RTX 3090 vs RTX 5080 for Blender
Compare RTX 3090 vs RTX 5080 for Blender: benchmarks, VRAM, render-time estimates, power, and upgrade fit. RTX 5080 leads the Blender benchmark score by 56.7%.
Fastest in Blender
RTX 5080 (9,126.2 score)
Most VRAM
RTX 3090 (24 GB)
Lowest power draw
RTX 3090 (350 W TDP)
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Performance | ||
| Blender benchmark score | 5,825.23 -36% | 9,126.2 |
| CUDA cores | 10,496 -2% | 10,752 |
| Boost clock | 1.70 GHz -35% | 2617 MHz |
| RT cores | 82 RT Cores (2nd Gen) -2% | RT cores: 84 |
| Tensor cores | 328 Tensor Cores (3rd Gen) -2% | Tensor cores: 336 |
| Memory | ||
| VRAM | 24 GB | 16 GB -33% |
| Memory bandwidth | 936.2 GB/s -2% | 960 GB/s |
| Memory type | GDDR6X | GDDR7 |
| Memory bus | 384-bit | 256-bit -33% |
| Memory speed | 19.5 Gbps | N/A |
| Platform | ||
| Architecture | Ampere | Blackwell 2.0 |
| Render support | OptiX, CUDA | OptiX, CUDA |
| TDP | 350 W | 360 W +3% |
| Release year | 2020 | 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 5080 is faster for Blender rendering, but RTX 3090 has more VRAM. That makes this a speed-versus-scene-headroom decision.
Blender render speed
RTX 5080 leads by 56.7% in the Renderjuice Blender benchmark model (9,126 vs 5,825). For render-time-first decisions, that is the card to prioritize.
VRAM and scene headroom
RTX 3090 has more scene headroom with 24 GB of VRAM versus 16 GB on RTX 5080. That matters most for large environments, dense geometry, high-resolution textures, and less optimized production files.
Power and cooling
RTX 3090 is the lower-power option at 350 W TDP, compared with 360 W for RTX 5080. If render speed is close, that can make RTX 3090 easier to cool and run quietly.
Upgrade decision
RTX 5080 is both the newer and faster Blender rendering choice here. The main reason to choose RTX 3090 would be price, availability, existing ownership, or a specific workstation requirement.
Quick take on RTX 3090 vs RTX 5080
RTX 5080 leads the Blender benchmark score by 56.7%.
Fastest in Blender: RTX 5080 9,126.2 score.
Most VRAM: RTX 3090 24 GB.
Lowest power draw: RTX 3090 350 W TDP.
RTX 3090 has 24 GB of VRAM, while RTX 5080 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.