Custom-Designs The GeForce RTX 3090 : Review 2021| Test | Specification| Settings | CPU Performance| Hashrate| Setup| Config | Advantage (Pros) and Disadvantages (Cons) and other important features that will help you make better decision.
tl; dr: After the very good GeForce RTX 3080, Nvidia sends the flagship GeForce RTX 3090 into the race, which should score with more shaders and 24 GB. In the test, custom designs from Gigabyte and MSI offer more performance, but the lead over the RTX 3080 for a surcharge of 800 euros is not great. Even Nvidia calls the target group small.
Update 10/5/2020 2:31 p.m.
Market launch with a small number of items
With the GeForce RTX 3080 (test), Nvidia launched heavy artillery a week ago. The very high performance compared to the GeForce RTX 2080 (Super) at a surprisingly low price resulted in an impressive overall package, the first custom designs of the RTX 3080 from Asus and MSI (test) also performed very convincingly. The starting position for the launch of the GeForce RTX 3090 a week later is supposedly good.
Presumably because, since the GeForce RTX 3080 went on sale, there has been no joy about delivered gaming ampere graphics cards and their performance, but frustration about empty warehouses, canceled orders, rising market prices and crashes in games. The fact that Nvidia apologized in advance for the initially poor availability of the GeForce RTX 3090 one day before the market launch has nipped the hope of improvement in this model in the bud.
Since we built GeForce RTX 3090 for a unique group of users, like the TITAN RTX before it, we want to apologise upfront that this will be in limited supply on launch day. We know this is frustrating, and we’re working with our partners to increase the supply in the weeks to come.
The price of the new GeForce RTX 3090 is in fact already set high at 1,499 euros: 800 euros separate the GeForce RTX 3080 and GeForce RTX 3090 in the Founders Edition for a performance plus – also officially one day in advance – promised from 10 to 15 percent and the question arises, who actually belongs to the target group that Nvidia describes as a “ very special group of users ”?
This article will find an answer to this as well as to the question of what performance the new top model really has to offer in everyday life – in games and in applications.
No Founders Edition for testing
Custom designs from MSI and Gigabyte were available to the editors to test the GeForce RTX 3090. In this case, however, Nvidia did not provide a Founders Edition itself. And that was the case not only with the editorial team, but also with many other publications that are usually considered to do so. GeForce RTX 3090 from Gigabyte and MSI Specs
Nvidia has given a very small number of patterns as the reason. In view of the engineering performance of the “FE”, also highlighted by CEO Jensen Huang, which produced a gigantic graphics card with a virtually inflated GeForce RTX 3080 cooler, this is a surprise – even if the FE does not fit into every computer, it is Definitely a showpiece when viewed from a distance.
In individual cases, Nvidia continues to see it this way: Even before the embargo for tangible tests fell, Nvidia, for example, created and published the internationally known YouTube tech heavyweights Linus Tech Tips and MKBHD sponsored videos based on the Founders Edition on the subject of “8K Gaming” to let. For many testers, however, this variant did not exist.
This is the GeForce RTX 3090
Like the GeForce RTX 3080, the GeForce RTX 3090 relies on the large GA102 GPU, but has significantly more execution units activated. It uses seven instead of six active GPCs and thus 82 instead of 68 streaming multiprocessors. With 10,496 ALUs, this results in 21 percent more arithmetic units than on the GeForce RTX 3080. This is still not the case with the full expansion of the GA102, because 2 more SMs are physically present.
However, more processing units also require more power so that the clock does not have to be significantly lower, especially since additional chips also pay tribute to the GeForce RTX 3090. Nvidia therefore sets the TDP of the GeForce RTX 3090 at 350 watts, so that the graphics card can consume 30 watts more than the RTX 3080. The average turbo is given as 1,700 MHz, which is only 10 MHz less than on the GeForce RTX 3080.
The second feature of the GeForce RTX 3090, which is hungry for electrical power and ultimately much more important, is the memory: the new consumer flagship offers a full 24 GB GDDR6X and thus more than twice as much as the GeForce RTX 3080 with 10 GB. For this purpose, 12 and thus 2 more memory modules are attached to the front of the PCB and another 12 more to the rear. The 24 modules result in 24 GB with a capacity of 1 GB per module.
With two additional 32-bit memory chips, the memory interface grows from 320 bits to 384 bits and the memory clock is increased from 9.504 MHz to 9.752 MHz. The memory bandwidth of 936 GB / s is another 23 percent higher than on the GeForce RTX 3080.
