G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce RTX 3090

2020

Why buy it

✅33.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (24 GB vs 16 GB).

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1 (2025).
❌Weaker long-term outlook: Radeon RX 9070 XT is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.
❌
150.3% HIGHER MSRP
$1,499 MSRPvs$599 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 17.7 vs 44.9 G3D/$ ($1,499 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
❌15.1% higher power demand at 350W vs 304W.

Radeon RX 9070 XT

2025

Why buy it

✅Costs $900 less on MSRP ($599 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
✅Delivers 153.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.9 vs 17.7 G3D/$ ($599 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1 (2025).
✅More future proof: RDNA 4.0 (2025) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 304W instead of 350W, a 46W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3090 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 16 GB vs 24 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.

GeForce RTX 3090

2020

Radeon RX 9070 XT

2025

Why buy it

✅33.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (24 GB vs 16 GB).

Why buy it

✅Costs $900 less on MSRP ($599 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
✅Delivers 153.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.9 vs 17.7 G3D/$ ($599 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1 (2025).
✅More future proof: RDNA 4.0 (2025) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 304W instead of 350W, a 46W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1 (2025).
❌Weaker long-term outlook: Radeon RX 9070 XT is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.
❌
150.3% HIGHER MSRP
$1,499 MSRPvs$599 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 17.7 vs 44.9 G3D/$ ($1,499 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
❌15.1% higher power demand at 350W vs 304W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3090 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 16 GB vs 24 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon RX 9070 XT better than GeForce RTX 3090?

Yes. Radeon RX 9070 XT is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3090 averages 33.7% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 26,922 vs 26,594 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon RX 9070 XT is a 2025 card with FSR Upscaling + Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1, while GeForce RTX 3090 is a 2020 model from an older generation with DLSS Super Resolution. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon RX 9070 XT is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2025 generation instead of 2020, better upscaling support with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) and better frame-generation support with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1 (2025) instead of DLSS Super Resolution, and a 4nm process instead of 8nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

Radeon RX 9070 XT is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. Radeon RX 9070 XT is about $900 cheaper on MSRP at $599 MSRP versus $1,499 MSRP, and you are getting lower estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 1.2% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 153.3%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is GeForce RTX 3090 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3090 is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is excellent for 1080p, very strong for 1440p, and still capable at 4K with sensible settings or upscaling. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $1,499 MSRP, even if Radeon RX 9070 XT is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce RTX 3090 Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 9070 XT Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3090	Radeon RX 9070 XT
1080p
low	259 FPS	222 FPS
medium	240 FPS	206 FPS
high	201 FPS	179 FPS
ultra	176 FPS	163 FPS
1440p
low	249 FPS	201 FPS
medium	208 FPS	170 FPS
high	162 FPS	139 FPS
ultra	145 FPS	131 FPS
4K
low	167 FPS	136 FPS
medium	138 FPS	115 FPS
high	98 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	87 FPS	86 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3090 Open Radeon RX 9070 XT

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3090	Radeon RX 9070 XT
1080p
low	648 FPS	605 FPS
medium	557 FPS	492 FPS
high	440 FPS	376 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	313 FPS
1440p
low	475 FPS	431 FPS
medium	405 FPS	352 FPS
high	319 FPS	286 FPS
ultra	263 FPS	230 FPS
4K
low	229 FPS	221 FPS
medium	193 FPS	187 FPS
high	161 FPS	167 FPS
ultra	134 FPS	133 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3090 Open Radeon RX 9070 XT

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3090	Radeon RX 9070 XT
1080p
low	909 FPS	912 FPS
medium	745 FPS	756 FPS
high	664 FPS	673 FPS
ultra	574 FPS	575 FPS
1440p
low	711 FPS	703 FPS
medium	583 FPS	577 FPS
high	508 FPS	502 FPS
ultra	434 FPS	421 FPS
4K
low	489 FPS	492 FPS
medium	406 FPS	407 FPS
high	349 FPS	349 FPS
ultra	289 FPS	284 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3090 Open Radeon RX 9070 XT

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3090	Radeon RX 9070 XT
1080p
low	821 FPS	815 FPS
medium	765 FPS	709 FPS
high	675 FPS	639 FPS
ultra	598 FPS	560 FPS
1440p
low	656 FPS	644 FPS
medium	609 FPS	561 FPS
high	534 FPS	491 FPS
ultra	449 FPS	432 FPS
4K
low	475 FPS	431 FPS
medium	443 FPS	383 FPS
high	397 FPS	347 FPS
ultra	299 FPS	303 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3090 Open Radeon RX 9070 XT

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3090 and Radeon RX 9070 XT

GeForce RTX 3090

The GeForce RTX 3090 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1395 MHz to 1695 MHz. It has 10496 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 350W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 82 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 26,594 points. Launch price was $1,499.

