recorded benchmark. It wins the OpenCL test by 78.6% and the Vulkan test by 21.9%. There is no recorded test where the RTX 3090 Ti comes out ahead.

For a user prioritizing raw compute performance, especially in OpenCL-heavy applications, the RTX 6000 Ada Generation is the clear choice. The 78.6% lead in OpenCL is not a marginal difference; it represents a generational leap. The card also offers 48 GB of GDDR6 memory, twice the 24 GB of GDDR6X on the RTX 3090 Ti, and a higher memory bandwidth figure of 960.0 GB/s versus 1.01 TB/s. The RTX 3090 Ti actually has a slight bandwidth advantage in raw bandwidth, 1.01 TB/s, but the Ada card is close behind despite having a smaller bus width advantage in effective throughput terms.

The RTX 3090 Ti, however, is not without merit in the database records. It is a capable 95th percentile GPU with its own set of near rivals, but its average score of 131,938 places it in a much lower performance tier. A user who owns an RTX 3090 Ti and needs occasional Vulkan work, the 21.9% gap is more manageable. But for anyone choosing between these two from scratch, the benchmark data does not support picking the RTX 3090 Ti. The RTX 6000 Ada Generation wins every head-to-head test, holds a higher percentile ranking, and posts an average score more than double that of the RTX 3090 Ti.

There is also the matter of power and physical design. The RTX 6000 Ada Generation has a 300 W TDP and is a dual-slot card. The RTX 3090 Ti has a 450 W TDP and is a triple-slot card. The Ada card also has a smaller physical footprint: 267 mm in length and 112 mm in height, versus 336 mm length, 140 mm height, and 61 mm width for the RTX 3090 Ti. The lower power draw and smaller size of the RTX 6000 Ada Generation make it easier to integrate into dense workstation builds, though the RTX 3090 Ti's larger cooler may offer different thermal characteristics in open test benches.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on fundamentally different architectures. The RTX 6000 Ada Generation uses the AD102 chip based on Ada Lovelace architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. The RTX 3090 Ti uses the GA102 chip based on Ampere architecture, fabricated on an 8 nm process at Samsung. This process difference is significant: the Ada chip packs 76,300 million transistors into a 609 mm² die, while the Ampere chip fits 28,300 million transistors into a larger 628 mm² die. The transistor density tells the story: 125.3 million transistors per mm² for the Ada chip, versus 45.1 million for the Ampere chip. This explains how the Ada card can offer far more compute resources despite a similar physical die size.

The core counts differ substantially. The RTX 6000 Ada Generation features 18,176 shading units, 568 TMUs, 192 ROPs, 142 RT cores, and 568 tensor cores. The RTX 3090 Ti has 10,752 shading units, 336 TMUs, 112 ROPs, 84 RT cores, and 336 tensor cores. The Ada card roughly doubles the shading units, TMUs, and tensor cores, and adds 58 more RT cores. Pixel rate is 481.0 GPixel/s for the Ada card versus 208.3 GPixel/s for the Ampere card. Texture rate is 1,422.8 GTexel/s versus 625.0 GTexel/s.

Clocks also differ. The RTX 6000 Ada Generation runs a 915 MHz base clock and a 2505 MHz boost clock. The RTX 3090 Ti runs a 1560 MHz base clock and an 1860 MHz boost clock. The Ampere card starts higher but boosts lower; the Ada card has a much higher boost ceiling. Memory clocks are 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective) for the Ada card and 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) for the RTX 3090 Ti. The RTX 3090 Ti's memory runs at a slightly higher effective speed, but the Ada card has twice the capacity.

Both cards use a 384-bit memory bus, but the memory types differ: GDDR6 for the Ada card, GDDR6X for the Ampere card. The RTX 3090 Ti's bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s edges out the RTX 6000 Ada Generation's 960.0 GB/s. Both use a PCIe 4.0 x16 bus interface and a single 16-pin power connector. The Ada card's suggested PSU is 700 W, while the RTX 3090 Ti's is 850 W.

Display outputs also differ. The RTX 6000 Ada Generation offers 4x DisplayPort 1.4a. The RTX 3090 Ti offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 6000 Ada Generation has an average benchmark score of 287,237, while the RTX 3090 Ti has an average of 131,938.

