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The Nvidia RTX 4060 has comfortably positioned itself as one of the most successful cards in the current generation with its affordable $299 price tag, support for advanced ray tracing and upscaling techniques like DLSS 3.0 with frame generation, and efficiency improvements. The GPU is selling like hotcakes and has already positioned itself as the third most popular option on the Steam Hardware Survey charts, while its laptop-optimized sibling took the second spot.
Although Nvidia has cracked the formula with the Ada Lovelace-based 60-class offering, the GPU has been criticized, especially for its limited 8 GB VRAM buffer, little improvements over the last gen 3060 and 3060 Ti, and a severely cut-down graphics chip that struggles with 1440p gaming. To this end, many gamers are actively seeking more capable, cheaper, or better-positioned alternatives, which is exactly what we present in this article.
NOTE: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinion.
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Best GPUs to consider instead of the Nvidia RTX 4060
1) Intel Arc B580 12 GB ($249-269)
The Intel Arc B580 is one of the latest GPUs to hit the market. The card has been specifically designed to take on the RTX 4060 and RX 7600 graphics cards with more VRAM and cheaper pricing. While there are certain limitations to Team Blue video cards, you won't get better value in the sub-$250 range. We believe it is a fine alternative to the 4060 if you're limited by the card's $300 price tag.
The Arc B580 is powered by the latest Battlemage architecture. The improved Xe2 cores with the GPU have pushed 50% extra performance over the last generation, allowing Intel to catch up with its competitors in efficiency and performance figures. Another talking point of the GPU is the 12 GB GDDR6 VRAM which will set you up for at least a couple of years. However, the GPU isn't very power efficient and is rated at 190W.
Pros:
- The $249 price tag is unbeatable given the rasterization capabilities of the GPU
- The GPU is capable of both 1080p and 1440p gaming.
Cons:
- Driver optimization issues continue to plague Intel GPUs.
- The 190W TDP rating is a bit on the higher end.
- Ray tracing performance is worse than AMD and Nvidia cards.
2) AMD Radeon RX 7600 8 GB ($249-279)
The AMD Radeon RX 7600 was Team Red's response to the RTX 4060. With a similar performance budget, the card directly takes on Nvidia's $300 offering with a cheaper $269 price tag. These days, the card can be bought for as low as $249 with well-built triple-fan variants going for up to $279. This makes it a prime alternative for the 4060 if you're looking for AMD-exclusive features or just a cheaper video card.
The 7600 is based on the RDNA 3.0 technology and is powered by the Navi 33 graphics chip. Much like Nvidia's card, it offers 8 GB of GDDR6 VRAM, which can be a bit problematic for high-resolution gaming. Moreover, the industry standard is quickly moving to 10-12 GB of VRAM and 8 GB cards could be rendered obsolete by the end of 2025.
Pros:
- Great 1080p performance at an affordable price.
- You get RDNA 3 efficiency with the card, a feature missing on the Arc B580.
- It delivers a decent mix of ray tracing and upscaling features given the $269 price.
Cons:
- 8 GB VRAM is a problem for higher-resolution gaming.
- Upscaling and AI-based workloads aren't as good as Nvidia counterparts.
3) AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT ($319-329)
Last-gen AMD graphics cards continue to represent significant value when it comes to performance-per-dollar metrics. The RX 6750 XT is worthy of mention in this class, as it delivers high frame rates at both 1080p and 1440p without breaking the bank. AMD continues to sell this GPU at a slashed $319-329 price range, though better deals are available in the used market.
The GPU packs 12 GB of GDDR6 memory based on a 192-bit memory bus. It does little to improve over the original 6700 XT other than having higher operating clock speeds which allows it to push about 5% extra framerates in games. In terms of performance, it is pretty close to the RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB.
Pros:
- The RX 6750 XT is suitable for both 1080p and 1440p gaming.
- The 12 GB VRAM makes it more future-proof than the 4060.
- At $319-329, the card delivers unbeatable price-to-performance ratios.
Cons:
- The 250W TDP is high given its performance capabilities.
- Slower ray tracing compared to Nvidia GPUs like the RTX 4060 and 4060 Ti.
- Older architecture limits performance in upscaling.
4) AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT 16 GB ($329)
The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is another notable mention in the $300 range. The GPU's primary talking point is the massive 16 GB VRAM budget, which is double that of the RTX 4060. Although it is pretty close to the 7600 8 GB in terms of the underlying hardware, the card solves a key problem of the cheaper alternative by opting for extra video memory. This makes it a no-brainer future-proof solution for gamers who don't want to spend nearly $400-500 on a GPU.
In terms of hardware, you get the same Navi 33 chip with 2,048 Shading Units as the cheaper 7600. Despite the large 16 GB VRAM buffer, the card is based on a 128-bit memory bus and a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, limiting the total bandwidth to just 288 GB/s. This is a potential limitation that gamers should notice before pulling the trigger. In contrast, the RTX 4060 delivers a bandwidth of 272 GB/s with half the video memory.
Pros:
- The RX 7600 XT is designed for 1080p and 1440p gaming.
- Great for content creation and training AI models with 16 GB VRAM.
Cons:
- The GPU doesn't deliver any performance improvements over the 7600.
- The video memory interface is severely limited with a 128-bit bus and PCIe 4.0 x8 interface.
5) AMD Radeon RX 6800 16 GB ($399)
If you are willing to spend some extra cash on a GPU, the AMD RX 6800 16 GB can be a fine alternative to the RTX 4060. The card was originally launched as a 1440p and 4K gaming powerhouse, directly competing against the RTX 3080. However, these days, it has been lucratively discounted to keep up against Nvidia's newer offerings. In games, the card is about 10-15% faster than the 4060 Ti 16 GB, making it a supreme option for budget gamers.
The RX 6800 16 GB arguably solves all the problems with the cards listed above. Despite being a generation old, the card continues to be extremely capable at 1440p and 4K resolutions. Moreover, the 16 GB VRAM buffer is based on a wide 256-bit bus, which pushes the total bandwidth to 512 GB/s. Despite all this, the card draws just 250W, making it just as power-efficient as the much weaker 6750 XT.
Pros:
- You get decent 1440p and 4K gaming performance with 16 GB VRAM.
- The high 512 GB/s memory bandwidth is unseen at this range.
- Competitive performance against similarly priced Nvidia cards like the 4060 Ti.
Cons:
- Ray tracing isn't as good as Nvidia.
- The GPU might run out of stock soon given production has already stopped.
These are some of your best bets if you aren't particularly attracted to the RTX 4060. Do note that none of Nvidia's older GPUs like the 3060 Ti 8 GB made the cut since they are still selling at steep prices while offering the same limitations as cheaper Intel or AMD alternatives. We believe the cards listed above represent the best price-to-performance, a metric quite crucial in the entry-level market.
