NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER are separated by less than one percent in average benchmark score, with the mobile part edging ahead at 18159 versus 18093. Both occupy the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, and the data shows a genuine split: the RTX 2060 SUPER wins eight of ten head-to-head tests, often by double digits, while the RTX 3060 Mobile takes both Geekbench compute tests. The RTX 2060 SUPER is the stronger choice for raw DirectX and OpenCL-style workloads, but the RTX 3060 Mobile’s wins in Vulkan and OpenCL point to a different strength profile that matters for specific applications.

The Verdict

The data points to the RTX 2060 SUPER as the performance leader in most traditional gaming and compute scenarios. It wins the Passmark DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 tests, the Passmark G3D test, the Passmark GPU compute test, the Passmark G2D test, and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. Its average score of 18093 sits just 0.4% behind the RTX 3060 Mobile, but its individual wins are often large — 33% ahead in DirectX 9, 31.1% ahead in G2D, and 19.6% ahead in G3D. If the workload is legacy DirectX, rasterization-heavy gaming, or general compute as measured by Passmark, the RTX 2060 SUPER is the clear pick.

The RTX 3060 Mobile wins only two tests, but they are not trivial. It leads by 3.3% in Geekbench OpenCL and by 3.8% in Geekbench Vulkan. For users whose applications rely on Vulkan or OpenCL compute paths, the RTX 3060 Mobile is the better option despite its lower score in 3DMark Steel Nomad. The RTX 2060 SUPER also carries a launch MSRP of 399 USD, which is worth noting for historical context, but the RTX 3060 Mobile has no listed launch MSRP. The RTX 2060 SUPER is a desktop card with a 175 W TDP and dual-slot cooler, while the RTX 3060 Mobile is a portable device with an 80 W TDP and no power connectors — the latter is the only choice for a laptop, and the former is the only choice for a desktop with a 450 W suggested PSU.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different generations and foundries. The RTX 3060 Mobile uses the GA106 chip on an 8 nm Samsung process, packing 12,000 million transistors into a 276 mm² die. The RTX 2060 SUPER uses the TU106 chip on a 12 nm TSMC process, with 10,800 million transistors on a much larger 445 mm² die. The transistor density tells the story: the RTX 3060 Mobile achieves 43.5M transistors per mm², versus 24.3M for the RTX 2060 SUPER. The architecture is also different — Ampere for the mobile part, Turing for the desktop part — though both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The RTX 3060 Mobile has 3840 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, while the RTX 2060 SUPER has 2176 shading units, 136 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The mobile part has 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores; the desktop part has 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores. The FP32 throughput favors the mobile part at 10.94 TFLOPS versus 7.181 TFLOPS, but the FP16 figures reverse: the RTX 2060 SUPER delivers 14.36 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio, while the RTX 3060 Mobile delivers 10.94 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio. The pixel and texture rates also favor the RTX 2060 SUPER — 105.6 GPixel/s and 224.4 GTexel/s versus 68.40 GPixel/s and 171.0 GTexel/s. These architectural differences explain why the RTX 2060 SUPER wins so many Passmark tests despite having fewer shading units.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The biggest win for the RTX 2060 SUPER is in Passmark DirectX 9, where it scores 218 against the RTX 3060 Mobile’s 146 — a 33% lead. The next largest gap is in Passmark G2D, with 854 versus 588, a 31.1% advantage. Passmark G3D shows 16462 versus 13230, a 19.6% lead, and Passmark DirectX 10 shows 111 versus 90, an 18.9% lead. The RTX 2060 SUPER also wins Passmark DirectX 11 by 15.4% (130 versus 110), Passmark GPU compute by 14.9% (6721 versus 5718), and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 by 9.4% (2011 versus 1821). Its smallest win is in Passmark DirectX 12, where it scores 61 against 58 — a 4.9% lead.

The RTX 3060 Mobile’s wins are narrower but consistent. In Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 80344 against 77402, a 3.8% lead. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 79483 against 76957, a 3.3% lead. The average benchmark scores are almost identical — 18159 for the mobile part, 18093 for the desktop part — and the nearest rival list for both includes the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (18189, -0.2% from the RTX 3060 Mobile), the AMD Radeon RX 460 (18373, -1.2%), and the Intel Arc A770M (18383, -1.2%). The RTX 2060 SUPER’s nearest rival list shows the same three cards with similar deltas, confirming that these two GPUs sit in the same performance tier despite their different architectures and form factors.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, with an average benchmark score of 18159, is 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER’s 18093.

