RTX 3060 vs RTX 4080 for Blender
Compare RTX 3060 vs RTX 4080 for Blender: benchmarks, VRAM, render-time estimates, power, and upgrade fit. RTX 4080 leads the Blender benchmark score by 279.4%.
Fastest in Blender
RTX 4080 (8,733.36 score)
Most VRAM
RTX 4080 (16 GB)
Lowest power draw
RTX 3060 (170 W TDP)
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Performance | ||
| Blender benchmark score | 2,302.01 -74% | 8,733.36 |
| CUDA cores | 3,584 -63% | 9,728 |
| Boost clock | 1.78 GHz -29% | 2.51 GHz |
| RT cores | 28 RT Cores (2nd Gen) -75% | 113 RT Cores (3rd Gen) |
| Tensor cores | 112 Tensor Cores (3rd Gen) -63% | 304 Tensor Cores (4th Gen) |
| Memory | ||
| VRAM | 12 GB -25% | 16 GB |
| Memory bandwidth | 360 GB/s -50% | 716.8 GB/s |
| Memory type | GDDR6 | GDDR6X |
| Memory bus | 192-bit -25% | 256-bit |
| Memory speed | 15 Gbps -33% | 22.4 Gbps |
| Platform | ||
| Architecture | Ampere | Ada Lovelace |
| Render support | OptiX, CUDA | OptiX, CUDA |
| TDP | 170 W | 320 W +88% |
| Release year | 2021 | 2022 |
Benchmark comparison
Estimated seconds to render one frame of each standard Blender benchmark scene. Lower is faster.
These timings are derived from Blender Open Data benchmark medians and should be treated as comparative estimates, not guaranteed real-project render times.
Which GPU makes more sense?
RTX 4080 is the stronger Blender rendering pick here based on benchmark score.
Blender render speed
RTX 4080 leads by 279.4% in the Renderjuice Blender benchmark model (8,733 vs 2,302). For render-time-first decisions, that is the card to prioritize.
VRAM and scene headroom
RTX 4080 has more scene headroom with 16 GB of VRAM versus 12 GB on RTX 3060. That matters most for large environments, dense geometry, high-resolution textures, and less optimized production files.
Power and cooling
RTX 3060 is the lower-power option at 170 W TDP, compared with 320 W for RTX 4080. If render speed is close, that can make RTX 3060 easier to cool and run quietly.
Upgrade decision
RTX 4080 is both the newer and faster Blender rendering choice here. The main reason to choose RTX 3060 would be price, availability, existing ownership, or a specific workstation requirement.
Quick take on RTX 3060 vs RTX 4080
RTX 4080 leads the Blender benchmark score by 279.4%.
Fastest in Blender: RTX 4080 8,733.36 score.
Most VRAM: RTX 4080 16 GB.
Lowest power draw: RTX 3060 170 W TDP.
RTX 3060 has 12 GB of VRAM, while RTX 4080 has 16 GB, which matters when scenes, textures, or geometry get heavier.
If you are deciding between these cards for Blender, focus first on Blender benchmark score, VRAM capacity, memory bandwidth, and whether your scenes are likely to benefit more from raw speed or extra memory headroom. The comparison table above keeps those tradeoffs in one place.