RTX 3060 12GB vs 4090 🤔 Do You Really Need an RTX 4090 for AI?

Jarods Journey
12 Aug 202312:02

TLDRIn this comparison, the RTX 3060 12GB and RTX 4090 are tested for their performance in AI applications. The RTX 3060, despite having half the VRAM of the 4090, shows surprisingly good performance in tasks such as text generation with Tortoise TTS, voice conversion with RVC, and image generation with Stable Diffusion. The 4090 outperforms the 3060 significantly in speed, especially in image generation, but the 3060 offers better price-to-performance ratio in most cases. The 3060 is deemed a great budget option for AI applications, with the caveat that VRAM constraints may limit the size of models it can handle. The creator also plans to build a PC for under $500 to further test the 3060's capabilities in AI tools.

Takeaways

  • 🔍 **Comparison of RTX 4090 and RTX 3060 12GB**: The video compares the performance of RTX 4090 and RTX 3060 12GB in various AI applications.
  • 💻 **System Configuration**: Both GPUs were tested on the same PC with an Intel 13900k CPU and 64GB of RAM to ensure consistency.
  • 🚀 **Batch Size**: The maximum batch size was used for each GPU to prevent bottlenecking the more capable RTX 4090.
  • 📈 **Performance in AI Tools**: The RTX 3060 handled AI tasks surprisingly well, showing it to be a budget-friendly option for AI workloads.
  • ⏱️ **Training Time**: For the Tortoise TTS software, the RTX 3060 took approximately three times longer than the RTX 4090 for a 60-minute dataset.
  • 📊 **Price-to-Performance Ratio**: The RTX 3060 offered better price-to-performance ratios in certain AI applications like Tortoise TTS.
  • 🗣️ **RVC Training**: The RTX 4090 was not significantly faster than the RTX 3060 in RVC voice conversion training, which was unexpected.
  • 🖼️ **Image Generation Speed**: In image generation with stable diffusion models, the RTX 4090 was substantially faster than the RTX 3060.
  • 💰 **Cost Considerations**: The RTX 4090 would need to be cheaper to match the RTX 3060's price-to-performance in some AI tasks.
  • 🧠 **Large Language Models (LLMs)**: The RTX 4090 outperformed the RTX 3060 when running large language models, generating more tokens per second.
  • 🎮 **Gaming Considerations**: The RTX 3060 might not be suitable for gaming while running intensive AI applications due to high VRAM usage.
  • 📉 **VRAM Limitations**: The RTX 3060's VRAM limits it to running smaller AI models compared to the RTX 4090, which has more VRAM.

Q & A

  • What is the main purpose of comparing the RTX 4090 with the RTX 3060 12GB in the video?

    -The main purpose is to determine if the budget GPU, RTX 3060 12GB, can handle the loads used with AI tools and to see if it's a more cost-effective option for AI tasks compared to the RTX 4090.

  • What is the PC configuration used for testing both GPUs?

    -The PC configuration used for testing includes a 13 900k Intel CPU and 64 gigabytes of RAM.

  • What AI tools were used in the comparison?

    -The AI tools used for the comparison include Taurus TTS for text generation, RVC for voice conversion, stable diffusion for image generation, and a local large language model (LLM) for text generation.

  • How did the RTX 3060 12GB perform in terms of training time for the Tortoise TTS software?

    -The RTX 3060 12GB took considerably longer than the RTX 4090, around 200 minutes for a 60-minute dataset, compared to the RTX 4090's 36 minutes.

  • What was the price-performance ratio comparison like for Tortoise TTS between the RTX 3060 and RTX 4090?

    -To match the price-performance ratio of the RTX 3060, the RTX 4090 would need to cost around $1,013.57, indicating that the RTX 3060 offers better price-performance in this scenario.

  • How did the RTX 4090 perform in RVC training compared to the RTX 3060?

    -The RTX 4090 was not more than two times faster than the RTX 3060 in RVC training, which was surprising as it should have been around four to five times faster.

  • What was the approximate delay possible on the voice changer using the RTX 3060?

