NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Mobile vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Mobile and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile represent two distinct approaches to high-performance mobile graphics. The data shows the older Ampere-based RTX 3070 Ti Mobile wins 7 of 9 head-to-head benchmark comparisons, leveraging a wider memory bus and higher raw compute throughput, while the newer Ada Lovelace-based RTX 4060 Mobile counters with architectural efficiency and wins in specific DirectX legacy tests. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile holds a 3.5% higher average benchmark score (23518 vs 22729) and a 2-percentile lead in overall GPU rankings (69th vs 67th percentile), making it the stronger performer in aggregated results despite its older process node.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Mobile scores 23518 on average, which is 3.5% higher than the RTX 4060 Mobile's 22729. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile also ranks in the 69th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 4060 Mobile sits in the 67th percentile.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in DirectX 11 performance?

A: The RTX 4060 Mobile wins the Passmark DirectX 11 test with a score of 157, edging out the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile's 153. This represents a 2.5% advantage for the newer GPU, one of only two head-to-head wins for the RTX 4060 Mobile.

Q: What is the difference in memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile has a 256-bit memory bus delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, while the RTX 4060 Mobile uses a narrower 128-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile's bandwidth advantage is 75% higher, which contributes to its wins in compute-heavy benchmarks.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units and tensor cores?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile is equipped with 5888 shading units and 184 tensor cores, whereas the RTX 4060 Mobile has 3072 shading units and 96 tensor cores. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile doubles the RTX 4060 Mobile in both categories.

Q: Are both GPUs compatible with DirectX 12 Ultimate?

A: Yes, both the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile and the RTX 4060 Mobile support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and OpenGL 4.6. Both also support Vulkan 1.4, and in the Passmark DirectX 12 test, both GPUs score identically at 73.

Q: What is the production status of each GPU?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile is listed as End-of-life, having been released on 2022-01-03, while the RTX 4060 Mobile is listed as Active, with a release date of 2023-01-02. The RTX 4060 Mobile's predecessor is the GeForce 30 Mobile series, and its successor is the GeForce 50 Mobile.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two mobile GPUs is substantial. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile is built on the Ampere architecture using the GA104 chip, manufactured on an 8 nm process at Samsung. In contrast, the RTX 4060 Mobile uses the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD107 chip, fabricated by TSMC on a 5 nm node. This process shrink allows the RTX 4060 Mobile to pack 18,900 million transistors into a 159 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 118.9M per mm². The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile, by comparison, has 17,400 million transistors on a much larger 392 mm² die, yielding a density of just 44.4M per mm².

The core configuration differences are stark. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile fields 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs, while the RTX 4060 Mobile has 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Ray tracing hardware follows the same pattern: the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile has 46 RT cores versus 24 on the RTX 4060 Mobile, and tensor core counts are 184 versus 96. This means the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile has exactly double the shading units, TMUs, ROPs, RT cores, and tensor cores of the RTX 4060 Mobile.

Clock speeds tell a different story. The RTX 4060 Mobile operates at a base clock of 1545 MHz and boosts to 1890 MHz, significantly higher than the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile's 915 MHz base and 1410 MHz boost. Memory clocks also favor the newer part: the RTX 4060 Mobile runs its GDDR6 memory at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) versus the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile's 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). However, the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile compensates with a 256-bit memory bus versus the RTX 4060 Mobile's 128-bit bus, resulting in 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth against 256.0 GB/s.

The bus interface differs as well: the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the RTX 4060 Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x8. Both GPUs share the same TDP of 115 W, and both have "None" for power connectors, indicating they draw power through the motherboard rather than dedicated connectors. The RTX 4060 Mobile is classified as an IGP (integrated graphics processor) for slot width, whereas the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile has no slot width specified.

The Verdict

The benchmark data indicates that the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile is the stronger overall performer for most workloads. Its 18.6% lead in Geekbench OpenCL and 11.7% lead in Geekbench Vulkan demonstrate clear compute advantages, and its 10.1% win in Passmark GPU Compute reinforces this pattern. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile also wins the Passmark G3D test (17727 vs 17469) and the Passmark G2D test (783 vs 730), making it the better choice for general graphics and compute tasks.

