NVIDIA is famous for being the top company in the graphics card market. With not only consumer-grade GPUs, they even facilitate production-grade GPUs as well. However, NVIDIA’s graphics cards are best known for their gaming capabilities. Today, I’ll compare two of these gaming GPUs in the form of RTX 2070 Super vs RTX 3060.
Key Takeaways
- Concerning the manufacturing process nodes, the RTX 3060 uses Samsung’s 8nm node, while the RTX 2070 Super is based on TSMC’s 12nm process.
- In my 1080P gaming benchmarks, the RTX 2070 Super performed 11.9% better than the RTX 3060.
- The RTX 3060 runs about 2.6% cooler than the RTX 2070 Super in 1080P gaming.
- Value-wise, the RTX 2070 Super delivers about 52.1% better performance per dollar than the RTX 3060, as it’s also much cheaper than this Ampere card.
Comparison Table
Here’s how the two graphics cards compare in specifications.
| GPU Model | RTX 2070 Super | RTX 3060 |
|---|---|---|
| GPU Name | TU104 | GA106 |
| Architecture | Turing | Ampere |
| Transistors | 13,600 million | 12,000 million |
| CUDA Cores / Shaders | 2560 | 3584 |
| Tensor Cores | 320 | 112 |
| RT Cores | 40 | 28 |
| TMUs | 160 | 112 |
| ROPs | 64 | 48 |
| L1 Cache | 64KB per SM | 128KB per SM |
| Memory Bus Width | 256-bit | 192-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 448.0 GB/s | 360.0 GB/s |
| Suggested PSU Wattage | 550W | 450W |
| Release Date | July 9th, 2019 | Jan 12th, 2021 |
| Launch MSRP | $499 | $329 |
| Best Variants | – | Best RTX 3060 Cards |
RTX 2070 Super Vs RTX 3060
Architectural Differences
- Process Node: The first key difference is that the RTX 2070 Super uses TSMC’s 12nm node, whereas the RTX 3060 uses an 8nm node from Samsung.
- Frequencies: The RTX 2070 Super has a greater (core) base clock frequency at 1605MHz compared to the 1320MHz of the RTX 3060. In contrast, the RTX 3060 betters it in boost speed with 1780MHz – only by 10MHz, though.
- VRAM: Both use GDDR6 memory chips, but the RTX 3060 has 12GB of these chips in contrast with 8GB of the RTX 2070 Super. Although, the RTX 2070 Super does better than the RTX 3060 in that it has a much faster memory bandwidth.
- Cache: The RTX 2070 Super has 4MB of L2 cache compared to 3MB of the RTX 3060.
- TDP: The RTX 2070 Super has a significant 215-watt TDP, while the RTX 3060 is rated at a much fairer 170 watts.
- Supported Technologies: Both GPUs support all Nvidia DLSS versions below DLSS 3. The RTX 3060 possesses 2nd-generation Ray Tracing cores, while the RTX 2070 Super has 1st-generation cores. Albeit, the RTX 2070 Super has more RT cores (40) than the RTX 3060 (28).
Performance: RTX 2070 Super Vs RTX 3060
How do all these differences translate to gaming performance? To find out, I’ll compare the two graphics cards in nine games at 1080P resolution. All the games were tested on Ultra or equivalent preset.
- OS: Windows 11
- CPU: Intel Core i7-13700K
- Motherboards: ASRock Z790 Taichi Lite Motherboard
- RAM: Kingston Fury Renegade RGB DDR5 32GB 7200MHz
- SSD: XPG GAMMIX S70 BLADE 2TB NVMe SSD
- PSU: Enermax Revolution D.F. X 1050W
- CPU Cooler: MSI MAG CORELIQUID E360 CPU Liquid Cooler
Also Read: RTX 3060 Vs RX 7600
Forza Horizon 4
- Comparing the FPS at 1080P, the RTX 2070 Super is slightly faster in Forza Horizon 4, as per my analysis. While the RTX 3060 stands at 118 FPS, the RTX 2070 Super is about 6.77% faster with 126 FPS.
- The RTX 2070 Super’s FPS fell to 107 while that of the RTX 3060 to 98 as far as the %1 low FPS is concerned.
- Temperatures-wise, I noticed little difference. That is to say, the RTX 2070 Super’s GPU temps are at 60°C and the RTX 3060’s at 59°C.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Comparing the FPS at 1080P, the RTX 2070 Super is slightly faster in Forza Horizon 4, as per my analysis. While the RTX 3060 stands at 118 FPS, the RTX 2070 Super is about 6.77% faster with 126 FPS.
- In terms of 1% lows, the RTX 2070 Super fell to 107 FPS. On the other hand, RTX 3060 delivered 98 FPS.
- When it comes to temperature, the difference wasn’t significant. I noticed little difference with the RTX 2070 Super’s GPU reaching 60°C and RTX 3060’s reaching 59°C.
Cyberpunk 2077
- In my Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark, the RTX 2070 Super leads again, racking up 72 FPS compared to 63 FPS of the RTX 3060.
- Concerning the %1 low FPS, the RTX 2070 Super scored 62 FPS, maintaining a 16.9% lead.
- The thermal performance favored the RTX 3060 as it averaged 62°C over the RTX 2070 Super’s 65°C.
Similar Guide: RTX 2070 Vs RTX 2070 Super
Death Stranding
- Observing the average FPS, I found a 13-frame difference in the Death Stranding benchmark. Obviously, the RTX 2070 Super has those 13 extra frames.
