NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 vs NVIDIA TITAN RTX Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a clear overall picture: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 wins nine of the ten recorded head-to-head comparisons, with the NVIDIA TITAN RTX taking a single, decisive victory. The most dramatic result comes in Geekbench Vulkan, where the TITAN RTX scores 136,073 against the RTX 3090's 53,927. That is a 152.3% advantage, the largest delta recorded in the entire comparison. This suggests a fundamental difference in how the two architectures handle the Vulkan API workload in that particular test.

Outside of that single outlier, the RTX 3090 dominates across the board. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RTX 3090 scores 5,118 versus 3,794 for the TITAN RTX, a 25.9% lead. The Geekbench OpenCL result shows a similar gap: 172,758 for the RTX 3090 against 144,858 for the TITAN RTX, a 16.1% difference. The PassMark suite reinforces this trend. In G3D, the RTX 3090 posts 26,645 against 20,491, a 23.1% advantage. The compute-oriented PassMark GPU Compute test shows the largest conventional gap: 15,356 for the RTX 3090 versus 10,034 for the TITAN RTX, a 34.7% lead.

The legacy DirectX tests all favor the RTX 3090 as well. In DirectX 9, the scores are 268 versus 223, a 16.8% edge. DirectX 10 shows 182 versus 147, a 19.2% difference. DirectX 11 results are 220 versus 189, a 14.1% gap, and DirectX 12 sees 110 versus 88, a 20% margin. Even the 2D performance test, PassMark G2D, goes to the RTX 3090 with 1,063 against 860, a 19.1% lead.

The overall average benchmark scores reflect this split. The TITAN RTX has an average score of 31,676, while the RTX 3090 averages 27,565. Interestingly, despite the RTX 3090's dominance in the head-to-head, the TITAN RTX has a higher average score in the database. This is explained by the percentile rankings: the TITAN RTX sits at the 76th percentile among all GPUs, while the RTX 3090 is at the 73rd. The TITAN RTX also has a higher average score than its nearest rivals, including the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell (31,532, a 0.5% delta) and the Intel Arc Pro A30M (31,894, a -0.7% delta). The RTX 3090's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile (27,435, a 0.5% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT (27,425, a 0.5% delta).

Where Each One Wins

The data shows a clear use-case split. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 is the stronger performer in almost every measurable scenario. Its wins span 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, Geekbench OpenCL, and all five PassMark tests (DirectX 9, 10, 11, 12, G2D, G3D, and GPU Compute). This indicates broad superiority in rasterization, compute workloads, and API-specific performance across both older and newer DirectX versions. The 34.7% lead in GPU Compute is particularly notable, suggesting the RTX 3090 handles general-purpose compute tasks with substantially more headroom.

The NVIDIA TITAN RTX, by contrast, has exactly one win: Geekbench Vulkan. The 152.3% margin is not marginal; it is a massive outlier that suggests the Turing architecture, in this specific Vulkan test, executes the workload far more efficiently than the Ampere architecture. For users running Vulkan-based applications that mirror this benchmark's characteristics, the TITAN RTX would be the clear choice. However, outside of that specific scenario, the data does not support the TITAN RTX for any other workload category.

It is also worth noting the broader context. The TITAN RTX's average score of 31,676 places it ahead of the RTX 3090's 27,565, but this is driven by the Vulkan result. Removing that outlier would leave the TITAN RTX significantly behind. The RTX 3090's consistent wins across nine tests, with deltas ranging from 14.1% to 34.7%, indicate a more balanced and reliable performer for general use.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the most head-to-head benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 wins nine of the ten recorded comparisons. The NVIDIA TITAN RTX wins only one, the Geekbench Vulkan test.

Q: What is the largest performance difference between the two?

A: The Geekbench Vulkan test shows the TITAN RTX leading by 152.3%, scoring 136,073 against the RTX 3090's 53,927. This is the only test where the TITAN RTX wins.

Q: How do the two compare in compute performance?

A: The RTX 3090 leads PassMark GPU Compute by 34.7%, scoring 15,356 versus 10,034. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 3090 also leads by 16.1%, with 172,758 against 144,858.

Q: What are the average benchmark scores for each card?

A: The TITAN RTX has an average benchmark score of 31,676, while the RTX 3090 averages 27,565. The TITAN RTX also sits at the 76th percentile among all GPUs, compared to the RTX 3090's 73rd percentile.

Q: Is the TITAN RTX competitive in DirectX workloads?

A: No. The RTX 3090 leads in all DirectX tests: DirectX 9 by 16.8%, DirectX 10 by 19.2%, DirectX 11 by 14.1%, and DirectX 12 by 20%.

Q: What about 3DMark performance?

A: The RTX 3090 wins 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 with a score of 5,118 versus 3,794 for the TITAN RTX, a 25.9% advantage.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every core specification. The NVIDIA TITAN RTX uses a TU102 chip built on a 12 nm process at TSMC, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 uses a GA102 chip on an 8 nm process at Samsung. The transistor counts reflect this: the TITAN RTX has 18,600 million transistors on a 754 mm² die, giving a density of 24.7M per mm². The RTX 3090 has 28,300 million transistors on a smaller 628 mm² die, achieving a density of 45.1M per mm².

