How many months does a used RTX 3090 (24 GB) take to break even against a $200/month Claude Max or ChatGPT Pro subscription?

If you add a used 24 GB GeForce RTX 3090 to a desktop you already have, cash-flow break-even against a $200 a month ($2400 a year) ChatGPT Pro or Claude Max 20x plan is 7.2 months at our list price of $1,395 (€1,246, pcprice.watch used median, checked 24 Oct 2026). That includes about $5.94 a month of US electricity at $0.18 per kWh, or about €10.56 a month of EU electricity at €0.32 per kWh, for 4 hours a day at a 250 W cap. The dollar price and the 7.2 month figure are our estimate. In euros, a $200 plan is about €179 at our exchange rate before VAT, and €1,246 then breaks even in about 7.4 months. A complete used RTX 3090 PC is $2,413 / €2,346 on our list, and cash-flow break-even for that PC is 12.5 months.

How much electricity does an RTX 3090 use per month for local LLM inference?

The GeForce RTX 3090 lists 350 W of board power. The sum on this page uses a 250 W cap instead, the cap in the community measurement stored on the Qwen3.8-27B page, plus 25 W for 4 idle hours. 4 active hours and 4 idle hours use 33.00 kWh in a 30-day month. At $0.18 per kWh that is about $5.94 a month in the US. At €0.32 per kWh it is about €10.56 a month in the EU. Adding about 75 W for the rest of the PC during the active hours (42.00 kWh a month) brings the cost to about $7.56 a month in the US or €13.44 a month in the EU. This is an estimate from those assumptions, not a meter reading.

Which open LLMs run fully inside a single 24 GB RTX 3090 to replace Claude and GPT?

After our 0.6 GB reserve, a 24 GB RTX 3090 has 23.4 GB usable and runs 25 of the 42 models we track at standard quality, with no token fee. At 8,192 tokens our estimates include Qwen3.8-27B at UD-Q4_K_M (17.80 GB, up to UD-Q6_K at 23.32 GB, about 43 tokens per second, our estimate; 42.6 tokens per second tuned llama.cpp and 212.1 tokens per second patched vLLM with DFlash2, community measurement, not ours), Gemma 4 31B at Q4_K_M (20.63 GB, about 37 tokens per second, our estimate), Nanbeige4.3-33B at Q4_K_M (23.33 GB, about 32 tokens per second, our estimate), Gemma 4 26B A4B at UD-Q4_K_M (18.13 GB, no speed estimate for this sparse model), Qwen3.6-35B-A3B at UD-Q4_K_M (23.10 GB, no speed estimate), and Recursive Flint at UD-Q3_K_XL (19.56 GB; its standard file does not fit). You can test up to 8 models at once, including Gemma 4 31B and Recursive Flint, free in the browser at https://localllmrig.com/#try.

Does a used RTX 3090 save money compared to a $20/month ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro plan?

On cash flow, no. A $20 a month plan costs $240 a year, and five years of it is $1,200, still under the $1,395 card (€1,246) before electricity. The dollar card price is our conversion, an estimate. People switch from a $20 plan to a local RTX 3090 when they hit message caps during coding-agent loops, need prompts to stay on their own machine, or would otherwise move up to a $200 a month plan.

When is renting a cloud GPU cheaper than buying a used RTX 3090?

On our rental list, checked 21 Oct 2026, the cheapest 24 GB hourly price with no setup fee is $0.55 an hour at Vast.ai (cheapest live offer $0.15 an hour). At 4 hours a day that median is about $66 a month, and the $1,395 card costs less than renting at that rate after about 23.2 months, once electricity is counted. Renting stays cheaper if you need the GPU for fewer hours than that, or if you use a lower live offer. Put your own hours into https://localllmrig.com/buy-vs-rent. Hourly prices are also on https://localllmrig.com/rent-a-gpu.

Used RTX 3090 (24 GB) vs $200/Month AI Subscriptions: The 7.2 Month Break-Even

Key facts

A used RTX 3090 ($1,395 / €1,246) pays for itself in about 7.2 months against a $200 a month plan, including electricity. Our estimate.

Updated 28 Oct 2026. Checked 28 Oct 2026. That measurement.

Updated 28 Oct 2026

VRAM calculator

A used 24 GB RTX 3090 at our list price pays for itself in about 7.2 months against a $200 a month AI plan, including electricity. The payback is our estimate from that price.

