Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Graphic Card Test and Review
The Zotac Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Twin Edge cannot meet the high expectations in the test. The GPU is de facto a new edition of the RTX 2070 with slightly improved energy efficiency. If you expect a slightly slimmed-down version of the RTX 3060 Ti due to the model name 3060, you are wrong: the difference in performance is up to 30 percent.
From February 25, 2021 at 6:00 p.m., the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 will be available from dealers from board partners such as Asus, Inno 3D, Gigabyte, MSI and Zotac. According to Nvidia, the graphics processor should offer the performance of the RTX 2070 and above all appeal to full HD gamers who also want to play brand new titles with the highest settings including ray tracing. Even if the Zotac Gaming RTX 3060 Twin Edge Reached the performance values specified by Nvidia in our test, we are a bit disappointed with the performance:
The serial designation GeForce RTX 3060 may mislead potential buyers, as they expect a slightly stripped-down version of the RTX 3060 Ti. In fact, the GeForce RTX 3060 relies on its own graphics chip, which clearly lags behind the performance of the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. Ultimately, the GeForce RTX 3060 looks like a new edition of the RTX 2070 with slightly improved energy efficiency and lacks the enormous performance leap of the larger ampere GPUs 3070 and 3080 compared to their direct predecessors.
TEST CONCLUSION: Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Twin Edge
In the test, the Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Twin Edge proves to be the ideal graphics card for full HD gamers with an RRP of 329 euros – but the street price is at least 500 euros. That’s absurdly high for a 1080p card.
The RTX 3060 is also somewhat disappointing in terms of performance, although it is slightly faster than the RTX 2070 and can therefore compete with AMD’s Radeon RX 5700 XT, but the increase in performance compared to the RTX 2060 is only 20 to 25 percent.
So there is no such big leap in performance as with the 3070 and 3080 compared to their predecessor versions. For example, the RTX 3070 offers 30 to 35 percent more performance than the RTX 2070 Super, depending on the resolution. When comparing the RTX 2080 Super and the RTX 3080 , the increase is even an enormous 50 to 60 percent.
The naming of the GeForce RTX 3060 is also confusing as we would have expected a slightly smaller offshoot of the RTX 3060 Ti. In fact, the GeForce RTX 3060 uses a different graphics chip and, depending on the resolution, lags behind the RTX 3060 Ti by 23 to 30 percent – this is likely to cause confusion, especially for potential buyers.
Ultimately, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 is a new edition of the RTX 2070, the performance has improved marginally and at the same time the power consumption has fallen by around 10 watts.
The 12 GB video memory also looks strange, which is even larger than that of the RTX 3080 and is due to the 192-bit memory interface. Even if many gamers would like more video memory, 12 GB of GDDR6 VRAM are not necessary for full HD gaming, but at the same time drive up the price of the graphics card. The only other technically feasible solution would have been only 6 GB, which we would then have considered a little too little. Seen in this way, the 12 GB are definitely the better choice, but do not change the fact that the overall package of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 looks rather out of round.
The heat sink of our test sample, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 from Zotac, should definitely be emphasized positively. Even with full load over a longer period of time, the graphics card remains inaudible from the housing and the chip temperature still remains below 70 degrees Celsius.
PRO:
+ smooth 1080p gaming with ray tracing
+ WQHD-compatible with slightly reduced details
+ inaudible and cool
Cons:
– little increase in performance compared to RTX 2060
– misleading name
– too expensive
GA106 – the smallest graphics chip so far based on amperes
In contrast to the RTX 3060 Ti, the RTX 3060 is not based on the GA104 graphics chip, but on the GA106-300-A1. With a die size of 276 mm 2 , it is almost 30 percent smaller than the chip of the RTX 3060 Ti and the RTX 3070 with 392 mm 2 . This reduces the number of transistors from 17.4 to 13.25 billion, which corresponds to a good 31 percent. Briefly for comparison: The TU106 of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 fell with 445mm 2 60 percent larger, but still only had 10.8 billion transistors. All in all, the packing density has almost doubled thanks to Samsung’s 8 nm manufacturing process . Due to the significantly smaller chip, the number of graphic processing clusters (GPC) has been reduced from the full configuration of the Ampere architecture with seven GPCs to just three.
Theoretically, this results in up to 3840 CUDA cores, 30 RT cores of the second generation and 120 tensor cores of the third generation. However, the graphics chip of the RTX 3060 is not used in the full expansion stage, but is trimmed by two more streaming multiprocessors (SM).
