Nvidia RTX 4060 vs RTX 3060 comparison – which GPU should you go for?

We’re having a look at a comparison of the RTX 4060 vs RTX 3060. With the latest Lovelace GPU right around the corner let’s have a look at how it shapes against an Amphere powerhouse.

The RTX 4060 release date has been and gone. This means that the most affordable way to get your hands on the hugely power Ada Lovelace architecture is now available until the RTX 4050’s release date comes along that is. This means there are a tonne of people out there who will have their eye on this card. Many of them will currently own the RTX 3060 and be wondering whether it is worth upgrading, while others will be considering both cards and trying to figure out which one is the more sensible investment.

The RTX 3060 has been enduring popularity since its release thanks to its balancing of price and performance. You’ll have seen it popping up on lists of the best GPU for 1080p and the best GPU for ray tracing, so it’s easy to see why it has shifted so many units.

To make our comparison as simple as possible, we’ve broken it down into several different sections and compared the card in each. Let’s get into it.

RTX 4060 vs RTX 3060 – specs comparison

Specification	RTX 4060	RTX 3060
GPU	AD107	GA106
Architecture	Ada Lovelace	Ampere
CUDA Cores	3072	3,584
Base Clock (MHz)	1,830	1,320
Boost Clock (MHz)	2,460	1,777
Memory	8GB GDDR6	12GB GDDR6
Memory Bus	128-bit	192-bit
Memory Bandwidth	272.0 GB/s	360.0 GB/s
Cache Memory	24MB	3MB
Bus Interface	PCIe 4.0 x8	PCIe 4.0 x16
Tensor Cores	96	112
Total graphics power	115W	170W
Maximum display resolution	4K at 240Hz or 8K at 60Hz with DSC	7680 × 4320

As you can see from the specs in the table above, it is not as simple as the RTX 4060 being superior in every respect. We’ve made the choice to compare the RTX 4060 to the 12GB variant of the 3060, as this makes for a closer comparison. There is also an inferior 8GB version of the RTX 3060 which the RTX 4060 is likely to significantly outperform and which is also far less common.

This means that the 3060 has a larger amount of VRAM and this is a key spec too. Having 4GB more is what means the difference in performance between these two cards could be close.

Alongside VRAM, the most important spec is CUDA core count. It’s these cores that do the brute work of executing the calculations necessary to generate the frames. With these cores, it is often a case of sheer numbers offering superior performance. The cores in the RTX 4060 are also more powerful, this is thanks to another vital thing to consider when comparing GPUs – architecture.

RTX 4060 vs RTX 3060 – architecture

The architecture is the fundamental framework through which all the different digital and physical parts of a GPU interact. With each generation, Nvidia release a new and improved architecture and the one that features in the RTX 40-series made significant performance improvements.

One of the most important of these is the improved cores. Both Lovelace and the RTX 3060’s Amphere architecture have specific cores dedicated to ray tracing and tensor cores for AI optimisations. However, both of these are the next generation in the RTX 4060 which means significantly better performance, both in terms of sheer power and energy efficiency.

It’s the 3rd generation tensor cores that fuel Lovelace’s hugely powerful DLSS 3. DLSS uses AI and deep learning algorithms to generate frames and upscale images in compatible games, all without requiring more computing power from the card itself. This means in compatible games the RTX 4060 will see a significant spike in performance.

RTX 4060 vs RTX 3060 – performance

At the end of the day measuring specs and comparing architecture is a means to an end, and that end is to discern which card has the better performance. For the RTX 3060 we know that it is capable of generating decent frame rates at 1080p in most games, though performance does drop for 1440p and 4K gaming. Its ray tracing performance is good and you can certainly enjoy the light tracking technology on this card, but it is not excellent.

For the RTX 4060. the performance is better, around 15-20% better. In fact, we think that the card is one of the best GPUs for 1080p. This will especially be true in games that are compatible with DLSS 3, where the RTX 4060 will easily achieve higher frame rates.

RTX 4060 vs RTX 3060 – price

You could be the best-performing GPU in the world but, with the wrong price, people aren’t going to bite. Fortunately, these are both on the more affordable end of the spectrum. The RTX 4060’s price makes it not only one of the best GPUs for under $500 but mean it just qualifies as one of the best GPUs for under $300 with an MSRP of $299. You can find out where to buy the RTX 4060 here.

The RTX 3060 is one of the most affordable Ampere GPUs out there. The 12GB version, which we have mainly been looking at here, comes with an MSRP of $359, and the less powerful 8GB version is $329. That said the card has been out for a while now meaning that you can tend to find it for around $270.

MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 4060

Base Clock

1830MHz

Boost Clock

2460MHz

VRAM

8GB

Recommended PSU

300W

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RTX 4060 vs RTX 3060 – final word

The RTX 4060 has superior performance overall. DLSS 3 has an impact, boosting performance ahead of the RTX 3060 even more in compatible games. The next gen ray tracing cores create a bit more impact when the lighting feature is enabled to boot.

The increase in performance could be marginal enough that it is not worth upgrading if you currently have the RTX 3060, though the price is similar enough that you’re wondering which one you should go for the RTX 4060 looks likely to offer the better value.

Frequently asked questions

Is RTX 4060 better than the RTX 3060?

Exclusive Ada Lovelace features like DLSS 3 and advanced ray tracing help give the 4060 a performance uplift, though only by so much. We’ll have to wait until the independent reviews emerge until we confirm how much better the 4060 is compared to the 3060.