GeForce RTX 3090 vs RTX 2060

Place in the ranking	131	24
Place by popularity	16	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	40.45	14.92
Power efficiency	15.73	13.58
Architecture	Turing (2018−2022)	Ampere (2020−2024)
GPU code name	TU106	GA102
Market segment	Desktop	Desktop
Release date	7 January 2019 (5 years ago)	1 September 2020 (4 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$349	$1,499

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

RTX 2060 has 171% better value for money than RTX 3090.

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores	1920	10496
Core clock speed	1365 MHz	1395 MHz
Boost clock speed	1680 MHz	1695 MHz
Number of transistors	10,800 million	28,300 million
Manufacturing process technology	12 nm	8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	160 Watt	350 Watt
Texture fill rate	201.6	556.0
Floating-point processing power	6.451 TFLOPS	35.58 TFLOPS
ROPs	48	112
TMUs	120	328
Tensor Cores	240	328
Ray Tracing Cores	30	82

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Interface	PCIe 3.0 x16	PCIe 4.0 x16
Length	229 mm	336 mm
Width	2-slot	3-slot
Supplementary power connectors	1x 8-pin	1x 12-pin

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory type	GDDR6	GDDR6X
Maximum RAM amount	6 GB	24 GB
Memory bus width	192 Bit	384 Bit
Memory clock speed	1750 MHz	1219 MHz
Memory bandwidth	336.0 GB/s	936.2 GB/s
Shared memory	-	-

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors	1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x DisplayPort, 1x USB Type-C	1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort
HDMI	+	+
G-SYNC support	+	-

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

VR Ready

no data

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX	12	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model	6.5	6.5
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
OpenCL	1.2	2.0
Vulkan	1.2.131	1.2
CUDA	7.5	8.5

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

RTX 2060 36.71

RTX 3090 69.35
+88.9%

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

RTX 2060 14145

RTX 3090 26721
+88.9%

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

RTX 2060 27163

RTX 3090 61518
+126%

3DMark Vantage Performance

3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.

RTX 2060 60454

RTX 3090 124350
+106%

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

RTX 2060 19338

RTX 3090 47241
+144%

3DMark Cloud Gate GPU

Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid.

RTX 2060 107083

RTX 3090 231612
+116%

GeekBench 5 OpenCL

Geekbench 5 is a widespread graphics card benchmark combined from 11 different test scenarios. All these scenarios rely on direct usage of GPU's processing power, no 3D rendering is involved. This variation uses OpenCL API by Khronos Group.

RTX 2060 71612

RTX 3090 191323
+167%

3DMark Ice Storm GPU

Ice Storm Graphics is an obsolete benchmark, part of 3DMark suite. Ice Storm was used to measure entry level laptops and Windows-based tablets performance. It utilizes DirectX 11 feature level 9 to display a battle between two space fleets near a frozen planet in 1280x720 resolution. Discontinued in January 2020, it is now superseded by 3DMark Night Raid.

RTX 2060 424149

RTX 3090 779348
+83.7%

GeekBench 5 Vulkan

RTX 2060 67350

RTX 3090 178421
+165%

GeekBench 5 CUDA

RTX 2060 77840

RTX 3090 238123
+206%

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD	119 −66.4%	198 +66.4%
1440p	77 −67.5%	129 +67.5%
4K	47 −83%	86 +83%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	2.93	7.57
1440p	4.53	11.62
4K	7.43	17.43

