Head to head · October 2026
RTX 3090 vs RTX 5070 Ti: which is better for local AI?
24GB against 16GB, 936 against 896 GB/s. What each runs, how fast, and which one to buy.
The verdict
The RTX 3090 has 8GB more memory (24GB vs 16GB), so it runs larger models, such as Qwen3.6 35B-A3B, without offloading. Generation speed is within about 10% between the two. The RTX 3090 costs about $150 less ($1,050 used vs $1,200).
- Get the RTX 3090 if you want to run bigger models or use longer context or you want the most for your money.
- Get the RTX 5070 Ti if you want a new card with a warranty.
We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. It never changes what we recommend. How we make money
Performance
Model by model
Estimated single-user generation speed for popular models, at the best quantization each card can hold with 8K context.
| Model | RTX 3090 | RTX 5070 Ti |
|---|---|---|
| Llama 3.1 8B Instruct | ~73 tok/sQ8_0 | ~77 tok/sQ8_0 |
| Qwen3 14B | ~41 tok/sQ8_0 | ~63 tok/sQ5_K_M |
| gpt-oss-20b | ~120 tok/sMXFP4 | ~125 tok/sMXFP4 Fits, tight |
| Qwen3 30B-A3B (2507) | ~135 tok/sQ4_K_M | ~55 tok/sQ4_K_M Partial offload |
| Gemma 3 27B | ~39 tok/sQ4_K_M | ~51 tok/sQ3_K_M Fits, tight |
| Qwen3 32B | ~41 tok/sQ3_K_M | ~5.3 tok/sQ4_K_M Partial offload |
| Llama 3.3 70B Instruct | ~1.8 tok/sQ4_K_M Partial offload | ~1.4 tok/sQ4_K_M Partial offload |
| gpt-oss-120b | ~21 tok/sMXFP4 Partial offload | Won't fit |
Estimates from our bandwidth model; see methodology. Measured results, where we have them, are on each GPU's page.
Capacity
Models only one of them can run
Only on the RTX 5070 Ti
Nothing extra: everything that runs on this card also runs on the other one.
Best models for the RTX 5070 TiSpecifications
Spec by spec
| Spec | RTX 3090 | RTX 5070 Ti |
|---|---|---|
| Memory | 24GB GDDR6X● | 16GB GDDR7 |
| Bandwidth | 936 GB/s● | 896 GB/s |
| Power | 350W | 300W● |
| Price | ~$1,050 used● | ~$1,200 |
| Price per GB | $44● | $75 |
| Architecture | Ampere | Blackwell |
| Released | 2020 | 2025 |
| Software | CUDA, Vulkan | CUDA, Vulkan |
Our take
Bottom line on each
The default value pick for 24GB of CUDA memory and the backbone of most multi-GPU builds.
The best value in the RTX 50 lineup for 16GB of fast CUDA memory.
Frequently asked questions
Is the RTX 3090 or RTX 5070 Ti better for running LLMs?
The RTX 3090 has 8GB more memory (24GB vs 16GB), so it runs larger models, such as Qwen3.6 35B-A3B, without offloading. Generation speed is within about 10% between the two. The RTX 3090 costs about $150 less ($1,050 used vs $1,200).
Can the RTX 3090 and RTX 5070 Ti run the same models?
No. The RTX 3090 fits models the RTX 5070 Ti can only run with CPU offload, including Qwen3.6 35B-A3B and Gemma 4 31B.
Keep comparing