Q: Why does the RTX 2060 SUPER win so many Passmark tests despite having fewer shading units?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has 2176 shading units versus 3840 for the RTX 3060 Mobile, but it has higher pixel and texture rates — 105.6 GPixel/s and 224.4 GTexel/s versus 68.40 GPixel/s and 171.0 GTexel/s — and a higher boost clock of 1650 MHz versus 1425 MHz, which contributes to its wins in DirectX 9 through 12 and G3D tests.

Q: In which benchmarks does the RTX 3060 Mobile outperform the RTX 2060 SUPER?

A: The RTX 3060 Mobile wins Geekbench OpenCL (79483 versus 76957, 3.3% lead) and Geekbench Vulkan (80344 versus 77402, 3.8% lead).

Q: What is the memory configuration difference between the two?

A: The RTX 3060 Mobile has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RTX 2060 SUPER has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same APIs?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: Which GPU has the higher TDP?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has a TDP of 175 W, while the RTX 3060 Mobile has a TDP of 80 W.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 2060 SUPER is the winner for DirectX workloads of any vintage. It leads in DirectX 9 by 33%, DirectX 10 by 18.9%, DirectX 11 by 15.4%, and DirectX 12 by 4.9%. It also wins the Passmark G3D test by 19.6% and the Passmark GPU compute test by 14.9%. For users running older games, DirectX-based benchmarks, or Passmark-style compute, the RTX 2060 SUPER is the stronger part. Its 8 GB memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth also give it a capacity and bandwidth advantage over the mobile part’s 6 GB and 336.0 GB/s.

The RTX 3060 Mobile is the winner in Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan tests, with leads of 3.3% and 3.8% respectively. This suggests that Vulkan-based games and OpenCL compute applications will run slightly better on the mobile part. Its 3840 shading units and 10.94 TFLOPS FP32 throughput provide a theoretical compute advantage that shows up in these specific tests. The RTX 3060 Mobile also has a much lower TDP of 80 W versus 175 W, making it the only viable option for portable devices, and it uses PCIe 4.0 x16 versus the RTX 2060 SUPER’s PCIe 3.0 x16. The mobile part also has no power connectors, while the desktop part requires a single 8-pin connector and a 450 W suggested PSU.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every major specification. The RTX 3060 Mobile uses an 8 nm Samsung process with 12,000 million transistors on a 276 mm² die, while the RTX 2060 SUPER uses a 12 nm TSMC process with 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die. The base clock is 900 MHz for the mobile part and 1470 MHz for the desktop part; boost clocks are 1425 MHz and 1650 MHz, respectively. Both use GDDR6 memory at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective, but the RTX 3060 Mobile has 6 GB on a 192-bit bus (336.0 GB/s) while the RTX 2060 SUPER has 8 GB on a 256-bit bus (448.0 GB/s).

The shading units are 3840 for the RTX 3060 Mobile and 2176 for the RTX 2060 SUPER, but the TMUs and ROPs are higher on the desktop part — 136 TMUs and 64 ROPs versus 120 TMUs and 48 ROPs. RT cores are 30 versus 34, and tensor cores are 120 versus 272, a large advantage for the RTX 2060 SUPER. Pixel rate is 68.40 GPixel/s versus 105.6 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 171.0 GTexel/s versus 224.4 GTexel/s. FP32 is 10.94 TFLOPS versus 7.181 TFLOPS, while FP16 is 10.94 TFLOPS (1:1) versus 14.36 TFLOPS (2:1). TDP is 80 W versus 175 W, and the bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x16 versus PCIe 3.0 x16. The RTX 2060 SUPER is a dual-slot card with 1x 8-pin power, 229 mm length, 113 mm height, 35 mm width, and display outputs including DVI, HDMI 2.0, two DisplayPort 1.4a, and USB Type-C; the RTX 3060 Mobile has no slot width, no power connectors, and portable-device-dependent outputs. The RTX 2060 SUPER has a launch MSRP of 399 USD; the RTX 3060 Mobile has none listed.