RTX 3090 Ti Vs RTX 3080 Ti: Worth Upgrading? [Benchmarks]

With the introduction of the RTX 30 series of cards, Nvidia announced the new xx90 tier of cards to be the highest-end gaming GPUs that money could buy by debuting the RTX 3090. Later the RTX 3090 Ti took center stage, but how does it hold up to the old flagship 3080 Ti cards? Join us in our exploration of the RTX 3090 Ti vs RTX 3080 Ti to answer this question.

Key Takeaways

• The RTX 3090 Ti was about 14% faster than the RTX 3080 Ti in terms of gaming performance at 4k.
• Though the GPU was significantly more performant, the RTX 3090 Ti drew 30% more power than the RTX 3080 Ti.
• The RTX 3090 Ti is usually 70% more expensive than the RTX 3080 Ti in the used market.

RTX 3090 Ti Vs RTX 3080 Ti

Comparison Table

Architectural Differences

1. Clock Speeds: The RTX 3080 Ti has a base clock speed of 1365MHz, while it can bring its clock speed up to 1665MHz when it boosts. On the other hand, the RTX 3090 Ti comes with a clock speed of 1560MHz, whereas it can boost up to 1860MHz.
2. TDP: Apart from the performance, the biggest difference between these two cards is their power draw. The RTX 3090 Ti has a 100-watt higher TDP than its brother at 450 watts instead of the 350 watts for the RTX 3080 Ti.
3. VRAM: The RTX 3090 Ti utilizes a large 24GB memory buffer, whereas the RTX 3080 Ti has a relatively modest 12GB video memory.
4. Bus Width: Both cards come equipped with a 384-bit memory bus.
5. Process Size: Both GPUs use the 8nm manufacturing process.

Benchmarks

Now that the difference in the specifications of these two high-end graphics cards has been cleared up, this part of the RTX 3090 Ti vs RTX 3080 Ti comparison will enlighten you on the performance of these cards in games that can use the full extent of the power of these cards.

To accomplish this, we needed to set up a testing setup that allowed both these cards to run without any bottlenecks. We did this by putting each card in our trusty testbench with the following hardware:

• OS – Windows 10 Pro
• CPU – Core i9-12900K
• MOBO – Asus ROG STRIX Z690-A D4
• RAM – 32Gb RAM DDR4 3800Mhz
• CPU Cooler – be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
• GPU – GeForce RTX 3090 Ti 24GB
• GPU – GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12GB
• SSD – 2xSAMSUNG 970 EVO M.2 2280 1TB
• Power Supply – CORSAIR RM850i 850W 

The benchmarks below utilize the 4k resolution.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

• The first game of our testing saw mediocre performance on such hyped-up cards, with the RTX 3090 Ti getting an average framerate of around 73 FPS, whereas the RTX 3080 Ti had a framerate of around 66 FPS.
• The 1% lows were also only tolerable on both cards at 4k. The great RTX 3090 Ti only managed to get lows of 57 FPS in this game, whereas the RTX 3080 Ti touched 52 FPS in the most intensive gaming scenarios.
• Power consumption was high on both cards, with the RTX 3080 Ti capping out at a power draw of 324 watts, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti made the former seem low-powered with its power draw of 418 watts.
• Both graphics cards ran pretty hot in this test, with the RTX 3080 Ti having a scorching peak temperature of 71°C, whereas the 3090 Ti had a temperature of around 74°C.

Also Read: RTX 4070 Vs RTX 3080 Ti

Forza Horizon 5

• Forza Horizon 5 is a game that seems to run well on any system, but in this particular test, the RTX 3090 Ti got a framerate of 96 FPS, whereas the RTX 3080 Ti stood behind it in terms of performance with an average of 82 FPS.
• 1% lows were enjoyable on both cards, with the RTX 3080 Ti getting lows of about 68 FPS, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti was significantly ahead with 1% lows of around 82 FPS.
• Once again, the monstrous power draw of the RTX 3090 Ti of 428 watts made the 305 watts drawn by the RTX 3080 Ti seem like child’s play. 
• The peak temperatures of these cards seemed to hover around the temperatures we saw in the last game; 71°C for the 3080 Ti and 74°C for the 3090 Ti.