Radeon RX 9070 XT

The Radeon RX 9070 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 6 2025. It features the RDNA 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1660 MHz to 2970 MHz. It has 4096 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 304W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 64 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 26,922 points. Launch price was $599.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce RTX 3090 scores 26,594 and the Radeon RX 9070 XT reaches 26,922 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce RTX 3090 is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 9070 XT uses RDNA 4.0, both on 8 nm vs 4 nm. Shader units: 10,496 (GeForce RTX 3090) vs 4,096 (Radeon RX 9070 XT). Raw compute: 35.58 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3090) vs 48.66 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 9070 XT). Boost clocks: 1695 MHz vs 2970 MHz. Ray tracing: 82 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3090) vs 64 (Radeon RX 9070 XT) with 328 Tensor cores vs 128.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3090	Radeon RX 9070 XT
G3D Mark Score	26,594	26,922+1%
Architecture	Ampere	RDNA 4.0
Process Node	8 nm	4 nm
Shading Units	10496+156%	4096
Compute (TFLOPS)	35.58 TFLOPS	48.66 TFLOPS+37%
Boost Clock	1695 MHz	2970 MHz+75%
ROPs	112	128+14%
TMUs	328+28%	256
L2 Cache	6 MB	8 MB+33%
Ray Tracing Cores	82+28%	64
Tensor Cores	328+156%	128

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 9070 XT is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The GeForce RTX 3090 lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce RTX 3090 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon RX 9070 XT relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3090	Radeon RX 9070 XT
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 2 Super Resolution	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3090 comes with 24 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 9070 XT has 16 GB. The GeForce RTX 3090 offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 936 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3090) vs 640 GB/s (Radeon RX 9070 XT) — a 46.3% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3090. Bus width: 384-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 6 MB (GeForce RTX 3090) vs 8 MB (Radeon RX 9070 XT) — the Radeon RX 9070 XT has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3090	Radeon RX 9070 XT
VRAM Capacity	24 GB+50%	16 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6X	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	936 GB/s+46%	640 GB/s
Bus Width	384-bit+50%	256-bit
L2 Cache	6 MB	8 MB+33%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3090) vs 12 Ultimate (Radeon RX 9070 XT). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3090	Radeon RX 9070 XT
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12 Ultimate
Vulkan	1.4	1.4
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3090) vs VCN (Enhanced) (Radeon RX 9070 XT). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs VCN (Enhanced). Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3090) vs AV1,H.264,H.265,VP9 (Radeon RX 9070 XT).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3090	Radeon RX 9070 XT
Encoder	NVENC 7th gen	VCN (Enhanced)
Decoder	NVDEC 5th gen	VCN (Enhanced)
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1	AV1,H.264,H.265,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3090 draws 350W versus the Radeon RX 9070 XT's 304W — a 14.1% difference. The Radeon RX 9070 XT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (GeForce RTX 3090) vs 750W (Radeon RX 9070 XT). Power connectors: 2x 8-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 312mm vs 288mm, occupying 3 vs 3 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3090	Radeon RX 9070 XT
TDP	350W	304W-13%
Recommended PSU	750W	750W
Power Connector	2x 8-pin	2x 8-pin
Length	312mm	288mm
Height	140mm	120mm
Slots	3	3
Temp (Load)	85°C	75°C-12%
Perf/Watt	76.0	88.6+17%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3090 launched at $1499 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 9070 XT launched at $599. The Radeon RX 9070 XT costs 60% less ($900 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 17.7 (GeForce RTX 3090) vs 44.9 (Radeon RX 9070 XT) — the Radeon RX 9070 XT offers 153.7% better value. The Radeon RX 9070 XT is the newer GPU (2025 vs 2020).