NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a decisive overall victory for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which wins 8 of the 10 recorded tests. However, the two wins for the RTX 3060 Mobile are significant and reveal distinct strengths. The RTX 3060 Ti dominates in traditional rasterization and compute workloads, while the Mobile variant shows clear superiority in specific API-level tests.

The largest margin of victory for the RTX 3060 Ti appears in the Passmark GPU Compute test, where it scores 10,006 against the Mobile's 5,718, a delta of -42.9%. This indicates the desktop card delivers nearly double the raw compute throughput in this benchmark. The Passmark G2D test shows the next biggest gap, with the RTX 3060 Ti scoring 989 versus 588 for the Mobile, a -40.5% difference, which reflects a substantial advantage in 2D graphics performance.

In DirectX 9, the RTX 3060 Ti scores 234 against 146, a -37.6% delta, and in DirectX 11 it scores 163 against 110, a -32.5% delta. The desktop card also leads in DirectX 10 with 132 versus 90, a -31.8% delta, and in DirectX 12 with 78 versus 58, a -25.6% delta. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test shows the RTX 3060 Ti ahead with 2,626 points versus 1,821, a -30.7% delta. In the Passmark G3D test, the RTX 3060 Ti scores 20,349 versus 13,230, a -35% delta.

The RTX 3060 Mobile's wins are notable for their magnitude. In the Geekbench Vulkan test, it scores 80,344 versus 47,784 for the RTX 3060 Ti, a massive 68.1% advantage for the Mobile part. This is the single largest delta in either direction across all tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, the Mobile scores 79,483 versus 78,927, a narrow 0.7% win. These results suggest the Mobile GPU's driver implementation or architecture configuration is particularly well-optimized for these specific compute APIs, even though it loses decisively in the Passmark suite.

The average benchmark scores reflect the overall trend: the RTX 3060 Mobile has an average score of 18,159, while the RTX 3060 Ti averages 16,129. This is an unusual situation where the losing card in head-to-head tests has a higher average across all its recorded benchmarks. The discrepancy is explained by the Mobile's two massive Geekbench wins, which pull its average up, while the RTX 3060 Ti's scores are more consistent but lower in those particular tests.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on the Ampere architecture and use the Samsung 8 nm process node, but they employ different chips. The RTX 3060 Mobile uses the GA106 chip, while the RTX 3060 Ti uses the GA104. The die size difference is substantial: the GA104 measures 392 mm² versus 276 mm² for the GA106. Transistor counts also differ significantly, with the RTX 3060 Ti packing 17,400 million transistors compared to 12,000 million for the Mobile part. Transistor density is similar, at 44.4M per mm² for the Ti versus 43.5M per mm² for the Mobile.

The core configurations diverge sharply. The RTX 3060 Ti has 4,864 shading units, 152 texture mapping units, and 80 raster operations pipelines. The RTX 3060 Mobile has 3,840 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Ray tracing cores number 38 on the Ti versus 30 on the Mobile, and tensor cores are 152 versus 120. These differences directly translate into the performance gaps seen in the benchmark results.

Clock speeds favor the desktop card. The RTX 3060 Ti has a base clock of 1,410 MHz and a boost clock of 1,665 MHz. The RTX 3060 Mobile runs at a base of 900 MHz and a boost of 1,425 MHz. This clock advantage compounds the core count advantage, resulting in the RTX 3060 Ti's FP32 performance of 16.20 TFLOPS versus the Mobile's 10.94 TFLOPS. Both cards support FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with their FP32 rates.

Memory configurations also differ. The RTX 3060 Ti has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 3060 Mobile has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, yielding 336.0 GB/s. Both use the same memory clock of 1,750 MHz, translating to 14 Gbps effective. The pixel rate for the Ti is 133.2 GPixel/s versus 68.40 GPixel/s for the Mobile, and texture rates are 253.1 GTexel/s versus 171.0 GTexel/s.

Power draw is a major differentiator. The RTX 3060 Ti has a TDP of 200 W and requires a 550 W suggested PSU, using a single 12-pin power connector. The RTX 3060 Mobile has a TDP of 80 W and uses no external power connectors, as it is designed for portable devices. The physical footprint reflects this: the RTX 3060 Ti is a dual-slot card measuring 242 mm in length and 112 mm in height, while the Mobile variant has no fixed dimensions as it is portable device dependent.

Both cards share the same API support: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The PCIe interface is PCIe 4.0 x16 for both. The RTX 3060 Ti offers fixed display outputs of 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the Mobile's outputs are portable device dependent. The RTX 3060 Ti was released on 2020-11-30, while the Mobile variant came later on 2021-01-11. Both are now end-of-life products.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins more benchmark tests?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti wins 8 out of 10 recorded head-to-head tests, while the RTX 3060 Mobile wins 2.

Q: What is the biggest performance gap between the two cards?

A: The largest delta is in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RTX 3060 Mobile scores 80,344 versus 47,784 for the RTX 3060 Ti, a 68.1% advantage for the Mobile. The largest win for the Ti is in Passmark GPU Compute, with a -42.9% delta.

Q: How does the memory configuration differ?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti has 8 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3060 Mobile has 6 GB GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: 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 3060 Mobile has a TDP of 80 W and uses no external power connectors.

Q: Are there any benchmarks where the Mobile GPU beats the desktop card?

A: Yes, the RTX 3060 Mobile wins in Geekbench OpenCL (79,483 versus 78,927, a 0.7% delta) and Geekbench Vulkan (80,344 versus 47,784, a 68.1% delta).

