Simply put, the entirety of the RTX 3000 series was an excellent move by Nvidia. Those who were using older GPUs were finally able to upgrade to something that is powerful across the board and despite the RTX 3090 and 3080 being the star of the show, it is rather obvious that the mid-range offerings such as the RTX 3060 and the RTX 3060 Ti received their acclaim, too.
However, due to both GPUs being similar, there is always an air of confusion and we are here to take care of it in this comparison. The purpose of 3060 vs 3060 Ti is rather simple, we want to be sure that you are getting your hands on the GPU that is right for you so you do not end up running into issues
RTX 3060 vs 3060 Ti – Comparing the Specs
Now, it is safe to say that when picking up a GPU or anything else, for that matter. A comparison of the specs is perhaps the most important aspect that you need to look into and this does not change here, either. If you have been wondering, we have all the specs for both the RTX 3060 and the RTX 3060 Ti, so you can have a better understanding as to which one you should be picking up.
| RTX 3060 | RTX 3060 Ti | |
| GPU | GA106 | GA104 |
| CUDA Cores | 3,584 | 4,864 |
| Tensor Cores | 112 | 152 |
| RT Cores | 28 | 38 |
| Stream Multiprocessors | 28 | 38 |
| Memory | 12GB GDDR6 | 8GB GDDR6 |
| Memory speed | 15GT/s | 14GT/s |
| Memory bandwidth | 360GB/s | 448GB/s |
| Clock speed (base/boost) | 1,320 MHz / 1,780 MHz | 1,410 MHz / 1,670 MHz |
| Power connector | 1x 8-pin | 1x 12-pin |
| TDP | 170W | 200W |
The specs alone should give you a better understanding of what you are dealing with. Both GPUs are a lot closer to each other in terms of the specifications but the one odd thing you will notice is how the RTX 3060 has 12 gigs of memory whereas the RTX 3060 Ti, the more expensive and faster GPU only has 8 gigs of VRAM. This is a difference of 4 gigs in total, and honestly, should make an impact in terms of the overall experience.
Now, it is worth noting that the TDP and the clock speeds are going to vary based on the model you are picking up. The specs I shared are the ones that belong to reference models, so you are more than likely to get different specs, but that’s normal.
RTX 3060 vs 3060 Ti – Performance
Considering how the specs are finally put aside, it is time that we are focusing on the performance of both of the GPUs. After all, it is one of the most important aspects and without this, you cannot really decide which GPU you should be picking up. Don’t worry, the performance difference is going to make it absolutely clear for you as to which one you should be picking up.
One thing worth noting is that all the games I tested were tested on 1080p to ensure that both of the GPUs are getting a fair treatment. It is also worth noting that DLSS or FSR was turned off during the testing to ensure that we are not getting erratic results.
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: 72 average FPS on RTX 3060 and 81 average FPS on RTX 3060 Ti
- Cyberpunk 2077: 61 average FPS on RTX 3060 and 78 average FPS on RTX 3060 Ti
- Hitman 3: 119 average FPS on RTX 3060 and 154 average FPS on RTX 3060 Ti
- Red Dead Redemption 2: 71 average FPS on RTX 3060 and 84 average FPS on RTX 3060 Ti
- Call of Duty Warzone: 127 average FPS on RTX 3060 and 160 average FPS on RTX 3060 Ti
Now, if you want to know what the numbers are in percentage and just how big of a difference there is, we are going to take a look at just that.
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: RTX 3060 Ti is 12.5% faster than the RTX 3060.
- Cyberpunk 2077: RTX 3060 Ti is 27.8% faster than the RTX 3060.
- Hitman 3: RTX 3060 Ti is 29.4% faster than the RTX 3060.
- Red Dead Redemption 2: RTX 3060 Ti is 18.3% faster than the RTX 3060.
- Call of Duty Warzone: RTX 3060 Ti is 25.98% faster than the RTX 3060.
You can see the difference is certainly there between two GPUs and if we are to take an average of all these numbers, then on average of these five games, the RTX 3060 Ti is faster than the RTX 3060 by a 22.79%.
Needless to say, despite the RTX 3060 having more memory than the RTX 3060 Ti, you are still getting a slower GPU overall.
Note that these tests are going to vary based on the GPU Variant you have but they do give an understanding about how these GPUs fair when compared to each other.
RTX 3060 vs 3060 Ti – Extra Features
Since the comparison is out of the way, the next thing that we are going to focus on is just what exactly are you getting your hands on with the RTX 3060 and RTX 3060 Ti. Considering how they are both very, very similar, there are no extra features that separate them unless you go for the AIB variants.
As far as the features are concerned, in general. You are getting Raytracing and DLSS upscaling in both GPUs. However, the main difference here is that the RTX 3060 Ti is going to offer more CUDA cores, more RT cores, and more Tensor cores and this simple increase is going to ensure that the performance is better on the RTX 3060 Ti.
At this point, it has become a no brainer that choosing the RTX 3060 Ti, despite its lower VRAM, is a better option because it ensures that you are getting a better overall performance and that is exactly what we are looking to achieve.
RTX 3060 vs 3060 Ti – Which One Should You Pick Up
Now that it is clear which GPU is better, the next step is to finding the one that is right for you. Just like our previous comparison where we, put the RTX 3060 Ti against the RTX 3070, the difference here is not as massive as might think but it still is there, so it is better that you are keeping that in mind.
The RTX 3060 Ti seems to be the obvious choice here, but before you go ahead and buy the one that you want, let’s look at the price for both GPU. The RTX 3060 starts at $329, whereas the RTX 3060 Ti goes for $399. Now, it is worth noting that the prices I have mentioned are MSRP and they belong to the reference/founders edition models. This means that the aftermarket variants will cost more but they will deliver better performance, thermals, and features, too. Therefore, it is worth knowing that.
I would highly advise that you are picking up the RTX 3060 Ti because even though you are getting lesser VRAM, you are still getting a GPU that is more powerful than its sibling, and raw performance is what we are always focusing on.
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Conclusion
On paper, or even when comparing the names, the RTX 3060 and the RTX 3060 Ti might look like they are a lot closer to each other and might even share similar performance numbers but the case actually is not what you might think.
The RTX 3060 Ti is inherently better and faster than the RTX 3060 and if you have been looking for something that does deliver good performance, then going this route is the way to go as you will not be let down at all. I cannot really recommend anything else at this point, to be honest.