This then results in 3584 shader units, 28 ray tracing cores and 112 cores for artificial intelligence. This is joined by 14 Texture Processing Clusters (TPC) with a total of 112 texture units, which are responsible for tessellation such as edge smoothing in computer games. On the other hand, the dedicated raster engine was not cut, there are 48 render output units (ROPs) installed, which are responsible for the rasterization.
The memory equipment of theNvidia GeForce RTX 3060 causes astonishment at first glance. There are 12 GB GDDR6 VRAM installed and thus even more than the much faster RTX 3080, which can only access 10 GB GDDR6X video memory. The reason for this is hidden in the technical data.The memory interface, which connects the video memory to the GPU, requires a relatively large amount of chip space. Since Nvidia has shrunk the chip size of the GA106 by almost 30 percent compared to the GA104, the 256-bit memory interface of the RTX 3060 Ti had to give way to a 192-bit memory interface of the RTX 3060.
Each memory chip in turn requires 32-bit for connection. As a result, only six GDDR6 memory chips can be installed on the board of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, which are available with either 1 GB or 2 GB. Since 6 GB of video memory is not enough even for full HD gaming these days, Nvidia was forced to opt for 12 GB. Of course, that also drives up the price of the graphics card a bit.
It is also noticeable that the video memory is clocked a bit higher than the larger Ampere graphics cards with 1875 MHz, so the VRAM clock of the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is only 1750 MHz. This results in a memory bandwidth of 360 GB/s. The GA106 chip in turn clocks with at least 1320 MHz, the boost clock is 1777 MHz according to Nvidia. At this point we have to add that there is no Founders Edition of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 from Nvidia. However, our test sample of the Zotac Gaming RTX 3060 Twin Edge was specified according to the data from Nvidia and was not overclocked at the factory.
Nvidia specifies the TDP of the GeForce RTX 3060 as 170 watts, which corresponds to an increase of 10 watts compared to the RTX 2060 and 15 watts less than the RTX 2070 Founders Edition. In addition to the PCIe slot, power is supplied via a single 8-pin connector. In the following table you can find all the technical data of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 compared to the RTX 3060 Ti, the Turing predecessors and the RX 5700 XT from AMD:
Graphic card | GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | GeForce RTX 3060 | GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER | GeForce RTX 2070 | GeForce RTX 2060 Super | GeForce RTX 2060 | AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Code name | GA104 | GA106 | TU104 | TU-106 | TU106 | TU106 | Navi 10 XT |
architecture | amp | amp | Turing | Turing | Turing | Turing | RDNA |
GPCs | 6th | 3 | 5 or 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | – |
TPCs | 19th | 14th | 20th | 18th | 17th | 15th | – |
SMs | 38 | 28 | 40 | 36 | 34 | 30th | – |
ALUs | 4864 | 3584 | 2560 | 2304 | 2176 | 1920 | 2560 |
Tensor cores | 152 (3rd Gen) | 112 (3rd Gen) | 320 (2nd Gen) | 288 (2nd Gen) | 272 (2nd Gen) | 240 (2nd Gen) | n / A |
RT Cores / Ray Accelerators | 38 (2nd Gen) | 28 (2nd Gen) | 40 (1st Gen) | 36 (1st Gen) | 34 (1st Gen) | 30 (1st Gen) | n / A |
GPU base clock | 1410 | 1320 | 1605 | 1410 | 1470 | 1365 | 1605 |
GPU boost clock (MHz) | 1665 | 1777 | 1770 | 1620 | 1650 | 1680 | 1905 |
Video memory | 8 GB GDDR6 | 8 GB GDDR6 | 8 GB GDDR6 | 8 GB GDDR6 | 8 GB GDDR6 | 6 GB GDDR6 | 8 GB GDDR6 |
Memory interface | 256-bit | 192-bit | 256-bit | 256-bit | 256-bit | 192-bit | 256-bit |
Memory clock | 14 Gbps | 15 Gbps | 14 Gbps | 14 Gbps | 14 Gbps | 14 Gbps | 14 Gbps |
Memory bandwidth | 448 GB / s | 360 GB / s | 448 GB / s | 448 GB / s | 448 GB / s | 336 GB / s | 448 GB / s |
ROPs | 80 | 48 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 48 | 64 |
PCIe connectors | 1x 12-pin | 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin, 1x 6-pin | 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin, 1x 6-pin |
TGP | 200 W | 170 W | 225 W | 185 W | 175 W | 160 W | 225 W |
Number of transistors | 17.4 billion | 13.25 billion | 13.6 billion | 10.8 billion | 10.8 billion | 10.8 billion | 10.3 billion |
The size | 392.5 mm2 | 276 mm2 | 545mm2 | 445 mm2 | 445 mm2 | 445 m2 | 251 mm2 |
Manufacturing process | 8nm Samsung | 8nm Samsung | 12nm FFN | 12nm FFN | 12nm FFN | 12nm FFN | 7nm TSMC |
RRP of the manufacturer | 419 € | € 329 | € 639 | € 639 | 419 € | € 369 | 419 € |
Synthetic benchmarks: DirectX 11 & 12, OpenGL and ray tracing
First, the Zotac Gaming RTX 3060 Twin Edge has to face various synthetic benchmarks. This not only enables a rough first performance assessment, but you can also easily reproduce these tests at home and compare the values with your own system. In the first test for DirectX 12, the 3D Mark Time Spy Extreme, the GeForce RTX 3060 is almost on par with the RTX 2060 Super and thus just misses the target of being able to compete with the RTX 2070 and the RX 5700 XT from AMD.