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077

60−65

−229%

207
+229%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	92 −72.8%	159 +72.8%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	79 −44.3%	114 +44.3%
Battlefield 5	157 −41.4%	220−230 +41.4%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	106 −12.3%	110−120 +12.3%
Cyberpunk 2077	60−65 −179%	176 +179%
Far Cry 5	114 −2.6%	110−120 +2.6%
Far Cry New Dawn	128 −32%	160−170 +32%
Forza Horizon 4	205 −16.1%	230−240 +16.1%
Hitman 3	98 −19.4%	117 +19.4%
Horizon Zero Dawn	248 −2%	250−260 +2%
Metro Exodus	144 +0%	144 +0%
Red Dead Redemption 2	109 −19.3%	130 +19.3%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	191 −52.9%	290−300 +52.9%
Watch Dogs: Legion	254 +27%	200 −27%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	131 −88.5%	247 +88.5%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	64 −64.1%	105 +64.1%
Battlefield 5	140 −58.6%	220−230 +58.6%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	96 −24%	110−120 +24%
Cyberpunk 2077	60−65 −140%	151 +140%
Far Cry 5	91 −28.6%	110−120 +28.6%
Far Cry New Dawn	95 −77.9%	160−170 +77.9%
Forza Horizon 4	194 −22.7%	230−240 +22.7%
Hitman 3	96 −21.9%	117 +21.9%
Horizon Zero Dawn	247 −2.4%	250−260 +2.4%
Metro Exodus	140 −2.9%	144 +2.9%
Red Dead Redemption 2	103 −18.4%	120−130 +18.4%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	130−140 −205%	402 +205%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	75−80 −96.1%	140−150 +96.1%
Watch Dogs: Legion	244 +22.6%	199 −22.6%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	56 −92.9%	108 +92.9%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	55 −65.5%	91 +65.5%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	71 −67.6%	110−120 +67.6%
Cyberpunk 2077	60−65 −113%	134 +113%
Far Cry 5	70 −67.1%	110−120 +67.1%
Forza Horizon 4	105 −107%	217 +107%
Hitman 3	81 −43.2%	116 +43.2%
Horizon Zero Dawn	120 −146%	295 +146%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	130−140 −166%	351 +166%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	73 −148%	181 +148%
Watch Dogs: Legion	45 −138%	107 +138%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

−34.4%

129
+34.4%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5	70−75 −136%	160−170 +136%
Far Cry New Dawn	55−60 −96.4%	110−120 +96.4%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	35−40 −138%	93 +138%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	42 −88.1%	79 +88.1%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	51 −58.8%	80−85 +58.8%
Cyberpunk 2077	27−30 −232%	93 +232%
Far Cry 5	40−45 −92.9%	80−85 +92.9%
Forza Horizon 4	200−210 −30.3%	270−280 +30.3%
Hitman 3	54 −113%	115 +113%
Horizon Zero Dawn	89 −162%	233 +162%
Metro Exodus	76 −82.9%	139 +82.9%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	85−90 −206%	266 +206%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	50−55 −192%	152 +192%
Watch Dogs: Legion	236 +16.3%	203 −16.3%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

−71.6%

127
+71.6%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5	40 −118%	85−90 +118%
Far Cry New Dawn	37 −86.5%	65−70 +86.5%
Hitman 3	30−33 −177%	83 +177%
Horizon Zero Dawn	104 −117%	220−230 +117%
Metro Exodus	52 −171%	141 +171%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	51 −200%	153 +200%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	28 −150%	70 +150%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	24 −138%	57 +138%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	28 −82.1%	50−55 +82.1%
Cyberpunk 2077	12−14 −283%	46 +283%
Far Cry 5	25 −100%	50−55 +100%
Forza Horizon 4	59 −159%	153 +159%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	45−50 −224%	159 +224%
Watch Dogs: Legion	17 −253%	60 +253%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

−192%

111
+192%

This is how RTX 2060 and RTX 3090 compete in popular games:

RTX 3090 is 66% faster in 1080p
RTX 3090 is 68% faster in 1440p
RTX 3090 is 83% faster in 4K

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

in Watch Dogs: Legion, with 1080p resolution and the Medium Preset, the RTX 2060 is 27% faster.
in Cyberpunk 2077, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the RTX 3090 is 283% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

RTX 2060 is ahead in 3 tests (4%)
RTX 3090 is ahead in 68 tests (94%)
there's a draw in 1 test (1%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	36.71	69.35
Recency	7 January 2019	1 September 2020
Maximum RAM amount	6 GB	24 GB
Chip lithography	12 nm	8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	160 Watt	350 Watt

RTX 2060 has 118.8% lower power consumption.

RTX 3090, on the other hand, has a 88.9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, a 300% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 50% more advanced lithography process.

The GeForce RTX 3090 is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce RTX 2060 in performance tests.

Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.