Does the older gen nonetheless maintain up?
Previous vs new which is the higher selection for you? We examine Nvidia’s RTX 2060 vs 3060 playing cards to see which is your subsequent finest graphics card. It could not all the time be the case that you want to purchase the latest era. Even the older playing cards can maintain up on their very own, of their day they had been new too.
The RTX 2060 got here out in January of 2019, with the 3060 coming alongside two years later in January of 2021. With a brand new structure and a few years of innovation, there might be some good variations between them. So we check out the architectural variations, what specs have to supply, and the variations in worth and efficiency.
Asus Rog Strix GeForce RTX 2060 6GB OC
Execs
Very environment friendly triple fan configuration
Overclocked to 1860Mhz for speedy processing
High quality buyer assist from ASUS
Cons
One of many pricier fashions on this record
ASUS GeForce RTX 3060 TI ROG Strix Gaming OC
Execs
Glorious aesthetic design
Cons
On the upper finish of the worth spectrum
Structure
Constructed in numerous generations, the playing cards have completely different architectures. The 20 sequence relies on the Turing structure, while the 30 sequence relies on Ampere. This implies they’re constructed otherwise and even when they’ve the identical cores would seemingly not work the identical. Specifically, 2060 has the TU106 chip while the 3060 has the GA106 die.
With completely different architectures, in addition they have completely different manufacturing processes. TU106 makes use of TSMCs 12nm while the GA106 die has a smaller course of with Samsungs 8nm course of. Giving the Ampere card a a lot denser construct for its transistors. In truth, in its 276mm2 die measurement, it has 12 billion transistors. Whereas the Turing card has solely 10.8 billion transistors in its 445mm2 die.
RTX 2060 vs 3060 Specs
| RTX 2060 | RTX 3060 | |
|---|---|---|
| GPU | TU106-200A-KA-A1 | GA106-300-A1 |
| Shaders | 1920 | 3584 |
| RT cores | 30 | 28 |
| TMUs | 120 | 112 |
| Reminiscence | 6GB GDDR6 | 12GB GDDR6 |
| Base clock | 1365 MHz | 1320 MHz |
| Enhance clock | 1680 MHz | 1777 MHz |
| Reminiscence clock | 14 Gbps | 15 Gbps |
| Card bus | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| Reminiscence bandwidth | 336.0 GB/s | 360.0 GB/s |
| TDP | 160W | 170W |
how they’re made may give us a great indication of how the playing cards could carry out. In addition to what makes up a few of the variations between them. Specifically, we have a look at the cores, VRAM, clock, and TDP variations.
PCI bus
Solely a key distinction between generations it has a distinction in our 2060 vs 3060 comparability. The cardboard bus makes use of a PCI commonplace and in between these two playing cards they’ve upgraded their PCI era. This half is what permits the GPU to speak with the motherboard and the remainder of the system.
The 20 sequence makes use of a gen 3 connector, whereas the 30 sequence has an upgraded 4th sequence connector. Which means that there’s an upgraded bandwidth within the newer era of playing cards. And the soar in era doubles the full capability of the hyperlink. As the three.0 x16 connector permits 15.74 GB/s, in comparison with the 4.0 x16s 31.508 GB/s.
Though unlikely that they may max out that connection it might be doable. So having that further overhead means the 3060 has the benefit by way of what it may possibly obtain.
VRAM
Video reminiscence is used as a body buffer and storage for pixels. This implies it’s the half between your GPU and CPU that holds key graphical knowledge. The capacities and speeds have grown not too long ago to assist with the upper resolutions that require extra pixels to run. So to maintain from buffering and latency you will need to preserve each of those up.
There’s a surprisingly massive distinction between 2060 vs 3060 as they each nonetheless use the identical kind of VRAM simply in numerous quantities. With GDDR6 and the identical reminiscence bus, they differ with capability. 2060 solely has 6GB whereas the 3060 has 12GB, even when in comparison with the remainder of the 30 sequence it’s much more than anticipated. Though in addition they differ barely within the bandwidth and clock, which lets the 3060 have the next bandwidth by 24 GB/s.
