NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records two direct benchmark comparisons between the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. Both are compute-oriented tests, and the results are decisive in favor of the newer card.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 780 scores 22,863, while the RTX 3060 Ti scores 78,927. That is a delta of -71% from the perspective of the GTX 780, meaning the RTX 3060 Ti delivers roughly 3.45 times the OpenCL performance. This is a massive gap, and it reflects not just generational improvements in raw compute but also architectural changes that allow the RTX 3060 Ti to handle parallel workloads far more efficiently.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the GTX 780 scores 24,514, while the RTX 3060 Ti scores 47,784. The delta is -48.7%, so the RTX 3060 Ti is nearly twice as fast in this API. Vulkan is a low-level graphics and compute API, and the RTX 3060 Ti’s advantage here is substantial, though not as overwhelming as in OpenCL.

Looking at the broader database picture, the GTX 780’s average benchmark score is 19,164, placing it at the 64th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA TITAN Xp at 19,177 (-0.1%), the NVIDIA Tesla K20m at 19,089 (+0.4%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile at 19,049 (+0.6%), and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 at 19,036 (+0.7%). The GTX 780 is essentially tied with these cards in average score, which is remarkable for a GPU from 2013, but it also means it is not breaking away from much newer or more specialized hardware.

The RTX 3060 Ti, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 16,129, which puts it at the 59th percentile. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 9060 at 16,014 (+0.7%), the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M at 16,351 (-1.4%), the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT at 16,361 (-1.4%), and the AMD Radeon R9 370X at 15,862 (+1.7%). The RTX 3060 Ti sits in a tight cluster here, with less than 2% separating it from its closest competitors. Interestingly, despite winning both head-to-head tests decisively, the RTX 3060 Ti’s average score is lower than the GTX 780’s average score. This is because the average includes a wide mix of benchmarks, some of which favor the older card’s specific driver optimizations or test conditions.

The head-to-head results are unambiguous: the RTX 3060 Ti wins both recorded tests, with no wins for the GTX 780. The winsA field is 0, winsB is 2. If a builder is choosing between these two based purely on compute benchmarks, the RTX 3060 Ti is the clear choice.

The Verdict

The data supports a straightforward conclusion: the RTX 3060 Ti is the stronger GPU in every direct comparison recorded. Its OpenCL score is 71% higher than the GTX 780, and its Vulkan score is 48.7% higher. If your workload relies on these APIs, the RTX 3060 Ti will finish tasks noticeably faster.

That said, the GTX 780 holds a higher average benchmark score (19,164 vs 16,129) and a higher percentile rank (64th vs 59th). This is a curious inversion. The average score is not a direct head-to-head metric; it aggregates many different tests, including older DirectX and Passmark tests where the GTX 780 may benefit from legacy driver paths or simpler geometry workloads. The GTX 780’s nearest rivals include the TITAN Xp and Tesla K20m, which suggests it still holds its own in certain compute contexts.

For a builder who needs modern features, higher compute throughput, and better API support, the RTX 3060 Ti is the obvious pick. It has a much higher FP32 throughput (16.20 TFLOPS vs 4.156 TFLOPS), more shading units (4,864 vs 2,304), more ROPs (80 vs 48), and substantially more memory bandwidth (448.0 GB/s vs 288.4 GB/s). It also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX 780 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175.

For a builder who only cares about the specific benchmarks in the database and values the GTX 780’s higher average score, there is an argument to keep it in a secondary system or for legacy software. But for any modern workload, the RTX 3060 Ti wins.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti wins with a score of 78,927 versus the GTX 780’s 22,863, a delta of -71% for the GTX 780.

Q: Which GPU wins in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti wins with a score of 47,784 versus the GTX 780’s 24,514, a delta of -48.7% for the GTX 780.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The GTX 780 has an average benchmark score of 19,164, while the RTX 3060 Ti has an average benchmark score of 16,129.

Q: How do the two cards compare in memory bandwidth?

A: The GTX 780 has 288.4 GB/s of bandwidth, while the RTX 3060 Ti has 448.0 GB/s.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti has 4,864 shading units, while the GTX 780 has 2,304.

Q: What is the DirectX support difference?

A: The GTX 780 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), while the RTX 3060 Ti supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2).

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every specification. The GTX 780 uses a 28 nm process and packs 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die, with a transistor density of 12.6M / mm². The RTX 3060 Ti uses an 8 nm process, packs 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die, and has a density of 44.4M / mm².

Clock speeds are significantly different. The GTX 780 runs at a base of 863 MHz and a boost of 902 MHz. The RTX 3060 Ti runs at 1,410 MHz base and 1,665 MHz boost. Memory clocks also differ: the GTX 780 uses 1,502 MHz (6 Gbps effective), while the RTX 3060 Ti uses 1,750 MHz (14 Gbps effective).

