Dual used RTX 4090 workstation (48 GB) vs Used RTX 4090 workstation (24 GB)
Dual RTX 4090 has 48 GB memory, 2,016 GB/s bandwidth, 1,150 W nominal power; RTX 4090 has 24 GB memory, 1,008 GB/s bandwidth, 600 W nominal power. Compare model compatibility, like-for-like tokens/sec and ownership cost below.
Dual used RTX 4090 workstation (48 GB) · Used RTX 4090 workstation (24 GB)
Verdict
- throughputAcross 6 like-for-like model configurations, decode throughput is within 10% — close enough that the difference is smaller than the uncertainty in the underlying evidence.
- capacityBoth machines run all 8 compared models in their best practical configurations. Compare their quantizations and evidence labels before treating any throughput difference as a hardware result.
- costAt 8 hours a day, the Used RTX 4090 workstation (24 GB) has approximately 44% lower total monthly cost ($27 against $48), for a C corporation in United States (federal).
- powerThe Dual used RTX 4090 workstation (48 GB) draws 980 W under load against 520 W for the Used RTX 4090 workstation (24 GB) — a 1.9× difference that shows up in the electricity line and in how loud and hot the room gets.
- evidenceAll 6 like-for-like throughput rows are estimates. Treat the ranking as indicative and the margins as uncertain.
- recommendationThroughput is close enough to be a wash, so this comes down to cost and capacity: the Used RTX 4090 workstation (24 GB) is cheaper to own, and capacity differences above decide which models you can run at all.
Every statement above is generated from the calculations on this page by fixed rules — no prose is written for individual comparisons. If the numbers change, the verdict changes with them.
Hardware
| Dual used RTX 4090 workstation (48 GB) | Used RTX 4090 workstation (24 GB) | |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price estimate | $3,692 * | $2,071 * |
| Memory | 48 GB | 24 GB |
| Theoretical bandwidth (aggregate on multi-GPU) | 2,016 GB/s | 1,008 GB/s |
| Usable bandwidth indicator | interconnect-adjusted per workload | 806 GB/s (80%) |
| Nominal power | 1150 W | 600 W |
| Measured load power | 980 W | 520 W |
| Idle power | 95 W | 60 W |
| Architecture | 2× GPU | discrete gpu |
Like-for-like performance6 comparable models
Ternary Bonsai 2 27BNemotron 3.5 Lightning 30B-A3BQwen3-Coder 30B-A3BQwen3 30B-A3BGemma 4 26B-A4Bgpt-oss-20bDeepSeek Coder V2 Lite 16B-A2.4BGranite 4.2 30B
| Model | Dual used RTX 4090 workstation (48 GB) | Used RTX 4090 workstation (24 GB) | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ternary Bonsai 2 27B 27.36B | — no matched configuration | — no matched configuration | Not comparable |
| Nemotron 3.5 Lightning 30B-A3B 31.578B (3B active) | ~245–353 t/s Q4_K_M | ~237–342 t/s Q4_K_M | Tie (3%) estimated · estimator_v1 · 8K context |
| Qwen3-Coder 30B-A3B 30.532B (3.3B active) | ~232–333 t/s Q4_K_M | ~221–317 t/s Q4_K_M | Tie (5%) estimated · estimator_v1 · 8K context |
| Qwen3 30B-A3B 30.532B (3.3B active) | ~232–333 t/s Q4_K_M | ~221–317 t/s Q4_K_M | Tie (5%) estimated · estimator_v1 · 8K context |
| Gemma 4 26B-A4B 25.806B (3.8B active) | ~191–275 t/s Q5_K_M | ~173–249 t/s Q5_K_M | Dual used RTX 4090 workstation (48 GB) +11% estimated · estimator_v1 · 8K context |
| gpt-oss-20b 20.915B (3.6B active) | ~238–343 t/s MXFP4 | ~228–329 t/s MXFP4 | Tie (4%) estimated · estimator_v1 · 8K context |
| DeepSeek Coder V2 Lite 16B-A2.4B 15.706B (2.4B active) | — no matched configuration | — no matched configuration | Not comparable |
| Granite 4.2 30B 29.277B | ~46.8–67.3 t/s Q4_K_M | ~35.9–51.7 t/s Q4_K_M | Dual used RTX 4090 workstation (48 GB) +30% estimated · estimator_v1 · 8K context |
Hardware deltas are calculated only when quantization, runtime, exact context, execution/decode mode and relevant inference settings match. Measured and estimated results are never compared to each other. A difference under 10% is reported as a tie.
Best practical configuration
| Model | Dual used RTX 4090 workstation (48 GB) | Used RTX 4090 workstation (24 GB) | Practical result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ternary Bonsai 2 27B | — PTQ1_0 · estimated | 91.1 t/s PTQ1_0 · measured | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| Nemotron 3.5 Lightning 30B-A3B | ~223–321 t/s Q5_K_M · estimated | ~237–342 t/s Q4_K_M · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| Qwen3-Coder 30B-A3B | ~210–302 t/s Q5_K_M · estimated | ~221–317 t/s Q4_K_M · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| Qwen3 30B-A3B | ~210–302 t/s Q5_K_M · estimated | ~221–317 t/s Q4_K_M · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| Gemma 4 26B-A4B | ~143–206 t/s Q8_0 · estimated | ~197–284 t/s Q4_K_M · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| gpt-oss-20b | ~238–343 t/s MXFP4 · estimated | ~228–329 t/s MXFP4 · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| DeepSeek Coder V2 Lite 16B-A2.4B | — Q8_0 · estimated | — Q8_0 · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
| Granite 4.2 30B | ~40.4–58.1 t/s Q5_K_M · estimated | ~35.9–51.7 t/s Q4_K_M · estimated | Both fit; configurations may differ |
This is a deployment comparison: each machine uses its own recommended configuration. Different quantizations can change speed and quality, so these figures are not raw hardware benchmarks.
Economics — United States (federal), C corporation, 8h/day
| Dual used RTX 4090 workstation (48 GB) | Used RTX 4090 workstation (24 GB) | |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price estimate | $3,692 | $2,071 |
| Reclaimable VAT | $0 | $0 |
| Net cash at purchase | $3,692 | $2,071 |
| Monthly depreciation | $48.00 | $26.92 |
| Monthly electricity | $6.70 (48 kWh) | $3.75 (27 kWh) |
| Tax programme | §179 100.0% | §179 100.0% |
| Tax-programme benefit | $775 | $435 |
| Monthly economic cost | $47.88 | $26.84 |
| Total over 5 years | $2,873 | $1,611 |
Purchase prices are localized inputs in USD: tax/VAT excluded for Dual used RTX 4090 workstation (48 GB) and tax/VAT excluded for Used RTX 4090 workstation (24 GB). Net cash and monthly economic cost then apply the selected United States (federal) / C corporation tax treatment. Tax assumptions last verified 2026-09-07. Federal planning estimate only, not tax advice. State and local income tax, sales/use tax and incentives are excluded. It assumes 100% business use, a Section 179 election, enough business income to use it, and that the full annual limit remains available.