NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Review - Price Pinch

So you're looking for an NVIDIA RTX graphics card here in the year 2020 and you've struck out, time and time again. We've run through the RTX 3080, the RTX 3070, now it's time for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. This card sits below the rest, but retains some key features of this most current (and often far more costly) set of graphics cards.

This NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti card delivers performance that sits just below the RTX 3070 at a price that is spot-on for value. NVIDIA suggests that the RTX 3060 Ti be compared for performance and value to the GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER and the RTX 2080 SUPER.

If we DO make these comparisons, we find the RTX 2060 Super, released at the same price as this RTX 3060 Ti, and the RTX 2080 SUPER coming in with a far higher price at $700 USD. If you're looking to replace your RTX 2080 SUPER with ever-so-slightly better processing power for $400 a pop, the RTX 3060 Ti is the card for you.

The RTX 3060 Ti rolls with the following specifications:

• CUDA Cores: 4864

• TMUs / ROPs: 152 / 80

• Tensor / RT Cores: 152 / 38

• Base Clock: 1.41 Ghz

• Boost Clock: 1.665 GHz

• FP32 Compute: 16.2 TFLOPs

• RT TFLOPs: 32.4 TFLOPs

• Memory cap: 8 GB GDDR6

• Memory Bus: 256-bit

• Memory Speed: 14 Gbps

• Bandwidth: 448 Gbps

• TDP: 200W

Based on our testing over the past week, performance of the RTX 3060 Ti fits perfectly in between the RTX 2080 SUPER and the RTX 3070 (see our RTX 3070 FE Review). The price, on the other hand, matches the card's direct predecessor (RTX 2060 Ti), as it out-performs cards that cost several hundred dollars more.

The following benchmark results were captured on the same machine as used in our last several graphics card reviews. You'll find results here for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super, RTX 2080 Super, RTX 3070, RTX 3080 (see our RTX 3080 FE Review), and this newest entry, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. All of these results were captured with Founders Edition versions of each card.

Fire Strike (1080p)

• RTX 2070 Super: 23200

• RTX 2080 Super: 28620

• RTX 3060 Ti: 30690

• RTX 3070: 34020

• RTX 3080: 42690

Fire Strike Extreme

• RTX 2070 Super: 12300

• RTX 2080 Super: 13430

• RTX 3060 Ti: 14840

• RTX 3070: 17200

• RTX 3080: 22102

Fire Strike Ultra

• RTX 2070 Super: 5901

• RTX 2080 Super: 6640

• RTX 3060 Ti: 7320

• RTX 3070: 9010

• RTX 3080: 10912

Time Spy (1440)

• RTX 2070 Super: 10300

• RTX 2080 Super: 11520

• RTX 3060 Ti: 12160

• RTX 3070: 14200

• RTX 3080: 17570

Time Spy Extreme

• RTX 2070 Super: 4807

• RTX 2080 Super: 5300

• RTX 3060 Ti: 5890

• RTX 3070: 6910

• RTX 3080: 8950

The last couple of benchmarks include the RTX 2080 Super, RTX 3070, and RTX 3080, as well as this new RTX 3060 Ti. Once again, each of these benchmarks represent results captured in the same machine, save the graphics card.

Death Stranding

1440 Very High (MaxQ) DLSS OFF/ON

• RTX 2080 Super: 112 / 125 fps

• RTX 3060 Ti: 118 / 127 fps

• RTX 3070: 121 / 130 fps

• RTX 3080: 125 / 135 fps

2160 Very High (MaxQ) DLSS OFF/ON

• RTX 2080 Super: 65 / 100 fps

• RTX 3060 Ti: 75 / 105 fps

• RTX 3070: 93 / 110 fps

• RTX 3080: 110 / 121 fps

Above and below you'll see the games DOOM Eternal and Death Stranding, both which we've run at 1440 and 2160 MaxQ. Death Stranding is a game we expect to run well over 100fps at 1440 MaxQ. We're looking for at least 115 on 1140 MaxQ, per the 2080 Super.

DOOM Eternal

1440 ULTRA NIGHTMARE (MaxQ)

• RTX 2080 Super: 118 fps

• RTX 3060 Ti: 165 fps

• RTX 3070: 195 fps

• RTX 3080: 212 fps

2160 ULTRA NIGHTMARE (MaxQ)

• RTX 2080 Super: 74 fps

• RTX 3060 Ti: 92 fps

• RTX 3070: 117 fps

• RTX 3080: 145 fps

DOOM Eternal attempts to frighten our expectations into submission with a MaxQ setting name "ULTRA NIGHTMARE." But it is Microsoft Flight Simulator that truly represents the most brutal maxed-out performance testing here at the tail end of 2020. Even the 2080 only barely reaches 60fps with "high-end" settings (not quite MaxQ).

Microsoft Flight Simulator

1440 ULTRA (MaxQ)

• RTX 3060 Ti: 32 fps

• RTX 3070: 38 fps

• RTX 3080: 47 fps

1440 HIGH-END

• RTX 3060 Ti: 38 fps

• RTX 3070: 45 fps

• RTX 3080: 60 fps

2160 ULTRA (MaxQ)

• RTX 3060 Ti: 28 fps

• RTX 3070: 34 fps

• RTX 3080: 43 fps

2160 HIGH-END

• RTX 3060 Ti: 35 fps

• RTX 3070: 42 fps

• RTX 3080: 57 fps

Each of the benchmark results shown above represent performance of each graphics card in the same machine with the most updated NVIDIA drivers available.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition card will be made available at Best Buy and Microcenter at release. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti release date is December 2, 2020. Starting price for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition is $399 USD.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition is just one of a collection of iterations of the RTX 3060 Ti card. There'll also be partner manufacturer editions with slightly different features available on December 2, 2020 at the same time as the Founders Edition.