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This is RTX 4060 vs RTX 3060 Ti. Unfortunately, Moore’s Law is well and truly dead, meaning some are turning their heads to Nvidia’s previous generation of graphics cards. Generally speaking, these people are in search of better value and more VRAM. If you’re eying up the RTX 3060, we’re going to help by comparing the specs, price and performance of its closely related sibling, the RTX 3060 Ti.
ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 3060
The RTX 3060 seems to be enjoying a renewed wave of popularity in response to Nvidia’s 4060 and 4060 Ti series. Despite having the advantage of DLSS 3 and advanced ray tracing abilities, many in the gaming community aren’t impressed by Nvidia’s offering of VRAM which is stuck at 8GB. You can get the full picture by checking out the 4060 and 4060 Ti specs.
The RTX 3060 and 3060 Ti were meanwhile released back in December 2020 and October 2022 respectively. In a nutshell, while the RTX 3060 enjoys 12GB VRAM, the 3060 Ti performs better overall, in part thanks to its CUDA core count. You’ll find both cards are easily amongst the best GPUs for 1080p.
RTX 3060 vs RTX 3060 Ti – specs comparison
| RTX 3060 12GB | RTX 3060 Ti | |
| Architecture | Ampere | Ampere |
| CUDA cores | 3,584 | 4,864 |
| Base Clock (MHz) | 1,320 | 1,410 |
| Boost Clock (MHz) | 1,777 | 1,670 |
| Memory | 12GB GDDR6 | 8GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Bus | 192-bit | 256-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 360GB/s | 448GB/s |
| TDP | 170W | 200W |
As the table suggests, there are a number of key differences between the 3060 and 3060 Ti. The main ones we’re going to highlight are the differences in CUDA core count, VRAM, clock speed and PSU requirements.
While both graphics cards share the same Ampere architecture, built on Samsung’s 8nm technology, the 3060 Ti offers significantly more CUDA cores. This impacts the GPUs performance since cores help the GPU perform tasks more quickly. While the 3060’s faster boost clock and 12GB of VRAM try to tell a different story, the 3060 Ti’s 256-bit memory bus and GDDR6X memory give it the edge.
RTX 3060 vs RTX 3060 Ti – architecture
The introduction of Ampere architecture came as an important turning point for Nvidia in 2020, bringing a smaller 8nm die half the size of the Pascal architecture. With it you get second generation RT Cores which provide pretty impressive photorealistic images. While the performance doesn’t shape up to what you get with the 40-series Ada Lovelace architecture, it does provide a good performance uplift that is relevant for gaming in 2023. You also get DLSS 2 which is useful for upscaling content using AI.
RTX 3060 vs RTX 3060 Ti – performance
So, how exactly do these cards shape up in terms of performance, and is it worth paying more for the 3060 Ti?
The general consensus around the 3060 vs 3060 Ti is that the 3060 Ti has the edge with higher frame rates and overall delivery, with around 30% higher performance than the regular 3060. Though on the surface, the 3060 looks as though it could give the 3060 Ti a run for its money in certain resolutions, the 12GB doesn’t make a whole deal of difference since the Ti has higher memory speeds and bandwidths. It’s also worth adding the 3060 doesn’t offer a significant performance uplift compared to the RTX 2060, so the 3060 Ti is probably a better choice if you want to make that upgrade worthwhile.
If you’re looking to play on higher resolutions, then the RTX 3060 Ti is probably worth the extra money. However, if you’re happy playing at 1080p, then there isn’t a huge difference between the two cards. With this in mind, let the RTX 3060 be the budget pick. For further help, check out the best RTX 3060 Ti graphics cards.
RTX 3060 vs 3060 Ti – price
The price of each graphics card is likely a massively influential factor in your final decision. At the time of writing, both graphics cards are enjoying sizeable discounts off the back of the 4060 Ti release. Generally speaking, you can cop the 3060 Ti for around $360, while the 3060 frequently drops below the $200 mark.
MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti VENTUS 2X OC
Base Clock (MHz)
1410
Boost Clock (MHz)
1830
VRAM
8GB GDDR6
Dimensions
3230 x 140 x 56
Recommended PSU
600W
ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 3060
RTX 3060 vs 3060 Ti – final word
Overall, our belief is that the 3060 Ti is worth the extra money for the upgrade in 2023, especially if you’re looking at playing at higher resolutions. Though their successors (the 4060 and 4060 Ti) claim to offer a vastly superior performance, you’d be surprised by how much life is left in the 3060 and 3060 Ti.