The short answer

If you already have a desktop with a PCIe x16 slot and a power supply that can feed the card, a used GeForce RTX 3090 24GB at our list price (€1,246 / $1,395, used (median of sold listings), pcprice.watch, checked 24 Oct 2026) pays for itself in 7.2 months against a $200 a month ChatGPT Pro or Claude Max 20x plan. That count includes about $5.94 a month of US electricity on the assumptions below. The dollar price is our conversion of the euro median, so the 7.2 months figure is our estimate. A complete Used PC with RTX 3090 24GB is €2,346 / $2,413 and reaches the same plan in 12.5 months, including about $7.56 a month for the whole PC. Replacing two $200 seats, or one seat plus $200 a month of coding-agent API spend, brings that PC to about 6.1 months.

Before you spend the money, test the open models on your own prompts. The home chat runs up to 8 models at once, and 10 open models are free with no login and no local memory. Start at the home chat, or open Gemma 4 31B and Recursive Flint already ticked.

What we priced, and what we did not

GeForce RTX 3090 24GB is €1,246 / $1,395 (used (median of sold listings), pcprice.watch, checked 24 Oct 2026). Used median €1,246 (typical €1,136–€1,334) from 235 cards sold on eBay in the past 90 days, recorded 24 Oct 2026. pcprice.watch refreshed that page on 23 Oct 2026. Not an EU shop price. Used PC with RTX 3090 24GB is €2,346 / $2,413, checked 24 Oct 2026. The graphics card line inside that PC is the same used median. 64 GB DDR4 is €600 and the rest of the PC is €500, our estimate. Dollar prices are converted from those euro prices. A $200 or $20 subscription is the published plan price, not a row on our list. This page does not use a separate street price for the card.

The machine pages: GeForce RTX 3090 24GB and Used PC with RTX 3090 24GB. The buying notes: used RTX 3090 buying guide.

Electricity assumptions

GeForce RTX 3090 24GB lists 350 W of board power. This electricity sum does not use that figure. It uses a 250 W cap for 4 hours of active generation a day, and 25 W for 4 idle hours. That is 1.10 kWh a day, 33.00 kWh in a 30-day month. At $0.18 per kWh that is $5.94 a month in the US. At €0.32 per kWh it is €10.56 a month in the EU. These rates are assumptions for the sum, not a bill we read.

A whole desktop adds about 75 W for the processor, memory and fans during the 4 active hours. That is 42.00 kWh a month: $7.56 in the US or €13.44 in the EU, on the same assumptions. The 250 W cap is the one in Qwen3.8-27B on RTX 3090 (18 Sept 2026): 42.6 tokens per second in tuned llama.cpp and 212.1 tokens per second with patched vLLM and DFlash2. Self-reported, community measurement, not ours. That measurement is linked from Can I run Qwen3.8-27B.

nvidia-smi -pl 250

That is the usual command for a 250 W cap. It is not a benchmark, and this page did not run it.

Spend from month 6 to month 24

Each hardware row is the upfront price plus electricity for that many months. The $200 plan has no asset left at the end. A $20 plan costs $240 a year, and five years of it is $1,200, which is still under the $1,395 card before electricity. People move off a $20 plan when they hit the message cap during coding-agent loops, want the prompts to stay on their own machine, or would otherwise pay the $200 plan.

Cumulative spend from month 1 to month 24. Electricity is included for the card and the PC. Subscription and rental rows have no hardware to resell.
Option	Upfront	Each month	Month 6	Month 12	Month 24	Break-even vs a $200 plan
$200 a month cloud plan (ChatGPT Pro or Claude Max 20x)	$0	$200 and no electricity here	$1,200	$2,400	$4,800	Baseline
Used RTX 3090 added to a PC you already have ($1,395)	$1,395	$5.94 electricity, our estimate	$1,431	$1,466	$1,538	7.2 months
Complete used RTX 3090 PC ($2,413)	$2,413	$7.56 electricity, our estimate	$2,458	$2,504	$2,594	12.5 months
$20 a month cloud plan (ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro)	$0	$20	$120	$240	$480	The card does not pay back inside five years
Rented 24 GB GPU (Vast.ai $0.55 an hour)	$0	$66 at 4 hours a day	$396	$792	$1,584	Card costs less than this rent after 23.2 months

In euros, card electricity is €10.56 a month and the whole PC is €13.44 a month. A $200 plan converts to about €179 at the ECB rate of 14 Oct 2026 (1.1195 dollars per euro), before VAT. The €1,246 card then breaks even in about 7.4 months. We do not add a second euro subscription price on top of that rate.

