Difference between Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 and 3060 Ti

Nvidia GeForce GPUs have always had great specs and performance, where the RTX series of GPUs, especially the 3060 and 3060 Ti, are among the best in their class.

On the surface, the RTX 3060 and RTX 3060 Ti are very similar; they share the same name, architecture, cooling system and size. However, they still have some differences. Here is a detailed comparison between Nvidia RTX 3060 and RTX 3060 Ti for you to decide which is the right GPU for your gaming PC.

Compare the specifications of the RTX 3060 and RTX 3060 Ti

 

Both cards use Samsung's 8nm technology process but differ in the number of transistors. The RTX 3060 contains 13.25 billion transistors, while the RTX 3060 Ti has a transistor count of 17.4 billion. More transistors are usually a sign of a new and faster processor.

However, the RTX 3060, the slightly newer model, is built on the Ampere GA106 GPU die. On the other hand, the RTX 3060 Ti is based on the physically larger GA104 GPU die, which reduces the amount of heat.

The RTX 3060 contains 3,584 CUDA cores and a core clock performance of 1,320 MHz and a boost clock of 1,777 MHz, while the RTX 3060 Ti has 4,864 CUDA cores, a core clock performance of 1,410 MHz and a boost clock of 1,665 MHz.

Another notable difference between these two GPUs is the memory size. The RTX 3060 has 12GB GDDR6, while the RTX 3060 Ti has 8GB GDDR6. With a combination of faster clock speeds and more VRAM, you'd expect the Nvidia RTX 3060 to be faster than the RTX 3060 Ti - but it's not.

Despite having 8GB of VRAM and a lower boost clock, the RTX 3060 Ti delivers better performance. One reason is that the RTX 3060 has a smaller and slower memory bus than the RTX 3060 Ti. This means that data exchange takes longer on the 3060, resulting in lower overall memory bandwidth for the GPU.

The RTX 3060 Ti has a higher 256-bit bus, allowing it to deliver 448GB/s memory bandwidth. Additionally, the January 2023 RTX 3060 Ti offers even faster 608GB/s of bandwidth (through an upgrade to GDDR6X VRAM). The higher bandwidth allows the GPU to access more memory during operation. The RTX 3060, on the other hand, has a 192-bit memory bus, resulting in a lower available bandwidth of 360GB/s.

Here's a comparison table showing the specs of the two cards (and the RTX 3060 Ti's 2023 update).

	RTX 3060	RTX 3060 Ti	RTX 3060 Ti (2023)
GPU mold	GA106	GA104	GA104
Architecture	Ampere	Ampere	Ampere
CUDA Core	3,584	4.864	4.864
Core RT	28	38	38
Tensor Core	112	152	152
VRAM	12GB GDDR6	8GB GDDR6	8GB GDDR6X
Memory bus	196-bit	256-bit	256-bit
Core/Boost Clock	1.320 MHz/1,777 MHz	1,410 MHz/1.665 MHz	1,410 MHz/1.665 MHz
Transistors	13.25 billion won	17.40 billion won	17.40 billion won
TDP (W)	170	200	225
Interface	PCIe 4.0	PCle 4.0	PCle 4.0

 

The performance of the card depends on the cooling system specifications (temperature and power specifications). The recommended system power and graphics card for the RTX 3060 are 550W and 170W, respectively, and for the RTX 3060 Ti, 600W and 200W respectively.

Both GPUs have the same maximum temperature, but the 3060 Ti consumes more power than the 3060. This means that the 3060 Ti is less power efficient and can reach its maximum temperature faster.

Compare the performance of the RTX 3060 and RTX 3060 Ti

The performance difference between the RTX 3060 and RTX 3060 Ti depends on the specifications of the Add-In Board (AIB) model. For instance, a comparison between the MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Ventus 3X OC and the MSI GeForce RTX 3060 VENTUS 2X 12G OC shows that the 3060 Ti delivers slightly better gaming performance, albeit with less VRAM.

There aren't many opportunities to use 12GB of VRAM right now, especially due to the bandwidth limitations of the RTX 3060, as mentioned before. Thus, the level of 8GB VRAM on the RTX 3060 Ti is more than enough for the target audience of 1440p gamers.

At 1080p and 1440p, both cards deliver above 60 fps and consistently below 50 fps with more GPU-intensive games.

The RTX 30-Series is packed with some of the best GPUs for 4K gaming and can easily run intensive games without any noticeable difference in performance.

 

Pricing and Availability of RTX 3060 vs. RTX 3060 Ti

Recommended retail price for the RTX 3060 is $329 and for the 3060 Ti is $399. At this price, both GPUs offer great value for money. However, Nvidia's supply of 30-Series GPUs is still limited, so finding these GPUs at the suggested retail price is difficult. You can buy the 3060 through third-party stores for $350 to $500, and the 3060 Ti for around $550 to $800.

Is the RTX 3060 or the better RTX 3060 Ti?

The best gamers should consider the VRAM of the graphics card, while for the miners, the hashrate of the GPU is more important.

The RTX 3060 has 12GB of VRAM, which while not outperforming the 3060 Ti in terms of performance, is quite efficient for gaming. This is because the RTX 3060's VRAM advantage is negligible at the resolutions these cards are aimed at, 1080 and 1440p.

The benchmark results of the RTX 3060 versus the RTX 3060 Ti show that the Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti is the superior GPU - but a very close winner.