The Geforce RTX 3090 is the first BFGPU (Big Ferocious GPU) launched by Nvidia. It was launched back in September 2020 as the flagship entry into the RTX 30 series GPUs.
It was priced heftily at $1,499. However, it was significantly cheaper than its predecessor, the Titan RTX. This made the RTX 3090 a more lucrative choice for its target audience: game developers, AI and ML (machine learning) scientists, and 3D artists. However, is this GPU worth the premium cost for gaming purposes?
Is the RTX 3090 a good GPU for gaming?
The Geforce RTX 3090 is one of the most powerful graphics cards available in the market today. It held the performance crown as the most powerful GPU until the RTX 3090 Ti was released earlier this year.
The RTX 3090 was initially launched to compete against AMD’s Radeon RX 6900 XT. AMD’s highest-end offering was significantly cheaper, coming in at just $999 compared to the $1,499 price tag of the Nvidia equivalent. However, the RTX 3090 had a few key benefits that ensures its lead.
Nvidia’s ray tracing implementation is significantly better than AMD’s. Thus, in ray-tracing intensive games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the 3090 beats the 6900 XT by a solid margin. However, titles that use pure raster performances see the 6900 XT get much close to the RTX 3090.
Thus, at a much cheaper price tag, the RX 6900 XT is an option to consider. AMD released the RX 6950 XT recently. This improved card beats the RTX 3090 in several scenarios.
Nvidia markets the RTX 3090 as an 8K capable video card. However, 8K gaming is not this card’s turf.
Both Nvidia and AMD are coming out with newer and improved cards with RTX 40 series and RX 7000 series GPUs. Thus, it is not wise to invest an astronomical amount of money behind a massive RTX 3090. Newer graphics cards will bring higher performance levels while costing less and drawing lesser power.