NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 represent two distinct eras of GPU design, separated by seven years of architectural evolution. The data shows a decisive performance gap, but the comparison is not merely about speed; it highlights fundamental shifts in compute capabilities, memory technology, and feature support. The RTX 3060 Ti holds a 100% win rate in the head-to-head benchmarks, yet the GTX 770 remains a relevant baseline for understanding how far the platform has progressed.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark results provide a clear, one-sided picture. In the two shared tests, the RTX 3060 Ti wins both, leaving the GTX 770 without a single victory. The most significant margin appears in Geekbench OpenCL, where the RTX 3060 Ti scores 78,927 against the GTX 770’s 15,707, a difference of 402.5%. This is not a marginal improvement but a generational leap in raw compute throughput, reflecting the shift from Kepler’s 3.333 TFLOPS to Ampere’s 16.20 TFLOPS FP32 performance. The RTX 3060 Ti also wins the Geekbench Vulkan test decisively, posting 47,784 versus 19,166, a 149.3% advantage. This suggests the newer card is substantially better equipped for modern graphics APIs that rely on low-level hardware control.

The GTX 770’s only comparable data points are its Geekbench Metal score of 9,369, a test not run on the RTX 3060 Ti, and its average benchmark score of 14,747. While it holds a percentile rank of 57 against all GPUs, the RTX 3060 Ti sits at a 59th percentile, indicating a higher standing overall. Where the GTX 770 might be considered "winning" is in legacy software compatibility—it supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175—but this is a feature of its age, not a performance advantage. The data does not support any workload where the GTX 770 outperforms the RTX 3060 Ti.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two cards is vast. The RTX 3060 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture using a GA104 chip fabricated on Samsung’s 8 nm process, while the GTX 770 uses the Kepler architecture with a GK104 chip on TSMC’s 28 nm node. This process shrink allows the RTX 3060 Ti to pack 17,400 million transistors into a 392 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 44.4M per mm². The GTX 770, by contrast, houses only 3,540 million transistors on a larger 294 mm² die, with a density of 12.0M per mm². That is a 4.9x increase in transistor count for the newer card.

Core configurations differ dramatically. The RTX 3060 Ti features 4,864 shading units, 152 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs, alongside 38 dedicated ray tracing cores and 152 tensor cores. The GTX 770 has 1,536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and only 32 ROPs, with no ray tracing or tensor core support. This means the RTX 3060 Ti can handle hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-driven DLSS workloads, while the GTX 770 is limited to traditional rasterization. The pixel rate tells the story: 133.2 GPixel/s for the RTX 3060 Ti versus 34.72 GPixel/s for the GTX 770, a 3.8x difference in fill rate.

Memory architecture is another split. The RTX 3060 Ti uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, while the GTX 770 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on the same 256-bit bus, yielding only 224.4 GB/s. The RTX 3060 Ti’s memory clock is listed as 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective speed, versus the GTX 770’s 1753 MHz with 7 Gbps effective. The newer card also supports PCIe 4.0 x16, while the GTX 770 is limited to PCIe 3.0 x16. API support diverges as well: the RTX 3060 Ti offers DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, whereas the GTX 770 tops out at DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the data, the RTX 3060 Ti is the superior choice for any modern workload. Its 402.5% lead in Geekbench OpenCL and 149.3% lead in Geekbench Vulkan are not close margins; they are categorical wins. The card’s higher average benchmark score of 16,129, compared to the GTX 770’s 14,747, reinforces its position, as does its 59th percentile rank versus 57th. For users interested in ray tracing or tensor-based features, the GTX 770 is not an option—it lacks the hardware entirely.

The GTX 770, however, still has a place in the historical record. Its launch MSRP of 399 USD matches the RTX 3060 Ti’s launch MSRP of 399 USD, but that is the only point of parity. The older card’s 2 GB memory capacity is a severe limitation for contemporary games, and its 230 W TDP is higher than the RTX 3060 Ti’s 200 W, despite delivering a fraction of the performance. From the data, the RTX 3060 Ti is the clear pick for anyone seeking current-generation features and performance. The GTX 770 should be considered only for legacy systems or software that requires its specific DirectX 11_0 feature level.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the RTX 3060 Ti than the GTX 770 in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti scores 78,927, while the GTX 770 scores 15,707, giving the newer card a 402.5% advantage in this test.