Details on the ampere architecture can be found in the technology article
Wer genauere Details zur Technik der GeForce RTX 3090 in Erfahrung bringen möchte, sollte einen Blick in den Technik-Artikel zur GeForce RTX 3000 werfen. Dieser behandelt neben der GeForce RTX 3080 auch die GeForce RTX 3070 und das aktuelle Flaggschiff GeForce RTX 3090 in aller Ausführlichkeit. Die technischen Spezifikationen der GeForce RTX 3080 im Überblick
Warum GeForce und nicht Titan?
Ein fast vollständig aktivierter High-End-Chip und 24 Gigabyte Speicher zum Spitzenpreis, das erinnert nicht nur an die Titan RTX (Test) auf Basis von Turing, Nvidia selbst nennt beide in einem Atemzug und sieht im Titan-RTX-Kunden den typischen RTX-3090-Käufer: Professionelle Kreative, Wissenschaftler auf dem Gebiet der künstlichen Intelligenz, aber – und das wieder deutlicher hervorgehoben als zuletzt – auch „Extreme Gamer“, die die neue Welt des „8K Gamings“ erleben möchten. Im Blog-Beitrag zu den Lieferschwierigkeiten einen Tag vor dem Start ist dieser Punkt den professionellen allerdings nachgestellt. Warum also GeForce RTX 3090 und nicht wieder ohne GeForce einfach „Titan“?
Ein Blick in die Historie der Titan-Modelle zeigt: Die Frage stand mit Ausnahme der 1. Version und bei den letzten drei Generationen ganz besonders immer im Raum.
Ein Ausflug in die Geschichte der Titan
Die erste Titan überhaupt war im Jahr 2013 ganz klar als High-End-Gaming-Grafikkarte für Enthusiasten gedacht und hieß mit Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan auch genau so. Sie brachte erstmals die ganz große GPU auf eine Grafikkarte für Spieler und bot mehr Leistung, Speicherbandbreite und Speichervolumen als die GeForce-GTX-Konkurrenz. Die Nachfolger GeForce GTX Titan Black, GeForce GTX Titan Z und GeForce GTX Titan X liefen ebenfalls in der Gaming-GPU-Sparte, waren den Aufpreis gegenüber den jeweils aktuellen Topmodellen in der Regel aber nicht mehr wert, zumal der Preis stetig stieg. Titan-Grafikkarten verirrten sich im Niemandsland zwischen Gaming und Arbeit.
Mit Pascal erfolgte der Abschied aus der GeForce-Serie, Titan X, Titan Xp, Titan V und zuletzt Titan RTX liefen zwischen GeForce und Quadro als eigene Serie. Sie boten stets die schnellste GPU und den meisten Speicher, GeForce-Custom-Designs waren in Spielen jedoch ab und zu noch eine Ecke schneller und deutlich günstiger. Von Generation zu Generation stellte Nvidia dann auch deutlich klar: Titan ist in erster Linie eine günstige Quadro-Alternative für Profis und die kauften sie am Ende auch.
Mit Ampere hat sich Nvidia nun wieder dazu entschieden, eine Grafikkarte mit großem Chip und viel Speicher, deren Zielgruppe in öffentlichen Blog-Posts zuvorderst aus Profis besteht, als GeForce zu vermarkten. Der Anspruch, 8K Gaming für absolute Enthusiasten möglich zu machen, und ein gegenüber der Titan RTX fast halbierter Preis, füttern diesen Wechsel mit Argumenten. Auf der anderen Seite grenzt Nvidia die potentielle Zielgruppe derart stark ein, dass sich der Konzern ob der sich anbahnenden Nachfrage nicht in der Lage sieht, die Nachfrage zum Start zu befriedigen – gesponsorte 8K-Gaming-Videos auf YouTube und der zwar immer noch hohe, aber gegenüber der Titan RTX deutlich gesenkten Preis trugen mit hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit auch dazu bei.
Langer Ausflug, kurzer Sinn: Die GeForce RTX 3090 könnte auch eine Titan sein. Ob sie es eher hätte sein sollen, stellt dieser Test fest.
GeForce RTX 3090 von Gigabyte & MSI Specs
Getestet hat ComputerBase die GeForce RTX 3090 zum Start mit zwei Custom Designs. Gigabyte schickt die eher schlicht gehaltene GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC ins Rennen, während MSI das derzeitige Top-Modell GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming X beisteuert – das Schwestermodell der bereits getestete MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio (Test). Beide Grafikkarte versuchen mit klarem Fokus auf das eigene Kühlsystem um die Gunst der Käufer zu werben.