What one RTX 3090 runs for $0 a month (25 of 42 models)

After our 0.6 GB reserve, 23.4 GB is usable. At standard quality and 8,192 tokens, 25 of the 42 models we track fit fully. That count is the same rule as the hardware page. A smaller file can fit when the standard file does not: Recursive Flint at UD-Q3_K_XL does, and its Q4_K_M file does not. Speeds below are our estimate unless the line says the figure is a community measurement.

Open models that fit one RTX 3090 (23.4 GB usable) at 8,192 tokens. Totals are our estimate. File sizes are measured.
Model	File and total memory	Speed on one RTX 3090	Try it
Qwen3.8-27B	UD-Q4_K_M: 17.80 GB total (16.46 GB measured file, checked 24 Oct 2026, plus 0.54 GB conversation memory and 0.80 GB working space, our estimate). Also UD-Q5_K_XL 22.22 GB and UD-Q6_K 23.32 GB, both inside 23.4 GB.	about 43 tokens per second, our estimate Community measurement, not ours: 42.6 tokens per second tuned llama.cpp, and 212.1 tokens per second patched vLLM with DFlash2.	Qwen3.8-27B vs Gemma 4 31B
Gemma 4 31B	Q4_K_M: 20.63 GB total (18.32 GB measured file, checked 21 Oct 2026, plus 1.51 GB conversation memory and 0.80 GB working space, our estimate)	about 37 tokens per second, our estimate	Ticked free on the home chat
Nanbeige4.3-33B	Q4_K_M: 23.33 GB total (20.79 GB measured file, checked 26 Oct 2026, plus 1.74 GB conversation memory and 0.80 GB working space, our estimate)	about 32 tokens per second, our estimate	Can I run Nanbeige4.3-33B
Recursive Flint	UD-Q3_K_XL: 19.56 GB total (18.49 GB measured file, checked 23 Oct 2026, plus 0.27 GB conversation memory and 0.80 GB working space, our estimate). The Q4_K_M total is 24.46 GB, which is over 23.4 GB usable, so that file does not fit.	No speed estimate. This site does not publish one for this sparse model, because that estimate would read every weight.	Ticked free on the home chat
Gemma 4 26B A4B	UD-Q4_K_M: 18.13 GB total (16.95 GB measured file, checked 24 Oct 2026, plus 0.38 GB conversation memory and 0.80 GB working space, our estimate)	No speed estimate. This site does not publish one for this sparse model, because that estimate would read every weight.	Ticked free on the home chat
Qwen3.6-35B-A3B	UD-Q4_K_M: 23.10 GB total (22.13 GB measured file, checked 24 Oct 2026, plus 0.17 GB conversation memory and 0.80 GB working space, our estimate)	No speed estimate. This site does not publish one for this sparse model, because that estimate would read every weight.	Can I run Qwen3.6-35B-A3B

Open the calculator for Gemma 4 31B at standard quality: Gemma 4 31B on the calculator. Memory totals on that page are our estimate.

When renting a 24 GB GPU costs less

The cheapest 24 GB card billed by the hour on our rental list, with no setup fee, is an RTX 4090 at Vast.ai: $0.55 an hour (21 Oct 2026). The cheapest live offer that day was $0.15 an hour. Runpod's list price that day was $0.89 an hour, and its Community Cloud from-price was $0.34 an hour. At 4 hours a day for 30 days, the $0.55 median is about $66 a month, still far under $200. The $1,395 card costs less than renting at that median after about 23.2 months, once the card's electricity is subtracted. At the cheapest live offer, renting stays cheaper for much longer. Rent a GPU lists the hourly prices. Buy or rent runs the same comparison for your own hours.