Similar Comparison: RTX 3080 Vs 3080 Ti

Cyberpunk 2077

• In all fairness, this game was tested on both cards when it was much less optimized, so you might experience better framerates if you buy these cards today. With that out of the way, the RTX 3080 Ti had an average framerate of 39 FPS with the Ultra preset, ray tracing set to Ultra and DLSS Q, whereas the 3090 Ti got a framerate of 46 FPS.
• The RTX 3080 Ti experienced 1% lows of 32 FPS, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti was not much better, with lows of 38 FPS. This almost unplayable performance with such high-end cards was very disappointing.
• Despite the sub-par performance, the power consumption of either of these cards took no hit, with the RTX 3080 Ti drawing 327 watts of power, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti drew 421 watts.
• Temperatures remained high on both cards, with the RTX 3080 Ti hovering around 72°C, whereas the  RTX 3090 Ti was even hot, with a peak temperature of 74°C.

Also Check: RX 6800 XT Vs RTX 3080 Ti 

Hitman 3

• After the disappointing performance of the last game, it was refreshing to see how well Hitman 3 ran on both cards. The RTX 3080 Ti got an average framerate of around 119 FPS, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti hovered around a framerate of 138 FPS.
• 1% lows were also no less than excellent of both cards, with the RTX 3080 Ti getting a minimum framerate of 94 FPS, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti got a minimum framerate of around 106 FPS.
• Power consumption is something that can not improve, no matter how well-optimized your game is. The RTX 3080 Ti proved this by consuming 342 watts of power, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti drew even more juice at 442 watts.
• Temperatures also only served to grow in this game, with the RTX 3080 Ti reaching a peak of 73°C, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti had a peak temperature of 75°C.

Similar Comparison: RTX 4070 Ti Vs RTX 3080 Ti 

God Of War

• Unlike other Playstation ports, God Of War ran effortlessly on both of our systems, with the setting maxed out at 4k. The RTX 3080 TI had an average framerate of around 66 FPS, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti had an average framerate of 77 FPS.
• 1% lows were also inoffensive on the pair of cards in our testing of God Of War. The RTX 3080 Ti had lows of 58 FPS, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti had smoother 1% lows of around 66 FPS.
• The graphics cards saw no reason to use less power, resulting in the RTX 3090 Ti sucking back 434 watts of power, whereas the RTX 3080 Ti had a power consumption of 334 watts.
• Once again, we saw identical temperatures to our last game, with the RTX 3090 Ti peaking at 75°C, whereas the RTX 3080 Ti maxed out at 73°C.

Also Read: RX 7900 XTX Vs RTX 3080 Ti

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020

• Surprisingly, this game ran without hitches in our testing. The RTX 3090 Ti had an average framerate of around 70 FPS in this game, whereas the RTX 3080 Ti had an average of 61 FPS, both of which are totally playable.
• 1% lows were also unintrusive in this game, with the RTX 3090 Ti maintaining a minimum framerate of 64 FPS, whereas the RTX 3080 Ti managed to maintain a respectable 57 FPS minimum.
• The power draw was still pretty high on both cards, with the RTX 3080 Ti drawing back 345 watts of electricity, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti operated using 430 watts of power.
• Temperatures were the same on the RTX 3090 Ti and 3080 Ti in our MS Flight Sim 2020 run, both peaking at 75°C.

Also Check: RX 7900 XT Vs RTX 3080 Ti

Red Dead Redemption 2

• Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 ran adequately on both cards while maxed out. The RTX 3080 Ti got an average framerate of around 70 FPS, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti surpassed the former with a framerate of around 86 FPS.
• 1% lows seemed a little stuttery on the RTX 3080 Ti at 58 FPS, though they were nothing game-breaking. On the other side, the RTX 3090 Ti had enjoyable lows of 73 FPS.
• The RTX 3080 Ti consumed a mighty 340 watts of power from the socket in this game, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti went even higher with a power consumption of 436 watts.
• Temperatures were slightly warmer on the RTX 3090 Ti compared to its little brother. The higher tier card had a peak temperature of 74°C, whereas the RTX 3080 Ti peaked at 72°C.

Similar Guide: Nvidia RTX 4080 Vs RTX 3080 Ti

Horizon Zero Dawn

• This Playstation port also ran surprisingly brilliantly on both cards, with the RTX 3080 Ti getting an average framerate of 83 FPS, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti had an even higher 92 FPS average.
• The minimum framerates were also not bad on either card, with the RTX 3080 Ti capped out at 75 FPS while the RTX 3090 Ti capped out at 83 FPS.
• The power consumption of both cards kept soaring, with the RTX 3090 Ti using up to 426 watts of power, whereas the RTX 3080 Ti had a power consumption of 329 watts.
• The temperature difference between the cards grew to 5 degrees in this test, with the RTX 3080 Ti peaking at 70°C, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti peaked much higher at around 75°C.