However, the RTX 4060 Mobile is not without merit. It wins the Passmark DirectX 11 test by 2.5% (157 vs 153) and the DirectX 9 test by 9.3% (216 vs 196), indicating better optimization for legacy DirectX workloads. Its higher boost clock of 1890 MHz versus 1410 MHz suggests efficiency gains from the 5 nm process, and its smaller die (159 mm² vs 392 mm²) implies better power efficiency per unit of silicon. The RTX 4060 Mobile's production status is Active, while the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile is End-of-life.

For users prioritizing raw compute performance, higher memory bandwidth, and stronger OpenCL/Vulkan scores, the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile is the data-backed choice. For those who value newer architecture, legacy DirectX performance, and an active production status, the RTX 4060 Mobile offers specific advantages. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile's 7 wins out of 9 head-to-head benchmarks, combined with its 3.5% higher average score, makes it the default recommendation for compute-heavy usage.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs diverge on nearly every core specification. The process node differs: 8 nm (Samsung) for the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile versus 5 nm (TSMC) for the RTX 4060 Mobile. Transistor counts are 17,400 million versus 18,900 million, and die sizes are 392 mm² versus 159 mm². Transistor density is 44.4M per mm² for the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile and 118.9M per mm² for the RTX 4060 Mobile.

Clocks are substantially different: base clock 915 MHz vs 1545 MHz, boost clock 1410 MHz vs 1890 MHz, and memory clock 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) vs 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective). Memory configuration shows the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile with a 256-bit bus and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RTX 4060 Mobile has a 128-bit bus and 256.0 GB/s. Both have 8 GB of GDDR6 memory.

Compute resources are halved on the RTX 4060 Mobile: shading units 5888 vs 3072, TMUs 184 vs 96, ROPs 96 vs 48, RT cores 46 vs 24, and tensor cores 184 vs 96. Pixel rate is 135.4 GPixel/s for the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile versus 90.72 GPixel/s for the RTX 4060 Mobile. Texture rate is 259.4 GTexel/s versus 181.4 GTexel/s. FP32 and FP16 performance is 16.60 TFLOPS for the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile and 11.61 TFLOPS for the RTX 4060 Mobile.

Both GPUs have a TDP of 115 W and no power connectors. The bus interface differs: PCIe 4.0 x16 for the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile and PCIe 4.0 x8 for the RTX 4060 Mobile. The RTX 4060 Mobile has a slot width of "IGP," while the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile has none listed. Release dates are 2022-01-03 for the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile and 2023-01-02 for the RTX 4060 Mobile. Production status is End-of-life for the former and Active for the latter.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL test delivers the largest margin of victory. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile scores 106022 against the RTX 4060 Mobile's 89420, an 18.6% advantage. This result aligns with the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile's higher FP32 throughput (16.60 TFLOPS vs 11.61 TFLOPS) and doubled shading unit count. The Geekbench Vulkan test shows a similar pattern, with the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile winning 100027 to 89569, an 11.7% lead.

The Passmark GPU Compute test reinforces the compute narrative. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile scores 7504 versus 6816 for the RTX 4060 Mobile, a 10.1% difference. The DirectX 10 test also favors the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile, with scores of 124 versus 107, yielding a 15.9% win. In DirectX 12, both GPUs tie at 73, with zero percentage difference; the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile is credited with the win due to tie-breaking.

The RTX 4060 Mobile's wins are narrower but notable. In DirectX 11, it scores 157 against the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile's 153, a 2.5% margin. The DirectX 9 test shows a larger gap: 216 versus 196, a 9.3% victory for the RTX 4060 Mobile. These results suggest the newer Ada Lovelace architecture has better driver optimization for legacy DirectX APIs, despite having half the shading units.

The Passmark G3D test, a composite gaming metric, is close. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile wins with 17727 against 17469, a modest 1.5% lead. The G2D test shows a 7.3% win for the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile (783 vs 730). Overall, the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile secures 7 wins, with the RTX 4060 Mobile taking 2. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile's wins span compute, graphics, and 2D workloads, while the RTX 4060 Mobile's wins are confined to legacy DirectX tests. The data indicates the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile is the more versatile performer, with the RTX 4060 Mobile offering specific advantages in older API scenarios.