GeForce RTX 5090 vs GeForce RTX 4060

Winner:
GeForce RTX 5090
Main Difference:
GeForce RTX 5090 offers quadruple the memory and massive bandwidth via the Blackwell architecture.
Page Summary:
GeForce RTX 5090 is the clear winner for its massive 32GB GDDR7 memory and Blackwell architecture, which dwarfs the 8GB capacity and legacy Ada Lovelace design of the GeForce RTX 4060.
Last updated:
January 31, 2026

The Essentials

GeForce RTX 5090

MSRP:
$1,999
See Current Price
Spec Sheet:
Core Count:
21760
Thread Count:
Base Clock:
2017 MHz
Boost Clock:
2407 MHz
Integrated Graphics:
VRAM:
32.0 GB
L3 Cache:
32.0 GB
TDP:
575 W
Socket:
512 bit
Bus Width:
512 bit
Release Date:
2025-01-30
Gaming Scores:
(Higher is better)
Resolution
Rasterization
Ray Tracing
1080p
100
100
1440p
100
100
4K
100
100
Gaming and Productivity Scores:
(Higher is better)
Gaming
Productivity

GeForce RTX 4060

MSRP:
$299
See Current Price
Spec Sheet:
Core Count:
3072
Thread Count:
Base Clock:
1830 MHz
Boost Clock:
2460 MHz
Integrated Graphics:
VRAM:
8.0 GB
L3 Cache:
8.0 GB
TDP:
115 W
Socket:
128 bit
Bus Width:
128 bit
Release Date:
2023-05-18
Gaming Scores:
(Higher is better)
Resolution
Rasterization
Ray Tracing
1080p
36.6
30.1
1440p
27.2
21.3
4K
16
14.2
Gaming and Productivity Scores:
(Higher is better)
Gaming
Productivity
Note about scores:
We measure this card's performance against the absolute best GPU currently available. The numbers show the percentage of performance you get compared to the market leader at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions, with the leader at 100. These scores are aggregated from a wide range of different games to create a reliable average. However, keep in mind that performance in specific titles may deviate from this average depending on how that game is optimized.
Note about scores:
We measure this processor's performance against the absolute best CPU currently available. The numbers show the percentage of performance you get compared to the market leader in both gaming and workstation tasks, with the leader at 100. These scores are aggregated from a wide range of different games and applications to create a reliable average. However, keep in mind that performance in specific software may deviate from this average depending on how that program is optimized.

Performance Deep Dive

GeForce RTX 5090
Gaming Analysis:

The GeForce RTX 5090 represents a massive leap in headroom for high-resolution setups. It makes standard high-definition displays feel like an afterthought because it provides a level of power that allows for fluid motion across the most demanding environments. If you are playing on a top-tier display, this card manages to maintain crisp, stable movement while avoiding the jagged edges or hitching that can occur when hardware gets pushed to its limit. It serves as a flagship enthusiast choice that stays smooth even when the onscreen action becomes incredibly crowded and chaotic.

A massive 32GB VRAM buffer paired with a 512-bit bus effectively removes the limitations that lead to blurry textures or sudden stutters. While cards with smaller memory pools might experience hitches when loading expansive open worlds, the GDDR7 memory on this card moves data with enough speed and volume to handle ultra-quality assets without struggle. You can dial up every setting and expect the system to handle the workload without the memory pressure warnings that sometimes affect older high-end hardware.

  • Ray Tracing Performance: With 170 dedicated RT cores, the Blackwell 2.0 architecture handles complex lighting and sharp reflections with ease. It turns heavy path-traced scenes into a responsive experience where shadows and light behave naturally.
  • DLSS Support: This hardware makes use of advanced upscaling and frame generation to ensure that even the most brutal titles remain playable at high resolutions. It provides a significant boost to responsiveness when you want to maximize visual fidelity.
  • Thermal Management: Despite the high power requirements, the physical design is built to manage heat density effectively across the massive cooling array. The card is substantial and heavy, but it stays relatively cool and quiet during extended sessions compared to less efficient designs.
  • Memory Bandwidth: The move to a wider bus and newer memory standards means the card is rarely bottlenecked by data throughput. This ensures that assets load instantly and frames remain consistent even as you move between different environments in a game.

