RTX 3060 vs RTX 5090 for Blender
Compare RTX 3060 vs RTX 5090 for Blender: benchmarks, VRAM, render-time estimates, power, and upgrade fit. RTX 5090 leads the Blender benchmark score by 552.3%.
Fastest in Blender
RTX 5090 (15,016.75 score)
Most VRAM
RTX 5090 (32 GB)
Lowest power draw
RTX 3060 (170 W TDP)
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Performance | ||
| Blender benchmark score | 2,302.01 -85% | 15,016.75 |
| CUDA cores | 3,584 -84% | 21,760 |
| Boost clock | 1.78 GHz -26% | 2407 MHz |
| RT cores | 28 RT Cores (2nd Gen) -84% | RT cores: 170 |
| Tensor cores | 112 Tensor Cores (3rd Gen) -84% | Tensor cores: 680 |
| Memory | ||
| VRAM | 12 GB -62% | 32 GB |
| Memory bandwidth | 360 GB/s -80% | 1,790 GB/s |
| Memory type | GDDR6 | GDDR7 |
| Memory bus | 192-bit -62% | 512-bit |
| Memory speed | 15 Gbps | N/A |
| Platform | ||
| Architecture | Ampere | Blackwell 2.0 |
| Render support | OptiX, CUDA | OptiX, CUDA |
| TDP | 170 W | 575 W +238% |
| Release year | 2021 | 2025 |
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 5090 is the stronger Blender rendering pick here based on benchmark score.
Blender render speed
RTX 5090 leads by 552.3% in the Renderjuice Blender benchmark model (15,017 vs 2,302). For render-time-first decisions, that is the card to prioritize.
VRAM and scene headroom
RTX 5090 has more scene headroom with 32 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 575 W for RTX 5090. If render speed is close, that can make RTX 3060 easier to cool and run quietly.
Upgrade decision
RTX 5090 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 5090
RTX 5090 leads the Blender benchmark score by 552.3%.
Fastest in Blender: RTX 5090 15,016.75 score.
Most VRAM: RTX 5090 32 GB.
Lowest power draw: RTX 3060 170 W TDP.
RTX 3060 has 12 GB of VRAM, while RTX 5090 has 32 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.