Sources and method

Checked 28 Oct 2026. That measurement

Speeds and memory are our estimate from the hardware specs, not a measured test. Prices are dated and may change. How we calculate

Questions

How many months does a used RTX 3090 (24 GB) take to break even against a $200/month Claude Max or ChatGPT Pro subscription?: If you add a used 24 GB GeForce RTX 3090 to a desktop you already have, cash-flow break-even against a $200 a month ($2400 a year) ChatGPT Pro or Claude Max 20x plan is 7.2 months at our list price of $1,395 (€1,246, pcprice.watch used median, checked 24 Oct 2026). That includes about $5.94 a month of US electricity at $0.18 per kWh, or about €10.56 a month of EU electricity at €0.32 per kWh, for 4 hours a day at a 250 W cap. The dollar price and the 7.2 month figure are our estimate. In euros, a $200 plan is about €179 at our exchange rate before VAT, and €1,246 then breaks even in about 7.4 months. A complete used RTX 3090 PC is $2,413 / €2,346 on our list, and cash-flow break-even for that PC is 12.5 months.
How much electricity does an RTX 3090 use per month for local LLM inference?: The GeForce RTX 3090 lists 350 W of board power. The sum on this page uses a 250 W cap instead, the cap in the community measurement stored on the Qwen3.8-27B page, plus 25 W for 4 idle hours. 4 active hours and 4 idle hours use 33.00 kWh in a 30-day month. At $0.18 per kWh that is about $5.94 a month in the US. At €0.32 per kWh it is about €10.56 a month in the EU. Adding about 75 W for the rest of the PC during the active hours (42.00 kWh a month) brings the cost to about $7.56 a month in the US or €13.44 a month in the EU. This is an estimate from those assumptions, not a meter reading.
What is a fair used price for an RTX 3090 24 GB in Europe and the US in October 2026?: On our list, checked 24 Oct 2026, the used sold median for a GeForce RTX 3090 24GB is €1,246 ($1,395 converted, without EU VAT). Used median €1,246 (typical €1,136–€1,334) from 235 cards sold on eBay in the past 90 days, recorded 24 Oct 2026. pcprice.watch refreshed that page on 23 Oct 2026. Not an EU shop price. A complete used RTX 3090 PC with 64 GB of memory is €2,346 ($2,413) on our list. The card line is that median. The memory line and the rest of the PC are our estimate.
Which open LLMs run fully inside a single 24 GB RTX 3090 to replace Claude and GPT?: After our 0.6 GB reserve, a 24 GB RTX 3090 has 23.4 GB usable and runs 25 of the 42 models we track at standard quality, with no token fee. At 8,192 tokens our estimates include Qwen3.8-27B at UD-Q4_K_M (17.80 GB, up to UD-Q6_K at 23.32 GB, about 43 tokens per second, our estimate; 42.6 tokens per second tuned llama.cpp and 212.1 tokens per second patched vLLM with DFlash2, community measurement, not ours), Gemma 4 31B at Q4_K_M (20.63 GB, about 37 tokens per second, our estimate), Nanbeige4.3-33B at Q4_K_M (23.33 GB, about 32 tokens per second, our estimate), Gemma 4 26B A4B at UD-Q4_K_M (18.13 GB, no speed estimate for this sparse model), Qwen3.6-35B-A3B at UD-Q4_K_M (23.10 GB, no speed estimate), and Recursive Flint at UD-Q3_K_XL (19.56 GB; its standard file does not fit). You can test up to 8 models at once, including Gemma 4 31B and Recursive Flint, free in the browser at https://localllmrig.com/#try.
Does a used RTX 3090 save money compared to a $20/month ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro plan?: On cash flow, no. A $20 a month plan costs $240 a year, and five years of it is $1,200, still under the $1,395 card (€1,246) before electricity. The dollar card price is our conversion, an estimate. People switch from a $20 plan to a local RTX 3090 when they hit message caps during coding-agent loops, need prompts to stay on their own machine, or would otherwise move up to a $200 a month plan.
When is renting a cloud GPU cheaper than buying a used RTX 3090?: On our rental list, checked 21 Oct 2026, the cheapest 24 GB hourly price with no setup fee is $0.55 an hour at Vast.ai (cheapest live offer $0.15 an hour). At 4 hours a day that median is about $66 a month, and the $1,395 card costs less than renting at that rate after about 23.2 months, once electricity is counted. Renting stays cheaper if you need the GPU for fewer hours than that, or if you use a lower live offer. Put your own hours into https://localllmrig.com/buy-vs-rent. Hourly prices are also on https://localllmrig.com/rent-a-gpu.

Want it on paper? The GPU Buying Cheat Sheet (EU, Oct 2026) is a short PDF: graphics memory per budget and the cheapest machine per model size.