Gigabyte RTX 3090 Gaming OC im Detail
Gigabyte schickt mit der GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC kein Premium-Design ins Rennen, auch wenn es sich nicht um das Einstiegsmodell handelt. Haptik und Optik halten dann auch beide nicht mit dem Wettbewerber mit. Dafür sollte die Variante günstiger sein, doch eine UVP konnte der Hersteller im Vorfeld nicht nennen.
The cooler of the graphics card is expansive in terms of length, width and height. Two aluminum coolers, which are connected to each other and to the GPU via 7 heat pipes, ensure that the heat is distributed over the largest possible area. The Lühler are noticeable, because the front one is only 80 mm in diameter, while the other two are 90 mm in design. This has the advantage that the cooler does not have to be so wide at the front, which is why the graphics card is unusually easy to screw into the housing. Many other modern graphics cards are so high at the front that the screw on the slot cover can hardly be reached – the problem does not exist with the Gigabyte.
The power plugs are “innovative”
The self-developed PCB is kept quite short, the cooler protrudes quite a bit. A curiosity that has already been discussed in advance on the Internet attracts his eyes on the back: The two 8-pin PCIe connections are not traditionally soldered to the PCB, but end after an “extension cable” in two flat plugs that are not the new one 12-pin standard for the Founders Edition. It is possible that Gigabyte wanted to avoid leading the 8-pin connectors further out of the card with the short PCB. Functionally, this has no effect.
NVIDIA 12-pin?!
Here is Gigabyte’s power cable innovation. pic.twitter.com/ZwEQWCxnFC– VideoCardz.com (@VideoCardz) September 12, 2020
Gigabyte specifies an average clock rate of 1,755 MHz for the GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC, so the GA102 GPU is overclocked by 55 MHz. With 370 watts, the 3D accelerator can also consume 20 watts more than Nvidia’s Founders Edition, a maximum of 390 watts can be set. The 24 GB GDDR6X memory from Micron clocks with the normal 9,752 MHz.
There is little spectacular to report about RGB lighting. It consists of the illuminated lettering and a small RGB bar. The change of colors is not perfectly smooth. Monitors can be controlled on the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming X via two DisplayPort 1.4 or two HDMI 2.1 connections.
At 1,372 g, the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC weighs a little more than the Founders Edition of the RTX 3080, but less than the custom designs that have been tested so far. The MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming X Trio is significantly heavier. GeForce RTX 3080/3090 graphics card weight
MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming X Trio im Detail
The MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming X Trio is very similar to the GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X, and apart from the NVLink connection, the graphics cards can hardly be distinguished visually. This means that Nvidia’s flagship adaptation is also a premium card, but not necessarily the top model. The manufacturer usually adds a Lightning variant at a later date. The RRP of the GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming X Trio is 1,589 euros. That is 90 euros more than the FE.
MSI is also using the 14 cm high and 32 cm long Tri-Frozr 2 cooler on the GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming X Trio. It consists of two aluminum coolers, which are connected to one another by means of 7 heat pipes and bring the graphics card to a weight of over 1.5 kg. The cooler is rounded off by a graphene-plastic composite material backplate, which should be characterized by its high stability and thermal conductivity. Three axial fans with a diameter of 90 mm provide the necessary fresh air. At low temperatures these stop for a silent operation.
There is no second BIOS
The PCB, which was also developed by MSI itself, offers 11 voltage converter circuits and an unusually large amount of space, but in this case is almost as long as the cooler. There is no second BIOS, although it was apparently intended once: There are both the soldering points and the designation (Silent and Gaming), only the switch itself is missing. The PCB is the same as that of the RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio, but there is an additional voltage converter circuit.
The GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming X clocks with an average turbo of 1,785 MHz and thus 85 MHz higher than the Founders Edition (+30 MHz compared to Gigabyte Gaming OC). The 24 GB GDDR6X memory works with the normal 9.752 MHz. With 370 watts, the graphics cards can also consume 20 watts more than Nvidia actually provides for the GeForce RTX 3090. However, the tuning potential of the graphics card is low, the power limit can only be increased to 380 watts. Three 8-pin power plugs are required for operation.
RGB drops in quality on the Gaming X.