In the DirectX 11 test 3D Mark Fire Strike Extreme, the picture even worsened a bit, here the GeForce RTX 3060 can no longer even keep up with the RTX 2060 Super, the RTX 2070 calculates almost ten percent faster. In the Superposition OpenGL test from Unigine, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 can at least beat the RX 5700 XT, but in its own warehouse the performance is still only as good as the RTX 2060 Super. The RTX 3060 cannot compete with the RTX 2070 in the final ray tracing test either and only achieves the level of the RTX 2060 Super. The following game tests reveal that benchmark values are not everything.
Graphic Card | 3D Mark Time Spy Extreme Score | 3D Mark Time Spy Extreme Graphics Score | 3D Mark Fire Strike Ultra Score | 3D Mark Fire Strike Ultra Graphics Score | Unigine Superposition 4K Open GL | 3D Mark Port Royale |
GeForce RTX 2060 | 3704 | 3503 | 4496 | 4267 | 5532 | 4270 |
GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER | 4294 | 4134 | 5372 | 5163 | 6273 | 5123 |
GeForce RTX 2070 | 4429 | 4240 | 5650 | 5463 | 6631 | 5463 |
GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER | 4845 | 4745 | 6132 | 5928 | 7395 | 6070 |
GeForce RTX 3060 | 4266 | 4095 | 5159 | 4958 | 6243 | 5053 |
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | 5768 | 5875 | 7490 | 7350 | 8726 | 7022 |
GeForce RTX 3070 | 6506 | 6796 | 8697 | 8621 | 9959 | 8195 |
Radeon RX 5700 | 3866 | 3673 | 5770 | 5784 | 4908 | – |
Radeon RX 5700 XT | 4332 | 4176 | 6609 | 6652 | 5590 | – |
Radeon RX 6800 | 6727 | 7072 | 10323 | 10510 | 7878 | 7529 |
Maximum details for full HD gamers
With the RTX 3060, Nvidia primarily wants to appeal to full HD gamers and, above all, to encourage owners of a GTX 1060 to upgrade to a new graphics card with hardware-based ray tracing support. The manufacturer himself speaks of a comparable performance to the RTX 2070 and of up to 30 percent more performance compared to its direct predecessor in the form of the RTX 2060. We can definitely confirm the first statement, the GeForce RTX 3060 comes in in all 20 test scenarios we carried out 1080p on average to at least 60 frames per second with the highest game details. In games like Contol or Metro Exodus, however, when ray tracing is activated, DLSS must be used at least in quality mode.
Our gaming tests show that the RTX 3060 on average not only rivals the RTX 2070, but can just beat it. In the details, however, it depends on the game. In some games, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 and RTX 2070 are the same, for example in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey or Metro Exodus. With Borderlands 3 there is an example in which the RTX 3060 has to admit defeat to the RTX 2070 and is only on a level with the RTX 2060 Super.
A completely different picture emerges in Doom Eternal or F1 2019. In these two games, the RTX 3060 clearly overtakes the RTX 2070 and can even compete with the RTX 2070 Super. It is also interesting to compare it with AMD’s Radeon RX 5700 XT, which is head-to-head with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060.
