AMD vs NVIDIA GPUs for local AI in 2026
NVIDIA, on hardware. The Radeon card costs less per tok/s in 1 of 3 priced matchups. On Mistral-Small-3.2-24B-Instruct-2506 the best AMD value is the Radeon RX 9070 at $17 per tok/s estimate, against $22 for the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti; NVIDIA's CUDA has wider software support.
Radeon and GeForce cards paired at the same memory size and a similar price, compared on bandwidth, dated price and estimated speed, plus what the numbers leave out.
On hardware per dollar, NVIDIA wins more often: in 1 of the 3 pairs below with prices on both sides, the Radeon card costs less per estimated token per second. On software, NVIDIA is the safer default: more local-AI tools support CUDA than ROCm, while llama.cpp-based tools run on both (see below).
Radeon RX 9070 XT vs GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (16 GB vs 16 GB): the Radeon is $310 cheaper; the GeForce has 40% more bandwidth. On Mistral-Small-3.2-24B-Instruct-2506, Radeon vs GeForce: ~34 vs ~52 tok/s estimate, $24 vs $22 per tok/s.
Radeon RX 9070 vs GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB (16 GB vs 16 GB): the Radeon is $210 cheaper; the GeForce has 30% less bandwidth. On Mistral-Small-3.2-24B-Instruct-2506, Radeon vs GeForce: ~34 vs ~27 tok/s estimate, $17 vs $29 per tok/s.
Radeon RX 7900 XTX vs GeForce RTX 3090 (24 GB vs 24 GB): the Radeon is $149 cheaper; the GeForce has 3% less bandwidth. On K2-Horizon-MoVA-36B-A4B, Radeon vs GeForce: ~178 vs ~217 tok/s estimate, $7.58 vs $6.91 per tok/s.
Radeon AI PRO R9700 vs GeForce RTX 5090 (32 GB vs 32 GB): Radeon AI PRO R9700 has no dated price; the GeForce has 180% more bandwidth. On Recursive Flint 40B-A2.5B, Radeon vs GeForce: ~175 vs ~366 tok/s estimate.
Last updated Oct 16, 2026. Speeds are bandwidth-based estimates, not benchmarks. Prices are dated snapshots and move daily; "No price yet" means we have no verified price.
The pairs, side by side
| Card | VRAM | Bandwidth | Low price | Speed estimate | $ per tok/s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 GB: yardstick Mistral-Small-3.2-24B-Instruct-2506 (14.33 GB) | |||||
| AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT | 16 GB | 640 GB/s | low $810 | ~34 tok/s | $24 |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti | 16 GB | 896 GB/s | low $1,120 | ~52 tok/s | $22 |
| 16 GB: yardstick Mistral-Small-3.2-24B-Instruct-2506 (14.33 GB) | |||||
| AMD Radeon RX 9070 | 16 GB | 640 GB/s | low $570 | ~34 tok/s | $17 |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB | 16 GB | 448 GB/s | low $780 | ~27 tok/s | $29 |
| 24 GB: yardstick K2-Horizon-MoVA-36B-A4B (22.37 GB) | |||||
| AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX | 24 GB | 960 GB/s | low $1,350 | ~178 tok/s | $7.58 |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 | 24 GB | 936 GB/s | low $1,499 | ~217 tok/s | $6.91 |
| 32 GB: yardstick Recursive Flint 40B-A2.5B (25.99 GB) | |||||
| AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 | 32 GB | 640 GB/s | No price yet | ~175 tok/s | No price yet |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 | 32 GB | 1792 GB/s | low $6,500 | ~366 tok/s | $18 |
Each pair is measured on the largest current model that fits both cards. Pairs are matched by memory size first, then price class.