Fitting this card into a build requires a high-quality 1050W power supply and a case with significant internal clearance. It is a physically large component that will occupy a great deal of space and it usually justifies the use of a support bracket to protect your motherboard from its weight. This is a choice for those who want a system built around a single, massive core component that handles any modern title at the highest possible settings. Its launch MSRP of $1,999 reflects its position as a specialized piece of hardware for those who want to avoid any compromise in visual quality.

GeForce RTX 4060
Gaming Analysis:

The GeForce RTX 4060 serves as a reliable entry point for high-fidelity gaming at 1080p, though it begins to struggle when pushed toward higher resolutions. While it handles standard rasterization well at its target resolution, its technical profile is defined by a narrow 128-bit memory bus that can create a data bottleneck in complex scenes. It is a highly efficient card that maintains smooth motion in competitive titles but lacks the raw hardware strength required for stable 4K output, where performance tends to drop off significantly.

The 8GB VRAM buffer acts as a fixed ceiling for visual settings in modern releases. In memory-intensive titles, this capacity creates a strict limit on texture quality. Attempting to use the highest available settings often exceeds this buffer, resulting in sudden stuttering and heavy frame drops as the system struggles to manage assets. To keep gameplay fluid, users generally need to be conservative with the texture slider and opt for modest settings to ensure the experience remains consistent.

Ray tracing on this card is more of a secondary option than a primary feature. While the Ada Lovelace architecture is efficient, the 24 RT cores are not sufficient for heavy path-traced lighting effects. Enabling full reflections or global illumination often transforms a smooth experience into one that feels heavy and unresponsive. Unless you use DLSS Frame Generation to help manage the workload, native ray tracing remains difficult to maintain for players who prioritize a responsive feel in their gameplay.

  • 1080p Performance: Reliable and punchy, maintaining steady frame rates across most libraries without creating much heat.
  • 1440p Viability: Functional primarily when using upscaling; attempting to run at native resolution leads to less stable movement and visual inconsistencies.
  • 4K Reality: Not a viable choice for gaming at this level because the hardware lacks the necessary memory bandwidth to move that many pixels quickly.
  • The DLSS Variable: Frame Generation provides a perceived lift in smoothness, though it does not bypass the physical 8GB VRAM limitations when textures are set too high.
  • Power Profile: This card is remarkably efficient with a 115W draw, making it a strong candidate for small builds where thermal management is difficult.
GeForce RTX 5090
Productivity Analysis:

While the gaming capability of this hardware is undeniable, the true strength of the GeForce RTX 5090 lies in how it functions as a heavy duty tool for professionals and creators. Transitioning from entertainment to a high pressure production environment reveals that the real value of the flagship Blackwell 2.0 architecture is the massive 32GB pool of GDDR7 memory. This enormous buffer acts as a safety net for those working with complex 3D geometry or high resolution video timelines that would cause lesser hardware to struggle or require assets to be moved to slower system RAM. You can load massive texture sets and millions of polygons without the hesitation or technical limitations that typically disrupt a fluid creative process.

The 512-bit memory bus provides a wide path for data that prevents the system from feeling sluggish when scrubbing through high bitrate video or navigating dense architectural visualizations. Choosing this hardware is often a decision based on the reliability of the established CUDA ecosystem because professional deadlines rarely leave room for software compatibility issues. When running local large language models or utilizing tools for generative tasks, the fifth generation Tensor cores handle complex math with a level of speed that makes previous enthusiast hardware feel noticeably dated. It is a workstation grade component that happens to share a lineage with consumer products, making it a viable insurance policy against memory related errors during critical renders.

