NVIDIA RTX 4090 vs NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti 16GB
Side-by-side local AI comparison: VRAM, memory bandwidth, model compatibility, and estimated tokens per second across 97 open-weight models.
Quick verdict
NVIDIA RTX 4090 wins for local AI inference. It has 8 GB more VRAM and 250.0% more memory bandwidth, runs 52 models natively (vs 45), and exclusively fits 7 models the other cannot.
Specs comparison
| Spec | NVIDIA RTX 4090 | NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti 16GB |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM | 24 GB | 16 GB |
| Memory type | GDDR6X | GDDR6 |
| Bandwidth | 1008 GB/s(+250%) | 288 GB/s |
| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | Ada Lovelace |
| Backend | CUDA | CUDA |
| Tier | Consumer | Consumer |
| Released | 2022 | 2023 |
| Models (native) | 52 | 45 |
Estimated tokens per second
Computed from memory bandwidth and model active-parameter weight. Assumes model fits natively in VRAM.
| Model | NVIDIA RTX 4090 | NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti 16GB | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Llama 3.3 70B Instruct(70B) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Qwen 3.6 27B(27B) | 33.2 t/s(Q5_K_M) | 13.8 t/s(Q3_K_M) | +141% |
| Llama 3.1 8B Instruct(8B) | 38.4 t/s(BF16) | 19.5 t/s(Q8_0) | +97% |
| Qwen 2.5 7B Instruct(7.6B) | 41.8 t/s(BF16) | 21.9 t/s(Q8_0) | +91% |
Delta is NVIDIA RTX 4090 relative to NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti 16GB.
Only NVIDIA RTX 4090 can run(7)
Only NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti 16GB can run(0)
No exclusive models: NVIDIA RTX 4090 can run everything NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti 16GB can.
Both run natively(45)
These models fit in VRAM on both GPUs. Bandwidth determines which runs them faster.
- Qwen 3.5 35B-A3B (MoE)131.6 t/svs47.1 t/s
- Ornith 1.5 35B-A3B (MoE)131.6 t/svs47.1 t/s
- Nemotron 3 Nano 30B100.4 t/svs44.1 t/s
- Gemma 4 31B32.4 t/svs14.2 t/s
- Qwen3 30B-A3B (MoE)95 t/svs40.6 t/s
- Nemotron 3.5 Lightning 30B-A3B106.7 t/svs48.5 t/s
- Muse Glimmer 30B32.8 t/svs13.8 t/s
- Gemma 2 27B Instruct33.3 t/svs13.9 t/s
- Gemma 3 27B Instruct36.4 t/svs15.8 t/s
- Qwen 3.6 27B33.2 t/svs13.8 t/s
- UI-Mate 27B33.2 t/svs13.8 t/s
- Bonsai 27B74.4 t/svs21.2 t/s
- Qwen 3.8 27B33.2 t/svs13.8 t/s
- Gemma 4 26B (MoE)69.7 t/svs28.9 t/s
- Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct35.6 t/svs14.5 t/s
- Mistral Small 22B32.6 t/svs14.9 t/s
- +29 more on both
Which should you choose?
Choose NVIDIA RTX 4090 if:
- • You need to run larger models (>16 GB VRAM)
- • Faster token generation is the priority
Choose NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti 16GB if:
- • You want the newer architecture and longer driver support lifecycle
Frequently asked questions
- Which is better for local AI, the NVIDIA RTX 4090 or NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti 16GB?
- For local AI inference, the NVIDIA RTX 4090 has the edge. It offers 24 GB VRAM (vs 16 GB) and 1008 GB/s bandwidth (vs 288 GB/s), letting it run 52 models natively in VRAM vs 45 for its rival.
- How much VRAM does the NVIDIA RTX 4090 have vs the NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti 16GB?
- The NVIDIA RTX 4090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X at 1008 GB/s. The NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti 16GB has 16 GB of GDDR6 at 288 GB/s. The NVIDIA RTX 4090 has 8 GB more VRAM, allowing it to run 7 models the NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti 16GB cannot fit natively.
- Can the NVIDIA RTX 4090 run Llama 3.3 70B?
- The NVIDIA RTX 4090 can run Llama 3.3 70B with CPU offload at Q3_K_M, but at reduced speed.
- Can the NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti 16GB run Llama 3.3 70B?
- The NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti 16GB can run Llama 3.3 70B with CPU offload at Q3_K_M, but at reduced speed.
- What is the difference between the NVIDIA RTX 4090 and NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti 16GB for AI?
- The key difference for AI inference is VRAM and memory bandwidth. The NVIDIA RTX 4090 has 24 GB VRAM at 1008 GB/s (CUDA backend). The NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti 16GB has 16 GB VRAM at 288 GB/s (CUDA backend). VRAM determines which models fit; bandwidth determines tokens per second. The NVIDIA RTX 4090 runs 52 models natively vs 45 for the NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti 16GB.