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 XT |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 450 W | 330 W |
| CUDA / Stream cores | 16384 | 8192 |
| Boost clock | 2520 MHz | 3100 MHz |
| 3DMark Time Spy | 28000 | 28500 |
| DLSS | true | false |
Between the GeForce RTX 4090 and Radeon RX 9080 XT, the GeForce RTX 4090 comes out ahead in cuda / stream cores / dlss, while the Radeon RX 9080 XT wins on tdp / boost clock. Overall, the GeForce RTX 4090 scores 78 and the Radeon RX 9080 XT scores 79 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (78 vs 79). The decision is not about overall quality — both clear the bar — it is about which specific trade-offs fit your use.
Pick the GeForce RTX 4090 if you care most about cuda / stream cores / dlss. The biggest gaps in its favor are cuda / stream cores, dlss. The single most decisive one: CUDA / Stream cores — 100.00% more. 16384 vs 8192.
Pick the Radeon RX 9080 XT if you push the hardware — gaming, on-device AI, heavy multitasking — and the extra compute headroom is worth the trade-offs. Its strongest claims are tdp, boost clock, 3dmark time spy. The single most decisive one: TDP — 120.00 W less. 330 vs 450.
Both ship with comparable vram, memory bus, ray tracing cores, so those specs do not separate the two — focus on the differences below.
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 XT?
AMD - Radeon RX 9080 XT leads the current Mars Score by 1.0 points.The more useful decision is the trade-off behind that result: compare 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, has dlss.
Choose AMD - Radeon RX 9080 XT if…
AMD - Radeon RX 9080 XT has the measurable edge on tdp w, boost clock mhz, timespy score.
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 — 100.00% more. 16384 vs 8192.
- ▲Has DLSS.
Why AMD - Radeon RX 9080 XT wins
- ▲TDP — 120.00 W less. 330 vs 450.
- ▲Boost clock — 23.02% more. 3100 MHz vs 2520 MHz.
- ▲3DMark Time Spy — 1.79% more. 28500 vs 28000.
Spec comparison
Core
| Spec | NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 4090 | AMD - Radeon RX 9080 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | AD102 | Navi 48 |
| Base clockⓘ | 2235 MHzlead | 2100 MHz |
| Boost clockⓘ | 2520 MHz | 3100 MHzlead |
| CUDA / Stream coresⓘ | 16384lead | 8192 |
| Ray tracing coresⓘ | 128 | 128 |
Memory
| Spec | NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 4090 | AMD - Radeon RX 9080 XT |
|---|---|---|
| VRAMⓘ | 24 GB | 24 GB |
| VRAM typeⓘ | GDDR6X | GDDR7lead |
| Memory busⓘ | 384 bit | 384 bit |
Power & Form
| Spec | NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 4090 | AMD - Radeon RX 9080 XT |
|---|---|---|
| TDPⓘ | 450 W | 330 Wlead |
| Recommended PSUⓘ | 850 W | 850 W |
| Length | 304 mmlead | 320 mm |
| Slot size | 3-slot | 3-slot |
Benchmarks
| Spec | NVIDIA - GeForce RTX 4090 | AMD - Radeon RX 9080 XT |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spyⓘ | 28000 | 28500lead |
| DLSSⓘ | truelead | false |
| FSRⓘ | false | truelead |
Frequently asked
Which has more VRAM, GeForce RTX 4090 or Radeon RX 9080 XT?+
Radeon RX 9080 XT ships with 24GB GDDR7 vs 24GB.
Which scores higher in 3DMark Time Spy, GeForce RTX 4090 or Radeon RX 9080 XT?+
Radeon RX 9080 XT scores 28500 vs 28000.
Which draws less power, GeForce RTX 4090 or Radeon RX 9080 XT?+
Radeon RX 9080 XT draws 330W TDP vs 450W.