Memory configuration: the GTX 780 has 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, while the RTX 3060 Ti has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus. Bandwidth favors the RTX 3060 Ti: 448.0 GB/s versus 288.4 GB/s.

The RTX 3060 Ti has more shading units (4,864 vs 2,304), more ROPs (80 vs 48), but fewer TMUs (152 vs 192). It also adds hardware features the GTX 780 lacks: 38 RT cores and 152 tensor cores.

Pixel rate is 43.30 GPixel/s for the GTX 780 and 133.2 GPixel/s for the RTX 3060 Ti. Texture rate is 173.2 GTexel/s for the GTX 780 and 253.1 GTexel/s for the RTX 3060 Ti. FP32 throughput is 4.156 TFLOPS versus 16.20 TFLOPS, with the RTX 3060 Ti also offering FP16 at 16.20 TFLOPS (1:1), while the GTX 780 has no listed FP16 capability.

Power requirements differ: the GTX 780 has a TDP of 250 W and requires a 600 W PSU, while the RTX 3060 Ti has a TDP of 200 W and a suggested PSU of 550 W. The GTX 780 uses 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin connectors; the RTX 3060 Ti uses a single 12-pin connector.

The GTX 780 is 267 mm long, 111 mm tall, and 38 mm wide. The RTX 3060 Ti is 242 mm long and 112 mm tall, with no width listed. The GTX 780 has 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2 outputs. The RTX 3060 Ti has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

The GTX 780 uses PCIe 3.0 x16; the RTX 3060 Ti uses PCIe 4.0 x16.

Architecture Differences

The GTX 780 is built on the Kepler architecture, using the GK110 chip. The RTX 3060 Ti is built on Ampere, using the GA104 chip. Kepler was designed for the GeForce 700 generation and relies on a 28 nm TSMC process. Ampere is a much newer design, fabricated on Samsung’s 8 nm process.

Transistor count and density differences are stark. The GTX 780 has 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die; the RTX 3060 Ti has 17,400 million transistors on a smaller 392 mm² die. This translates to a density of 12.6M / mm² versus 44.4M / mm², showing how much more compact the newer process is.

The RTX 3060 Ti introduces dedicated hardware for ray tracing (38 RT cores) and AI acceleration (152 tensor cores), neither of which exists on the GTX 780. These are functional differences, not just numerical ones, and they enable features like hardware-accelerated ray tracing and DLSS, which the GTX 780 cannot utilize.

API support also differs. The GTX 780 lists DirectX 12 (11_0), meaning it only exposes the feature level of DirectX 11 even though it can run some DirectX 12 workloads. The RTX 3060 Ti supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes the full feature set of modern DirectX. Vulkan support is 1.2.175 on the GTX 780 versus 1.4 on the RTX 3060 Ti. OpenGL is 4.6 on both.

The memory architectures are different generations: GDDR5 versus GDDR6. The GTX 780’s 384-bit bus is wider, but the RTX 3060 Ti compensates with a much faster effective memory clock (14 Gbps vs 6 Gbps), resulting in higher total bandwidth.

The GTX 780’s predecessor is the GeForce 600 series, and its successor is the GeForce 900 series. The RTX 3060 Ti’s predecessor is the GeForce 20 series, and its successor is the GeForce 40 series. The GTX 780 was released in 2013; the RTX 3060 Ti was released in 2020. Both are now end-of-life.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3060 Ti wins in every direct benchmark comparison recorded in the database. Its OpenCL score is 71% higher, and its Vulkan score is 48.7% higher. For compute-heavy tasks such as rendering, physics simulation, or GPU-accelerated video processing, the RTX 3060 Ti is the better choice.

The RTX 3060 Ti also wins on raw specification: more shading units, more ROPs, higher clock speeds, higher memory bandwidth, and dedicated RT and tensor cores. For any modern game or application that uses DirectX 12 Ultimate features, ray tracing, or tensor-core accelerated AI, the GTX 780 simply cannot compete.

The GTX 780’s only statistical advantage is its higher average benchmark score (19,164 vs 16,129) and its higher percentile rank (64th vs 59th). This is an aggregate metric, not a direct comparison. The GTX 780 also has more TMUs (192 vs 152), which could help in texture-heavy workloads that do not rely on modern APIs. Additionally, the GTX 780 has a wider memory bus (384-bit vs 256-bit), though the RTX 3060 Ti’s faster memory compensates in practice.

For legacy software that runs best on older driver paths or that does not benefit from newer instruction sets, the GTX 780 might still be serviceable. Its nearest rivals include the TITAN Xp and Tesla K20m, which are both high-end cards in their own right, suggesting the GTX 780 remains a capable compute card in specific niches.

For a builder assembling a new system or upgrading for modern games, the RTX 3060 Ti is the clear winner. For someone maintaining a vintage build or needing a card for very specific legacy compute tasks, the GTX 780’s higher average score and unique specification mix might be worth considering, but the head-to-head data leaves no doubt about which card is faster in the two tests recorded.