Is it Time to Upgrade?

The «60»-branded GPUs in Nvidia’s RTX lineup are its most affordable entry for mid-range video cards. And with Nvidia announcing their availability on May 24, 2023, many gamers are gearing up to upgrade their GPUs.

But is the RTX 4060 and 4060 Ti a worthy upgrade for the 2060 and 3060?

Specifications: RTX 4060, RTX 4060 Ti (8GB), and RTX 4060 Ti (16GB)

Eight months after Nvidia launched its top-spec RTX 4090, 4080, and 4070 Ti GPUs, we’re finally getting more affordable variants of the Ada Lovelace architecture. This started with the launch of the RTX 4070 in April 2023 and continues with the 4060 Ti and 4060.

So, let’s see what the RTX 4060 and 4060 Ti offers on paper:

Although these specs are far from what the 4090 offers, they’re still more than capable of running the latest games at 1080p. And with prices starting at just $299, they’re a great option over the 4070, which starts at $599.

If you’re coming from an older card, like the GTX 1660 or RTX 2060, or it’s your first time diving into gaming PCs, and you want a relatively powerful, brand-new GPU at relatively affordable prices, you should seriously consider getting a 4060-series video card.

But if you already have a 3060-class GPU, is the 4060 family a good upgrade?

RTX 3060 (8GB) vs. RTX 4060

First, let’s compare the RTX 3060 (8GB) and the vanilla RTX 4060. Although the 3060 (8GB) was the last 3060 card to debut, it also had the lowest specification. This is further complicated because its launch price is the same as that of the older but better-performing 3060 (12GB). Because of this, many are advised to stay away from the RTX 3060 (8GB).

Is the RTX 4060 doomed to suffer the same fate? Possibly. Although the 4060 has a similar 8GB GDDR6 memory configuration, it has a higher base and boost clock over the 3060. Furthermore, the 4060’s TDP is just 115W, much lower than the 3060’s 170 watts.

Beyond that, let’s not forget the newer chips the 4000-series GPUs rock. The Ada Lovelace architecture offers several improvements over Ampere, allowing Nvidia to push the power and efficiency of its video cards.

RTX 3060 (12GB) vs. RTX 4060 Ti (8GB)

Although the 3060 (12GB) is almost the same as the 8GB variant, the extra 4GB does wonders for the card, allowing it to perform up to 35% better. So will the 12GB RTX 3060 outperform the 8GB 4060 Ti?

Although the 4060 Ti (8GB) has less memory than the 3060 (12GB) and a smaller memory bus, it has a greater CUDA core count, a higher base and boost clock speed, and a lower TDP.

Furthermore, some initial test results show that the 4060 Ti performs markedly better than the 3060 (12GB). The former clocked in a score of 22.06 TFLOPs, while the latter only gained 9.462 in the same test.

RTX 3060 Ti vs. RTX 4060 Ti (16GB)

So far, our analysis has determined that the 4060-series family offers a significant performance improvement, and this remains true with the 3060 Ti and 4060 Ti (16GB) comparison. Although the 3060 Ti outperforms the 3060 (12GB), it only does so by a small margin.

But we expect it to perform better in gaming and other tasks because of the significantly greater memory capacity of the 4060 Ti (16GB) over the 3060 Ti and the 4060 Ti (8GB).

Price Comparison: 3060/3060 Ti vs. 4060/4060 Ti

Of course, the 4060 GPU family will outshine the 3060. But the main question is: are they worth the upgrade? Let’s compare their launch prices and some of the current prices in the 3060 family.

As you can see, the RTX 4060 launched $20 cheaper than the most affordable RTX 3060—a good sign that we’re leaving the time when GPUs were so expensive. However, the higher-tier RTX 4060 Ti (16GB) is $100 more expensive than the previous top-end 3060 Ti, although this is understandable given that it has double the VRAM.

Now let’s look at some of Nvidia’s board partners on Amazon and see what they offer. You can get an Asus Dual GeForce RTX 3060 OC 8GB for $339.99, while an Asus Dual GeForce RTX 3060 V2 OC 12GB goes for $364.99. Finally, the Asus Dual GeForce RTX 3060 Ti OC costs around $409.99.

As you can see, board partners sell their cards at around $10 over the launch price, so you should consider this if you’re waiting for third-party 4060-family GPUs.

But if we believe Nvidia’s test results, the 25% price increase for the RTX 4060 Ti (16GB) is worth it because it can perform up to two times better than the 3060 Ti with DLSS 3.0 turned on. But if we base it solely on raw horsepower, the middling 10% improvement isn’t worth the premium.

When Can You Get the RTX 4060 and 4060 Ti?

In case you’re still raring to get your hands on the 4060 or 4060 Ti, you should know that NVIDIA is making the 4060 Ti (8GB) available on May 24, 2023, with the 4060 and 4060 Ti (16GB) coming in July 2023.

Should You Upgrade to the Nvidia 4060 or 4060 Ti?

The 4060 family looks to be a promising upgrade, with the 4060 and 4060 Ti (8GB) finally giving more performance for an equal or lesser price compared to their previous generation counterparts.

However, we highly recommend holding back on buying its first wave. You should check out real-world results from reputable benchmarks and testers to know what you’re getting into.

This can also help you know if any issues arise, like the RTX 4090’s melting connectors, to avoid any hassles with your new gaming CPU build.