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If these cards are a bit out of your price range but you still want to game at 4K, there are more budget-friendly options that can do a reasonably good job of running games at 4K. AMD's Radeon RX 6600 XT and Nvidia's GeForce RTX 3060 are both capable of running games at 4K with medium graphics settings.
It features the latest NVIDIA architecture and offers impressive performance for its price range. With its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 3584 CUDA cores, the RTX 3060 can easily handle demanding games and applications. Without a doubt, the RTX 3060 can run games at 4k, with a medium graphics setting.
As a mainstream card, the RTX 3060 primarily targets 1080p and 1440p gaming. Some lighter games may also run fine at 4K, or in some cases, you could shoot for 4K at medium settings. But despite having more VRAM than even the RTX 3080, frame rates definitely take a hit at the highest resolutions.
Is 12GB VRAM overkill? If you are gaming and running a resolution lower than 4K, then yes (for now). A lot of video cards still have 4–6 and 8GB as standard so I highly doubt game developers will create a game forcing users to need more than that.
RTX 3060 vs. RTX 3060 Ti: Which Is Better? For gamers, it would be best to consider the VRAM of the graphics card, while for crypto-miners, the GPU's hash rate is more important. The RTX 3060 has 12GB VRAM, which, while it doesn't outshine the 3060 Ti on performance, is quite effective for gaming.
Is the GeForce RTX 3060 good for gaming? The 3060 Ti is fantastic. It's the right card for the right price for anyone who isn't gaming exclusively at 4K. It has devastating 1080p and 1440p performance, and it's a great 4K option in games with DLSS or if you turn down some graphics options.
When it comes to gaming performance, the RTX 3060 can run most modern games at 1440p with high-to-ultra settings at 60 fps or higher. This makes it a great option for gamers who want high-quality graphics and smooth gameplay without needing to invest in a top-of-the-line graphics card.
The RTX 3060 is a 'Jack of all trades' playing AAA titles, simulator games, competitive titles, content creation and streaming.
Is RTX 3060 future proof? Yes. The RTX 3060 is more than adequate for gaming, and also, the RTX 3080 is better. You should buy what you have the budget for.
Best GPU for 4K Gaming – Excellent for (Ultrawide) 1440p Too! Currently, there are three GPUs that are excellent for 4K gaming. These are the GeForce RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 from NVIDIA and the Radeon RX 7900 XTX from AMD. These three GPUs can comfortably play games at 4K without any issues.
Is a 4K Monitor Worth It for RTX 3080? Yes, it's totally worth it. The RTX 3080 is made for 4K resolution, so it should be able to handle a 4K monitor at 144 Hz. This will provide the smoothest animations for an immersive and highly-realistic gaming experience.
Required PC hardware
The most important thing is the video card. For an optimal 4K experience, only the best cards are suitable. Think about the GTX 1080 Ti, and RTX 2080 Super, or at least an RTX 3080. Without this video card, gaming in 4K is difficult, even with a suitable monitor.
Honestly outside of some bad (technically speaking) console ports 12GB is enough for 1440p and even 4K.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090
If money is no concern for you, then the 4090 should be your number one choice. The RTX 4090 is Nvidia's flagship GPU; built to provide the best performance technology. The GPU has shown amazing results across all benchmarks, and not only for gaming.
The RTX 3060 is better optimised for 1440p and 4K gaming and ray tracing, but if you want to get the best frame rates in the majority of games at 1080p you should get an RX 6600 XT instead (unless they cost significantly more than the RTX 3060 in your region).
Why does RTX 3060 have 12GB RAM? The 3060 uses a 192-bit memory bus which is slower than the 3060 Ti's 256-bit memory bus. The reason the 3060 uses 12GB is because 192-bit cards have 6 memory chips used over six lanes (32×6=192). A 256-bit card uses 8 chips on 8 lanes (8×32=256).
The GeForce RTX 3060 has the power to dazzle you with immersive ray-traced effects in Control, Cyberpunk 2077, Fortnite, Minecraft with RTX For Windows 10, Watch Dogs: Legion, and many other titles. And of course, NVIDIA DLSS is included, too, greatly accelerating frame rates in over 40 RTX games.
Overall, the 3060 is a better choice for gaming purposes. The main difference between the two cards is that the 3060 has 12GB of GDDR6 memory while the RTX 2070 has 8GB of GDDR6 memory. The 3060 also has a slightly lower TDP than the RTX 2070. This means that the 3060 will less more power and produce less heat.
With 4352 CUDA cores, 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, and a boost clock speed of 1665 MHz, the RTX 3060 Ti is more than capable of handling even the most demanding games at 1080p and 1440p resolutions, with frame rates well above 60fps on average.
We recommend those resolutions because getting games to run in 240Hz in them isn't that hard with modern graphics cards. In 1080p, even mid-range cards like an RTX 3060 can easily get it done, while an RTX 3070 can do the same for 240Hz in 1440p.
The recommended resolution for the GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card here is 1080p, which it can run The Medium reliably at Ultra resolutions. In summary, 1440p resolution shows itself to be the optimum performance vs visuals for the GeForce RTX 3060.
Performance: In terms of raw performance, the RTX 3060 is likely to be more powerful than the PS5, especially when playing demanding games at higher resolutions.
If you're OK gaming at 1080p and are trying to watch your spending, the RTX 3060 is a fantastic GPU. It delivers high frame rates, good-looking games, and is a bit easier on the wallet. But if you have a few more dollars to spend and want even faster frames (or to game in 1440p), the RTX 3070 is money well spent.
While it undoubtedly adds to the gaming experience, its impact on overall performance is still being balanced by developers. Therefore, the absence of Ray Tracing 3.0 on the 3060 Ti isn't a deal-breaker for many users. In conclusion, the RTX 3060 Ti continues to be a viable choice for a mid-range GPU in 2023.