Similar Comparison: RTX 4090 Vs RTX 3080 Ti

The Witcher 3

• Lastly, for this section, we have The Witcher 3. It is important to note that this is the game’s vanilla version and not the next-gen one. The RTX 3080 Ti had an average performance of 89 FPS, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti had an even better average framerate of around 104 FPS.
• 1% lows were similar between the two cards, with the RTX 3080 Ti managing an impressive minimum of 80 FPS, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti hot an 85 FPS minimum performance in this game.
• Power draw remained impressively high on both cards till the end, with the RTX 3090 Ti drawing 420 watts, whereas the lower tier RTX 3080 Ti drew 330 watts of power.
• Temperatures were higher by a hair on the 3090 Ti, hovering around 73°C, whereas the RTX 3080 Ti had a peak temperature of 72°C.

Also Check: RTX 4090 Vs RTX 3090 Ti

Overall Gaming Performance

Now that we know how these cards handle individual games, this part of the RTX 3090 Ti vs RTX 3080 Ti comparison will paint a picture of how these cards performed on average throughout the games tested.

Framerate

• The RTX 3090 Ti had an average framerate of 87 FPS, whereas the RTX 3080 Ti had an average framerate of around 75 FPS. 
• 1% lows for the RTX 3090 Ti averaged out to be around 73 FPS, whereas the RTX 3080 Ti had lows of around 64 FPS.
• The difference between the performance of the RTX 3090 Ti and RTX 3080 Ti computes the higher-tier card being unsurprisingly 14% better than its younger brother.
• During our testing, we used both DLSS 3 and ray tracing, so the numbers you see here indicate what you would experience if you use these cards as Nvidia intends.

Also Read: RTX 2080 Ti vs RTX 3090 Ti

Power Consumption

• On average, the RTX 3090 Ti consumed around 428 watts of power in our gaming tests at 4k.
• The RTX 3080 Ti was not exactly low-powered either, with an average power consumption of around 331 watts.
• The RTX 3090 Ti consumed 30% more power than the RTX 3080 Ti on average.
• Though the power consumption of the RTX 3080 Ti is large in a vacuum, the 100-watt difference between its power consumption and the 3090 Ti’s can easily be enough of a difference to make you switch power supplies, adding to the platform cost of the RTX 3090 Ti.

Temperature

• On average, the RTX 3080 Ti had a temperature of around 72°C, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti had an average temperature closer to 73°C.
• The temperature of your graphics card depends on the room temperature, method of cooling, case airflow, and the cooler your card’s OEM sticks onto it, so take these numbers with a grain of salt.

Price And Availability 

• The RTX 3090 Ti had an MSRP of $1999 when it was launched a couple of years ago, whereas the RTX 3080 Ti had a launch MSRP of $1199.
• Now that both cards have added a few years to their age, the RTX 3080 Ti can be bought for around $500, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti comes in at around $850.
• Both cards should be on the shelves of your nearest big-brand computer parts retailer as well as any online e-commerce platform of your choice.

RTX 3080 Ti Vs RTX 3090 Ti: Which One Should You Go For?

Now that we’ve assimilated knowledge on the strengths and weaknesses of both these graphics cards, this part of the RTX 3090 Ti vs RTX 3080 Ti comparison will serve to guide you to the best graphics card for your needs.

• The RTX 3090 Ti was 14% more powerful than the RTX 3080 Ti in our gaming tests, but it is also 30% more power-hungry as well as 70% more expensive in the used market.
• The RTX 3080 Ti has a performance per dollar of around 0.15 frames/dollar, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti gives you 0.10 frames/dollar. This means that the RTX 3090 Ti stretches your dollar 50% more than the 3080 Ti.
• If the extra VRAM on the higher-end card is of use to your productivity workflow, the RTX 3090 Ti is bested by no other.
• Both cards provide adequate gaming performance, and they can get a boost in performance by turning on DLSS, so you cannot go wrong by buying either option. At the end of the day, the most pivotable difference between these two cards is the price, so choose the card that is best for your budget.