NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 represent two distinct generations of NVIDIA hardware, and the benchmark data shows a clear, if not always linear, transfer of performance. The RTX 3070 Ti, a high-end Ampere part, and the RTX 5060, a mid-range Blackwell offering, trade blows across different workloads, with the older card winning the majority of tests but the newer card taking a significant victory in the most modern DirectX 12 test.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result in the head-to-head data is the RTX 5060’s victory in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, which is a modern, demanding workload. In this test, the RTX 5060 scored 3628, outpacing the RTX 3070 Ti’s 3478, a delta of -4.1% from the perspective of the older card. This is a substantial lead for the newer architecture and suggests that Blackwell's optimizations pay significant dividends in current-generation rendering pipelines.

However, the RTX 3070 Ti dominates nearly every other benchmark in the comparison. The largest win for the older card comes in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where it scored 139541, a 23.1% advantage over the RTX 5060’s 113321. This is a massive gap, highlighting the RTX 3070 Ti's raw compute strength in a low-level graphics API. Similarly, in the Passmark DirectX 10 test, the RTX 3070 Ti leads with a score of 155 against 127, a 22% advantage, and in the Passmark DirectX 12 test, it wins 91 to 77, an 18.2% lead. The Passmark DirectX 9 test also goes to the RTX 3070 Ti, with 261 to 225, a 16% margin.

The overall gaming rasterization picture is also favorable to the older card. In the Passmark G3D test, the RTX 3070 Ti scored 23356, which is 11.8% higher than the RTX 5060’s 20891. This suggests that in a broad set of older and DirectX 11-era games, the RTX 3070 Ti provides superior frame rates. The compute performance is similarly skewed towards the Ampere card; in the Passmark GPU Compute test, the RTX 3070 Ti wins with 11601 to 10899, a 6.4% advantage, and in Geekbench OpenCL, it leads with 119718 to 112787, a 6.1% margin.

The RTX 5060 does manage to secure wins in two other areas. In the Passmark DirectX 11 test, it scores 200 versus 192, a narrow 4% lead. Also, in the Passmark G2D test, which measures 2D graphics performance, the RTX 5060 wins with 1154 to 1055, an 8.6% advantage. Ultimately, the tally shows the RTX 3070 Ti winning 7 out of 10 benchmarks, but the RTX 5060 claims the most future-looking workload. The average benchmark score data in the database confirms this mixed picture, with the RTX 3070 Ti averaging 29945, placing it in the 75th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 5060 averages 26331, placing it in the 72nd percentile.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on fundamentally different architectures, nodes, and process technologies. The RTX 3070 Ti is based on the GA104 chip, an Ampere architecture product manufactured on an 8 nm process at Samsung, with a die size of 392 mm², while the RTX 5060 uses the GB206 chip, a Blackwell 2.0 architecture product built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with a much smaller die size of 181 mm². This process shrink allows the newer card to pack a significant number of transistors into a smaller space; the RTX 5060 has 21,900 million transistors, compared to 17,400 million on the RTX 3070 Ti, and a transistor density of 121.0M per mm² versus 44.4M per mm².

The memory subsystems are also completely different. The RTX 3070 Ti uses 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s. In contrast, the RTX 5060 uses 8 GB of the newer GDDR7 memory, but on a much narrower 128-bit bus, resulting in a lower bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This difference in bandwidth is a key factor in the performance delta between the two cards.

The compute configurations differ significantly as well. The RTX 3070 Ti has a higher number of key processing units, including 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units (TMUs), 96 render output units (ROPs), 48 ray tracing (RT) cores, and 192 tensor cores. The RTX 5060, despite being newer, has a lower count of these units: 3840 shading units, 120 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 30 RT cores, and 120 tensor cores. This raw unit advantage for the RTX 3070 Ti explains its dominance in several compute and legacy API tests. However, the RTX 5060 compensates with a much higher clock speed, with a base clock of 2280 MHz and a boost clock of 2497 MHz, compared to the RTX 3070 Ti’s 1575 MHz base and 1770 MHz boost.

The interface and power delivery also reflect their different generations. The RTX 3070 Ti uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface and a 1x 12-pin power connector, with a TDP of 290 W and a suggested PSU of 600 W. The RTX 5060 uses the newer PCIe 5.0 x8 interface, a single 8-pin connector, and is far more power-efficient, with a TDP of 145 W and a suggested PSU of 300 W. The RTX 5060 also supports newer display outputs, featuring 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b, while the RTX 3070 Ti has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3070 Ti is the clear winner for users running a wide variety of existing DirectX 12, DirectX 11, and older API games. Its substantial leads in Passmark G3D, DirectX 10, DirectX 12, and DirectX 9 benchmarks, along with its Geekbench Vulkan dominance, make it a better choice for a general-purpose gaming GPU, especially in titles that do not leverage the newest rendering features. Its higher memory bandwidth and larger number of shading units and ROPs also make it strong in compute-heavy tasks, as shown by its wins in Geekbench OpenCL and Passmark GPU Compute. For users with high-resolution displays, the bandwidth advantage is also a significant factor.

