GeForce GTX 780 Ti vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 780 Ti

2013Core: 875 MHzBoost: 928 MHz

Popular choices:

RTX 3060 Ti
VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020Core: 1410 MHzBoost: 1665 MHz

Popular choices:

Performance Spectrum - GPU

About G3D Mark

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 GTX 780 Ti

2013

Why buy it

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Ti across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
  • 75.2% HIGHER MSRP
    $699 MSRPvs$399 MSRP

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Why buy it

  • 135.8% more average FPS across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $300 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
  • Delivers 275.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 13.5 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 166.7% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 3 GB).

Trade-offs

  • Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 Ti better than GeForce GTX 780 Ti?
Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti averages 135.8% more FPS across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 20,312 vs 9,469 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is a 2020 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while GeForce GTX 780 Ti is a 2013 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 2013, 114.5% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 3 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 today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is about $300 cheaper on MSRP at $399 MSRP versus $699 MSRP, and you are getting 135.8% more estimated average FPS across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data and 114.5% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 275.8%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.
Is GeForce GTX 780 Ti still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
Yes. GeForce GTX 780 Ti is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $699 MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

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.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce GTX 780 TiGeForce RTX 3060 Ti
1080p
low89 FPS152 FPS
medium74 FPS137 FPS
high59 FPS118 FPS
ultra40 FPS100 FPS
1440p
low71 FPS131 FPS
medium59 FPS107 FPS
high43 FPS91 FPS
ultra29 FPS82 FPS
4K
low29 FPS77 FPS
medium26 FPS65 FPS
high19 FPS50 FPS
ultra16 FPS43 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce GTX 780 TiGeForce RTX 3060 Ti
1080p
low171 FPS425 FPS
medium143 FPS366 FPS
high113 FPS296 FPS
ultra82 FPS248 FPS
1440p
low114 FPS272 FPS
medium85 FPS229 FPS
high65 FPS190 FPS
ultra45 FPS156 FPS
4K
low49 FPS133 FPS
medium39 FPS114 FPS
high34 FPS96 FPS
ultra26 FPS73 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce GTX 780 TiGeForce RTX 3060 Ti
1080p
low426 FPS859 FPS
medium341 FPS693 FPS
high284 FPS602 FPS
ultra213 FPS457 FPS
1440p
low320 FPS658 FPS
medium256 FPS529 FPS
high213 FPS452 FPS
ultra160 FPS343 FPS
4K
low213 FPS434 FPS
medium170 FPS346 FPS
high142 FPS275 FPS
ultra107 FPS221 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce GTX 780 TiGeForce RTX 3060 Ti
1080p
low145 FPS580 FPS
medium115 FPS514 FPS
high96 FPS424 FPS
ultra77 FPS373 FPS
1440p
low105 FPS478 FPS
medium85 FPS427 FPS
high71 FPS335 FPS
ultra55 FPS290 FPS
4K
low63 FPS285 FPS
medium47 FPS266 FPS
high37 FPS234 FPS
ultra26 FPS195 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 780 Ti and GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 780 Ti

The GeForce GTX 780 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in November 7 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 875 MHz to 928 MHz. It has 2880 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,469 points. Launch price was $699.

NVIDIA

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 GTX 780 Ti scores 9,469 versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 20,312 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads by 114.5%. The GeForce GTX 780 Ti is built on Kepler while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,880 (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs 4,864 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Raw compute: 5.345 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs 16.2 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Boost clocks: 928 MHz vs 1665 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 780 TiGeForce RTX 3060 Ti
G3D Mark Score
9,469
20,312+115%
Architecture
Kepler
Ampere
Process Node
28 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
2880
4864+69%
Compute (TFLOPS)
5.345 TFLOPS
16.2 TFLOPS+203%
Boost Clock
928 MHz
1665 MHz+79%
ROPs
48
80+67%
TMUs
240+58%
152
L1 Cache
0.23 MB
4.8 MB+1987%
L2 Cache
1.5 MB
4 MB+167%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 780 Ti is capped at Upscaling support.

FeatureGeForce GTX 780 TiGeForce 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 GTX 780 Ti comes with 3 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has 8 GB. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers 166.7% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 336 GB/s (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs 448 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — a 33.3% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. Bus width: 384-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 780 TiGeForce RTX 3060 Ti
VRAM Capacity
3 GB
8 GB+167%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
336 GB/s
448 GB/s+33%
Bus Width
384-bit+50%
256-bit
L2 Cache
1.5 MB
4 MB+167%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 780 TiGeForce RTX 3060 Ti
DirectX
12
12 Ultimate (12_2)
Vulkan
1.2
1.3+8%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st gen (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs NVENC (Ampere) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Decoder: NVDEC 1st gen vs NVDEC (Ampere). Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti).

FeatureGeForce GTX 780 TiGeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Encoder
NVENC 1st gen
NVENC (Ampere)
Decoder
NVDEC 1st gen
NVDEC (Ampere)
Codecs
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 780 Ti draws 250W versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 200W — a 22.2% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs 600W (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 242mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 83°C vs 75.

FeatureGeForce GTX 780 TiGeForce RTX 3060 Ti
TDP
250W
200W-20%
Recommended PSU
600W
600W
Power Connector
6-pin + 8-pin
8-pin
Length
267mm
242mm
Height
111mm
112mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
83°C
75-10%
Perf/Watt
37.9
101.6+168%
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 780 Ti launched at $699 MSRP, while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti launched at $399. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti costs 42.9% less ($300 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 13.5 (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs 50.9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers 277% better value. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the newer GPU (2020 vs 2013).

FeatureGeForce GTX 780 TiGeForce RTX 3060 Ti
MSRP
$699
$399-43%
Performance per Dollar
13.5
50.9+277%
Codename
GK110B
GA104
Release
November 7 2013
December 1 2020
Ranking
#278
#73