On average, more than ten games in Full HD are not even separated by one percent between the two competitors.Ultimately, it depends on who the game is better optimized for, whether team green or team red wins. The lead over its direct predecessor in the form of the RTX 2060 varies between 12 and 43 percent depending on the game and averages 21 percent. The gap to the RTX 3060 Ti, which calculates 23 percent faster on average, is almost as big.
When playing games with activated ray tracing and DLSS, virtually nothing changes in the overall picture. In most games, the GeForce RTX 3060 is sometimes just ahead of the RTX 2070 and sometimes just behind. On average, however, the lead over the RTX 2060 shrinks to a good 18 percent, at the same time the gap to the RTX 3060 Ti increases to 27 percent. A comparison with AMD’s Radeon RX 5700 XT is of course not possible here. With Wolfenstein Youngblood, there is an example even with activated ray tracing, in which the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 can even compete with the RTX 2070 Super. On average, however, the RTX 2070 Super is seven percentage points ahead.
Also suitable for WQHD with slightly reduced game details
We come to the question of what it looks like in 1440p, since both the RTX 2070 and the RX 5700 XT were designed for WQHD gaming at the time. In games that are not so demanding or that are already a bit old, such as Far Cry 5 or Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the performance of the GeForce RTX 3060 is easily sufficient for WQHD. Here, too, the computing power is roughly on par with the RTX 2070 and the RX 5700 XT.
In Red Dead Redemption 2 or Metro Exodus with activated ray tracing, the average FPS is then just below 60 frames per second. With somewhat reduced game details, however, 60 FPS are also possible here without any problems. The lead over the RTX 2060 is on average 23 percent in WQHD, the backlog on the RTX 3060 Ti is as much as 30 percent.
Almost no improvement in energy efficiency
In contrast to the other Ampere graphics cards, Nvidia has not significantly increased the TGP in the RTX 3060 compared to its direct predecessor. The TGP of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 is 170 watts, whereas the RTX 2060 is specified with 160 watts. The TGP of the RTX 2070 Founders Edition, on the other hand, is 175 watts.
In the stress test with FurMark, our sample from Zotac continuously operated at the power limit. However, the power consumption is a bit lower when gaming. We measured an average of between 155 and 165 watts in both Full HD and WQHD, depending on the game. Since the game Shadow of the Tomb Raider loads the graphics cards almost optimally, we make a comparison here with regard to the energy efficiency of the graphics cards tested.
The FPS values of the RTX 2070 and the RTX 3060 are almost the same in Shadow of the Tomb Raider with 83 FPS and 85 FPS, respectively. The ampere graphics card consumes an average of 163 watts in this scenario, the RTX 2070 comes to 173 watts. So there is a small improvement in energy efficiency, but a big step is different. In fact, both the RTX 3060 Ti and the RTX 3070 work a lot more efficiently than the RTX 3060. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, on the other hand, is on about the same level as the RTX 2070 and thus just behind the RTX 3060.
Silent even at full capacity
Our sample of the RTX 3060 in the form of the Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Twin Edge is extremely compact with dimensions of 224 x 116 x 39 millimeters. Two 90 millimeter axial fans and a heat sink with three heat pipes are used for cooling. The design can be described as simple and dispenses with RGB lighting. Zotac builds a backplate, but this only serves to stabilize and has no cooling effect. Our thermal and acoustic tests show that the heat sink is completely sufficient to effectively dissipate the 170 watts of power loss.
First of all, the graphics card has to prove itself on the open bench table. Like the other Ampere models, our tested RTX 3060 has a 0 dB mode, which means that the fans stop when the graphics card is not being used. But even when gaming, when the fans start turning, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 remains inaudible.
The temperature climbs to a maximum of 69 degrees Celsius and the fans rotate at up to 1710 revolutions per minute. Even in the worst-case scenario – full load using FurMark for over an hour – nothing changes in these two values. Then we carry out tests in a closed housing, be quiet! Pure Base 500DX by. This comes in as a CPU cooler be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 used, the Core i9-9900K was not overclocked in this test.
