GeForce GTX 680 vs GeForce RTX 4060 Ti

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 680

2012Core: 1006 MHzBoost: 1058 MHz

Popular choices:

RTX 4060 Ti
VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti

2023Core: 2310 MHzBoost: 2535 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 680

2012

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (5,609 vs 22,651).
  • Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
  • 25.1% HIGHER MSRP
    $499 MSRPvs$399 MSRP

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti

2023

Why buy it

  • +303.8% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Costs $100 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
  • Delivers 405% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 56.8 vs 11.2 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 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 4060 Ti better than GeForce GTX 680?
Yes. GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 22,651 vs 5,609 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is a 2023 card with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation, while GeForce GTX 680 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 4060 Ti is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2012, 303.8% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 4 GB, and better upscaling support with DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution (2023) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack and better frame-generation support with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023) 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 4060 Ti is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is about $100 cheaper on MSRP at $399 MSRP versus $499 MSRP, and you are getting 303.8% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 405%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.
Is GeForce GTX 680 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
Yes. GeForce GTX 680 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 $499 MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 4060 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 680GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
1080p
low78 FPS177 FPS
medium66 FPS162 FPS
high53 FPS142 FPS
ultra35 FPS124 FPS
1440p
low68 FPS143 FPS
medium60 FPS118 FPS
high42 FPS101 FPS
ultra27 FPS93 FPS
4K
low25 FPS93 FPS
medium23 FPS79 FPS
high15 FPS66 FPS
ultra13 FPS59 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce GTX 680GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
1080p
low124 FPS425 FPS
medium92 FPS359 FPS
high70 FPS292 FPS
ultra46 FPS237 FPS
1440p
low67 FPS270 FPS
medium46 FPS229 FPS
high34 FPS186 FPS
ultra24 FPS154 FPS
4K
low25 FPS117 FPS
medium17 FPS95 FPS
high13 FPS77 FPS
ultra10 FPS60 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce GTX 680GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
1080p
low252 FPS855 FPS
medium202 FPS693 FPS
high168 FPS609 FPS
ultra126 FPS510 FPS
1440p
low189 FPS660 FPS
medium151 FPS527 FPS
high126 FPS452 FPS
ultra95 FPS382 FPS
4K
low126 FPS447 FPS
medium101 FPS355 FPS
high84 FPS308 FPS
ultra63 FPS255 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce GTX 680GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
1080p
low126 FPS775 FPS
medium101 FPS639 FPS
high86 FPS558 FPS
ultra73 FPS492 FPS
1440p
low97 FPS613 FPS
medium78 FPS503 FPS
high67 FPS435 FPS
ultra52 FPS378 FPS
4K
low57 FPS375 FPS
medium44 FPS322 FPS
high35 FPS298 FPS
ultra25 FPS255 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 680 and GeForce RTX 4060 Ti

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 680

The GeForce GTX 680 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 22 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 1006 MHz to 1058 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 195W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,609 points. Launch price was $499.

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti

The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 18 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 2310 MHz to 2535 MHz. It has 4352 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 160W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 34 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 22,651 points. Launch price was $399.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 680 scores 5,609 versus the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti's 22,651 — the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti leads by 303.8%. The GeForce GTX 680 is built on Kepler while the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti uses Ada Lovelace, both on 28 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 680) vs 4,352 (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti). Raw compute: 3.25 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 680) vs 22.06 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti). Boost clocks: 1058 MHz vs 2535 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
G3D Mark Score
5,609
22,651+304%
Architecture
Kepler
Ada Lovelace
Process Node
28 nm
5 nm
Shading Units
1536
4352+183%
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.25 TFLOPS
22.06 TFLOPS+579%
Boost Clock
1058 MHz
2535 MHz+140%
ROPs
32
48+50%
TMUs
128
136+6%
L1 Cache
0.13 MB
4.3 MB+3208%
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
32 MB+6300%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is support for DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The GeForce GTX 680 lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti supports the newer DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 680 is capped at Upscaling support.

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution
Frame Generation
Not Supported
DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction
No
Yes (DLSS 3.5)
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 680 comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti has 8 GB. The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 192.2 GB/s (GeForce GTX 680) vs 288 GB/s (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) — a 49.8% advantage for the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti. Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (GeForce GTX 680) vs 32 MB (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
8 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
192.2 GB/s
288 GB/s+50%
Bus Width
256-bit+100%
128-bit
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
32 MB+6300%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FL 11_0) (GeForce GTX 680) vs 12.2 (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
DirectX
12 (FL 11_0)
12.2+2%
Vulkan
1.1
1.3+18%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st gen (GeForce GTX 680) vs 8th Gen NVENC (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti). Decoder: PureVideo VP5 vs 5th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTX 680) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti).

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
Encoder
NVENC 1st gen
8th Gen NVENC
Decoder
PureVideo VP5
5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 680 draws 195W versus the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti's 160W — a 19.7% difference. The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce GTX 680) vs 550W (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 256mm vs 240mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 98°C vs 70°C.

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
TDP
195W
160W-18%
Recommended PSU
550W
550W
Power Connector
2x 6-pin
8-pin
Length
256mm
240mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
98°C
70°C-29%
Perf/Watt
28.8
141.6+392%
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 680 launched at $499 MSRP, while the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti launched at $399. The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti costs 20% less ($100 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 11.2 (GeForce GTX 680) vs 56.8 (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti offers 407.1% better value. The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is the newer GPU (2023 vs 2012).

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
MSRP
$499
$399-20%
Performance per Dollar
11.2
56.8+407%
Codename
GK104
AD106
Release
March 22 2012
May 18 2023
Ranking
#410
#59