RTX 3090 vs RTX 4090 for Blender
Compare RTX 3090 vs RTX 4090 for Blender: benchmarks, VRAM, render-time estimates, power, and upgrade fit. RTX 4090 leads the Blender benchmark score by 100.6%.
Fastest in Blender
RTX 4090 (11,687.5 score)
Lowest power draw
RTX 3090 (350 W TDP)
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Performance | ||
| Blender benchmark score | 5,825.23 -50% | 11,687.5 |
| CUDA cores | 10,496 -36% | 16,384 |
| Boost clock | 1.70 GHz -33% | 2.52 GHz |
| RT cores | 82 RT Cores (2nd Gen) -36% | 128 RT Cores (3rd Gen) |
| Tensor cores | 328 Tensor Cores (3rd Gen) -36% | 512 Tensor Cores (4th Gen) |
| Memory | ||
| VRAM | 24 GB | 24 GB |
| Memory bandwidth | 936.2 GB/s -7% | 1,010 GB/s |
| Memory type | GDDR6X | GDDR6X |
| Memory bus | 384-bit | 384-bit |
| Memory speed | 19.5 Gbps -7% | 21 Gbps |
| Platform | ||
| Architecture | Ampere | Ada Lovelace |
| Render support | OptiX, CUDA | OptiX, CUDA |
| TDP | 350 W | 450 W +29% |
| Release year | 2020 | 2022 |
Benchmark comparison
Estimated seconds to render one frame of each standard Blender benchmark scene. Lower is faster.
These timings are derived from Blender Open Data benchmark medians and should be treated as comparative estimates, not guaranteed real-project render times.
Which GPU makes more sense?
RTX 4090 is the stronger Blender rendering pick here, and both cards have the same VRAM capacity.
Blender render speed
RTX 4090 leads by 100.6% in the Renderjuice Blender benchmark model (11,688 vs 5,825). For render-time-first decisions, that is the card to prioritize.
VRAM and scene headroom
Both cards have 24 GB of VRAM, so the decision is less about scene capacity and more about render speed, architecture, power draw, and price.
Power and cooling
RTX 3090 is the lower-power option at 350 W TDP, compared with 450 W for RTX 4090. If render speed is close, that can make RTX 3090 easier to cool and run quietly.
Upgrade decision
RTX 4090 is both the newer and faster Blender rendering choice here. The main reason to choose RTX 3090 would be price, availability, existing ownership, or a specific workstation requirement.
Quick take on RTX 3090 vs RTX 4090
RTX 4090 leads the Blender benchmark score by 100.6%.
Fastest in Blender: RTX 4090 11,687.5 score.
Lowest power draw: RTX 3090 350 W TDP.
Both GPUs ship with 24 GB of VRAM, so the tradeoff is more about speed, architecture, and efficiency than memory capacity.
If you are deciding between these cards for Blender, focus first on Blender benchmark score, VRAM capacity, memory bandwidth, and whether your scenes are likely to benefit more from raw speed or extra memory headroom. The comparison table above keeps those tradeoffs in one place.