Clock speeds also differ. The TITAN RTX has a base clock of 1350 MHz and a boost of 1770 MHz. The RTX 3090 has a higher base of 1395 MHz but a lower boost of 1695 MHz. Memory configurations are similar in size, both 24 GB, but the type differs: GDDR6 for the TITAN RTX and GDDR6X for the RTX 3090. The bus width is identical at 384 bit, but the bandwidth diverges sharply: 672.0 GB/s for the TITAN RTX versus 936.2 GB/s for the RTX 3090. The effective memory speed is listed as 14 Gbps for the TITAN RTX and 19.5 Gbps for the RTX 3090.

The compute configurations are substantially different. The TITAN RTX has 4,608 shading units, 288 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The RTX 3090 has 10,496 shading units, 328 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. Ray tracing cores number 72 on the TITAN RTX versus 82 on the RTX 3090. Tensor cores are 576 on the TITAN RTX but only 328 on the RTX 3090. Pixel rates are 169.9 GPixel/s for the TITAN RTX and 189.8 GPixel/s for the RTX 3090. Texture rates are 509.8 GTexel/s versus 556.0 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 16.31 TFLOPS for the TITAN RTX and 35.58 TFLOPS for the RTX 3090. FP16 is 32.62 TFLOPS (2:1) for the TITAN RTX and 35.58 TFLOPS (1:1) for the RTX 3090.

Power and physical specifications differ as well. The TITAN RTX has a TDP of 280 W, is dual-slot, uses 2x 8-pin connectors, and suggests a 600 W PSU. The RTX 3090 has a TDP of 350 W, is triple-slot, uses a single 12-pin connector, and suggests a 750 W PSU. The TITAN RTX is 267 mm long, 116 mm high, and 35 mm wide. The RTX 3090 is 336 mm long, 140 mm high, and 61 mm wide. The bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 for the TITAN RTX and PCIe 4.0 x16 for the RTX 3090. Display outputs also differ: the TITAN RTX has 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C, while the RTX 3090 has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is generational. The NVIDIA TITAN RTX is based on Turing, part of the GeForce 20 generation, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 is based on Ampere, part of the GeForce 30 generation. The process nodes differ: 12 nm TSMC for Turing versus 8 nm Samsung for Ampere. This explains the transistor density difference, 24.7M per mm² versus 45.1M per mm², and the overall transistor count increase from 18,600 million to 28,300 million.

The compute architecture is fundamentally different. The RTX 3090 has more than double the shading units (10,496 versus 4,608) and nearly double the FP32 throughput (35.58 TFLOPS versus 16.31 TFLOPS). The FP16 implementation differs: the TITAN RTX uses a 2:1 ratio, effectively doubling FP16 performance to 32.62 TFLOPS, while the RTX 3090 runs FP16 at a 1:1 ratio, matching its FP32 rate of 35.58 TFLOPS. Tensor core counts are lower on the RTX 3090 (328 versus 576), but the architecture is newer.

Memory architecture is also distinct. Both use a 384-bit bus, but the RTX 3090 employs GDDR6X with a much higher effective speed of 19.5 Gbps, yielding 936.2 GB/s bandwidth. The TITAN RTX uses GDDR6 at 14 Gbps effective, providing 672.0 GB/s. The RTX 3090 also supports PCIe 4.0, doubling the bus bandwidth available to the TITAN RTX's PCIe 3.0 interface. Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, but the underlying hardware implementations differ significantly.

The Verdict

The data points to a straightforward conclusion for most users. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 is the superior performer in nine of ten benchmark categories, with leads ranging from 14.1% in DirectX 11 to 34.7% in GPU Compute. Its higher shading unit count, doubled FP32 throughput, and significantly higher memory bandwidth (936.2 GB/s versus 672.0 GB/s) translate directly into measurable wins across rasterization, compute, and API-specific workloads. For anyone running DirectX applications, OpenCL workloads, or general 3D rendering, the RTX 3090 is the better choice.

The NVIDIA TITAN RTX has one clear domain of superiority: Geekbench Vulkan, where it leads by 152.3%. This is an enormous margin, and for users whose primary applications rely on Vulkan and mirror that benchmark's specific execution pattern, the TITAN RTX is the only sensible pick. The TITAN RTX also has a higher average benchmark score (31,676 versus 27,565) and a higher percentile ranking (76th versus 73rd), but these are heavily influenced by the Vulkan outlier. In the absence of that test, the RTX 3090 would dominate the aggregate.

The RTX 3090 also carries a lower launch MSRP of 1,499 USD, compared to the TITAN RTX's 2,499 USD. That price difference, combined with the performance lead in nearly every category, makes the RTX 3090 the data-backed recommendation for virtually all scenarios. The only exception is the narrow Vulkan-specific workload, where the TITAN RTX's 152.3% advantage cannot be ignored. Otherwise, the recorded benchmarks consistently favor the newer Ampere architecture.