Is the Nvidia RTX 3090 still a good graphics card in 2024 for gaming?
As an avid PC gamer and tech enthusiast, I get this question a lot when friends ask me for advice on GPU upgrades and builds. And my answer is an enthustic yes! Don‘t underestimate the mighty 3090 – it can still deliver an incredible 4K gaming experience even with demanding modern titles.
Still a 4K gaming beast
Let‘s get right to performance. In recent benchmarks, the 3090 still averages over 60 fps at 4K max settings in popular games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Assassin‘s Creed Valhalla according to Hardware Unboxed. Sure, the new RTX 4090 beats it by a wide margin, but we‘re talking about a 70% premium in cost. Compared to the 4080, the 3090 offers similar fps for much less cash.
I recently upgraded to a 4K 144Hz monitor, and even this beast of a GPU can‘t quite max it out in Red Dead Redemption 2 – but it gets awfully close! And with DLSS 3 support in more games, buttery smooth 4K gaming is more achievable than ever with the 3090.
| Game | 4K Settings | Avg FPS |
|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | Max | 68 |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | Max + DLSS Balanced | 83 |
| Assassin‘s Creed Valhalla | Max | 75 |
(Benchmarks from Nvidia)
As you can see, the 3090 definitely has the horsepower to deliver a premium 4K gaming experience even in demanding titles. Developing 4K textures for my own Unity game jam projects, I can certainly say the extra VRAM headroom gives me some future-proofing comfort as well.
Still overkill for 1440p
At 1440p, we‘re talking utter overkill territory with the RTX 3090. Average frame rates well exceed 100 fps in virtually any title you throw at it. Do you really need 165+ fps for your fancy high refresh rate monitor? Probably not, but it sure feels nice!
Again, new GPU launches have only been incremental upgrades past the 3090‘s monstrous performance target for QHD gaming. A Steam survey still shows it as the 2nd most popular card amongst enthusiasts. When you can find one used for under $800, that value proposition is just hard to argue with!
Enthusiast appeal
As a longtime PC gamer, I have a sweet spot for these flagship GPUs that were previously relegated to the $1000+ "Titan" branding. The 3090 comes so close to that premium level of performance, but at literally half the cost! Nvidia really disrupted expectations when they labelled this a "90" series card while keeping the full fat GA102 GPU.
For hobbyist game developers like myself, the 3090 also represents that overkill hardware to truly unlock creativity. I can test out ray tracing in my own projects, turn every bell & whistle to max settings in the engines I tinker with. That feeling of having near limitless headroom to play with new technologies is hard to quantify, but it gets my creative juices flowing!
Clearly, I have a soft spot as an enthusiast for the 3090. It still represents one of the best high-end GPU options out there from a value proposition. The chances to pick one up sub-$1k also give it such a unique spot in the PC gaming ecosystem.
The verdict
The RTX 3090 is still an exceptional 4K gaming graphics card in 2024. It has aged gracefully and still outmuscles even Nvidia‘s latest RTX 4080 release in raw performance. If you game predominantly in 1440p or 4K and want to max those frame rates out with every possible setting turned on, a used 3090 is my top recommendation to achieve that buttery smooth dream without breaking the bank!
Let me know your thoughts and questions in the comments – what GPU are you currently gaming with? Do you think the 3090 still has legs in 2024?
