NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Comparison

The benchmark data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is decisively faster than the RTX 2060, winning 9 out of 10 head-to-head comparisons. The single loss for the 3060 Ti comes in Vulkan compute, where the older card’s architecture provides a notable advantage. The 3060 Ti’s average benchmark score of 16129 places it 5.5% above the RTX 2060’s 15290, and its 59th percentile ranking versus all GPUs edges out the 2060’s 58th percentile. This is a generational leap, not a minor refresh.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result is in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, where the RTX 3060 Ti scores 2626 against the RTX 2060’s 1242. That is a 111.4% advantage, meaning the newer card more than doubles the performance of its predecessor in this demanding modern workload. This is the largest delta across all ten tests and sets the tone for the entire comparison.

Compute workloads show a similar, though less extreme, pattern. In Passmark GPU Compute, the RTX 3060 Ti delivers 10006 points, an 82.3% lead over the RTX 2060’s 5488. This massive gap indicates the Ampere architecture’s raw throughput advantage is particularly pronounced in non-graphics tasks. The Geekbench OpenCL result also favors the 3060 Ti, with a score of 78927 versus 65014, a 21.4% improvement.

DirectX legacy tests all go to the 3060 Ti with substantial margins. In Passmark DirectX 11, the newer card scores 163 against 110, a 48.2% lead. Passmark DirectX 12 shows a 47.2% advantage (78 vs 53), while DirectX 10 and DirectX 9 tests produce wins of 34.7% (132 vs 98) and 23.2% (234 vs 190) respectively. These consistent double-digit gains across API generations show the 3060 Ti is not a single-workload wonder.

The overall gaming performance metric, Passmark G3D, confirms the trend. The RTX 3060 Ti scores 20349, which is 44.2% higher than the RTX 2060’s 14111. Even the 2D performance, often a secondary concern, favors the newer card: 989 vs 745, a 32.8% improvement.

The one outlier is Geekbench Vulkan, where the RTX 2060 scores 65846, beating the RTX 3060 Ti’s 47784 by 27.4%. This is a significant reversal and suggests that in specific Vulkan compute scenarios, the Turing architecture’s design can outperform Ampere. However, this single victory does not offset the nine losses, and the magnitude of the 3060 Ti’s wins in other tests is generally larger than this one defeat.

FAQ

Q: Is the RTX 3060 Ti faster than the RTX 2060 in gaming?

A: Yes. In the Passmark G3D test, which measures overall 3D graphics performance, the RTX 3060 Ti scores 20349 versus the RTX 2060’s 14111, a 44.2% advantage. It also leads in DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 tests by 48.2% and 47.2%, respectively.

Q: Which card is better for compute workloads?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti is significantly better in most compute tests. It leads by 82.3% in Passmark GPU Compute and by 21.4% in Geekbench OpenCL. The exception is Geekbench Vulkan, where the RTX 2060 leads by 27.4%.

Q: What is the difference in average benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti has an average benchmark score of 16129, while the RTX 2060 averages 15290. This gives the 3060 Ti a 5.5% overall advantage across all recorded benchmarks.

Q: How do these cards compare to their immediate market rivals?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti’s closest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 9060, with a delta of 0.7%. The RTX 2060’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580, with a delta of 0%. Both cards are closely matched with their respective competition.

Q: Does the RTX 2060 win any benchmark at all?

A: Yes, the RTX 2060 wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 65846, compared to the RTX 3060 Ti’s 47784, a 27.4% margin. This is its only victory in the head-to-head comparison.

Q: What is the performance difference in the most demanding test?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the RTX 3060 Ti scores 2626, which is 111.4% higher than the RTX 2060’s 1242. This is the largest performance gap between the two cards in any test.

Architecture Differences

The two cards represent distinct generations of NVIDIA GPU design. The RTX 3060 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture, using the GA104 chip, while the RTX 2060 uses the older Turing architecture with the TU106 chip. This fundamental difference drives the performance gap.

