NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12 GB GA104

Benchmark Performance

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12 GB GA104 occupies a specific middle ground in the GeForce 30-series stack. With a raw FP32 compute throughput of 12.74 TFLOPS, this card is positioned firmly for 1080p high-refresh and 1440p entry-level gaming. The benchmark data places this GPU at the 50th percentile among all GPUs, meaning it sits exactly at the median of the performance distribution—a card that will handle most titles at mainstream settings without pushing enthusiast-level frame rates.

The shading unit count of 3584, paired with 112 texture mapping units and 64 raster output pipelines, yields a pixel rate of 113.7 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 199.0 GTexel/s. These figures translate to solid rasterization performance for traditional rendering workloads. The memory subsystem is notable: 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus produces 360.0 GB/s of bandwidth. That bandwidth figure is critical for texture-heavy scenes and higher resolution assets, though it does lag behind wider-bus cards in the same generation.

In practical terms, the FP32 throughput of 12.74 TFLOPS indicates strong compute headroom for modern game engines that leverage shader-based effects. The FP16 performance matches FP32 at a 1:1 ratio—12.74 TFLOPS—which is unusual for the Ampere architecture and suggests that this particular GA104 variant does not artificially halve FP16 throughput. This matters for games and applications that use FP16 for lighting or post-processing effects, as they will not see a performance penalty compared to FP32 paths.

The boost clock of 1777 MHz with a base of 1320 MHz gives the card a reasonable operating window. Benchmark results indicate that sustained workloads will push toward the boost ceiling, but the exact sustained clock depends on thermal headroom and power delivery. The 12 GB memory capacity is the standout feature here—at this performance tier, having 12 GB rather than 8 GB means texture packs and modern game assets will not force constant swapping to system memory. The 360.0 GB/s bandwidth, while not class-leading, is sufficient to feed the 112 TMUs without creating a bottleneck in most scenarios.

Power and Cooling

The RTX 3060 12 GB GA104 carries a TDP of 170 W. This is a moderate power draw that aligns with its mid-range positioning. For system integration, the suggested PSU rating is 450 W, which gives ample headroom for a typical CPU and peripheral configuration. The card requires a single 12-pin power connector—note that this is not the more common 8-pin or 6-pin layout, so an adapter may be necessary depending on the power supply's native cable options.

Cooling is handled by a dual-slot design, which is standard for this performance class. The physical dimensions are 242 mm in length (9.5 inches) and 112 mm in height (4.4 inches), making it compatible with most mid-tower and full-tower cases. The dual-slot footprint means it will not obstruct adjacent PCIe slots in typical ATX motherboards, though compact builds should verify clearance. Given the 170 W TDP, a capable air cooler with a decent heatsink and a single fan should suffice; the data does not indicate any exotic cooling requirements.

Power delivery is straightforward: one 12-pin connector and a 450 W PSU recommendation. The 12-pin connector is worth noting because older power supplies may lack it, requiring a dongle or adapter from the manufacturer. The PCIe 4.0 x16 bus interface ensures the card can communicate with modern motherboards at full bandwidth, though PCIe 3.0 systems will also function with negligible performance impact given the card's bandwidth requirements.

How It Compares

The nearestRivals data for this GPU is empty in the FACT PACK, so direct comparative deltas against specific competitors cannot be quantified here. However, the percentile placement at 50% of all GPUs provides a general reference point. The card's position within the GeForce 30-series lineup is clear from its specifications: it sits below the higher-tier GA102-based cards in terms of CUDA core count and memory bandwidth, but above entry-level options in the same generation.

Against its predecessor generation (GeForce 20), the RTX 3060 12 GB GA104 brings the Ampere architecture's improvements in ray tracing and tensor core performance. The 28 RT cores and 112 tensor cores are dedicated hardware for these workloads, which the older GeForce 20 series lacked in the same density. The successor generation (GeForce 40) offers newer features, but this card remains relevant for its memory capacity and balanced compute.

The 12 GB memory configuration is a key differentiator. Many cards in this performance bracket shipped with 8 GB, so the 12 GB capacity gives this GPU an edge in memory-heavy scenarios like high-resolution textures or modded games. The 192-bit bus width is narrower than higher-tier cards, but the 360.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for the compute throughput. This is a card that will not be memory-constrained in most current titles, even at higher settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the RTX 3060 12 GB GA104?

A: The launch MSRP is 329 USD.

Q: What power supply is recommended for this card?

A: The suggested PSU rating is 450 W, and the card uses a single 12-pin power connector.

Q: Does this GPU support hardware ray tracing?

A: Yes, it has 28 dedicated RT cores, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes ray tracing features.

Q: What is the memory configuration and bandwidth?

A: It has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 360.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: What display outputs are available?

A: The card offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs.

Q: What is the production status of this GPU?

A: It is marked as end-of-life, with a release date of August 31, 2021.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The RTX 3060 12 GB GA104 is built on the Ampere architecture, which includes dedicated hardware for ray tracing and AI workloads. It has 28 RT cores specifically designed for ray tracing acceleration, and 112 tensor cores for DLSS and other tensor-based operations. These are not token additions—they are functional units that provide measurable acceleration in supported applications.

On the API front, the card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which is the modern standard for PC gaming. This includes support for hardware ray tracing, variable rate shading, and mesh shaders. OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4 are also supported, covering the major cross-platform graphics APIs. The DirectX 12 Ultimate support means the card is ready for current and near-future game engines that leverage these features.

The tensor cores enable DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), which can significantly boost frame rates in supported titles by rendering at a lower resolution and upscaling with AI. The 112 tensor cores provide sufficient compute for this workload, and the 12.74 TFLOPS FP16 performance (1:1 with FP32) means the tensor cores have ample data throughput. The combination of RT cores and tensor cores makes this card capable of ray-traced gaming at playable frame rates when DLSS is enabled, though the absolute ray tracing performance will be lower than higher-tier Ampere cards given the lower shader count.

Who Should Consider It

The RTX 3060 12 GB GA104 is best suited for gamers targeting 1080p high-refresh or 1440p entry-level settings. The 12.74 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 360.0 GB/s bandwidth are well matched for 1080p ultra settings in most titles, and the card can handle 1440p with some settings adjustments. The 12 GB memory is a forward-looking advantage—games that exceed 8 GB of VRAM at 1440p will not cause texture streaming issues, which is a real benefit for longevity.

For ray tracing, this card is a practical option for those who want the feature without paying flagship prices. The 28 RT cores will handle ray-traced effects at 1080p with DLSS enabled, providing playable frame rates in well-optimized titles. At 1440p, ray tracing will require more aggressive DLSS settings or lower quality presets.

The 50th percentile ranking means this is a mainstream card, not an enthusiast one. It is appropriate for builders who want solid 1080p performance, the ability to try 1440p, and the security of 12 GB VRAM. It is less suitable for 4K gaming or high-refresh 1440p on demanding titles—those workloads would require a higher-tier GPU. The dual-slot cooler and 170 W TDP make it easy to integrate into most builds, and the 450 W PSU recommendation is modest. If you are building a balanced mid-range system and do not plan to push 4K, this card's specifications align well with that goal.