Core depend
What makes up the dies are particular person segments specializing in explicit instruction units. Which can be shaders engaged on shadows and shading, RT cores specializing in real-time ray tracing, or TMUs that work on creating 3d pictures from bitmaps.
Between these two graphic playing cards, there are some peculiar variations. You might anticipate the newer gen card to have the next depend and work higher. It’s true for the shader depend with the 3060 having 35% extra items however not for the others. For RT cores and TMUs, the 3060 drops the depend by 6.7%. Possible all the way down to the architectural variations between the 2 generations.
Thermal design energy
TDP of a graphics card is the utmost quantity of energy the cardboard will eat that ultimately is transformed into warmth. Each give an thought of how a lot it’s going to value to run and the way a lot of a heating aspect the cardboard might be. Between these two playing cards, there isn’t a lot distinction in TDP. The 3060 is just better by 10W which is larger however not considerably, however could eat extra energy and wish barely extra cooling.
Clock velocity
Lastly, we have a look at the clock velocity of a GPU. It’s decided by how rapidly the silicon crystals can cycle and course of graphics. A characteristic that may be a consideration however generally not the one think about figuring out a card’s talents. Though one of many favorites for getting pushed by overclocking to get extra out of your element.
Within the case of 2060 vs 3060, there’s a slight variation in benefits. For the bottom clock, it’s the 20 sequence that has the next clock charge, with 1365 MHz in comparison with the 30 sequence 1320 MHz. However when boosted the newer gen card takes the reigns. It manages to attain 1777 MHz whereas the 2060 will get 1680 MHz a a lot slower working die.
2060 vs 3060 Efficiency
Having a look on the 3dmarks benchmarks we get an understanding of the uncooked comparisons of the graphical efficiency of the 2 GPUs. The 3060 manages a rating of 8,784 and a worth to efficiency of 26. In comparison with the 2060s rating of seven,543 with a worth to efficiency of 21. Exhibiting that in actual fact there are some key benefits to the newer builds.
Having a look at different benchmarks the 3060 doesn’t have as a lot of a bonus. It has solely an 8% improve in a mean rating over the 2060. The sport efficiency of the GPU is about 17% larger on common than the 2060. Which does imply the cardboard is healthier to be used basically.
RTX 2060 vs 3060 Value comparability
Positively, a defining issue when deciding on which graphics card to select is how a lot it’s going to value you. The launch worth of the 2060 was $349 while the 3060 launched for $329. So at MSRP, it’s higher off to get the newer card, because it’s cheaper for higher efficiency.
Nevertheless, within the present scarcity, it could be tougher. With GPUs costlier than they need to be you might not get them at these costs. At the moment, available on the market, you will discover the 2060 for $440 with the 3060 costing $525. This can be a more durable cut price to search out.
Gigabyte RTX 2060 6GB Mini ITX OC
Execs
Small kind issue helps preserve construct tidy
Cons
The least highly effective of all of the playing cards
Can develop into fairly noisey below strain
MSI GEFORCE RTX 3060 TI VENTUS 3X OC graphics card
Execs
Fashionable, gaming aesthetics
Sturdy supplies and construct design
Excessive-end cooling answer
Is the 2060 or 3060 higher?
General, when trying on the 2060 vs 3060 comparability, from efficiency and structure it’s the higher option to get the 3060. Though pricing could also be a consideration since although they’re each meant to be below $350 neither of them is lower than $400. So it could be price ready for costs to maintain falling, or ready for the following era of playing cards with the RTX 4000 sequence. Or doubtlessly even an Intel ARC Alchemist for the range.
RTX 2060 vs 3060 FAQs
How a lot better is the RTX 3060 than 2060?
From the 3DMarks graphics benchmarks, the 3060 achieves a rating 16% larger than the 2060. While in gaming its gaming efficiency it additionally manages an 8-17% larger framerate over its older counterpart.
How a lot sooner is the RTX 3060 vs 2060?
When it comes to clock charge, the 3060 has a decrease base clock and manages a sooner enhance and reminiscence clock. It has a 3% decrease base, 6% larger enhance, and seven% larger reminiscence clock over the 2060.
