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We’re looking at the RTX 4060 Ti vs the 4080, to see how these next gen GPUs compare to one another.
The release date for RTX 4060 Ti is finally here and many people are now making the decision of whether they want to go for the new card. It’s certainly a tempting offer. The 8GB version of the card is so far the cheapest way to get access to the Lovelace architecture. That means DLSS 3 and brilliant ray tracing performance, all for cheaper than ever before.
- Amazon US – RTX 4060 Ti
- Best Buy US – RTX 4060 Ti
- Newegg US – RTX 4060 Ti
The RTX 4080 has been out for longer, being one of the first cards we saw from the 40-series. In that time it has established itself as a premium powerhouse, boasting some of the most powerful specs and impressive frame rates available right now.
As both cards are aimed at different price ranges, we’re not here to crown an overall winner but to give you an overview of them both. This should mean you can get a sense of which one makes the most sense for you.
RTX 4060 Ti vs 4080 – specs comparison
| RTX 4060 Ti specs | RTX 4080 specs | |
| Architecture | Lovelace | Lovelace |
| CUDA Cores | 4,352 | 9,728 |
| Base Clock (MHz) | 2,310 | 2,205 |
| Boost Clock (MHz) | 2,540 | 2,505 |
| Memory | 8/16GB GDDR6X | 16GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Bus | 128-bit | 256-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 288GB/s | 717GB/s |
| TDP | 160/165W | 320W |
We’re taken all the RTX 4060 Ti specs and plugged them into the table above, combining the 8GB and 16GB variants for simplicity.
While the clock speeds of the two cards may be very similar, don’t be fooled, the RTX 4080 is evidently the more powerful card and by a decent amount too. This comes down to two key factors – CUDA cores and memory bus.
As you can see, the RTX 4080 has a considerably larger number of CUDA cores than the RTX 4060 Ti, more than double in fact. CUDA cores are responsible for crunching many of the complicated calculations needed to render graphics and it’s a good rule of thumb that the more cores a GPU has the more powerful it will be.
The other important spec that gives the RTX 4080 the edge is its larger memory bus. Here it is exactly double at 256-bit versus 128-bit on the RTX 4060 Ti. The number of bits in the memory bus dictates how many lanes of information can pass between the VRAM and the rest of the GPU. This facilitates the significantly larger memory bandwidth of the 4080. As a result, even though the 16GB version of the RTX 4060 Ti has the same amount of VRAM, the RTX 4080 will be able to put it to better use thanks to increased bandwidth for transferring information.
RTX 4060 Ti vs RTX 4080 – architecture
Architecture is the more pivotal spec of them all, being responsible for how all the other aspects of a GPU interface with each other and the kind of technology they can use. The good news is that it does not have to factor into your decision between the RTX 4060 Ti and RTX 4080. This is because both use Nvidia’s Ada Lovelace GPU architecture which, you’ll be pleased to hear, is incredibly advanced and efficient.
It grants you access to 4th generation Ray tracing cores as well as 3rd generation Tensor cores. This means more efficient and smooth ray tracing than ever before as well as access to the hugely powerful DLSS 3. This is a neural graphics system that, when activated on compatible games, can massively improve frame rates and resolution thanks to intelligent optimisation.
RTX 4060 Ti vs RTX 4080 – performance
Now that we’ve broken down the key specs of both these GPUs, let’s have a look at how they perform. To cut to the chase, the RTX 4080 performance is superior. It is one of the most powerful cards on the market right now, easily being one of the best GPUs for 4K, and the best GPUs for ray tracing. You won’t find many cards offering better performance in any of the latest games, all the way up to ultra settings.
The RTX 4060 Ti meanwhile is by no means a poor-performing card. We reckon it’s shaping up to be one the best GPUs for 1080p, offering high frame rates for an accessible price. It will also have a capable ray tracing performance, though not at higher resolutions.
RTX 4060 Ti vs RTX 4080 – price
While not technically a spec, the price of a GPU is perhaps the most important thing to consider. You could have the highest frame rate in the world but it’s no good if no one can afford to buy it.
It is also, finally, where the RTX 4060 Ti comes into its own. There are two versions of the card, each with a different price. The 8GB version has an MSRP of $399. If you fancy doubling the VRAM count up to 16GB it’ll set you back another $100, bringing the total to $499. These are impressively low prices for a Lovelace GPU.
- Amazon US – RTX 4060 Ti
- Best Buy US – RTX 4060 Ti
- Newegg US – RTX 4060 Ti
The price of the RTX 4080 is higher, significantly higher, though this is representative of its superior performance. On its release day, the MSRP was $1,199. You can now find it for slightly above or below that price, depending on the exact version you go for, with the best RTX 4080 graphics cards sometimes costing up to $1,500.
ASUS RTX 4080 Noctua OC Edition
Base Clock
2595MHz
Boost Clock
2625MHz
VRAM
16GB GDDR6X
Dimensions
310 x 144.8 x 87.5 mm
Recommended PSU
750W
RTX 4060 Ti vs RTX 4080 – final word
Ultimately, deciding between RTX 4060 Ti and RTX 4080 is more a question of the kind of GPU you are looking for and the budget you have, rather than saying one is superior to the other.
It is true that the 4080 is undeniably more powerful and will offer a superior gaming experience but only if you have the right components around it. You need the best CPU for the RTX 4080, as well as one of the best gaming monitors to really make the most of its power. If you have these then you will get a close to unrivalled gaming experience, if you don’t, however, the price can quickly rack up.
The RTX 4060 Ti meanwhile is aimed at a more budget conscious gamer. You won’t get the flashy 4K performance or faultless frame rates but you will get brilliant performance at 1080p, and the other advantages of Lovelace for a very reasonable price.
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