graphic card | CPU temp | CPU clock | CPU power | Fan RPM | GPU temp | GPU clock | GPU power | Fan RPM | RAM 1 temp | RAM-2 temp | VRM temp | M.2 SSD temp |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
RTX 2080 Ti | 81 ° C | 4700 MHz | 132 W | 1175 RPM | 80 ° C | 1452 MHz | 259 W | 2255 rpm | 47 ° C | 47 ° C | 60 ° C | 60 ° C |
RTX 3060 | 82 ° C | 4704 MHz | 134 W | 1175 RPM | 69 ° C | 1535 MHz | 167 W. | 1710 rpm | 38 ° C | 39 ° C | 53 ° C | 52 ° C |
RTX 3060 Ti | 79 ° C | 4700 MHz | 133 W | 1150 RPM | 74 ° C | 1612 MHz | 194 W | 1700 rpm | 41 ° C | 43 ° C | 53 ° C | 54 ° C |
RTX 3070 | 81 ° C | 4700 MHz | 131 W. | 1180 RPM | 75 ° C | 1620 MHz | 218 W | 2045 rpm | 46 ° C | 47 ° C | 54 ° C | 58 ° C |
RTX 3080 | 89 ° C | 4700 MHz | 132 W | 1275 RPM | 73 ° C | 1532 MHz | 319 W | 2745 rpm | 44 ° C | 45 ° C | 60 ° C | 58 ° C |
RTX 3090 | 86 ° C | 4700 MHz | 131 W. | 1240 RPM | 68 ° C | 1499 MHz | 349 W | 1710 rpm | 44 ° C | 45 ° C | 56 ° C | 59 ° C |
RX 6800 | 78 ° C | 4700 MHz | 131 W. | 1160 RPM | 73 ° C | 1922 MHz | 244 W. | 1710 rpm | 44 ° C | 43 ° C | 53 ° C | 57 ° C |
RX 6800 XT | 80 ° C | 4700 MHz | 132 W | 1150 RPM | 76 ° C | 1811 MHz | 298 W | 2030 rpm | 44 ° C | 44 ° C | 54 ° C | 55 ° C |
RX 6900 XT | 82 ° C | 4700 MHz | 133 W | 1170 RPM | 82 ° C | 1901 MHz | 304 W | 1730 rpm | 47 ° C | 47 ° C | 56 ° C | 61 ° C |
In the closed case, the very positive impression we got of the heat sink is confirmed again. To simulate a worst-case scenario, we loaded the graphics card with FurMark and the CPU with Prime95 for over an hour to 100 percent. This changes nothing in the measurement results, neither in terms of the maximum temperature nor the speed of the fans. This means that the Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 not only stays pleasantly cool in the closed case, but is also inaudible. The clock rates of the graphics card were on average 1890 MHz for me across all games and thus well above the boost clock of 1777 MHz.
New software functions
In addition to the Ampere graphics cards, Nvidia has also introduced new software functions to improve your gaming experience, including Nvidia Reflex. An important factor for a smooth gaming experience is not only the achieved FPS number, but also the system latency.
This value indicates how much time elapses from a mouse click or keyboard entry until an action can be seen on the monitor. If the CPU provides more images than the graphics card can compute, a so-called render queue is normally created. So before the GPU can display the current image, it must first process the pent-up images, which creates a longer latency.
This is exactly where Nvidia Reflex comes in and optimizes communication between processor and GPU. The graphics card only receives a new image from the CPU when the calculation of the previous image is almost complete. So far, Nvidia had a function in the driver with the Ultra Low Latency Mode, which had a similar functionality. Nvidia Reflex, on the other hand, is firmly integrated in games such as Fortnite, Call of Duty Cold War or Valorant.
We took a look at the implementation in Fortnite. You need the latest driver from Nvidia to activate it. You can then activate the Nvidia Reflex Low Latency function in the advanced graphics settings. We tested in a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels at 144 FPS, the graphics settings were all on the highest level. The hardware used was an RTX 3080, an Intel Core i9-9900K and 16 GB of working memory with 3600 MHz for the CL16.
In our specific use case, the system latency fell from 15.11 to 10.98 milliseconds by activating Nvidia Reflex – this corresponds to an optimization of 27 percent. How much impact Nvidia Reflex has depends very much on your hardware and your game settings. The more the GPU is used and cannot keep up with the processor’s calculations, the more you benefit from Nvidia Reflex.
Nvidia broadcast is aimed primarily at streamers who cannot afford a professional setup. Thanks to the tensor cores, the software can remove interference or analyze the background and blur it, creating an effect similar to that of a green screen. According to Nvidia, the software can run on all RTX GPUs.
Automatic GPU Tuning is Nvidia’s answer to AMD’s Rage Mode and can be found in the GeForce Experience Beta Overlay. This function increases the voltage and clock rate curve of the built-in Nvidia graphics card. The higher clock then results in a slightly higher performance, which, however, comes at the expense of power consumption.
