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WillItRun

Can I run Starfield with a GeForce RTX 3090?

In Starfield the GeForce RTX 3090 sits between two reference points: past the GeForce RTX 4070 that defines high, and 22% short of the GeForce RTX 4080 Super that defines ultra.

Ranked 12 of the 47 cards we track, with 1 of them carrying more video memory - and 10 of the 47 cards we track stop at the same point in Starfield.

estimated index 35 · 24 GB · 2020
Ceiling with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D and 32 GB

Runs at high

Comfortably above the recommended tier, with room for higher settings.

Headroom
exactly on the line on RAM
Bottleneck
GPU
Confidence
estimated

Tier ladder

  1. minimum cleared
  2. recommended cleared
  3. high cleared
  4. ultra blocked by GPU

The weakest link is graphics card: this rig brings 35 against the 45 that Starfield asks for at the ultra tier. Everything else in the rig is already past that line.

That readout is the best this card can do in Starfield: it assumes nothing else in the machine holds it back. Your own processor and memory can only lower it, never raise it.

The same card with three different processors

In Starfield the processor beside a GeForce RTX 3090 changes the answer, which is why a card-only verdict is not worth much here. Each row assumes 16 GB of system memory.

Processor Index Verdict Bottleneck
Ryzen 5 1600 30 Will not run processor
Ryzen 9 5900X 70 Runs well system memory
Ryzen 7 9800X3D 95 Runs well system memory

Cheapest way up one tier

graphics card: Radeon RX 7900 XTX

The GeForce RTX 3090 sits at index 35 and the ultra tier starts at 45.

That is the smallest part in our catalogue that clears the ultra tier - not the fastest one, and not a price claim: we hold no price data, so "cheapest" here means "least upgrade that does the job".

Where to look: Radeon RX 7900 XTX (no store links yet)

Thresholds, against this card

Green means the GeForce RTX 3090 clears that number, red means it does not. The processor and memory columns are yours to fill in with the checker below.

System requirement thresholds for Starfield, by tier
Requirement minimum recommended high ultra your rig
GPU index 9 18 26 45 35
CPU index 35 45 65 85 0
Video memory 6 GB 8 GB 12 GB 16 GB 24 GB
System memory 16 GB 16 GB 32 GB 32 GB 0 GB
Storage 125 GB 125 GB 125 GB 125 GB -

The CPU and system memory rows show zero because this page knows the card and nothing else.

Check your whole rig

Add your processor and memory for a verdict about your machine rather than about this card.

GeForce RTX 3090

Shorthand works: we match on the names people actually type.

If several parts match, we show them rather than guess.

Standing by

Pick a graphics card and a processor. The verdict appears here, with the exact part that limits it.

Nothing you type leaves your browser. There is no account, no upload, and no hardware scan - the comparison runs on this page.

Questions

Will a GeForce RTX 3090 run Starfield?
In Starfield the GeForce RTX 3090 sits between two reference points: past the GeForce RTX 4070 that defines high, and 22% short of the GeForce RTX 4080 Super that defines ultra. Above that the graphics card is what stops it.
Is 24 GB of video memory enough for Starfield?
Yes for the tiers this card can reach anyway - its core speed runs out before its 24 GB of video memory does in Starfield.

More on this card: what the GeForce RTX 3090 runs across every game we track.