Like its smaller sister model, the GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming X offers RGB lighting, but it doesn’t want to match the rest of the appearance. In addition to two times three short strips on the top of the cooler, there is a light strip on the edge of the backplate in which the respective position of the six LEDs can be seen very well – and their spacing is not always the same. That clouded the performance, which didn’t seem coherent overall. Monitors can be controlled with three DisplayPort 1.4 interfaces and one HDMI 2.1 connection.
Technical key data in direct comparison
As the following direct comparison after the respective comparison with the Founders Edition finally shows, the Gaming (X) Trio is shorter, but higher than the Gigabyte Gaming (OC).
In this case, the GeForce RTX 3080 has to be used for the comparison with the Founders Edition; the editors did not have a GeForce RTX 3090 Founders Edition.
Both graphics cards are significantly more expansive than the RTX-3080-FE model, which in a direct comparison looks almost slim. With a length of 32.5 centimeters, they exceed the FE in this dimension by a full four centimeters.
GeForce RTX 3090 from nVidia – How to find the right one
With the Geforce RTX 3090 graphics cards, Nvidia is replacing the previous flagship RTX 2080 Ti. It goes one step further, both in terms of price and performance. The new throne holder of the gaming graphics cards offers a whopping 30% more performance on average. However, Nvidia can also pay princely for this service: The RTX 3090 Founders Edition starts at 1500 euros. Those who prefer a custom cooling solution have to pay even more.
The RTX 3090 is not only impressive in terms of price and performance, but also in terms of its appearance. A generation of graphics cards has never been so big and heavy. On average, the models weigh around 1.5 kilograms and are between 28.5 cm and 33.5 cm long. This is mainly due to the required cooling capacity. After all, the new high-end chip from Nvidia should be able to work in the best possible way and the enormously high power consumption, which produces a lot of heat, plays its part. At least 350 watts (with power limit) and up to 500 watts (without power limit) are not uncommon for these high-end graphics cards alone. As you can read in some tests, there are load peaks that can lead to very short consumption of up to 600 watts.
The Nvidia Geforce RTX 3090 is an extreme gaming graphics card in every respect – in terms of performance, price, cooling, dimensions and power consumption. The HardwareSchotte editorial team has selected the best models for you and compared them clearly.
The best high-end graphics cards from nVidia 2021
- EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 FTW3 ULTRA GAMING
- ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3090 OC 24GB GDDR6X
- Palit GeForce RTX 3090 GamingPro
Performance benchmarks for nVidia RTX 3090 graphics cards
EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 FTW3 ULTRA GAMING (1800 MHz) EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 FTW3 ULTRA GAMING (1800 MHz)100%
for price comparison for price comparison from 3199 €ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3090 OC 24GB GDDR6X (1725 MHz)ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3090 OC 24GB GDDR6X (1725 MHz)96%for price comparison for price comparison from 3054 € Palit GeForce RTX 3090 GamingPro (1695 MHz)Palit GeForce RTX 3090 GamingPro (1695 MHz)94%for price comparison for price comparison from 2900 €Status: 27.05.2021 10:07 a.m.
Which housing do I need for an nVidia Geforce RTX 3090?
The nVidia RTX 3090 needs space. Not only that the length and height are enormous. There should also be enough space around the graphics card, as the monster naturally needs a lot of fresh air. They feel most comfortable in large midi, full and big towers.
How much power does a power supply unit for an RTX 3090 need at least?
Where wood is chopped, splinters must fall. With the RTX 3090, this also applies to power consumption. Some models are equipped with three 8-pin PCIe connectors that must be fed accordingly. We recommend at least a high quality 750 watt power supply. With models overclocked ex works, even 850 watts to be on the safe side.
How does the RTX 3090 compare to the RTX 3080 and RTX 3070?
The RTX 3090 is the fastest gaming graphics card ever – and by far. As you can see from our live graphics card ranking , it is on average around 12% faster than an RTX 3080, 27% faster than an RTX 3070 and almost 30% faster than the former flagship RTX 2080 Ti.
Nvidia RTX 3090 or AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT – which card is better?
When it comes to performance, the RTX 3090 from Nvidia usually has the edge. While you can only get an RTX 3090 from 1600 euros upwards (RRP!), The RX 6900 XT is a few hundred euros cheaper, although the availability is worse. Thanks to Smart Access Memory technology, both cards offer even more performance. For the RTX 3090, however, a BIOS update is required.
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