Nvidia RTX 3060 vs RTX 3060 Ti: Which is the best gaming GPU?

The Nvidia RTX 3060 and the 3060 Ti were launched as premium 1080p gaming graphics cards in the last generation. They have been replaced by the far more capable 4060 series, which comes with better power efficiency, improved ray tracing, and support for DLSS 3 with frame generation. Despite lacking the latest hardware, the 30-series cards continue to be superb options for gaming in 2024.

This raises the question — which GPU among the 3060 and the 3060 Ti is the better buy? While the cheaper GPU pairs 12 GB of VRAM, the Ti variant boasts better rendering potential.

Choosing between these cards can be difficult. Let's go over the finer details of the cards, including specs and performance in this comparison guide.

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Both the RTX 3060 and the 3060 Ti continue to be powerful 1080p gaming GPUs

The RTX 3060 can play most AAA games at 1080p (Image via Nvidia)

The RTX 3060 and the 3060 Ti are some of the most popular graphics cards today. They sold like hotcakes as soon as GPU prices went down to normal following the global chip shortage. Today, they take up the first and third positions, respectively, on the Steam Hardware Survey charts. Despite being over three years old, there's still quite some interest in these 60-class video cards.

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Specs comparison

In terms of on-paper specs, both GPUs have their pros and cons. While the RTX 3060 is based on the severely cut-down GA106 graphics processor, the Ti sibling uses the much larger GA104. The costlier GPU also bundles 35% extra CUDA cores, RT cores, and Tensor cores. This should translate to a serious lead in terms of gaming prowess.

However, the cheaper 3060 takes a demanding lead in terms of VRAM capacity. While the $400 GPU packs the same old 8 GB GDDR6 memory as its predecessor, the 3060 is available in a 12 GB variant. With video games getting more demanding, this ensures your rig stays future-proof for at least a couple of years to come.

Here is a detailed specs comparison:

	RTX 3060	RTX 3060 Ti
Graphics processor	GA106	GA104
CUDA cores	3584	4864
RT cores	28	38
VRAM size	12 GB	8 GB
VRAM type	192-bit GDDR6 15 Gbps	256-bit GDDR6 14 Gbps
Power draw	170W	200W
Price	$200-230	$220-270

At launch, the 3060 was pegged at $330, while the 3060 Ti was available at $400. Both cards have gotten much cheaper, making them lucrative buys on a budget.

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Performance comparison

The RTX 3060 Ti is way more powerful than the 3060 (Image via Nvidia)

Undoubtedly, the RTX 3060 Ti is the more powerful graphics card among the two. However, we are interested in the performance delta.

Below is a detailed comparison of the framerates achieved by either GPU in some of the latest video games. The data has been sourced from the YouTube channel, Testing Games.

	Nvidia RTX 3060	Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti
Resident Evil 4	68 FPS	82 FPS (+20.5%)
Atomic Heart	81 FPS	106 FPS (+30.8%)
Cyberpunk 2077	52 FPS	67 FPS (+29.8%)
Hogwarts Legacy	49 FPS	66 FPS (+34.7%)
Forza Horizon 5	77 FPS	103 FPS (+33.7%)
Sons of the Forest	77 FPS	92 FPS (+19.5%)
Spider-Man Remastered	72 FPS	87 FPS (+20.8%)
Microsoft Flight Simulator	65 FPS	82 FPS (+26.2%)
God of War	75 FPS	94 FPS (+25.3%)
The Witcher 3	56 FPS	70 FPS (+25%)

The 3060 Ti takes a staggering 25-30% lead in most of the latest AAA video games at FHD resolutions. Although all titles are still quite playable on the 3060, this could be the difference between being unplayable and offering a smooth experience a few years down the line.

While the 12 GB of VRAM is a positive thing on the 3060, it doesn't contribute to a huge difference at 1080p, as I wrote in a detailed comparison of the RTX 3060 8 GB and 12 GB options. This makes the 3060 Ti the better buy today, given it's available for about $30-$50 more.

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Both the 3060 and the 3060 Ti are capable rendering machines. However, our recommendation scale tips towards the latter because of the significant value the card brings to the table. The GPU isn't much slower than the new 4060 Ti, and it can get very close to the RX 6700 XT, both of which are costlier GPUs.