GeForce RTX 3060 vs GeForce RTX 4070 Ti

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060

2021Core: 1320 MHzBoost: 1777 MHz

Popular choices:

RTX 4070 Ti
VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4070 Ti

2023Core: 2310 MHzBoost: 2610 MHz

Popular choices:

RTX 3060

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 RTX 3060

2021

Why buy it

  • Costs $470 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $799 MSRP).
  • Delivers 30.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 39.5 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $799 MSRP).
  • Draws 170W instead of 285W, a 115W reduction.
  • Measures 242mm instead of 285mm, a 43mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 4070 Ti across 44 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • Weaker long-term outlook: GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.

GeForce RTX 4070 Ti

2023

Why buy it

  • 47.5% more average FPS across 44 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 142.9% HIGHER MSRP
    $799 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 39.5 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($799 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
  • 67.6% higher power demand at 285W vs 170W.
  • 17.8% longer card at 285mm vs 242mm.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 4070 Ti better than GeForce RTX 3060?
Yes. GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 4070 Ti averages 47.5% more FPS across 44 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 31,578 vs 16,995 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is a 2023 card with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation, while GeForce RTX 3060 is a 2021 model from an older generation with DLSS Super Resolution. 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 4070 Ti is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2021, 85.8% more raw performance headroom, better upscaling support with DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution (2023) instead of DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) and better frame-generation support with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023) instead of DLSS Super Resolution, and a 4nm process instead of 8nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.
Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?
GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is about 142.9% more expensive on MSRP at $799 MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and you are getting 47.5% more estimated average FPS across 44 tracked games in our benchmark data and 85.8% higher G3D Mark. GeForce RTX 3060 still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium. If you are comfortable paying the premium for the stronger gaming result, GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the one to buy. If staying closer to budget matters more, GeForce RTX 3060 still makes more sense on price alone and remains capable enough for modern gaming.
Is GeForce RTX 3060 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 is still a strong gaming GPU in 2026: it is very strong for 1080p, good for 1440p, and more limited at 4K. This mostly comes down to price. If you want to stay closer to $329 MSRP, it remains a strong choice; if you are comfortable paying more, GeForce RTX 4070 Ti earns that extra money with a clearly stronger gaming result and a more complete overall package.

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 RTX 3060GeForce RTX 4070 Ti
1080p
low149 FPS188 FPS
medium131 FPS171 FPS
high118 FPS155 FPS
ultra99 FPS135 FPS
1440p
low126 FPS151 FPS
medium104 FPS125 FPS
high92 FPS111 FPS
ultra80 FPS102 FPS
4K
low67 FPS92 FPS
medium58 FPS79 FPS
high39 FPS66 FPS
ultra32 FPS59 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3060GeForce RTX 4070 Ti
1080p
low354 FPS664 FPS
medium310 FPS539 FPS
high249 FPS415 FPS
ultra195 FPS366 FPS
1440p
low222 FPS496 FPS
medium196 FPS400 FPS
high160 FPS329 FPS
ultra128 FPS269 FPS
4K
low110 FPS250 FPS
medium94 FPS211 FPS
high77 FPS187 FPS
ultra60 FPS159 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce RTX 3060GeForce RTX 4070 Ti
1080p
low765 FPS921 FPS
medium612 FPS742 FPS
high510 FPS652 FPS
ultra382 FPS569 FPS
1440p
low535 FPS720 FPS
medium432 FPS578 FPS
high366 FPS497 FPS
ultra287 FPS427 FPS
4K
low367 FPS498 FPS
medium298 FPS403 FPS
high221 FPS352 FPS
ultra176 FPS296 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce RTX 3060GeForce RTX 4070 Ti
1080p
low523 FPS879 FPS
medium452 FPS731 FPS
high383 FPS664 FPS
ultra319 FPS600 FPS
1440p
low428 FPS706 FPS
medium371 FPS585 FPS
high298 FPS514 FPS
ultra245 FPS460 FPS
4K
low279 FPS477 FPS
medium259 FPS408 FPS
high225 FPS366 FPS
ultra186 FPS324 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 and GeForce RTX 4070 Ti

NVIDIA

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.

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4070 Ti

The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 3 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 2310 MHz to 2610 MHz. It has 7680 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 285W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 60 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 31,578 points. Launch price was $799.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti's 31,578 — the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti leads by 85.8%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti uses Ada Lovelace, both on 8 nm vs 4 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 7,680 (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 40.09 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 2610 MHz. Ray tracing: 28 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 60 (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti) with 112 Tensor cores vs 240.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060GeForce RTX 4070 Ti
G3D Mark Score
16,995
31,578+86%
Architecture
Ampere
Ada Lovelace
Process Node
8 nm
4 nm
Shading Units
3584
7680+114%
Compute (TFLOPS)
12.74 TFLOPS
40.09 TFLOPS+215%
Boost Clock
1777 MHz
2610 MHz+47%
ROPs
48
80+67%
TMUs
112
240+114%
L1 Cache
3.5 MB
7.5 MB+114%
L2 Cache
3 MB
48 MB+1500%
Ray Tracing Cores
28
60+114%
Tensor Cores
112
240+114%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the GeForce RTX 4070 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 RTX 3060 lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti supports the newer DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce RTX 3060 is capped at DLSS 2 Super Resolution.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060GeForce RTX 4070 Ti
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
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)

Both cards feature 12 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 360 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 504 GB/s (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti) — a 40% advantage for the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti. Bus width: 192-bit vs 192-bit. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 48 MB (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060GeForce RTX 4070 Ti
VRAM Capacity
12 GB
12 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6X
Memory Bandwidth
360 GB/s
504 GB/s+40%
Bus Width
192-bit
192-bit
L2 Cache
3 MB
48 MB+1500%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060GeForce RTX 4070 Ti
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12 Ultimate
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 (8th Gen) (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs NVDEC (5th Gen). Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs AV1,H.264,H.265,VP9 (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060GeForce RTX 4070 Ti
Encoder
NVENC 7th Gen
NVENC (8th Gen)
Decoder
NVDEC 5th Gen
NVDEC (5th Gen)
Codecs
AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9
AV1,H.264,H.265,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti's 285W — a 50.5% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 700W (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 285mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 70°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060GeForce RTX 4070 Ti
TDP
170W-40%
285W
Recommended PSU
550W-21%
700W
Power Connector
8-pin
8-pin
Length
242mm
285mm
Height
112mm
112mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75
70°C-7%
Perf/Watt
100.0
110.8+11%
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3060 launched at $329 MSRP, while the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti launched at $799. The GeForce RTX 3060 costs 58.8% less ($470 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 39.5 (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 30.9% better value. The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the newer GPU (2023 vs 2021).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060GeForce RTX 4070 Ti
MSRP
$329-59%
$799
Performance per Dollar
51.7+31%
39.5
Codename
GA106
AD104
Release
January 12 2021
January 3 2023
Ranking
#114
#11