    -The voice changer could run with a chunk of 64 using the crepe full, and it could be made even faster by reducing the chunk size to clip tiny.

  • How did the image generation speed compare between the RTX 4090 and RTX 3060 using stable diffusion?

    -The RTX 4090 was significantly faster than the RTX 3060, with the 4090 taking around 4 seconds for a 1024x1024 image, while the 3060 took closer to around 20 seconds.

  • What is the main limitation of the RTX 3060 when it comes to running large language models?

    -The main limitation is the VRAM capacity, which allows the RTX 4090 to run larger models with up to 33 billion parameters, whereas the RTX 3060 is limited to models with up to 13 billion parameters.

  • What is the conclusion about the RTX 3060 12GB in terms of value for money?

    -The RTX 3060 12GB performed well in many of the AI tools and is considered to be a good value for money, especially when found for around $200 on eBay.

  • What is the next step the presenter plans to take after concluding the tests with the RTX 3060?

    -The presenter plans to build a PC with a budget of $500 or less and test its performance with the same AI tools in an upcoming video.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 GPU Comparison for AI Tasks

The video script details a comparison between the RTX 4090 and the RTX 3060 12GB graphics cards to evaluate their performance in AI applications. The tests are conducted on the same PC with an Intel 13900k CPU and 64GB of RAM, ensuring a fair comparison. The 4090 is swapped for the 3060 to maintain consistent speeds. The AI tools tested include Taurus TTS for text generation, RVC for voice conversion, Wokada for voice changing, Stable Diffusion for image generation, and a local large language model (LLM). The comparison includes the time taken for inference and training on different data sets, as well as the price-performance ratio. The script also discusses the practical approach of using the maximum batch size allowed for each GPU, considering the 4090's superior VRAM.

05:01

📈 Performance and Price-Performance Analysis

The script provides a detailed analysis of the performance and price-performance ratio of the RTX 4090 and RTX 3060 across various AI applications. For Tortoise TTS, the 3060 offers better price-performance, with the 4090 needing to be priced lower to match. In RVC voice conversion, the 4090's performance was unexpectedly close to the 3060, suggesting potential optimization issues. The voice changer test demonstrates the speed of processing with different settings. For Stable Diffusion image generation, the 4090 significantly outperforms the 3060, especially for higher resolution images. The price-performance calculation shows the 4090 would need to be cheaper to match the 3060's value. The local LLM test reveals the 4090 generates tokens at a faster rate, but VRAM constraints are highlighted as a consideration when comparing GPUs.

10:01

💰 Value Proposition and Future Plans

The script concludes with the author's opinion on the value of the RTX 3060, noting its surprisingly good performance in AI tools and its appeal as a budget GPU with 12GB of VRAM. The author considers the 3060 a great deal, especially when found at a lower price point. The script also mentions plans to build a PC costing under $500 and test its performance with AI tools, with an upcoming video detailing the process. The author provides affiliate links for GPU upgrades and expresses gratitude for the support from the audience.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡RTX 3060 12GB

The RTX 3060 12GB is a graphics processing unit (GPU) from NVIDIA, designed for gaming and other graphic-intensive tasks. In the video, it is compared with the more powerful RTX 4090 to determine its capability in handling AI-related tasks. The RTX 3060 12GB is noted for its value-for-money proposition, especially when considering its performance in AI applications relative to its cost.

💡RTX 4090

The RTX 4090 is a high-end GPU from NVIDIA, featuring superior performance characteristics suitable for demanding applications such as AI, machine learning, and high-resolution gaming. The video aims to assess if the RTX 4090's advanced capabilities are necessary for AI tasks when compared to the more budget-friendly RTX 3060 12GB.

💡AI Tools

AI tools refer to software applications that utilize artificial intelligence to perform tasks such as text generation, voice conversion, and image generation. In the context of the video, AI tools are used to test and compare the performance of the RTX 3060 12GB and RTX 4090 GPUs in handling AI-specific workloads.

