RTX 3080 vs RTX 4090 for Blender
Compare RTX 3080 vs RTX 4090 for Blender: benchmarks, VRAM, render-time estimates, power, and upgrade fit. RTX 4090 leads the Blender benchmark score by 142.9%.
Fastest in Blender
RTX 4090 (11,687.5 score)
Most VRAM
RTX 4090 (24 GB)
Lowest power draw
RTX 3080 (320 W TDP)
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Performance | ||
| Blender benchmark score | 4,812.41 -59% | 11,687.5 |
| CUDA cores | 8,704 -47% | 16,384 |
| Boost clock | 1710 MHz -32% | 2.52 GHz |
| RT cores | RT cores: 68 -47% | 128 RT Cores (3rd Gen) |
| Tensor cores | Tensor cores: 272 -47% | 512 Tensor Cores (4th Gen) |
| Memory | ||
| VRAM | 10 GB -58% | 24 GB |
| Memory bandwidth | 760.3 GB/s -25% | 1,010 GB/s |
| Memory type | GDDR6X | GDDR6X |
| Memory bus | 320-bit -17% | 384-bit |
| Memory speed | N/A | 21 Gbps |
| Platform | ||
| Architecture | Ampere | Ada Lovelace |
| Render support | OptiX, CUDA | OptiX, CUDA |
| TDP | 320 W | 450 W +41% |
| Release year | 2020 | 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 4090 is the stronger Blender rendering pick here based on benchmark score.
Blender render speed
RTX 4090 leads by 142.9% in the Renderjuice Blender benchmark model (11,688 vs 4,812). For render-time-first decisions, that is the card to prioritize.
VRAM and scene headroom
RTX 4090 has more scene headroom with 24 GB of VRAM versus 10 GB on RTX 3080. That matters most for large environments, dense geometry, high-resolution textures, and less optimized production files.
Power and cooling
RTX 3080 is the lower-power option at 320 W TDP, compared with 450 W for RTX 4090. If render speed is close, that can make RTX 3080 easier to cool and run quietly.
Upgrade decision
RTX 4090 is both the newer and faster Blender rendering choice here. The main reason to choose RTX 3080 would be price, availability, existing ownership, or a specific workstation requirement.
Quick take on RTX 3080 vs RTX 4090
RTX 4090 leads the Blender benchmark score by 142.9%.
Fastest in Blender: RTX 4090 11,687.5 score.
Most VRAM: RTX 4090 24 GB.
Lowest power draw: RTX 3080 320 W TDP.
RTX 3080 has 10 GB of VRAM, while RTX 4090 has 24 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.