Hardware vs hardware
Pick two cards. Read which one wins on which axes. We score VRAM, memory bandwidth, software ecosystem reach, power, price (2026 retail and used), and operator complexity. No all-green columns — every winner pays for it somewhere.
> Single-table tier view: /compare/hardware-tiers · Engine matrices: /compare/engines
Need to compare two cards we don't have an editorial guide for? Spec comparison tool pulls real catalog data (VRAM, bandwidth, compute, power, runtime support) for any two cards in the database.
Curated comparisons
RTX 4090 vs RTX 5090: VRAM, bandwidth, power, price. Honest 2026 buyer guide for local LLMs. When the 4090 still wins, when the 5090 is worth the premium.
RTX 3090 vs RTX 4090: 24 GB classic vs 24 GB Ada. When the used 3090 still wins on price-per-tok/s. When the 4090 is worth 2x the cost.
Dual RTX 3090 vs RTX 5090: 48 GB combined from two used cards vs 32 GB in one new flagship. The honest tradeoff for local LLMs in 2026.
M4 Max vs RTX 4090: unified memory simplicity vs CUDA ecosystem. When Apple Silicon wins on RAM tiers; when NVIDIA wins on raw speed.
AMD RX 7900 XTX vs NVIDIA RTX 4090: same 24 GB VRAM, half the price. The honest 2026 software-gap caveat for local LLMs.
Two consumer 16 GB cards: budget vs balanced. When the 4060 Ti 16 GB wins on price; when the 4070 Ti Super's bandwidth is worth the higher price.
Used RTX 3090 vs new RTX 5080: used 24 GB vs new 16 GB, the used card typically far cheaper. The honest 2026 buyer call between VRAM and freshness.
Mac Studio M3 Ultra vs dual RTX 3090: 192 GB unified silent box vs 48 GB combined CUDA homelab. The honest 2026 comparison for serious local AI.
RTX 4080 Super vs RX 7900 XTX: NVIDIA 16 GB vs AMD 24 GB, the AMD card typically cheaper. When AMD wins on VRAM-per-dollar; when NVIDIA wins on software.
Apple M4 Max vs RTX 5090: 128 GB unified silent laptop vs 32 GB Blackwell flagship. The honest 2026 buyer call between platforms.
Intel Arc B580 vs RTX 4060: 12 GB vs 8 GB in a similar budget price tier. The honest 2026 budget local AI buyer guide.
Laptop RTX 4090 vs desktop RTX 4080: same 16 GB VRAM, very different silicon. Honest 2026 buyer guide for AI workloads — when the laptop wins, when it doesn't.
RTX 3090 vs RTX 5080: 24 GB used Ampere vs 16 GB new Blackwell. Which wins for local LLMs in 2026 — VRAM or generation? Honest buyer guide, no spec-sheet hype.
RTX 5090 vs H100 PCIe: 32 GB consumer flagship vs 80 GB Hopper datacenter card. When does an H100 make sense, when is the 5090 the smarter buy. Honest 2026 take.
Mac Studio M3 Ultra vs Windows AI PC (RTX 4090 build): which platform for running local LLMs? Unified memory vs CUDA, ecosystem reality, total cost of ownership, real workflow fit.
RTX 5080 vs RTX 5090: 16 GB vs 32 GB GDDR7 Blackwell. When the flagship's price premium pays back for local AI. When the 5080 is the saner buy.
RTX 5070 Ti vs RTX 5080: same 16 GB GDDR7 Blackwell, one price tier apart. When the 5080's bandwidth advantage pays back. When the 5070 Ti is the smarter buy.
Used RTX 3090 vs new/used RTX 4090: same 24 GB VRAM, very different price. When the far cheaper used 3090 wins decisively. When the 4090 is worth the premium.
Two used RTX 3090s vs one RTX 5090: 48 GB combined vs 32 GB single. When tensor-parallel inference wins. When the single-card 5090 simplicity is worth the VRAM downgrade.
Apple M4 Max (64-128 GB unified) vs RTX 5080 (16 GB GDDR7): unified memory laptop vs Windows desktop GPU at similar total cost. When each platform wins for local AI.
Mac Studio M3 Ultra (192-512 GB unified) vs premium AI laptop (RTX 4090 Mobile 16 GB): when desktop unified-memory wins decisively, when portability changes the math.
AI laptop (RTX 4090 Mobile reference) vs desktop RTX 4090: same name, very different silicon. When portability is worth the thermal-throttle penalty. When desktop is the smarter buy.
Used RTX 3090 24 GB vs new RTX 5070 Ti 16 GB, similar price tier: the most-asked 2026 buyer decision. When used VRAM decides. When new + warranty wins.
RX 9070 XT vs RTX 5070 Ti: 16 GB AMD RDNA 4 vs 16 GB NVIDIA Blackwell. ROCm vs CUDA in the same price tier. When AMD's price advantage is real.
Intel Arc B580 12 GB vs RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB for local AI: when Intel's lower price decides, when CUDA's ecosystem wins. Honest entry-tier comparison.
AI mini PC (Minisforum / Beelink with RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB) vs Mac mini (M4 Pro 48-64 GB unified): when each compact platform wins for desk-friendly local AI in 2026.
Self-hosted dual RTX 3090 server vs hourly cloud H100 rental. When ownership pencils out. When cloud rental is the smarter buy. Real TCO math.
RTX 5090 32 GB vs dual RTX 4090 48 GB combined: single-card simplicity vs multi-card VRAM ceiling. Honest 2026 buyer guide — when 32 GB is enough, when 48 GB pays back.
RTX 5070 Ti 16 GB new vs used RTX 3090 24 GB: at a similar price tier, VRAM ceiling decides 95% of buyer decisions. Honest 2026 comparison.
M4 Max (up to 128 GB unified) vs RTX 4090 (24 GB) for coding-specific local AI: portability + long context vs CUDA throughput + day-zero wheels. Honest 2026 comparison.
Best used GPU under $500: used RTX 3060 12 GB vs RX 7800 XT 16 GB. When VRAM + CUDA wins, when $/GB-VRAM + ROCm is the value pick.
Used RTX 3060 12 GB vs new RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB: the entry-tier decision. When the 4 GB VRAM gap + warranty is worth the higher price.
Mac mini M4 Pro 48 GB unified vs RTX 3060 12 GB plus build cost: entry-tier cross-platform. When Mac mini's silence + simplicity is worth the much higher cost.
RTX 4090 24 GB single vs dual RTX 3090 48 GB combined: similar total cost, different VRAM ceiling. When the single 4090 wins on simplicity, when dual 3090 wins on FP16 70B.
RX 7900 XTX 24 GB vs RTX 5080 16 GB: AMD's VRAM ceiling at a lower price tier vs NVIDIA's Blackwell ecosystem. When 24 GB ROCm beats 16 GB CUDA.
RTX 4070 Ti Super 16 GB new vs used RTX 3090 24 GB: similar price tier, different VRAM ceiling. Honest 2026 decision — when warranty wins, when VRAM decides.
How we score
Tiers are qualitative editorial labels (excellent / strong / acceptable / limited / poor), not single-benchmark numbers. Ratings consider VRAM ceiling, memory bandwidth, FP16 compute, software ecosystem reach (which runtimes actually support the silicon at production quality), 2026 retail / used pricing, total system power, cooling burden, and resale risk.
For measured tok/s and VRAM telemetry on these cards, browse the public benchmark corpus or request a benchmark.