G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GT 640

2012

Why buy it

✅Costs $300 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 200W, a 135W reduction.
✅Measures 145mm instead of 242mm, a 97mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Ti across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 11.8 vs 50.9 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Why buy it

✅1584.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 331.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 11.8 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌207.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 65W.
❌66.9% longer card at 242mm vs 145mm.

GeForce GT 640

2012

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Why buy it

✅Costs $300 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 200W, a 135W reduction.
✅Measures 145mm instead of 242mm, a 97mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Why buy it

✅1584.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 331.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 11.8 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Ti across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 11.8 vs 50.9 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌207.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 65W.
❌66.9% longer card at 242mm vs 145mm.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 Ti better than GeForce GT 640?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti averages 1584.3% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 20,312 vs 1,169 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is a 2020 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while GeForce GT 640 is a 2012 model from an older generation with no meaningful modern upscaling stack. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2012, 1637.6% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 4 GB, and better upscaling support with DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is about 303.0% more expensive on MSRP at $399 MSRP versus $99 MSRP, and you are getting 1584.3% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 1637.6% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GT 640 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is GeForce GT 640 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. GeForce GT 640 is 2012 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM, 1,169 in G3D Mark, and no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce GT 640 Benchmark Check

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GT 640	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
1080p
low	13 FPS	152 FPS
medium	9 FPS	137 FPS
high	5 FPS	118 FPS
ultra	3 FPS	100 FPS
1440p
low	9 FPS	131 FPS
medium	5 FPS	107 FPS
high	2 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	1 FPS	82 FPS
4K
low	4 FPS	77 FPS
medium	2 FPS	65 FPS
high	1 FPS	50 FPS
ultra	1 FPS	43 FPS

Open GeForce GT 640 Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GT 640	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
1080p
low	34 FPS	425 FPS
medium	15 FPS	366 FPS
high	11 FPS	296 FPS
ultra	7 FPS	248 FPS
1440p
low	11 FPS	272 FPS
medium	5 FPS	229 FPS
high	4 FPS	190 FPS
ultra	3 FPS	156 FPS
4K
low	4 FPS	133 FPS
medium	2 FPS	114 FPS
high	1 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	1 FPS	73 FPS

Open GeForce GT 640 Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GT 640	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
1080p
low	53 FPS	859 FPS
medium	42 FPS	693 FPS
high	35 FPS	602 FPS
ultra	26 FPS	457 FPS
1440p
low	39 FPS	658 FPS
medium	32 FPS	529 FPS
high	26 FPS	452 FPS
ultra	20 FPS	343 FPS
4K
low	26 FPS	434 FPS
medium	21 FPS	346 FPS
high	18 FPS	275 FPS
ultra	13 FPS	221 FPS

Open GeForce GT 640 Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GT 640	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
1080p
low	53 FPS	580 FPS
medium	42 FPS	514 FPS
high	26 FPS	424 FPS
ultra	16 FPS	373 FPS
1440p
low	6 FPS	478 FPS
medium	4 FPS	427 FPS
high	3 FPS	335 FPS
ultra	2 FPS	290 FPS
4K
low	4 FPS	285 FPS
medium	2 FPS	266 FPS
high	2 FPS	234 FPS
ultra	1 FPS	195 FPS

Open GeForce GT 640 Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GT 640 and GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

GeForce GT 640

The GeForce GT 640 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 5 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 902 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 65W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,169 points. Launch price was $99.

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in December 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1410 MHz to 1665 MHz. It has 4864 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 38 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 20,312 points. Launch price was $399.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GT 640 scores 1,169 versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 20,312 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads by 1637.6%. The GeForce GT 640 is built on Kepler while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 640) vs 4,864 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Raw compute: 0.6927 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 640) vs 16.2 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti).

Feature	GeForce GT 640	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
G3D Mark Score	1,169	20,312+1638%
Architecture	Kepler	Ampere
Process Node	28 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	384	4864+1167%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.6927 TFLOPS	16.2 TFLOPS+2239%
ROPs	16	80+400%
TMUs	32	152+375%
L1 Cache	0.03 MB	4.8 MB+15900%
L2 Cache	0.25 MB	4 MB+1500%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GT 640 is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GT 640	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GT 640 comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has 8 GB. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 0.25 MB (GeForce GT 640) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GT 640	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	8 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	448 GB/s
Bus Width	128-bit	256-bit+100%
L2 Cache	0.25 MB	4 MB+1500%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.0 (GeForce GT 640) vs 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GT 640	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
DirectX	11.0	12 Ultimate (12_2)+9%
Vulkan	1.1	1.3+18%
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	3	4+33%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1.0 (GeForce GT 640) vs NVENC (Ampere) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP5 vs NVDEC (Ampere). Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GT 640) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti).

Feature	GeForce GT 640	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Encoder	NVENC 1.0	NVENC (Ampere)
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP5	NVDEC (Ampere)
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP	H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 640 draws 65W versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 200W — a 101.9% difference. The GeForce GT 640 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce GT 640) vs 600W (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Power connectors: None vs 8-pin. Card length: 145mm vs 242mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 60°C vs 75.

Feature	GeForce GT 640	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
TDP	65W-68%	200W
Recommended PSU	300W-50%	600W
Power Connector	None	8-pin
Length	145mm	242mm
Height	111mm	112mm
Slots	1-50%	2
Temp (Load)	60°C-20%	75
Perf/Watt	18.0	101.6+464%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GT 640 launched at $99 MSRP, while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti launched at $399. The GeForce GT 640 costs 75.2% less ($300 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 11.8 (GeForce GT 640) vs 50.9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers 331.4% better value. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the newer GPU (2020 vs 2012).