Every priced 16 GB+ AMD and NVIDIA card, by value
| Card | Vendor | VRAM | Bandwidth | Low price | Mistral-Small-3.2-24B-Instruct-2506 estimate | $ per tok/s | Largest current model that fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radeon RX 9070 | AMD | 16 GB | 640 GB/s | low $570 | ~34 tok/s | $17 | Mistral-Small-3.2-24B-Instruct-2506 |
| Radeon RX 7800 XT | AMD | 16 GB | 624 GB/s | low $599 | ~34 tok/s | $18 | Mistral-Small-3.2-24B-Instruct-2506 |
| GeForce RTX 5070 Ti | NVIDIA | 16 GB | 896 GB/s | low $1,120 | ~52 tok/s | $22 | Mistral-Small-3.2-24B-Instruct-2506 |
| Radeon RX 9070 XT | AMD | 16 GB | 640 GB/s | low $810 | ~34 tok/s | $24 | Mistral-Small-3.2-24B-Instruct-2506 |
| Radeon RX 7900 XTX | AMD | 24 GB | 960 GB/s | low $1,350 | ~52 tok/s | $26 | K2-Horizon-MoVA-36B-A4B |
| GeForce RTX 3090 | NVIDIA | 24 GB | 936 GB/s | low $1,499 | ~54 tok/s | $28 | K2-Horizon-MoVA-36B-A4B |
| GeForce RTX 5080 | NVIDIA | 16 GB | 960 GB/s | low $1,600 | ~55 tok/s | $29 | Mistral-Small-3.2-24B-Instruct-2506 |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB | NVIDIA | 16 GB | 448 GB/s | low $780 | ~27 tok/s | $29 | Mistral-Small-3.2-24B-Instruct-2506 |
| Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB | AMD | 16 GB | 320 GB/s | low $620 | ~17 tok/s | $36 | Mistral-Small-3.2-24B-Instruct-2506 |
| GeForce RTX 4090 | NVIDIA | 24 GB | 1008 GB/s | low $2,910 | ~58 tok/s | $50 | K2-Horizon-MoVA-36B-A4B |
| GeForce RTX 5090 | NVIDIA | 32 GB | 1792 GB/s | low $6,500 | ~97 tok/s | $67 | Recursive Flint 40B-A2.5B |
| RTX A6000 | NVIDIA | 48 GB | 768 GB/s | low $8,363 | ~45 tok/s | $186 | Ripple-65B Preview |
What the numbers leave out: software
Every size on this site is a GGUF file, the format llama.cpp runs, and llama.cpp runs on both vendors: a CUDA backend for NVIDIA, and a ROCm (HIP) backend and a Vulkan backend that work on AMD. Tools built on llama.cpp inherit those backends.
The difference is breadth. CUDA is supported by more local-AI software than ROCm, so with an NVIDIA card you are less likely to find a tool or a model format that doesn't run. ROCm supports a specific list of GPUs and operating systems; check AMD's ROCm compatibility list for your exact card and OS before you buy, or plan on llama.cpp's Vulkan backend, which needs no ROCm install.
Our speed estimates assume both vendors reach the same share of their memory bandwidth. Backend maturity differs by card and changes with each release, and we don't model it, so read close pairs as a tie.
Who this is for
You're open to either brand and want the honest trade. If you'll stay inside llama.cpp-based tools and want the most memory or speed per dollar, the Radeon side of most pairs is the better buy. If you want the widest software support, or plan to use tools that only target CUDA, pay the NVIDIA premium. For one card pair in depth, see RTX 3090 vs RTX 5090; for full-machine prices, our builds.
Questions people ask
Is AMD or NVIDIA better value for local AI?
NVIDIA, on hardware. The Radeon card costs less per tok/s in 1 of 3 priced matchups. On Mistral-Small-3.2-24B-Instruct-2506 the best AMD value is the Radeon RX 9070 at $17 per tok/s estimate, against $22 for the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti; NVIDIA's CUDA has wider software support.
Does llama.cpp work on AMD GPUs?
Yes. llama.cpp has a ROCm (HIP) backend for AMD GPUs and a Vulkan backend that also runs on AMD, alongside its CUDA backend for NVIDIA. ROCm supports a specific list of GPUs and operating systems, so check AMD's compatibility list for your exact card. Our speed estimates assume both vendors reach the same share of their memory bandwidth, which is a simplification.
Is the RX 7900 XTX as fast as an RTX 3090 for LLMs?
On bandwidth they are close: 960 GB/s against 936 GB/s, so our estimates on K2-Horizon-MoVA-36B-A4B are 178 and 217 tok/s. Both have 24 GB. The difference is price and software: the 7900 XTX is $1,350 new and the 3090 $1,499 used in our data, and the 3090 runs on CUDA. estimate
Related
- GPUWhat the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT can run
- GPUWhat the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti can run
- GPUWhat the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX can run
- GPUWhat the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 can run
- ModelWhat GPU you need for Mistral-Small-3.2-24B-Instruct-2506
- Can it runCan the Radeon RX 7900 XTX run Qwen3.6-35B-A3B?
- Can it runCan the Radeon RX 7900 XTX run Meta Muse Glimmer 30B?
- Can it runCan the GeForce RTX 3090 run K2-Horizon-MoVA-36B-A4B?
- Can it runCan the GeForce RTX 3090 run Qwen3.6-35B-A3B?
- Can it runCan the GeForce RTX 3090 run Meta Muse Glimmer 30B?
- Build16 GB starter: Radeon RX 9070$2,101.57, 16 GB
- Build16 GB NVIDIA: RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB$1,951.57, 16 GB
- Build24 GB: one used RTX 3090$2,650.58, 24 GB
- Build32 GB: two Radeon RX 9070$3,589.93, 32 GB
- GuideRTX 3090 vs RTX 5090 for local LLMs
- GuideStrix Halo vs a GPU for local AI
- GuideMac vs PC for local LLMs