NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 SE Comparison

The Verdict

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 SE occupy entirely different segments of the GPU market, and the data confirms this split decisively. The RTX 4060 is an end-of-life, entry-level Ada Lovelace part, while the RTX 5090 SE is an active, top-tier Blackwell 2.0 flagship. The RTX 5090 SE delivers roughly 4.4 times the FP32 compute throughput (66.94 TFLOPS vs. 15.11 TFLOPS), nearly 5 times the memory bandwidth (1.34 TB/s vs. 272.0 GB/s), and 3 times the VRAM capacity (24 GB vs. 8 GB). The RTX 4060 counters with a lower 115 W TDP versus 500 W, a smaller 159 mm² die versus 750 mm², and a launch MSRP of 299 USD versus 1,499 USD for the 5090 SE.

The recorded benchmark data tells a one-sided story. The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17,639 across ten tests, placing it at the 61st percentile of all GPUs. The RTX 5090 SE has no recorded benchmarks in the database, so its average score and percentile are zero and 50 respectively. This absence of data means no direct head-to-head comparison can be quantified. For users prioritizing raw performance, the RTX 5090 SE is the clear choice based on its specifications. For users prioritizing efficiency and a lower power footprint, the RTX 4060 is the sensible option. The data shows no scenario where the RTX 4060 outperforms the RTX 5090 SE in compute or memory throughput.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on different architectures and process nodes. The RTX 4060 uses the AD107 chip on the Ada Lovelace architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 5 nm process. It contains 18,900 million transistors on a 159 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 118.9M per mm². The RTX 5090 SE uses the GB202 chip on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, also fabricated by TSMC on a 5 nm node, but it packs 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die, achieving a density of 122.9M per mm². The 5090 SE's die is 4.7 times larger and holds 4.9 times more transistors.

The RTX 4060 features 3,072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, 48 ROPs, 24 RT cores, and 96 tensor cores. The RTX 5090 SE scales this drastically with 14,080 shading units, 440 TMUs, 160 ROPs, 110 RT cores, and 440 tensor cores. The shading unit count is 4.6 times higher on the 5090 SE, the TMU count is 4.6 times higher, and the ROP count is 3.3 times higher. The RT core count is 4.6 times higher, and the tensor core count is 4.6 times higher.

Memory technology differs completely. The RTX 4060 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, running at 17 Gbps effective, delivering 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 5090 SE uses 24 GB of GDDR7 on a 384-bit bus, running at 28 Gbps effective, delivering 1.34 TB/s of bandwidth. The bus width is 3 times wider, and the memory type is a newer generation.

Both cards support the same API set: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The bus interface differs, with the RTX 4060 using PCIe 4.0 x8 and the RTX 5090 SE using PCIe 5.0 x16. Display outputs also differ: the RTX 4060 has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the RTX 5090 SE has 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b. Power delivery uses a 1x 12-pin connector on the 4060 and a 1x 16-pin connector on the 5090 SE. The suggested power supply is 300 W for the 4060 and 900 W for the 5090 SE. Both are dual-slot cards.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The RTX 5090 SE delivers 66.94 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, which is 4.4 times the 15.11 TFLOPS of the RTX 4060.

Q: How much memory bandwidth does each card provide?

A: The RTX 5090 SE provides 1.34 TB/s of bandwidth via 24 GB of GDDR7 on a 384-bit bus. The RTX 4060 provides 272.0 GB/s via 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The RTX 4060 has a TDP of 115 W with a suggested 300 W power supply. The RTX 5090 SE has a TDP of 500 W with a suggested 900 W power supply.

Q: Are the RT core and tensor core counts different?

A: Yes. The RTX 4060 has 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores. The RTX 5090 SE has 110 RT cores and 440 tensor cores.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The RTX 5090 SE has a density of 122.9M transistors per mm², slightly higher than the RTX 4060's 118.9M per mm².

Q: What production status does each card hold?

A: The RTX 4060 is end-of-life, released in 2023. The RTX 5090 SE is active, with a release date in 2025.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every measurable specification. The process node is identical at 5 nm TSMC, but the chip, architecture, transistor count, and die size diverge sharply. The RTX 4060 uses AD107 on Ada Lovelace with 18,900 million transistors and a 159 mm² die. The RTX 5090 SE uses GB202 on Blackwell 2.0 with 92,200 million transistors and a 750 mm² die.

Clock speeds differ in both base and boost. The RTX 4060 has a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost of 2460 MHz. The RTX 5090 SE has a base clock of 1740 MHz and a boost of 2377 MHz. The 4060 actually runs at higher clocks, but the 5090 SE's massive core count more than compensates. Memory clocks also differ: 2125 MHz (17 Gbps effective) for the 4060 versus 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) for the 5090 SE.

The memory subsystem is a major differentiator. The 4060 has 8 GB GDDR6, a 128-bit bus, and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth. The 5090 SE has 24 GB GDDR7, a 384-bit bus, and 1.34 TB/s bandwidth. The shading units (3072 vs. 14080), TMUs (96 vs. 440), ROPs (48 vs. 160), RT cores (24 vs. 110), and tensor cores (96 vs. 440) all favor the 5090 SE by factors of 3.3 to 4.6.

