The Nvidia 30 series has in total 9 Graphic Cards among which RTX 3060 is the second from the bottom line. The series begins with RTX 3050 and ends at RTX 3090 Ti. Similar to Nvidia’s 40 series has 6 cards in the family, the latest available in the GPU’s list. 40 series begins with RTX 4060 promising hyperrealistic graphics at a hyperfast rate powered by AI. Compared to RTX 4060, RTX 3060 falls in the affordable price tag. If you are among those wondering if the can RTX 3060 beat the RTX 4060 on certain hardware grounds, then keep reading.
RTX 3060 12GB vs RTX 4060 8GB: Which One is Better & Why?
The comparison between these two graphics cards will be done in three scenarios. First is Performance, then Price, and third is Gaming Requirements. This will be helpful for you to figure out why to pick RTX 306012GB or RTX 4060 6GB for your gaming PC.
RTX 3060 12GB vs RTX 4060: Price Comparision
Here are some random GPUs in both series along with their current price. RTX 3060 12GB ranges from $280 to $320 or higher depending on its additional features by different manufacturers. While 4060 8GB starts from $300 and goes a little higher. Looking into the below price chart it is not wrong to conclude that RTX 3060 12GB and RTX 4060 8GB have a some 10-15% price difference.
| MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 12GB | $289.39 | 33,599 INR |
| GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3060 Gaming OC 12G | $299.99 | 33,890 INR |
| MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X 12G | $329.99 | 47,999 INR (Ti) |
| ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4060 OC Edition 8GB | $309.99 | 33,690 INR |
| GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4060 Eagle OC 8G | $304.99 | 31,840 INR |
| ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 4060 8GB Twin Edge | $299.99 | 32,299 INR |
So this scenario does not fit into the comparison part, in short, it is not logical to define which card is best when it comes to the price tag. Because there is no huge gap in the price tag. There must be a difference of a minimum of $50 to $100, which can help our comparison to be more logical in terms of which one to buy. Skipping this out, let’s move forward with the RTX 3060 12GB vs RTX 4060 8GB performance comparison.
RTX 3060 12GB vs RTX 4060: Performance Comparision
The specs below are divided into different sections. Like memory, tech, and power requirements. The difference is not that great in terms of memory specs, but RTX 4060 comes loaded with the latest Nvidia Tech. This is where it has an edge over the second card. Here VRAM does not play a big role in overall performance. What matters is higher is Ray Tracing Cores and Tensor Cores. As well as the new architecture. This plays a huge role in graphic rendering giving you hyper-realistic effects on the screen. So it is not logical to compare 12GB GPU Memory vs 8GB, because the RTX 4060 has an entirely new architecture. Which makes it better in terms of rendering, heat dissipation, 4K resolution, etc. RTX 3060 might look like a bigger VRAM card, but due to old tech, it will fall 10 to 20% lower in terms of overall output. If 4K gaming is not your aim, and you are getting RTX 3060 25 to 30% cheaper through a certain sale or discount, then go for it.
GPU Memory Specs:
| Series | RTX 3060 | RTX 4080 |
| NVIDIA CUDA Cores | 3584 | 3072 |
| Boost Clock (GHz) | 1.78 | 2.46 |
| Base Clock (GHz) | 1.32 | 1.83 |
| Standard Memory Config | 12GB / 8GB GDDR6 | 8GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Interface Width | 192-Bit / 128-Bit | 128-Bit |
Technology Support:
| Series | RTX 3060 | RTX 4080 |
| Ray Tracing Cores | 2nd Gen | 3rd Gen |
| Tensor Cores | 3rd Gen | 4th Gen |
| NVIDIA Architecture | Ampere | Ada Lovelace |
| Nvidia DLSS | Yes | Yes |
| Nvidia DLSS | Yes | 3 |
| Nvidia Reflex | Yes | Yes |
| Nvidia Broadcast | Yes | Yes |
| PCI Express Gen 4 | Yes | Yes |
| Nvidia Ansel | Yes | Yes |
| Nvidia G-Sync | Yes | Yes |
| VR Ready | Yes | Yes |
Resolution Support:
| Series | RTX 3060 | RTX 4080 |
| Maximum Digital Resolution | 7680×4320 | 4K at 240Hz or 8K at 60Hz with DSC |
| Standard Display Connectors | HDMI, 3x DisplayPort | HDMI, 3x DisplayPort |
| Multi-Monitor | 4 | 4 |
| HDCP | 2.3 | 2.3 |
Thermal & Power:
| Maximum GPU Temperature (in C) | 93 | 90 |
| Graphics Card Power (W) | 170 | 165 or 160 |
| Supplementary Power Connectors | 550 | 550 |
| Supplementary Power Connectors | 1x PCIe 8-Pin | 1x PCIe 8-pin cables (adapter in box) OR 300 W or greater PCIe Gen 5 cable Certain manufacturer models may use 1x PCIe 8-pin cable. |
For detailed specs visit Nvidia RTX 4080 and RTX 3060 series page.
RTX 3060 12GB vs RTX 4060: Gaming Comparision
Whenever you are picking an Nvidia RTX Graphic card look for the Tensor cores comparison. More cores, more power, while VRAM will play the role of acting as a temporary storage for data related to graphic rendering. It handles visuals, texture mapping, etc. In GPU the memory bandwidth plays a huge role in 4K rendering. For example, if you are playing a game at 4K 60FPS then approx 380GB/s of memory bandwidth is required. So if you check the card specs in detail you will find they support 4K at some level. The cards are optimized to give you the best at lower resolution due to lesser VRAM, because other tech like Ray Tracing, and DLSS are also actively consuming CPU, RAM, and GPU memory in the background.
It is not accurate to say that both cards can offer you seamless 4K gaming for hours, some optimization is required. By default games are designed to handle the same or else if you are burning everything on max, then this can heat the GPU and CPU affecting the overall life of the hardware. Based on different benchmarking reports RTX 4060 is around 10 to 20% better in terms of gaming output compared to the 30 series card. It is due to the latest architecture, upgraded RTX, and Tensor Cores.
Overall RTX 4080 8GB is a better card compared to RTX 3060 12GB. Those who are not expecting much of a 2K or 4K gaming at max settings can stick to RTx 3060 if you are getting it cheaper. Or else for future gaming requirements RTX 4060 is is good-to-go card.