Price assessment of the RTX 3060
Nvidia’s RRP for the RTX 3060 is 329 euros, but we have to add again that there is no Founders Edition. However, the Zotac Gaming Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 that we tested corresponds to the specifications of Nvidia and should go on the market for release at a price of 329 euros.
Zotac grants a three-year warranty on the graphics card, which can be extended to five years upon registration. However, the manufacturer himself states that he expects that the RTX 3060 will also be sold out as quickly as the previous ampere graphics cards and that the dealers will then increase the price significantly.
On paper alone, the RTX 3060 costs a good 21 percent less than the RTX 3060 Ti. The difference in performance is between 23 and 30 percent, depending on the resolution. Here the RTX 3060 has to pay tribute to the larger video memory and is therefore not quite as attractive from a price-performance point of view.
But even if we analyze the prices of comparable graphics cards from last summer, the 329 euro MSRP does not seem like a real declaration of war. Last summer, the RX 5700 XT was available for several weeks from 320 euros. In terms of rasterization performance, the two rivals are equal, so the RTX 3060 can only score with the RT and tensor cores, which enable features such as ray tracing, DLSS and Nvidia broadcast. Still, we would have expected a little more here for a brand new generation.
This is also evident in a direct comparison with the in-house competition. A few months ago, the RTX 2070 was still available for 365 euros and offers virtually the same computing power with only minimally poorer energy efficiency. Seen in this way, a price of 329 euros is okay,
That is also due to two other points. The first is the market situation already mentioned. The demand for graphics cards is currently significantly higher than the supply, which is why we expect the price to exceed the struck 329 euros shortly after the release. Point number 2 is that Nvidia aimed the graphics card primarily at full HD gamers.In our experience, however, the average gamer is not prepared to spend more than 300 euros on a new graphics card. Ultimately, the next few weeks have to show how the availability of the RTX 3060 will be in the next few weeks and where the prices of the dealers are going.
Nvidia is taking action against miners with the RTX 3060
One of the biggest problems for the ongoing poor availability of new graphics cards is the current mining boom. Individuals buy tons of GeForce and Radeon graphics cards to make money from. Gamers who cannot buy a new graphics card for their gaming PC are of course angry. With the release of the RTX 3060, Nvidia now wants to try several ways to counteract this problem.
As already explained above, the RTX 3060 only has a 192-bit wide memory interface. Since the connection of the video memory plays a fairly large role for mining, the RTX 3060 per se delivers significantly less power compared to the larger ampere graphics cards. On top of that, the driver of the RTX 3060 offers a new function, which mining processes should automatically detect and then halve the computing power. As a third point, Nvidia also wants to bring special mining graphics cards to the market under the name CMP.
So far so good, but we don’t think these endeavors will really help gamers in the end. Even if Nvidia – as stated – only uses graphics chips for the mining graphics cards that would have been sorted out anyway because they do not achieve the desired clock rates for a “gaming graphics card”, the remaining components are still missing. The raw materials for the production of printed circuit boards and components for equipping the graphics cards are extremely scarce.
In other words, every component that goes into a mining graphics card means one less component for a gaming graphics card. In addition, as soon as the boom has subsided, the mining graphics cards are absolutely worthless and cannot be used eBay or other portals can be resold to gamers at low prices. On top of that, the driver lock only applies to the upcoming RTX 3060, owners of an RTX 3060 Ti, RTX 3070, RTX 3080 or RTX 3090 can simply use an older driver and continue to mine without restrictions.