💡Batch Size

Batch size in the context of AI and machine learning refers to the number of samples processed at one time within a single iteration. The video mentions using the maximum batch size allowed for each GPU to ensure a fair comparison and to prevent bottlenecking the more capable RTX 4090 due to its larger video RAM (VRAM).

💡VRAM

Video RAM (VRAM) is the dedicated memory in a GPU used for storing image data. The amount of VRAM can limit the size and complexity of models and images that can be processed. The video discusses how the RTX 4090's greater VRAM allows for larger batch sizes and potentially larger AI models compared to the RTX 3060 12GB.

💡Tortoise TTS

Tortoise TTS is a text-to-speech software application that uses AI to generate speech from text inputs. It is one of the AI tools tested in the video to compare the performance of the RTX 3060 12GB and RTX 4090, focusing on how quickly each GPU can process text to generate audio files.

💡RVC (Retrieval-based Voice Conversion)

RVC is a voice conversion technology that clones a voice based on a dataset of voice samples. It's used in the video to compare the efficiency of the two GPUs in training and inferring voice models. The RTX 4090 showed a performance improvement, but not as significant as expected, suggesting potential optimization issues.

💡Stable Diffusion

Stable Diffusion is an AI model used for image generation, specifically tested in the video for its ability to create anime-style images and perform image upscaling. The comparison between the RTX 3060 12GB and RTX 4090 highlights the difference in generation times for various image sizes and models.

💡Local LLM (Large Language Model)

A local large language model (LLM) refers to an AI-driven text generation model that operates on a local machine rather than relying on cloud-based services. The video compares the token generation speeds of the RTX 3060 12GB and RTX 4090 when running a large language model, with the RTX 4090 showing faster performance.

💡Price for Performance

Price for performance is a衡量标准 that compares the cost of a product to its performance capabilities. In the video, this metric is used to evaluate whether the higher cost of the RTX 4090 justifies its increased performance over the RTX 3060 12GB for specific AI tasks, with a focus on value for money.

💡Gradient Accumulation

Gradient accumulation is a technique used in machine learning to train large models with a smaller amount of VRAM by accumulating gradients over multiple mini-batches before updating model weights. The video mentions using gradient accumulation of 10 for the RTX 3060 12GB compared to 5 for the RTX 4090 to manage the differences in their VRAM capacities.

Highlights

Comparing the RTX 4090 with the RTX 3060 12GB to evaluate their performance in handling AI tasks.

Using the same PC with an Intel 13900k CPU and 64GB of RAM for both GPUs to ensure consistent testing conditions.

Maximizing batch size for each GPU to prevent bottlenecking the RTX 4090's capabilities.

Tortoise TTS, a text generation software, was tested with gradient accumulation adjustments due to VRAM differences.

RTX 3060 took considerably longer than RTX 4090 in training time for AI models, with a 3-hour difference for a 60-minute dataset.

Price for performance analysis showed that RTX 3060 provides more value in the context of Tortoise TTS.

RVC, a voice conversion software, showed surprising results with RTX 4090 not being significantly faster than RTX 3060.

Optimizations may be lacking in RVC, as the RTX 4090's speed advantage was less pronounced than expected.

Voice changer delay tests showed the RTX 3060 utilizing a majority of its graphics card, impacting gaming performance.

Stable diffusion image generation tests revealed the RTX 4090 to be significantly faster than RTX 3060, especially for higher resolution images.

RTX 4090 demonstrated a 4.2 times speed advantage in image generation tasks, but would need to be priced lower to match RTX 3060's value.

Local large language models (LLMs) showed the RTX 4090 generating 75 tokens per second compared to RTX 3060's 28 tokens per second.

VRAM constraints are important when comparing GPUs, as larger models require more memory, giving RTX 4090 an advantage.

The RTX 3060 performed well in many AI tools, offering a good balance of cost and performance.

The RTX 3060 is considered a good value proposition, often found at a lower price point, making it a budget-friendly option for AI applications.

Upcoming video will feature building a PC for under $500 and testing its performance with AI tools.

Affiliate links are provided for GPU upgrades, supporting the channel.