Pixel rate is 118.1 GPixel/s for the 4060 versus 380.3 GPixel/s for the 5090 SE, a 3.2 times difference. Texture rate is 236.2 GTexel/s versus 1,045.9 GTexel/s, a 4.4 times difference. FP32 and FP16 are both 15.11 TFLOPS on the 4060 and 66.94 TFLOPS on the 5090 SE, with both maintaining a 1:1 ratio.

Power and physical characteristics differ. TDP is 115 W for the 4060 and 500 W for the 5090 SE. The power connector is 1x 12-pin versus 1x 16-pin. Suggested PSU is 300 W versus 900 W. The bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x8 versus PCIe 5.0 x16. The 4060 is 240 mm long (9.4 inches), while the 5090 SE is 267 mm long (10.5 inches). Both share the same height of 111 mm (4.4 inches) and width of 40 mm (1.6 inches). Display outputs are 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a on the 4060 versus 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b on the 5090 SE.

Production status differs, with the 4060 end-of-life and the 5090 SE active. Release dates are 2023 for the 4060 and 2025 for the 5090 SE. The launch MSRP is 299 USD for the 4060 and 1,499 USD for the 5090 SE.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark section is limited by available data. The database contains ten benchmark scores for the RTX 4060 and zero for the RTX 5090 SE. No direct head-to-head comparison can be made from recorded measurements. The wins count is zero for both cards in this comparison.

The RTX 4060's benchmark results, however, provide context for its performance tier. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 2,302. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 95,057, and in Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 48,643. Passmark tests show scores of 103 for DirectX 10, 175 for DirectX 11, 76 for DirectX 12, 236 for DirectX 9, 1,037 for G2D, 19,545 for G3D, and 9,213 for GPU compute. Its average benchmark score is 17,639, placing it at the 61st percentile of all GPUs.

The nearest rivals to the RTX 4060, based on average score, are all AMD parts. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17,666, a delta of -0.2% relative to the 4060. The AMD Radeon 780M scores 17,588, a delta of 0.3%. The AMD Radeon Pro 560 scores 17,551, a delta of 0.5%, and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 scores 17,509, a delta of 0.7%. These deltas indicate the 4060 sits within 1% of these rivals, showing it performs at a specific mid-range level.

For the RTX 5090 SE, the absence of benchmark scores means the database records no average score, no percentile, and no nearest rivals. The data cannot confirm its measured performance, only its specifications. Based on those specifications, the 5090 SE should far exceed the 4060 in every compute and memory metric, but no recorded benchmark verifies this.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4060 wins in efficiency and physical footprint. Its 115 W TDP is 4.3 times lower than the 500 W TDP of the RTX 5090 SE. Its suggested power supply is 300 W versus 900 W, a 3 times difference. The 4060 is also shorter at 240 mm versus 267 mm, though both share the same height and width. The 4060 uses a 12-pin connector versus a 16-pin connector, reflecting its lower power draw. For systems with limited power delivery or smaller cases, the 4060 is the practical choice.

The RTX 4060 also holds a percentile advantage in the database. It sits at the 61st percentile of all GPUs, while the 5090 SE sits at the 50th percentile, though this is due to the 5090 SE having no recorded benchmarks. The 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17,639, while the 5090 SE has 0. This is a data artifact, not a performance verdict.

The RTX 5090 SE wins in every raw performance category. Its FP32 throughput of 66.94 TFLOPS is 4.4 times higher. Its texture rate of 1,045.9 GTexel/s is 4.4 times higher. Its pixel rate of 380.3 GPixel/s is 3.2 times higher. Its memory bandwidth of 1.34 TB/s is 4.9 times higher. Its 24 GB VRAM is 3 times larger than the 4060's 8 GB. Its 384-bit bus is 3 times wider. Its 14,080 shading units are 4.6 times more numerous. Its 160 ROPs are 3.3 times more numerous. Its 440 TMUs and 440 tensor cores are each 4.6 times more numerous, and its 110 RT cores are 4.6 times more numerous.

For ray tracing, the 5090 SE's 110 RT cores versus 24 on the 4060 indicate substantially higher ray tracing throughput. For AI workloads, the 440 tensor cores versus 96 suggest a 4.6 times advantage in tensor operations. For high-resolution gaming, the 24 GB GDDR7 memory and 1.34 TB/s bandwidth can handle larger textures and higher resolutions than the 8 GB GDDR6 and 272.0 GB/s on the 4060.

The 5090 SE also wins on interface bandwidth with PCIe 5.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x8, which matters for data transfer to and from the CPU. Its newer DisplayPort 2.1b outputs support higher bandwidth displays than the 4060's DisplayPort 1.4a. The 5090 SE is an active product with a 2025 release date, while the 4060 is end-of-life with a 2023 release date.

The data shows a clear split: the RTX 4060 wins for low-power, compact, and cost-sensitive builds. The RTX 5090 SE wins for maximum compute, memory capacity, and bandwidth. The 4060's nearest rivals are all within 1% of its average score, confirming its mid-range positioning. The 5090 SE has no recorded rivals, leaving its performance tier defined solely by specifications.