Our measurement results at a glance
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 had to face an extensive test course with 60 game tests in the three resolutions Full-HD, QHD and UHD. In the following you can find our exactly determined FPS values:
Full HD (without ray tracing / DLSS) | Assassin’s Creed Odyssey avg | Borderlands 3 avg | Civilization VI Gathering Storm avg | F1 2019 avg | Far Cry 5 avg | Forza Horizon 4 avg | Metro Exodus avg | Red Dead Redemption 2 avg | Shadow of the Tomb Raider avg | The Division 2 avg |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 | 29 | 30th | 42 | 66 | 54 | 67 | 25th | 25th | 47 | 35 |
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER | 40 | 42 | 59 | 89 | 78 | 88 | 35 | 31 | 63 | 48 |
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 | 48 | 47 | 66 | 102 | 84 | 102 | 39 | 41 | 73 | 58 |
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER | 54 | 52 | 76 | 116 | 95 | 115 | 44 | 46 | 83 | 64 |
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti | 53 | 53 | 76 | 116 | 96 | 114 | 44 | 43 | 83 | 64 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 | 60 | 63 | 95 | 135 | 111 | 126 | 54 | 56 | 97 | 78 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER | 66 | 71 | 107 | 146 | 123 | 134 | 61 | 60 | 109 | 88 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 | 67 | 75 | 110 | 153 | 125 | 141 | 64 | 64 | 111 | 95 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER | 68 | 83 | 125 | 164 | 137 | 160 | 71 | 73 | 128 | 109 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 | 76 | 88 | 131 | 176 | 145 | 169 | 84 | 79 | 138 | 115 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER | 77 | 95 | 135 | 183 | 147 | 174 | 86 | 83 | 144 | 124 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti | 86 | 113 | 163 | 183 | 154 | 184 | 100 | 91 | 156 | 144 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 | 68 | 71 | 122 | 165 | 130 | 151 | 64 | 71 | 121 | 97 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | 83 | 98 | 161 | 191 | 149 | 178 | 87 | 85 | 148 | 126 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 | 82 | 110 | 163 | 192 | 153 | 184 | 97 | 93 | 157 | 140 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 | 95 | 134 | 165 | 192 | 157 | 189 | 125 | 118 | 170 | 170 |
Nvidia Geforce RTX 3090 | 102 | 136 | 167 | 191 | 155 | 188 | 130 | 126 | 173 | 173 |
AMD Radeon RX 570 8GB | 38 | 35 | 59 | 74 | 64 | 76 | 33 | 32 | 56 | 44 |
AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 4GB | 33 | 40 | 74 | 85 | 78 | 74 | 37 | 44 | 51 | 51 |
AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 8GB | 46 | 40 | 75 | 90 | 84 | 92 | 37 | 39 | 67 | 54 |
AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT | 54 | 59 | 108 | 125 | 112 | 129 | 55 | 47 | 90 | 76 |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 | 63 | 64 | 122 | 137 | 123 | 137 | 61 | 59 | 104 | 80 |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT | 71 | 73 | 137 | 150 | 136 | 159 | 68 | 67 | 116 | 93 |
AMD Radeon RX 6800 | 85 | 132 | 167 | 164 | 150 | 206 | 103 | 104 | 165 | 157 |
AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT | 86 | 149 | 165 | 167 | 154 | 219 | 120 | 119 | 178 | 179 |
AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT | 88 | 167 | 165 | 229 | 155 | 235 | 127 | 122 | 187 | 196 |
QHD (without ray tracing / DLSS) | Assassin’s Creed Odyssey avg | Borderlands 3 avg | Civilization VI Gathering Storm avg | F1 2019 avg | Far Cry 5 avg | Forza Horizon 4 avg | Metro Exodus avg | Red Dead Redemption 2 avg | Shadow of the Tomb Raider avg | The Division 2 avg |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 | 23 | 17th | 26th | 43 | 36 | 50 | 19th | n / A | 31 | 24 |
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER | 29 | 24 | 49 | 67 | 46 | 65 | 28 | n / A | 41 | 30th |
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 | 37 | 30th | 55 | 77 | 56 | 80 | 29 | 32 | 49 | 41 |
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER | 43 | 34 | 64 | 83 | 64 | 90 | 35 | 36 | 56 | 40 |
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti | 42 | 35 | 64 | 87 | 66 | 89 | 35 | 36 | 55 | 40 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 | 49 | 43 | 81 | 103 | 71 | 100 | 42 | 44 | 65 | 50 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER | 55 | 50 | 92 | 115 | 89 | 108 | 47 | 49 | 75 | 56 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 | 56 | 51 | 96 | 121 | 95 | 113 | 51 | 53 | 80 | 69 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER | 60 | 59 | 109 | 124 | 102 | 130 | 58 | 58 | 89 | 73 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 | 62 | 61 | 116 | 129 | 112 | 137 | 63 | 63 | 96 | 76 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER | 65 | 67 | 119 | 132 | 115 | 143 | 64 | 66 | 101 | 83 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti | 73 | 82 | 143 | 152 | 135 | 159 | 80 | 76 | 119 | 101 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 | 55 | 51 | 99 | 125 | 92 | 122 | 51 | 55 | 82 | 65 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | 70 | 70 | 139 | 156 | 118 | 154 | 69 | 70 | 104 | 86 |