Q: How large is the performance gap in the OpenCL test?

A: The RTX 6000 Ada Generation scores 311,629, which is 78.6% higher than the RTX 3090 Ti's 174,441.

Q: Does the RTX 3090 Ti win any benchmark in the database?

A: No. The head-to-head data records 2 wins for the RTX 6000 Ada Generation and 0 wins for the RTX 3090 Ti.

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two?

A: The RTX 6000 Ada Generation has a 300 W TDP, while the RTX 3090 Ti has a 450 W TDP.

Q: How do their memory capacities compare?

A: The RTX 6000 Ada Generation has 48 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the RTX 3090 Ti has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory.

Q: Which card is more power-efficient per the recorded specs?

A: The RTX 6000 Ada Generation delivers higher performance with a 300 W TDP, versus 450 W for the RTX 3090 Ti, and it also has a smaller footprint as a dual-slot card versus a triple-slot card.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 6000 Ada Generation wins in every recorded benchmark category. It dominates the OpenCL test with a 78.6% lead, making it the clear choice for OpenCL-based compute workloads. Its Vulkan lead of 21.9% also makes it the stronger option for Vulkan applications, though the margin is smaller. The card's 99th percentile ranking, 48 GB memory capacity, and higher FP32 throughput of 91.06 TFLOPS reinforce its position as the superior compute card.

The RTX 3090 Ti has no recorded wins in this comparison. Its strengths lie in its higher base clock (1560 MHz versus 915 MHz) and its slightly higher memory bandwidth (1.01 TB/s versus 960.0 GB/s). These traits may translate to advantages in specific latency-sensitive or memory-bandwidth-bound workloads, but the database does not contain a benchmark where this translates into a win. Its 24 GB memory capacity is still substantial, and its 95th percentile ranking places it above the majority of GPUs. The RTX 3090 Ti also offers an HDMI 2.1 output, which the RTX 6000 Ada Generation lacks, a consideration for users connecting to consumer displays that rely on HDMI.

For a user building a workstation focused on compute density, the RTX 6000 Ada Generation is the obvious pick. It offers more memory, more cores, higher throughput, lower power draw, and a smaller physical footprint. For a user with an existing RTX 3090 Ti who primarily runs Vulkan-based workloads, the upgrade to the Ada card would yield a 21.9% improvement in that specific test, which may or may not justify the change depending on the application mix. But from a pure performance standpoint, the RTX 6000 Ada Generation wins across the board.

Specification Differences

| Specification | RTX 6000 Ada Generation | RTX 3090 Ti |

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

| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | Ampere |

| Chip | AD102 | GA102 |

| Process Node | 5 nm (TSMC) | 8 nm (Samsung) |

| Transistors | 76,300 million | 28,300 million |

| Die Size | 609 mm² | 628 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 125.3M / mm² | 45.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 915 MHz | 1560 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2505 MHz | 1860 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective) | 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 48 GB GDDR6 | 24 GB GDDR6X |

| Memory Bandwidth | 960.0 GB/s | 1.01 TB/s |

| Shading Units | 18,176 | 10,752 |

| TMUs | 568 | 336 |

| ROPs | 192 | 112 |

| RT Cores | 142 | 84 |

| Tensor Cores | 568 | 336 |

| Pixel Rate | 481.0 GPixel/s | 208.3 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 1,422.8 GTexel/s | 625.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 91.06 TFLOPS | 40.00 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 91.06 TFLOPS (1:1) | 40.00 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 300 W | 450 W |

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

| Suggested PSU | 700 W | 850 W |

| Length | 267 mm | 336 mm |

| Height | 112 mm | 140 mm |

| Width | Not specified | 61 mm |

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| Release Date | 2022-12-02 | 2022-01-26 |

| Launch MSRP | 6,799 USD | 1,999 USD |

The two cards share the same manufacturer, NVIDIA, the same 384-bit memory bus width, the same PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, the same single 16-pin power connector, and identical API support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Both are end-of-life products. The RTX 6000 Ada Generation's predecessor is Workstation Ampere and its successor is Blackwell PRO W. The RTX 3090 Ti's predecessor is GeForce 20 and its successor is GeForce 40.