What CPU is needed for a RTX 3060? From testing, we recommend a fifth-generation CPU from either AMD or Intel such as an Intel core i5 11600k. A processor with good single-core speeds would be best.
Based on the benchmark of 6 games, the Intel Core i7-11700K Bottlenecks the RTX 3060 at 1080p - ultra settings by 8.5% on average.
There's no CPU that won't bottleneck an RTX 3060 Ti in any situation (even a Ryzen 9 5950X would bottleneck it at 480p low settings in most games), but for most practical purposes, a Ryzen 5 3600 or i5 10400F would be a good choice for minimal bottlenecking at 1080p.
Software and Driver Issues : Make sure you have the latest drivers installed for your GPU as well as any required updates for your operating system and games. If you're still experiencing issues, try a clean install of your GPU drivers.
Another noticeable difference between the two is memory size. The RTX 3060 has 12GB GDDR6, while the RTX 3060 Ti has 8GB GDDR6. With the combination of the faster clock speed, faster boost clock speed, and more VRAM, you'd expect the Nvidia RTX 3060 to be faster than the RTX 3060 Ti—but that's not the case.
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.
If you're using an i7-13700K CPU, the AMD RX 7900 XT and the Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti are both excellent options, with the RX 7900 XT offering exceptional performance and the RTX 4070 Ti providing a balance of power and value.
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.
The 3060 delivers a cinematic 33fps at 4K, but things look a lot better at 1440p (54fps) and 1080p (68fps).
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is a great option for budget-minded gamers who aren't seeking a 4K gaming experience. With 4,864 CUDA cores spread across 38 Streaming Multiprocessors (SM), this Nvidia GPU is designed to deliver excellent 1080p PC gaming with ray tracing.
In fact, should you score a card with more fans and a larger heatsink, it's possible that you could eek even more performance out of the GPU. In the end, the RTX 3060 is still a very solid buy a year in and will be a GPU that could easily last for years to come, similar to the GTX 1060 and 1660 before it.
If you're doing just gaming there's no difference between 16GB and 32, and if you're doing productivity then 32GB is better but downgrading your card isn't worth it, but if you are editing try and get 32GB with the 3060 but 16GB is fine, but the difference might be noticeable at 4k editing.
Nvidia rates the GeForce RTX 3060 TGP (Total Graphics Power) at 170W, making it the lowest power Ampere GPU by 50W. It has a single 8-pin power connector, and combined with the x16 PCIe slot that's enough for up to 225W of power — more than sufficient headroom for overclocking.
NVIDIA recommends at least a 550 W PSU for the RTX 3060. However, considering different AIB versions of the card (some of which are overclockable) and PSU efficiency figures, you would be better off with a 650 W PSU, which is our focus here.
Between the three cards, there's little in power difference, with the RTX 3060 drawing only 170w and the RTX 3070 drawing up to 220w. Nvidia recommends a different power supply for each card, however. You should use a 550w, 600w, or 650w PSU for the RTX 3060, 3060 Ti, or 3070, respectively.
In fact, should you score a card with more fans and a larger heatsink, it's possible that you could eek even more performance out of the GPU. In the end, the RTX 3060 is still a very solid buy a year in and will be a GPU that could easily last for years to come, similar to the GTX 1060 and 1660 before it.
The 3060 has more VRAM, a better NVENC encoder, DLSS 2, and better R/T capabilities. If you can use these features, then the 3060 is the better card. Also, since games are using more VRAM, the 3060 will have the advantage thanks to it coming with 12GB of VRAM.
Theoretically, the RTX 3060 is a solid option for the average gamer. Most AIB partners have come up with triple fan options with chunky heatsinks for this particular video card. Furthermore, the 3060 has ample VRAM.
At the lower end of the series sits the humble RTX 3060. While we won't be seeing steady 4K resolution and high-performance frame rates from this GPU, it still has a place in someone's PC. It's more than capable of 1080p gaming, which is enough for some players.
AMD's Radeon RX 6600 XT and Nvidia's GeForce RTX 3060 are both capable of running games at 4K with medium graphics settings.
Yes. The RTX 3060 is more than adequate for gaming, and also, the RTX 3080 is better.