As detailed and rumored earlier, the Geforce RTX 3060 is actually the first Geforce graphics card based on the Ampere GA106 GPU, made on an 8nm Samsung manufacturing process. It packs 3584 CUDA cores, 28 RT cores, and 112 Tensor cores, as well as 112 TMUs and 48 ROPs. Nvidia has decided to pack 12GB of 15Gbps GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit memory interface.
The reference clocks for the Geforce RTX 3060 are set at 1.32GHz base and 1.78GHz Boost clocks but so far, most OC versions from various Nvidia AIC partners are pushing the GPU Boost clock up to 1852MHz.
The TDP of the RTX 3060 is set at 170W, which means it should need a single 8-pin PCIe power connector (225W), but you can expect some versions to draw power from two 8-pin PCIe power connectors, depending on the OC.
With a price of $329, the Geforce RTX 3060 brings hefty improvements compared to the previously available RTX 20 series cards, like the RTX 2060 and the RTX 2070.
In terms of performance, you can expect the Geforce RTX 3060 to have no trouble with most games at 1440p resolution without ray tracing, and, according to Nvidia, it can run some games even with raytracing, mostly thanks to DLSS.
Nvidia has pretty much detailed the performance as the gap between the RTX 3060 and RTX 3060 Ti is so tight at around 20 or so percent. This does not come as a surprise considering the $70 MSRP price difference, as the RTX 3060 Ti MSRP is set at $399. Of course, AMD's RX 6700 series is just around the corner, and it will be interesting to see how much pressure will these put on Nvidia's lineup.
It is left to be seen if Geforce RTX 3060 graphics cards from various Nvidia AIC partners will stick to $329 MSRP (or slightly above for custom OC cards), and if Nvidia's recent limitation to Ethereum crypto-mining will actually leave more RTX 3060 on retail/e-tail shelves.
Here are some of the reviews from usual suspects.
- Techpowerup.com - Palit GeForce RTX 3060 Dual OC Review, EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 XC Review, Zotac GeForce RTX 3060 AMP White Edition Review, MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Gaming X Trio Review
- Hothardware.com - GeForce RTX 3060 Review: NVIDIA's Most Affordable Ampere Yet
- IgorsLab.de - MSI RTX 3060 Gaming X Trio Review
- Hexus.net - Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3060 Gaming OC 12GB: How good is the latest Ampere? We find out.
- eTeknix.com - Gigabyte RTX 3060 Gaming OC Graphics Card Review
- Tomshardware.com - GeForce RTX 3060 12GB Review: Hope Springs Eternal
- Tweaktown.com - MSI GeForce RTX 3060 GAMING X TRIO Review
- Guru3d.com - ASUS GeForce RTX 3060 STRIX Gaming OC, EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 XC Gaming, PALIT GeForce RTX 3060 DUAL OC
