GPU comparison

RTX 3060 vs RTX 3090

Specifications and current cloud pricing, side by side.

AmperevsAmpereUpdated 17 days ago

The RTX 3090 wins for the most common use case of large model inference and training. Its 24 GB VRAM capacity and 35.6 TFLOPS FP32 performance exceed the corresponding 8 to 12 GB and 12.7 TFLOPS figures on the RTX 3060.

RTX 3060 from $0.11/GPU/hrRTX 3090 from $0.27/GPU/hr

Right now, from live stock

  • Cheapest right now: RTX 3060 at $0.11/hr on Vast.ai

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  • Most providers in stock: RTX 3090 (3)

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Specifications Compared

SpecRTX 3060RTX 3090
TDP170W350W
VRAM8-12 GB24 GB
CUDA Cores3,58410,496
Memory TypeGDDR6GDDR6X
ArchitectureAmpereAmpere
FP16 (dense)Not published71 TFLOPS
Form FactorsPCIePCIe
INT8 (dense)Not published284 TOPS
InterconnectPCIe 4.0NVLink, PCIe 4.0
Tensor Cores112328
FP32 Performance12.7 TFLOPS35.6 TFLOPS
Memory Bandwidth360 GB/s936 GB/s
FP16 (with sparsity)Not published142 TFLOPS
INT8 (with sparsity)Not published568 TOPS

Performance Analysis

FP32 throughput on the RTX 3090 reaches 35.6 TFLOPS while the RTX 3060 reaches 12.7 TFLOPS. The RTX 3090 lists dense FP16 performance at 71 TFLOPS and sparse FP16 performance at 142 TFLOPS. The RTX 3060 lists no FP16 figure. Dense INT8 performance on the RTX 3090 equals 284 TOPS and sparse INT8 performance equals 568 TOPS. Memory bandwidth of 936 GB/s on the RTX 3090 versus 360 GB/s on the RTX 3060 permits larger batch sizes during training and inference workloads. TDP of 350W on the RTX 3090 versus 170W on the RTX 3060 indicates higher sustained power draw for the larger card.

Current On-Demand Offers

Cheapest secure on-demand offer per provider that is reported in stock right now, per GPU per hour; multi-GPU instances show the whole-instance price alongside. Deploy opens the DeployGPU console for providers on the platform, otherwise the provider's own site. Stock is rechecked every minute.

RTX 3060

ProviderRegionGPUsPer GPU / hrInstance / hrDeploy
Vast.aiTexas, US1$0.11—Deploy

1 provider in stock, 1 offer. All RTX 3060 offers, price history and alerts

RTX 3090

ProviderRegionGPUsPer GPU / hrInstance / hrDeploy
Vast.aiFinland, FI8$0.27$2.13Deploy
LeaderGPUThe Netherlands8$0.29$2.29Deploy
RunPodglobal1$0.50—Deploy

3 providers in stock, 14 offers (cheapest per provider shown). All RTX 3090 offers, price history and alerts

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When to Choose the RTX 3060

The RTX 3060 suits environments that require 170W TDP operation and 360 GB/s bandwidth. Workloads that fit within 8 to 12 GB GDDR6 memory benefit from the lower power envelope of the RTX 3060. PCIe interconnect alone meets requirements when NVLink remains unnecessary.

When to Choose the RTX 3090

The RTX 3090 suits workloads that require 24 GB GDDR6X memory and 936 GB/s bandwidth. Dense FP16 performance of 71 TFLOPS on the RTX 3090 supports larger model handling than the RTX 3060 can accommodate. NVLink interconnect on the RTX 3090 enables multi GPU scaling when required.

Use Cases

LLM Training
RTX 3090

The RTX 3090 supplies 24 GB GDDR6X memory and 936 GB/s bandwidth that exceed the 8 to 12 GB and 360 GB/s on the RTX 3060.

LLM Inference
RTX 3090

Dense FP16 performance of 71 TFLOPS on the RTX 3090 supports larger batch processing than the RTX 3060 provides.

Fine-tuning
RTX 3090

The RTX 3090 lists 35.6 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 24 GB memory that accommodate fine tuning workloads beyond the RTX 3060 limits.

Stable Diffusion
Either

Both cards handle the workload yet the RTX 3060 operates at 170W TDP while the RTX 3090 reaches 350W TDP.

Scientific Computing
RTX 3090

The RTX 3090 delivers 35.6 TFLOPS FP32 and 936 GB/s bandwidth that surpass the 12.7 TFLOPS and 360 GB/s on the RTX 3060.

Frequently Asked Questions

What FP32 performance does each GPU list?▾

The RTX 3060 lists 12.7 TFLOPS FP32 performance. The RTX 3090 lists 35.6 TFLOPS FP32 performance.

What memory bandwidth figures appear in the specifications?▾

The RTX 3060 lists 360 GB/s memory bandwidth. The RTX 3090 lists 936 GB/s memory bandwidth.

What are the TDP ratings for these cards?▾

The RTX 3060 carries a 170W TDP rating. The RTX 3090 carries a 350W TDP rating.

Does either GPU include NVLink?▾

The RTX 3090 includes NVLink interconnect. The RTX 3060 includes PCIe 4.0 interconnect only.

What dense FP16 performance does the RTX 3090 list?▾

The RTX 3090 lists dense FP16 performance at 71 TFLOPS. The RTX 3060 lists no FP16 figure.

Which is cheaper to rent, the RTX 3060 or the RTX 3090?▾

Cloud rental prices for both the RTX 3060 and RTX 3090 vary by provider, configuration, and availability. This page shows live pricing from 25+ providers updated every 60 seconds. Scroll to the Live Cloud Pricing section to compare current rates.

How much VRAM does the RTX 3060 have compared to the RTX 3090?▾

The RTX 3060 has 8 to 12 GB of GDDR6 memory. The RTX 3090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory.

Can I find RTX 3060 and RTX 3090 GPUs available to rent right now?▾

Yes. This page shows real-time availability across 25+ cloud GPU providers. The Live Cloud Pricing section displays only in-stock offers with current pricing.

What is the main difference between the RTX 3060 and the RTX 3090?▾

The RTX 3060 uses the Ampere architecture (2021) while the RTX 3090 uses Ampere (2020). The RTX 3060 has 8-12 GB of GDDR6 at 360 GB/s; the RTX 3090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X at 936 GB/s, so the RTX 3090 has 2.6x the memory bandwidth of the RTX 3060.

Rent these GPUs

Each GPU page lists every current on-demand offer by provider, per GPU-hour, updated every minute.

Related comparisons

How this page is made

  • Specifications come from the NVIDIA, AMD and Intel datasheets for the RTX 3060 and the RTX 3090. Dense and sparse throughput are listed separately.
  • Prices and availability are live: every offer shown is an in-stock, on-demand listing from a provider we track, rechecked every minute.
  • The written comparison (overview, performance notes, when to choose each card, verdict, use cases and FAQ) was drafted with an AI model from the specification table above and passed an automated check that rejects any figure not in that table. It was last generated on . It contains no prices; those are always read live.
  • Read how we collect the data, or report an error on this page.

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