Nvidia Geforce RTX 3070 | 75 | 83 | 143 | 156 | 130 | 162 | 78 | 76 | 115 | 98 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 | 89 | 109 | 164 | 156 | 153 | 169 | 104 | 98 | 146 | 122 |
Nvidia Geforce RTX 3090 | 91 | 119 | 165 | 181 | 153 | 179 | 112 | 105 | 154 | 129 |
AMD Radeon RX 570 8GB | 28 | 24 | 56 | 57 | 45 | 59 | 26th | 26th | 38 | 28 |
AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 4GB | 26th | 29 | 70 | 66 | 53 | 54 | 30th | n / A | 37 | 26th |
AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 8GB | 34 | 29 | 71 | 63 | 57 | 72 | 30th | 31 | 44 | 35 |
AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT | 40 | 42 | 103 | 98 | 74 | 102 | 44 | 38 | 60 | 48 |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 | 51 | 46 | 119 | 108 | 88 | 114 | 48 | 48 | 71 | 52 |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT | 60 | 52 | 136 | 119 | 100 | 129 | 55 | 53 | 79 | 60 |
AMD Radeon RX 6800 | 86 | 97 | 161 | 157 | 140 | 178 | 85 | 85 | 128 | 106 |
AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT | 87 | 114 | 165 | 161 | 146 | 200 | 99 | 97 | 147 | 125 |
AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT | 89 | 125 | 166 | 223 | 147 | 216 | 105 | 102 | 158 | 135 |
Full HD (with ray tracing / DLSS) | Battlefield V avg | CoD Modern Warfare avg | Control avg | Death Stranding avg | Metro Exodus avg | Shadow of the Tomb Raider avg | Wolfenstein Youngblood avg |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 | 92 | 87 | 68 | 130 | 51 | 98 | 44 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER | 102 | 96 | 75 | 145 | 57 | 112 | 145 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 | 105 | 100 | 80 | 147 | 59 | 119 | 148 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER | 113 | 109 | 85 | 150 | 66 | 129 | 154 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 | 118 | 120 | 87 | 153 | 70 | 138 | 161 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER | 121 | 126 | 90 | 161 | 73 | 143 | 172 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti | 140 | 142 | 108 | 179 | 81 | 157 | 203 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 | 103 | 103 | 83 | 145 | 59 | 121 | 158 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | 129 | 142 | 106 | 160 | 76 | 143 | 194 |
Nvidia Geforce RTX 3070 | 138 | 152 | 114 | 166 | 76 | 154 | 214 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 | 166 | 183 | 128 | 186 | 100 | 166 | 229 |
Nvidia Geforce RTX 3090 | 173 | 198 | 132 | 187 | 110 | 172 | 235 |
AMD Radeon RX 6800 | 131 | 138 | 88 | – | 66 | 95 | – |
AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT | 146 | 161 | 98 | – | 78 | 109 | – |
AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT | 158 | 175 | 107 | – | 79 | 115 | – |
Graphics card (QHD with ray tracing / DLSS) | Battlefield V avg | CoD Modern Warfare avg | Control avg | Death Stranding avg | Metro Exodus avg | Shadow of the Tomb Raider avg | Wolfenstein Youngblood avg |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 | 68 | 31 | 47 | 100 | 37 | 71 | 27 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER | 78 | 67 | 53 | 116 | 42 | 75 | 111 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 | 83 | 70 | 56 | 123 | 45 | 83 | 113 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER | 87 | 74 | 61 | 127 | 50 | 98 | 119 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 | 95 | 83 | 63 | 132 | 56 | 106 | 125 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER | 97 | 89 | 68 | 139 | 58 | 111 | 134 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti | 109 | 110 | 82 | 163 | 72 | 130 | 148 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 | 77 | 74 | 57 | 114 | 42 | 85 | 112 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | 98 | 102 | 77 | 140 | 57 | 110 | 138 |
Nvidia Geforce RTX 3070 | 107 | 112 | 85 | 150 | 65 | 121 | 154 |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 | 138 | 141 | 109 | 175 | 87 | 150 | 191 |
Nvidia Geforce RTX 3090 | 149 | 155 | 121 | 178 | 96 | 161 | 212 |
AMD Radeon RX 6800 | 104 | 104 | 58 | – | 47 | 67 | – |
AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT | 116 | 123 | 67 | – | 56 | 78 | – |
AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT | 124 | 127 | 70 | – | 57 | 85 | – |
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