Q: Does the GTX 770 support ray tracing?

A: No. The GTX 770 has no ray tracing cores listed in its specifications, while the RTX 3060 Ti includes 38 dedicated RT cores.

Q: What is the memory size difference between the two cards?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti comes with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, whereas the GTX 770 has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory. Both use a 256-bit bus, but the RTX 3060 Ti’s bandwidth is 448.0 GB/s versus 224.4 GB/s for the GTX 770.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor count?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti contains 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die, compared to the GTX 770’s 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die.

Q: Are there any benchmarks where the GTX 770 wins?

A: In the available head-to-head data, the GTX 770 wins zero tests. The RTX 3060 Ti wins both shared benchmarks (Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan).

Q: What are the power connector requirements for each card?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti uses a single 12-pin power connector, while the GTX 770 requires one 6-pin and one 8-pin connector. Both have a suggested PSU of 550 W.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result is in Geekbench OpenCL. The RTX 3060 Ti’s score of 78,927 dwarfs the GTX 770’s 15,707, a delta of 402.5%. This test measures general-purpose compute, and the gap reflects the underlying hardware: the RTX 3060 Ti’s 4,864 shading units and 16.20 TFLOPS FP32 performance are simply in another class from the GTX 770’s 1,536 units and 3.333 TFLOPS. The GTX 770’s 28 nm process and lack of tensor cores further explain its lower throughput.

The Geekbench Vulkan benchmark shows a narrower but still enormous gap. The RTX 3060 Ti scores 47,784, while the GTX 770 manages 19,166, a 149.3% difference. Vulkan is a low-overhead API that favors modern architectures, and the RTX 3060 Ti’s support for Vulkan 1.4, versus the GTX 770’s Vulkan 1.2.175, gives it access to newer optimizations. The RTX 3060 Ti’s higher texture rate of 253.1 GTexel/s, compared to 138.9 GTexel/s on the GTX 770, also contributes to its stronger showing in this graphics-focused test.

Beyond the head-to-head, the RTX 3060 Ti has additional benchmark scores that the GTX 770 lacks, including a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,626 and a Passmark G3D score of 20,349. The GTX 770’s only exclusive test is Geekbench Metal, where it scores 9,369, but no comparable data exists for the RTX 3060 Ti, making it impossible to draw a direct comparison. The average scores tell the final story: 16,129 for the RTX 3060 Ti versus 14,747 for the GTX 770, a 9.4% overall advantage that undersells the massive lead in modern compute workloads.

Specification Differences

The specification sheet highlights several key differences beyond performance. The RTX 3060 Ti is built on an 8 nm process from Samsung, while the GTX 770 uses TSMC’s 28 nm node. The RTX 3060 Ti has a base clock of 1410 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz, whereas the GTX 770 runs at 1046 MHz base and 1085 MHz boost. Memory speeds are close in raw MHz—1750 MHz for the RTX 3060 Ti versus 1753 MHz for the GTX 770—but the effective data rate doubles from 7 Gbps to 14 Gbps due to the newer GDDR6 standard.

The RTX 3060 Ti’s shading unit count is 4,864, more than triple the GTX 770’s 1,536. TMUs are 152 versus 128, and ROPs are 80 versus 32. The RTX 3060 Ti also adds 38 RT cores and 152 tensor cores, features entirely absent from the GTX 770. Power consumption differs, with the RTX 3060 Ti rated at 200 W TDP and the GTX 770 at 230 W, despite the latter being far less capable. Physical dimensions vary slightly: the RTX 3060 Ti is 242 mm long, while the GTX 770 is 267 mm long. Display outputs also differ, with the RTX 3060 Ti offering 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, versus the GTX 770’s 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2. The RTX 3060 Ti’s bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x16, while the GTX 770 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Both cards are end-of-life products, and both had a launch MSRP of 399 USD.