The manufacturing process is a key differentiator. The RTX 3060 Ti uses an 8 nm node from Samsung, while the RTX 2060 is fabricated on TSMC’s 12 nm process. This allows the newer card to pack 17,400 million transistors into a die size of 392 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 44.4M per mm². In contrast, the RTX 2060 has 10,800 million transistors on a larger 445 mm² die, giving it a density of just 24.3M per mm². The Ampere design is more than twice as dense.

The compute resources differ substantially. The RTX 3060 Ti features 4864 shading units, 152 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. The RTX 2060 has only 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The newer card also has more ray tracing cores (38 vs 30) but fewer tensor cores (152 vs 240). The FP32 performance tells the story: the 3060 Ti delivers 16.20 TFLOPS, while the 2060 manages only 6.451 TFLOPS. Notably, the 2060’s FP16 output is 12.90 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio, while the 3060 Ti achieves 16.20 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio, indicating a different approach to mixed-precision compute.

Specification Differences

The most visible difference is memory. The RTX 3060 Ti comes with 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 2060 has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, with 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The 3060 Ti offers both more capacity and 33% more bandwidth.

Clock speeds are similar but not identical. The RTX 3060 Ti has a base clock of 1410 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz. The RTX 2060 has a slightly lower base of 1365 MHz but a higher boost of 1680 MHz. Memory clock is identical at 1750 MHz, with 14 Gbps effective speed for both.

Power requirements and connectivity differ. The RTX 3060 Ti has a TDP of 200 W and uses a single 12-pin power connector, with a suggested PSU of 550 W. The RTX 2060 is more modest, with a 160 W TDP, a single 8-pin connector, and a 450 W suggested PSU. The 3060 Ti also uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, while the 2060 is limited to PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs vary: the 3060 Ti has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, whereas the 2060 offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C. Physically, the 3060 Ti is slightly longer at 242 mm versus 229 mm, but both are dual-slot cards with similar heights.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3060 Ti is the clear winner in almost every scenario. For modern gaming at high resolutions, its 44.2% lead in Passmark G3D and 111.4% advantage in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 make it the superior choice. Its larger 8 GB memory buffer and higher bandwidth are better suited for texture-heavy titles. DirectX 12 and DirectX 11 performance are both substantially better, ensuring compatibility with current and older game APIs. The 82.3% lead in Passmark GPU Compute also makes it the better option for content creation, rendering, and other GPU-accelerated tasks.

The RTX 2060 has a single clear domain: Geekbench Vulkan compute. Its 27.4% lead in this specific test suggests that applications heavily optimized for Vulkan compute could see better performance on the older card. However, this is a narrow niche. The 2060’s lower power draw (160 W vs 200 W) and smaller physical footprint make it a more accessible option for compact builds, but its performance ceiling is significantly lower. For any user prioritizing raw speed, the 3060 Ti wins on 9 out of 10 benchmarks, including all gaming and most compute tests.

The Verdict

The data supports a straightforward conclusion: the RTX 3060 Ti is the superior graphics card. It offers a 44.2% improvement in overall 3D performance, a 111.4% lead in the most demanding DX12 test, and a 82.3% advantage in compute throughput. Its 8 GB of memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth provide a more future-proof foundation than the 2060’s 6 GB and 336.0 GB/s. The 3060 Ti’s average score of 16129 places it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs, one point ahead of the 2060’s 58th percentile.

The RTX 2060 is not without merit. Its victory in Vulkan compute is notable, and its lower 160 W TDP and smaller 229 mm length could appeal to users with strict power or space constraints. The 2060’s launch MSRP of 349 USD was also lower than the 3060 Ti’s 399 USD, though both are now end-of-life products. However, the performance gulf is too wide to ignore. The 3060 Ti’s 9-1 benchmark record, highlighted by a 111.4% win in Steel Nomad, makes it the definitive choice for anyone who can accommodate its higher power requirements and larger PCB. The RTX 2060 is a capable card, but the RTX 3060 Ti is in a different class.