RTX 3090 vs RTX 4090 for local LLMs
| RTX 3090 | RTX 4090 | |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM | 24 GB | 24 GB |
| Memory bandwidth | 936 GB/s | 1008 GB/s |
| Lowest new price DE | mostly used now | ≈€3,955 |
Measured decode speed, 2026 models (tok/s)
| Model | RTX 3090 | RTX 4090 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gemma 4 12B | – | 98.1 | |
| Gemma 4 26B-A4B | – | 164 | |
| Gemma 4 31B | – | 43.8 | |
| LFM2.5 24B-A2B | – | 261-339 | |
| Nemotron 3.5 Bolt 74B-A9B | – | 108 | |
| Qwen3.5 9B | – | 137 | |
| Qwen3.6 27B | 40.2 | 47.0 | +17% |
| Qwen3.6 35B-A3B | 146-153 | – | |
| Qwen3.8 27B | 38.2-71.6 | – | |
| gpt-oss 20B | – | 203 |
Sources: RTX 3090 results, RTX 4090 results (community llama-bench via llamabench.ai; quants per result may differ, so treat differences as indicative). Specs per llamabench.ai; prices billiger.de 2026-10-16.
Not sure which you need? Check fit in the VRAM calculator or read best GPU for local LLMs in 2026.
Not enough VRAM? Rent before you buy. Run the same model on a RTX 4090 on a rented 24–96 GB cloud GPU by the hour and see the real speed before spending €1,000+. Try it on Runpod
Referral link: if you sign up with Google and add $10, Runpod gives you and RigBase bonus credit (terms). It never affects our data.
Referral link: if you sign up with Google and add $10, Runpod gives you and RigBase bonus credit (terms). It never affects our data.