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 RTX 3060

2021

Why buy it

✅Costs $70 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 8 GB).
✅Draws 170W instead of 200W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Ti across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Fewer Tensor Cores for AI-powered features like DLSS and frame generation (112 vs 152), which can reduce FPS gains in supported games.

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Why buy it

✅15.8% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅35.7% more Tensor Cores for AI-powered features like DLSS and frame generation, which can increase overall FPS in supported games (152 vs 112).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 8 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌
21.3% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
❌17.6% higher power demand at 200W vs 170W.

GeForce RTX 3060

2021

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Why buy it

✅Costs $70 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 8 GB).
✅Draws 170W instead of 200W, a 30W reduction.

Why buy it

✅15.8% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅35.7% more Tensor Cores for AI-powered features like DLSS and frame generation, which can increase overall FPS in supported games (152 vs 112).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Ti across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Fewer Tensor Cores for AI-powered features like DLSS and frame generation (112 vs 152), which can reduce FPS gains in supported games.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 8 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌
21.3% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
❌17.6% higher power demand at 200W vs 170W.

Quick Answers

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

Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 15.8% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data, 19.5% higher PassMark G3D performance, and 152 vs 112 Tensor cores. It also comes from 2020 instead of 2021, which helps its case as the more complete modern gaming card.

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

GeForce RTX 3060 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2021 generation instead of 2020 and more VRAM at 12 GB instead of 8 GB. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

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

GeForce RTX 3060 is easier to justify on price alone at $329 MSRP, but GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is still the stronger gaming card overall. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is about 21.3% more expensive on MSRP at $399 MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and you are getting 15.8% more estimated average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data and 19.5% higher G3D Mark. GeForce RTX 3060 still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium. Go with GeForce RTX 3060 Ti if you want the better experience; go with GeForce RTX 3060 if keeping cost down matters more than squeezing out the highest performance.

When does GeForce RTX 3060 make more sense than GeForce RTX 3060 Ti?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is very strong for 1080p, good for 1440p, and more limited at 4K. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, lower power draw (170W vs 200W), future-proofing, and staying closer to $329 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. The trade-off is that GeForce RTX 3060 Ti currently gives you 19.5% higher G3D Mark and 15.8% more estimated average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data. GeForce RTX 3060 still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium.

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 RTX 3060 Benchmark Check

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
1080p
low	149 FPS	152 FPS
medium	131 FPS	137 FPS
high	118 FPS	118 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	100 FPS
1440p
low	126 FPS	131 FPS
medium	104 FPS	107 FPS
high	92 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	82 FPS
4K
low	67 FPS	77 FPS
medium	58 FPS	65 FPS
high	39 FPS	50 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	43 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
1080p
low	354 FPS	425 FPS
medium	310 FPS	366 FPS
high	249 FPS	296 FPS
ultra	195 FPS	248 FPS
1440p
low	222 FPS	272 FPS
medium	196 FPS	229 FPS
high	160 FPS	190 FPS
ultra	128 FPS	156 FPS
4K
low	110 FPS	133 FPS
medium	94 FPS	114 FPS
high	77 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	60 FPS	73 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
1080p
low	765 FPS	859 FPS
medium	612 FPS	693 FPS
high	510 FPS	602 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	457 FPS
1440p
low	535 FPS	658 FPS
medium	432 FPS	529 FPS
high	366 FPS	452 FPS
ultra	287 FPS	343 FPS
4K
low	367 FPS	434 FPS
medium	298 FPS	346 FPS
high	221 FPS	275 FPS
ultra	176 FPS	221 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
1080p
low	523 FPS	580 FPS
medium	452 FPS	514 FPS
high	383 FPS	424 FPS
ultra	319 FPS	373 FPS
1440p
low	428 FPS	478 FPS
medium	371 FPS	427 FPS
high	298 FPS	335 FPS
ultra	245 FPS	290 FPS
4K
low	279 FPS	285 FPS
medium	259 FPS	266 FPS
high	225 FPS	234 FPS
ultra	186 FPS	195 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

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

GeForce RTX 3060

The GeForce RTX 3060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 12 2021. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1320 MHz to 1777 MHz. It has 3584 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 170W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 28 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 16,995 points. Launch price was $329.

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 RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 20,312 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads by 19.5%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti uses Ampere, both on a 8 nm process. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 4,864 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 16.2 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 1665 MHz. Ray tracing: 28 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 38 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) with 112 Tensor cores vs 152.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
G3D Mark Score	16,995	20,312+20%
Architecture	Ampere	Ampere
Process Node	8 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	3584	4864+36%
Compute (TFLOPS)	12.74 TFLOPS	16.2 TFLOPS+27%
Boost Clock	1777 MHz+7%	1665 MHz
ROPs	48	80+67%
TMUs	112	152+36%
L1 Cache	3.5 MB	4.8 MB+37%
L2 Cache	3 MB	4 MB+33%
Ray Tracing Cores	28	38+36%
Tensor Cores	112	152+36%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 2 Super Resolution	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 RTX 3060 comes with 12 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has 8 GB. The GeForce RTX 3060 offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 360 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 448 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — a 24.4% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. Bus width: 192-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
VRAM Capacity	12 GB+50%	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	360 GB/s	448 GB/s+24%
Bus Width	192-bit	256-bit+33%
L2 Cache	3 MB	4 MB+33%

🖥️

Display & API Support

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

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Vulkan	1.3	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060) vs NVENC (Ampere) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs NVDEC (Ampere). Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Encoder	NVENC 7th Gen	NVENC (Ampere)
Decoder	NVDEC 5th Gen	NVDEC (Ampere)
Codecs	AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9	H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 200W — a 16.2% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 600W (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 242mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 75.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
TDP	170W-15%	200W
Recommended PSU	550W-8%	600W
Power Connector	8-pin	8-pin
Length	242mm	242mm
Height	112mm	112mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	75	75
Perf/Watt	100.0	101.6+2%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3060 launched at $329 MSRP, while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti launched at $399. The GeForce RTX 3060 costs 17.5% less ($70 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 50.9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 1.6% better value. The GeForce RTX 3060 is the newer GPU (2021 vs 2020).