  • Enhanced Render Throughput: The 170 dedicated RT cores are designed for high speed viewport performance which means you get clean and accurate previews of lighting and shadows in seconds rather than waiting for long processing cycles.
  • Superior Data Bandwidth: With a memory bandwidth of 1790 GB/s, the card moves data with enough volume to ensure that texture heavy projects and 8K video files do not create a bottleneck during ingestion or playback.
  • Multi Engine Encoding: The presence of multiple dedicated hardware encoders allows for the simultaneous processing of high quality video exports and can significantly reduce the time spent waiting for a project to finish.
  • Advanced Compute Performance: The architecture provides massive tflops of processing power across its 21760 shading units which allows for rapid noise reduction and complex physics simulations that usually require server grade equipment.
  • Hardware Requirements: This is a heavy and power hungry component that demands a high quality 1050W power supply and a case with enough airflow to manage the heat generated during a marathon export or bake.

There is an unavoidable physical reality to using a card this powerful because it generates a significant amount of heat that can warm up a small office during intense workloads. Building a system around this GPU requires a commitment to a high quality infrastructure of power delivery and cooling to ensure the hardware remains stable under constant load. It represents a significant investment with an MSRP of $1,999, but for those whose income depends on render times and project stability, the cost is often justified by the hours saved and the frustration avoided. It remains a specialized piece of equipment for those who refuse to compromise on the speed or scale of their professional output.

GeForce RTX 4060
Productivity Analysis:

While the gaming profile of the GeForce RTX 4060 highlights its efficiency, productivity tasks reveal more about how this hardware manages heavier data streams. The 8GB VRAM buffer serves as a definitive limit for creative projects, acting as a ceiling for 3D scene complexity and video timeline resolution. For beginners or hobbyists, this capacity is a functional starting point for learning 3D modeling or basic video editing. However, as projects grow in geometric density or texture size, the hardware will begin to show signs of strain. When memory limits are reached, the system may struggle to keep the interface responsive or fail to complete the task altogether because the physical memory simply cannot hold all the necessary assets at once.

The 128-bit memory bus is a relatively narrow path that restricts how quickly the card can process large textures or high-resolution video files. While the 272 GB/s bandwidth remains sufficient for static image work or standard video edits, users might notice friction when scrubbing through high-bitrate footage. A significant advantage here is the CUDA ecosystem, which provides a level of stability and software support that simplifies the creative workflow. Professional applications often have built-in optimizations for this architecture, helping to ensure that drivers and software communicate without frequent errors. The 24 Ray Tracing cores offer a clear benefit during the design phase, permitting faster lighting previews in the viewport so you can make adjustments without waiting for the CPU to catch up.

Productivity speed is often less about raw power and more about the specialized hardware blocks that handle specific calculations. The inclusion of the 8th Generation NVENC encoder with AV1 support is a major help for those who need to export video or broadcast their work without overloading the primary processor. This dedicated section of the chip manages the math of compression, allowing the 3072 CUDA cores to focus on the visual work in the viewport. The 15.1 TFLOPS of compute performance provides the necessary backing for modern AI tools, making features like neural filters or intelligent masking feel much more fluid and responsive than they would on older hardware generations.

  • VRAM Capacity: The 8GB limit requires careful management of high-resolution textures and serves as a natural boundary between hobbyist projects and professional-grade workloads.
  • CUDA Stability: This card benefits from a mature software ecosystem that prioritizes driver reliability, ensuring that the machine spends more time rendering and less time troubleshooting.
  • AV1 Support: The hardware encoder provides a modern path for video exports and broadcasting, maintaining high visual fidelity while using less data.
  • Neural Acceleration: Fourth-generation Tensor Cores drastically reduce the time needed for AI-assisted tasks, turning complex selections and mask generation into nearly instant actions.
  • Thermal Efficiency: A low 115W power draw allows for high-performance creative work in compact systems where managing heat would otherwise be a constant struggle.
GeForce RTX 5090
Feature Analysis:

A staggering 575W TDP means this card functions much like a high output heater inside your case and it will aggressively saturate the air in any small room during a heavy rendering or gaming session. You are committing to a specific thermal infrastructure that necessitates a high airflow chassis with significant mesh spacing to prevent the heat from lingering around sensitive components. If you attempt to trap this hardware in a restricted glass box without sufficient exhaust, the system will likely struggle to maintain its peak clock speeds as internal temperatures climb. Physical integration is a demanding process that requires you to prioritize heat displacement over almost every other aesthetic consideration to ensure long term stability.