- The RTX 2070 Super scored 127°C in terms of the %1 low FPS, beating the RTX 3060’s score of 115 FPS.
- Regarding the temperatures, the RTX 3060 was, again, 3°C warmer than its Turing competitor.
Borderlands 3
- In my next test, I compared the two GPUs’ performance in Borderlands 3. The RTX 2070 Super recorded 85 FPS, whereas the GeForce RTX 3060 trailed with 74 FPS.
- Moving on to the %1 low FPS score, the RTX 2070 Super lowered to 66 FPS, but it still kept a significant lead over the RTX 3060.
- The highest temperatures so far were recorded, with the RTX 2070 Super at 68°C and the RTX 3060 at 66°C.
Far Cry New Dawn
- Running Far Cry New Dawn, the RTX 2070 Super scored 108 FPS on average in my benchmark. In comparison, the RTX 3060 notched up 100 FPS.
- The RTX 3060 has another win in the %1 low FPS department, outscoring the Turing 2070 by 3 FPS.
- Similarly, I found a 3°C difference in temperatures in this gaming test.
Similar Guide: RTX 2070 Super Vs GTX 1070 Ti
Hitman 3
- Both the GPUs showed impressive numbers in Hitman 3, but again, the RTX 2070 Super kept ahead.
- However, they showed only a 2-FPS difference when it comes to the %1 low FPS, meaning the RTX 2070 Super has a much higher drop.
- Both GPUs stood at 64°C of warmth on average.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- In Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, both GPUs averaged in the 60s, as per my analysis.
- The %1 lows were, again, a positive for the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 as it scored 38 FPS.
- Temperatures-wise, the RTX 3060 was the one to run warmer, but only by 1°C though.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
- Next up, I tested another Assassin’s Creed title. Both the GPUs showed similar numbers to the previous test, but the RTX 2070 Super led by 8.1%.
- As for the %1 low FPS, the GeForce RTX 2070 Super scored 49 FPS while the RTX 3060 managed 44 FPS.
- Finally, the temperature figures showed yet another win for the RTX 3060, as it averaged 59°C according to my testing.
Similar Guide: RTX 3060 Vs RX 6600 XT
Overall Gaming Performance
After carefully testing and comparing the two GPUs across nine titles, here are the overall results that I derived.
- The RTX 2070 averaged 107 FPS over the RTX 3060’s mean score of 95.6 FPS. According to these numbers, the RTX 2070 Super shows an 11.9% faster 1080P gaming performance compared to the RTX 3060.
- Concerning the %1 low FPS, the RTX 2070 Super averaged 76.1 FPS across my nine tests. In reply, the RTX 3060 managed 72.2 FPS.
Thermal Performance
Finally, a look at the thermal performance from the nine benchmarks.
- The RTX 2070 Super averaged 61.8°C compared to the RTX 3060’s figure of 60.2°C. Thus, the GeForce TX 3060 runs about 2.6% cooler in 1080P gaming than the GeForce RTX 2070 Super.
Check: How To Lower GPU Temperatures
GPU Prices
Now, let’s discuss prices. The RTX 2070 Super was discontinued by Nvidia in 2020, so you can only purchase a pre-owned card. On the other hand, the RTX 3060 is still in production (as of October 2023). Talking prices, you can score an RTX 2070 Super card for about $199, while the cheapest RTX 3060 12GB card is going for $279 ($50 cheaper than launch MSRP). Despite the RTX 3060 being more affordable than its launch price, it’s still about 40.2% more expensive than the RTX 2070 Super.
Which GPU Has Better Value?
It’s clear that the RTX 2070 Super is the better GPU, not only performing better but also being far cheaper. Granted, you can’t purchase it new, but you can still buy a pre-owned one that will perform just as well as a new card. With that being said, the RTX 2070 Super is the better value GPU, providing about 52.1% more performance per dollar than the Nvidia RTX 3060.
RTX 3060 Vs RTX 2070 Super: Which GPU Do I Recommend?
- My pick of the two GPUs is undeniably the RTX 2070 Super, simply because it shows much better performance per dollar, considering my benchmarking analysis.
- However, it’s important to keep in mind that the RTX 2070 Super has a higher TDP, and you’ll need a bigger power supply for it. In addition, the RTX 3060 (12GB) variant has more VRAM, which might prove helpful in some VRAM-heavy titles.
Read More: How To Choose The Right Graphics Card For Your PC
Pros And Cons
| GPU | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| RTX 2070 Super |
|
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| RTX 3060 |
|
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Frequently Asked Questions
The RTX 3060 has more VRAM and improved 2nd-generation ray tracing cores compared to the RTX 2070 Super.
The RTX 2070 Super uses TSMC’s 12nm node, while the RTX 3060 uses a much more efficient 8nm node from Samsung.
The RTX 3060 has double the amount of L1 cache per SM, giving it more overall L1 cache. In contrast, the RTX 2070 Super has 4MB of L2 cache compared to the 3MB of the RTX 3060.
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[Comparisons Expert]
Abdemanaf is a skilled creative writer who has been honing his craft since 2011. While initially working in different fields, he found a passion for technology and has been exploring the tech world since early 2015. Over the years, he has developed an in-depth knowledge of the latest tech trends and product offerings by various companies.
Abdemanaf’s writing reflects his analytical mindset and ability to think critically. He has a knack for breaking down complex technical information into easily digestible pieces, making his articles engaging and accessible to readers from all backgrounds. In February 2022, he joined Tech4Gamers as a blog and product comparison writer, where he has been able to hone his skills further.
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