The GPU releases continue with the launch of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card. The card marks the fifth in the RTX 30 Series family, and is the entry level option for those looking to jump into the Ampere fun.
Featuring a GA106-300 GPU, the GeForce RTX 3060 has 3,584 CUDA Cores with 12 GB GDDR6 memory. When it comes to performance, that puts it at the low end of currently available RTX 300 Series cards. For comparisons sake, the next card up — RTX 3060 Ti — has 4,864 CUDA Cores and 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit memory bus.
While the vRAM amount in the 3060 Ti is lower, it’s overall performance remains higher because of the larger memory bus. To keep it simple, it basically means the RTX 3060 has less data going to and from the card’s memory each second. The 4 GB of extra memory on the 3060 allow it to keep up with its big brother, of sorts.
As for clock speeds, the RTX 3060 has a base clock of 1.32 GHz with the ability to boost to 1.78 GHz. Again, that’s higher than the 1.67 GHz of the RTX 3060 Ti, but it’s needed to stay close.
| Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 | |
|---|---|
| Architecture | Ampere |
| GPU | GA106-300 |
| CUDA Cores | 3,584 |
| RT Cores | 28 |
| Tensors/TMUs | 112 |
| Memory | 12 GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | 192-bit |
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| Outputs | 3x DisplayPort 1.4a 1x HDMI 2.1 |
| TGP | 170W |
Will Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 stock be there?
First revealed during CES 2021, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 starts at just $329.99 USD. This makes it the cheapest starting price for any of the Ampere cards. With Nvidia not releasing a Founders Edition of the card, however, it’s unlikely that consumers will be able to find a card at MSRP. In order for AIB partners to make a profit, they have to mark up the prices some. Combine that with federally-imposed U.S. tariffs, and we’re looking at even higher costs.
(Credit: Nvidia)
Obviously, the biggest question about the card is its availability. Based on what we’ve seen with every other new RTX 3000 card up to now, getting your hands on one of these GPUs will be a lot easier said than done. It has become the norm to spend absurd amounts over MSRP just to get one. While there’s hope that the situation will improve as more options become available, there’s reason to believe availability won’t be easy to find throughout 2021.
We’ve already seen some GeForce RTX 3060 cards appear at retailers for nearly triple the standard price.
