Where they actually differ
The most decisive specs, ranked by how much they matter — before the full spec table.
| Spec | NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 4090 | AMD - Radeon RX 9080 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 450 W | 290 W |
| CUDA / Stream cores | 16384 | 7168 |
| VRAM | 24 GB | 20 GB |
| Memory bus | 384 bit | 320 bit |
| Boost clock | 2520 MHz | 2950 MHz |
| Ray tracing cores | 128 | 112 |
Between the GeForce RTX 4090 and Radeon RX 9080, the GeForce RTX 4090 comes out ahead in cuda / stream cores / vram, while the Radeon RX 9080 wins on tdp / boost clock. Overall, the GeForce RTX 4090 scores 78 and the Radeon RX 9080 scores 74.9 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The GeForce RTX 4090 edges ahead on the Mars Score (78 vs 74.9), but the 3.1-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the GeForce RTX 4090 if you push the hardware — gaming, on-device AI, heavy multitasking — and the extra compute headroom is worth the trade-offs. The biggest gaps in its favor are cuda / stream cores, vram, memory bus, among others. The single most decisive one: CUDA / Stream cores — 128.57% more. 16384 vs 7168.
Pick the Radeon RX 9080 if you care most about tdp / boost clock. Its strongest claims are tdp, boost clock. The single most decisive one: TDP — 160.00 W less. 290 vs 450.
There are no meaningful ties on the headline specs — every popular-comparison metric has a winner.
Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity says both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Which should you buy: NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 4090 or AMD - Radeon RX 9080?
NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 4090 leads the current Mars Score by 3.1 points.The more useful decision is the trade-off behind that result: compare vram, cuda / stream cores, boost clock, tdp against the way you will actually use the product.
Choose NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 4090 if…
NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 4090 has the measurable edge on cuda cores, vram gb, memory bus bit.
Choose AMD - Radeon RX 9080 if…
AMD - Radeon RX 9080 has the measurable edge on tdp w, boost clock mhz.
This is a structured comparison of the published catalog values. It is not a claim of identical real-world performance across every workload; use the linked spec drill-downs and methodology page to inspect the inputs.
Why NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 4090 wins
- ▲CUDA / Stream cores — 128.57% more. 16384 vs 7168.
- ▲VRAM — 20.00% more. 24 GB vs 20 GB.
- ▲Memory bus — 20.00% more. 384 bit vs 320 bit.
- ▲Ray tracing cores — 14.29% more. 128 vs 112.
- ▲3DMark Time Spy — 9.80% more. 28000 vs 25500.
- ▲Has DLSS.
Why AMD - Radeon RX 9080 wins
- ▲TDP — 160.00 W less. 290 vs 450.
- ▲Boost clock — 17.06% more. 2950 MHz vs 2520 MHz.
Spec comparison
Core
| Spec | NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 4090 | AMD - Radeon RX 9080 |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | AD102 | Navi 48 |
| Base clockⓘ | 2235 MHzlead | 2000 MHz |
| Boost clockⓘ | 2520 MHz | 2950 MHzlead |
| CUDA / Stream coresⓘ | 16384lead | 7168 |
| Ray tracing coresⓘ | 128lead | 112 |
Memory
| Spec | NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 4090 | AMD - Radeon RX 9080 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAMⓘ | 24 GBlead | 20 GB |
| VRAM typeⓘ | GDDR6X | GDDR7lead |
| Memory busⓘ | 384 bitlead | 320 bit |
Power & Form
| Spec | NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 4090 | AMD - Radeon RX 9080 |
|---|---|---|
| TDPⓘ | 450 W | 290 Wlead |
| Recommended PSUⓘ | 850 W | 800 Wlead |
| Length | 304 mmlead | 310 mm |
| Slot size | 3-slot | 3-slot |
Benchmarks
| Spec | NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 4090 | AMD - Radeon RX 9080 |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spyⓘ | 28000lead | 25500 |
| DLSSⓘ | truelead | false |
| FSRⓘ | false | truelead |
Frequently asked
Which has more VRAM, GeForce RTX 4090 or Radeon RX 9080?+
GeForce RTX 4090 ships with 24GB GDDR6X vs 20GB.
Which scores higher in 3DMark Time Spy, GeForce RTX 4090 or Radeon RX 9080?+
GeForce RTX 4090 scores 28000 vs 25500.
Which draws less power, GeForce RTX 4090 or Radeon RX 9080?+
Radeon RX 9080 draws 290W TDP vs 450W.