The power delivery requirements represent a significant logistical factor that requires careful planning before you begin the assembly. You should look toward a 1050W power supply to safely handle the electricity demands and ensure the system remains stable under the heavy transient loads common with flagship hardware. Using older cable adapters can lead to unnecessary clutter and potential connection issues, so a native 16-pin cable is the preferred method for supplying the massive amount of current this architecture requires. Modern building with such a power hungry flagship demands a level of electrical scrutiny and cable management that was rarely necessary in previous hardware generations.

  • Memory Headroom: The 32.0 GB GDDR7 buffer serves as the ultimate insurance policy against the memory overflows that cause sudden hitches in high resolution gaming or total crashes in complex 3D production suites.
  • Connection Integrity: Utilizing a single 16-pin power connector simplifies the cable path but requires careful routing to ensure the plug is fully seated and the cable is not bent too sharply near the shroud.
  • Interface Bandwidth: The native PCIe 5.0 x16 interface ensures you are utilizing the maximum data paths available on the newest enthusiast motherboards which can be helpful as textures and assets grow in size.
  • Physical Presence: This is a heavy and substantial component that occupies a significant amount of space, often requiring a dedicated support bracket to prevent the weight from putting stress on the motherboard slot.
  • Thermal Density: The Blackwell 2.0 architecture concentrates a massive amount of power into the silicon, making high static pressure fans a necessity for pushing air through the dense fin stacks of the cooler.

There is a reality to owning this class of hardware that involves managing the environment around the PC as much as the internal components. It is an unapologetic statement of overkill that provides a level of peace of mind for those who simply want to set every slider to the maximum and never worry about technical limitations again. While the $1,999 MSRP positions it as a significant investment, it functions as a workstation grade tool that eliminates the friction often found in high pressure creative or gaming environments. Success with a build of this scale depends entirely on the quality of the supporting parts and your willingness to provide the necessary airflow and power foundation it requires to operate at its full potential.

GeForce RTX 4060
Feature Analysis:

The 115W TDP of the GeForce RTX 4060 provides a massive advantage for builders working with compact cases or limited airflow because it generates very little waste heat during extended sessions. This thermal efficiency means you can focus less on aggressive case cooling and more on a quiet system profile, as the hardware does not demand the massive heatsinks or high fan speeds common in higher tiers. Because it draws so little power, it serves as a straightforward upgrade path for older pre-built machines that may have restrictive internal layouts or modest power delivery systems.

A technical consideration that often goes overlooked is the PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, which can lead to measurable friction when installed in older motherboards limited to PCIe 3.0 speeds. While the Ada Lovelace architecture utilizes a large L2 cache to mitigate some of the pressure on the 128-bit memory bus, this buffer primarily helps at 1080p and begins to lose effectiveness as you push toward higher resolutions. When the cache is saturated by heavy assets, the card must rely on its physical memory bandwidth, which can lead to inconsistent frame delivery and stuttering. This makes the card a specialized choice for high-refresh 1080p setups rather than a general-purpose tool meant for several years of resolution growth.

The physical installation process is simplified by the power requirements, though it does utilize a 12-pin connector that may require careful routing depending on your specific power supply model. Ensuring the cable is seated properly without excessive tension is a standard part of the build process for this generation of hardware. While the silicon itself is efficient and easy to manage, the 8GB VRAM capacity remains a fixed hardware ceiling that defines how you interact with modern software and upcoming visual updates.