The RTX 5060 wins where the future of gaming lies. Its victory in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test is crucial, as this benchmark is designed to be a forward-looking indicator of performance in next-generation games. The architecture’s efficiency also makes it a compelling option for smaller form-factor builds, given its 145 W TDP and dual-slot design. The RTX 5060’s wins in the Passmark DirectX 11 and G2D tests, while smaller, show it is not a slouch in those areas either.

The data suggests a clear generational trade-off. The RTX 3070 Ti is a heavier, brute-force performer that excels in raw throughput and legacy workloads. The RTX 5060 is a leaner, more efficient chip that performs strongly in modern, optimized scenarios. The RTX 3070 Ti’s nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile (0.1% ahead) and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 (0.5% behind), while the RTX 5060’s closest competition includes the AMD Radeon 860M (0.3% behind) and the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (0.3% behind), showing a different class of competition for each.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets for these two cards highlight their differing approaches. The key differences are as follows:

• Process Node: The RTX 3070 Ti is on an 8 nm process, while the RTX 5060 is on a 5 nm process.
• Transistors: The RTX 3070 Ti has 17,400 million, while the RTX 5060 has 21,900 million.
• Die Size: The RTX 3070 Ti has a 392 mm² die, while the RTX 5060 has a 181 mm² die.
• Memory Type: The RTX 3070 Ti uses GDDR6X, while the RTX 5060 uses GDDR7.
• Memory Bus: The RTX 3070 Ti uses a 256-bit bus, while the RTX 5060 uses a 128-bit bus.
• Memory Bandwidth: The RTX 3070 Ti has 608.3 GB/s, while the RTX 5060 has 448.0 GB/s.
• Shading Units: The RTX 3070 Ti has 6144, while the RTX 5060 has 3840.
• TMUs: The RTX 3070 Ti has 192, while the RTX 5060 has 120.
• ROPs: The RTX 3070 Ti has 96, while the RTX 5060 has 48.
• RT Cores: The RTX 3070 Ti has 48, while the RTX 5060 has 30.
• Tensor Cores: The RTX 3070 Ti has 192, while the RTX 5060 has 120.
• Base Clock: The RTX 3070 Ti is 1575 MHz, while the RTX 5060 is 2280 MHz.
• Boost Clock: The RTX 3070 Ti is 1770 MHz, while the RTX 5060 is 2497 MHz.
• TDP: The RTX 3070 Ti is 290 W, while the RTX 5060 is 145 W.
• Power Connectors: The RTX 3070 Ti uses 1x 12-pin, while the RTX 5060 uses 1x 8-pin.
• Suggested PSU: The RTX 3070 Ti requires 600 W, while the RTX 5060 requires 300 W.
• Bus Interface: The RTX 3070 Ti is PCIe 4.0 x16, while the RTX 5060 is PCIe 5.0 x8.
• Display Outputs: The RTX 3070 Ti has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the RTX 5060 has 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b.
• Dimensions: The RTX 3070 Ti is 267 mm long and 112 mm high, while the RTX 5060 is 241 mm long, 111 mm high, and 40 mm wide.
• Production Status: The RTX 3070 Ti is End-of-life, while the RTX 5060 is Active.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is faster, scoring 3628 compared to the RTX 3070 Ti’s 3478, a 4.1% difference.

Q: Does the older RTX 3070 Ti have an advantage in legacy DirectX APIs?

A: Yes, the data shows the RTX 3070 Ti wins in Passmark DirectX 9 (261 vs 225), DirectX 10 (155 vs 127), and DirectX 12 (91 vs 77) tests.

Q: What is the biggest performance gap between the two cards in any single test?

A: The largest gap is in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the RTX 3070 Ti leads by 23.1%, with a score of 139541 versus 113321.

Q: How does the memory bandwidth compare between the two cards?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti has significantly higher memory bandwidth at 608.3 GB/s, while the RTX 5060 has 448.0 GB/s, despite using newer GDDR7 memory.

Q: Which card has a higher power consumption and what are the PSU requirements?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti has a TDP of 290 W and requires a 600 W power supply, while the RTX 5060 has a TDP of 145 W and only requires a 300 W power supply.

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score and percentile ranking?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti has a higher average score of 29945 and ranks in the 75th percentile, while the RTX 5060 has an average of 26331 and ranks in the 72nd percentile.