Q: What is the release timeline for these products?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti was released on 2020-11-30, and the RTX 3060 Mobile was released on 2021-01-11. Both are end-of-life products.

The Verdict

The data clearly indicates that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the superior performer in the vast majority of workloads. It wins 8 out of 10 head-to-head benchmarks, with decisive margins in DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 tests, as well as in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, Passmark G2D, G3D, and GPU Compute. The RTX 3060 Ti's advantages in shading units, texture units, ROPs, clock speeds, memory bandwidth, and power budget all contribute to its dominance in traditional gaming and compute scenarios.

However, the RTX 3060 Mobile's wins in Geekbench Vulkan and OpenCL are not trivial. The 68.1% margin in Vulkan is the largest delta recorded in any test, suggesting that for applications specifically optimized for Vulkan, the Mobile GPU can outperform its desktop counterpart by a wide margin. This is an unusual result and may reflect driver-level optimizations or workload characteristics that favor the Mobile's configuration.

For users building a desktop system, the RTX 3060 Ti is the clear choice based on its comprehensive benchmark superiority. Its 8 GB memory and 256-bit bus provide more headroom for high-resolution textures and higher bandwidth for compute tasks. The 200 W TDP is substantial, but it delivers 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, a 48% increase over the Mobile's 10.94 TFLOPS.

For users in the laptop or portable device market, the RTX 3060 Mobile offers a compelling package with its 80 W TDP and no external power connectors. It cannot match the Ti's raw performance in most tests, but its Vulkan and OpenCL results indicate it handles those specific workloads exceptionally well. The Mobile's 6 GB memory is sufficient for most gaming scenarios, though the 192-bit bus limits bandwidth compared to the Ti.

The average benchmark scores present a nuanced picture: the Mobile averages 18,159 versus the Ti's 16,129. This is because the Mobile's two Geekbench wins are so large that they skew its average higher, despite losing the majority of tests. Users should interpret this with caution, as the head-to-head results are more representative of typical gaming and compute performance.

Specification Differences

| Specification | RTX 3060 Mobile | RTX 3060 Ti |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | GA106 | GA104 |

| Process Node | 8 nm | 8 nm |

| Transistors | 12,000 million | 17,400 million |

| Die Size | 276 mm² | 392 mm² |

| Base Clock | 900 MHz | 1410 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1425 MHz | 1665 MHz |

| Memory Size | 6 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 192 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 336.0 GB/s | 448.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 3840 | 4864 |

| TMUs | 120 | 152 |

| ROPs | 48 | 80 |

| RT Cores | 30 | 38 |

| Tensor Cores | 120 | 152 |

| Pixel Rate | 68.40 GPixel/s | 133.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 171.0 GTexel/s | 253.1 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 10.94 TFLOPS | 16.20 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 10.94 TFLOPS (1:1) | 16.20 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 80 W | 200 W |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 12-pin |

| Suggested PSU | None | 550 W |

| Slot Width | None | Dual-slot |

| Length | None | 242 mm |

| Height | None | 112 mm |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| Release Date | 2021-01-11 | 2020-11-30 |

| Launch MSRP | None | 399 USD |

| Successor | None | GeForce 40 |

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3060 Ti is the winner in all legacy DirectX workloads. It scores 234 in DirectX 9, 132 in DirectX 10, 163 in DirectX 11, and 78 in DirectX 12, consistently outperforming the Mobile by margins ranging from -25.6% to -37.6%. This makes it the superior choice for gamers running older titles or using DirectX-based APIs. Its Passmark G3D score of 20,349 versus 13,230 confirms broad 3D graphics superiority.

The RTX 3060 Ti also dominates in compute-heavy tasks. Its Passmark GPU Compute score of 10,006 is nearly double the Mobile's 5,718, and its 16.20 TFLOPS FP32 performance provides substantial headroom for GPU-accelerated applications. The 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth supports large data transfers, and the 8 GB capacity allows for larger working sets.

The RTX 3060 Mobile's wins are concentrated in Geekbench tests. Its 68.1% advantage in Vulkan and 0.7% edge in OpenCL suggest that for applications built on these APIs, particularly Vulkan-based games or compute frameworks, the Mobile GPU can deliver competitive or superior performance. This may be due to the specific driver optimizations or the efficiency of the GA106 chip in these workloads.

The Mobile's 80 W TDP makes it the clear winner for portable gaming. It requires no external power connectors, making it suitable for thin-and-light laptops, and its 6 GB memory is adequate for 1080p gaming. The 336.0 GB/s bandwidth, while lower than the Ti, is sufficient for most mobile gaming scenarios.

The RTX 3060 Ti wins on memory capacity and bandwidth, offering 8 GB on a 256-bit bus versus 6 GB on a 192-bit bus. This benefits high-resolution textures, multi-monitor setups, and memory-intensive compute tasks. The Ti's 80 ROPs versus 48 ROPs and 152 TMUs versus 120 TMUs also contribute to its superior pixel and texture throughput.

In terms of physical requirements, the RTX 3060 Ti demands a 550 W PSU and dual-slot spacing, while the Mobile fits into any device with an appropriate socket. The Ti's fixed display outputs are convenient for desktop users, while the Mobile's outputs depend on the laptop design.

The release timing favors the Ti as the earlier product, launching on 2020-11-30 versus 2021-01-11 for the Mobile. Both are end-of-life, but the Ti has a named successor in the GeForce 40 series, while the Mobile's successor is not listed. The Ti has a launch MSRP of 399 USD, which is noted for reference.