  • Power Supply Requirements: While the base specification suggests a 300W unit, pairing this card with a 400W power supply ensures you have enough headroom for transient spikes and peripheral loads without risking system instability.
  • Cable Management: The 12-pin power connector requires a thoughtful approach to cable hygiene to ensure the connection remains secure and the layout looks clean inside the chassis.
  • Platform Compatibility: Users on legacy PCIe 3.0 platforms should be aware that the x8 lane count might restrict data transfer speeds during heavy asset loading in modern titles.
  • VRAM Headroom: The 8.0 GB buffer is a firm boundary for texture settings, meaning users must be ready to make minor visual compromises as software requirements continue to climb.
  • Chassis Flexibility: Because the card produces minimal heat, it is an excellent candidate for small form factor builds where space for ventilation is at a premium.
GeForce RTX 5090
Full Tech Specs:
Feature Specification
Name GeForce RTX 5090
MSRP $1,999
Release Date 2025-01-30
Manufacturer NVIDIA
Memory Size 32 GB
Memory Type GDDR7
Memory Bus 512 bit
Memory Clock 1750 MHz
Memory Bandwidth 1790.0 GB/s
Base Clock 2017 MHz
Boost Clock 2407 MHz
Shading Units 21760
Ray Tracing Cores 170
TMUs 680
ROPs 176
Pixel Rate 423.6 GPixel/s
Texture Rate 1636.8 GTexel/s
Compute Power (FP16) 104.8 TFLOPS
Compute Power (FP32) 104.8 TFLOPS
Compute Power (FP64) 1.6 TFLOPS
Architecture Blackwell 2.0
Process Size 5 nm
Interface PCIe 5.0 x16
Power Connectors 1x 16-pin
TDP 575 W
Suggested PSU 1050 W
GeForce RTX 4060
Full Tech Specs:
Feature Specification
Name GeForce RTX 4060
MSRP $299
Release Date 2023-05-18
Chipset Manufacturer NVIDIA
Memory Size 8 GB
Memory Type GDDR6
Memory Bus 128 bit
Memory Clock 2125 MHz
Memory Bandwidth 272.0 GB/s
Base Clock 1830 MHz
Boost Clock 2460 MHz
Shading Units 3072
Ray Tracing Cores 24
TMUs 96
ROPs 48
Pixel Rate 118.1 GPixel/s
Texture Rate 236.2 GTexel/s
Compute Power (FP16) 15.1 TFLOPS
Compute Power (FP32) 15.1 TFLOPS
Compute Power (FP64) 236.2 GFLOPS
Architecture Ada Lovelace
Process Size 5 nm
Interface PCIe 4.0 x8
Power Connectors 1x 12-pin
TDP 115 W
Suggested PSU 400 W

Final Verdict

The GeForce RTX 5090 represents a massive technological shift that makes the GeForce RTX 4060 look like a basic entry-level component by comparison. While the GeForce RTX 4060 relies on the older Ada Lovelace architecture with a slim 128-bit memory bus, the GeForce RTX 5090 introduces the Blackwell architecture coupled with a 512-bit bus. This change results in a staggering gap in memory bandwidth that impacts how quickly high-resolution textures and complex geometry can move through the system. The GeForce RTX 5090 features 32GB of GDDR7 memory, a configuration that effectively eliminates the VRAM bottlenecks that plague the 8GB buffer of the smaller card. This extra capacity is not just for show; it allows for high-fidelity ray tracing and massive AI models to reside entirely on the hardware without relying on slower system RAM. Using the GeForce RTX 5090 means moving away from the compromises of the GeForce RTX 4060, such as lower texture settings or reduced visual effects.

For professional workloads like 3D rendering or heavy video editing, the difference is even more vast. The GeForce RTX 5090 utilizes its massive shading unit count and high TFLOPS rating to process workloads in a fraction of the time. The GeForce RTX 4060 remains a capable choice for basic tasks, but its $299 MSRP reflects its position as a modest tool for standard setups. Conversely, the $1999 MSRP of the GeForce RTX 5090 targets enthusiasts who demand the highest possible fidelity without limitations. The power requirements reflect this power gap as the flagship card necessitates a robust power supply and a high-pin-count connector to feed its performance needs. It is a comparison between a specialized performance monster and a standard budget part.

  • Buy GeForce RTX 5090 if you need a massive 32GB buffer for professional rendering, or you want to play games with maximum ray tracing settings at the highest possible fidelity.
  • Buy GeForce RTX 4060 if you are building a budget-friendly rig for standard gaming and prefer a card with very low power consumption and a lower launch MSRP.

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