Nvidia has recently announced the RTX 4060 Ti, a new GPU based on the Ada Lovelace architecture that offers excellent performance at 1080p resolution with ray tracing and high settings. The RTX 4060 Ti is part of the GeForce RTX 40 series, which features new technologies like Shader Execution Reordering and DLSS 3. In this article, we will review the specifications, features, performance, and price of the RTX 4060 Ti, and compare it with some of its competitors in the market, such as the RTX 3060 Ti and the AMD RX 6700 XT.
Specifications and Features
The RTX 4060 Ti comes in two variants: an 8GB version and a 16GB version. Both have the same core specifications, except for the memory size and bandwidth. Here is a table that summarizes the key specs of the RTX 4060 Ti:
Specifications
| Specification | RTX 4060 Ti (8GB) | RTX 4060 Ti (16GB) |
|---------------|-------------------|--------------------|
| CUDA Cores | 4352 | 4352 |
| Boost Clock | 2535 MHz | 2535 MHz |
| Memory Size | 8 GB GDDR6 | 16 GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | 128-bit | 128-bit |
| Memory Speed | 14 Gbps | 14 Gbps |
| Memory Bandwidth | 288 GB/s | 288 GB/s |
| TDP | 160 W | 165 W |
Features
This card is based on the Nvidia Ada Lovelace architecture, which is designed to deliver unprecedented leaps in power efficiency, performance, and technology. The Ada architecture features new streaming multiprocessors that are up to 2X faster and more power-efficient than the previous generation. It also introduces fourth-gen Tensor Cores that enable DLSS 3, a revolutionary AI-powered technology that boosts frame rates by up to 4X compared to brute-force rendering. Additionally, the Ada architecture has third-gen RT Cores that are up to 2X faster at ray tracing, which simulates realistic lighting effects in games.
Another new feature of the Ada architecture is Shader Execution Reordering, which optimizes the order of shader instructions to reduce stalls and improve performance. This feature is especially beneficial for games that use complex shaders, such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Control.
The RTX 4060 Ti also supports other Nvidia technologies, such as Reflex, which reduces system latency and improves responsiveness in competitive games; Broadcast, which enhances your voice and video quality with AI; Studio, which accelerates your creative workflow with dedicated hardware and drivers; and GeForce Experience, which lets you capture and share your gameplay moments with ease.
Performance and Benchmarks
The RTX 4060 Ti is designed to deliver excellent performance at 1080p resolution with high settings and ray tracing enabled. According to Nvidia's benchmarks, the RTX 4060 Ti (8GB) is up to 2.6X faster than the RTX 2060 SUPER and the RTX 3060 Ti in popular games like Dying Light 2 Stay Human, Returnal, and Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. The performance gap is even wider when DLSS 3 is activated, which uses AI to generate additional high-quality frames.
Here are some examples of how the RTX 4060 Ti (8GB) performs in various games at 1080p with the highest settings and ray tracing on:
Games
- Dying Light 2 Stay Human: 119 FPS with DLSS Quality Mode
- Returnal: 113 FPS with DLSS Quality Mode
- Warhammer 40,000: Darktide: 101 FPS with DLSS Quality Mode
- Cyberpunk 2077: 67 FPS with DLSS Quality Mode
- Control: 65 FPS with DLSS Quality Mode
- Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition: 63 FPS with DLSS Quality Mode
In most games, both versions of the RTX 4060 Ti (8GB and 16GB) will deliver the same level of performance, because the specs are otherwise identical. However, there are a handful of games that require more memory for optimal performance at ultra settings, such as Red Dead Redemption II, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Watch Dogs: Legion. In these cases, the RTX 4060 Ti (16GB) will have an advantage over the RTX 4060 Ti (8GB), as well as over other GPUs with less memory.
Price and Availability
The RTX 4060 Ti (8 GB) will be available from May 24th, starting at $399. The 16 GB version will be available in July, starting at $499. The RTX 4060 will also be available in July, starting at $299. You can sign up for notifications on Nvidia’s website4 to get updates on the availability of these GPUs.
The RTX 3060 Ti was launched in December 2021, with a suggested retail price of $399. However, due to the global chip shortage and high demand, the actual prices of the RTX 3060 Ti have been much higher than the MSRP, ranging from $600 to over $1000 on various online retailers. It is unclear when the supply and demand situation will improve for the RTX 3060 Ti and other GPUs.
Comparison and Conclusion
The RTX 4060 Ti and the RX 6700 XT are both excellent choices for 1080p gaming, with ray tracing and high settings. However, depending on your preferences and budget, you might find one of them more suitable for your needs.
The RX 6700 XT has some advantages over the RTX 4060 Ti, such as:
- More VRAM (12 GB) for games that require more memory at ultra settings
- Higher memory bandwidth (384 GB/s) for faster data transfer
- Lower Launch MSRP ($479) than the RTX 4060 Ti (16GB) ($499). (At the time of writing priced at $320).
The RTX 4060 Ti has several advantages over the RX 6700 XT, such as:
- Higher performance in most games, especially with DLSS 3 enabled.
- Better ray tracing performance and quality.
- Lower power consumption and heat output.
- More features and technologies, such as Reflex, Broadcast, Studio, and GeForce Experience.
- More memory options (8GB or 16GB).
How does the RTX 4060 Ti compare to another GPU from Nvidia
The RTX 3060 Ti has more CUDA cores (4864) than the RTX 4060 Ti (4352), but lower clock speeds (1410 MHz base and 1665 MHz boost) than the RTX 4060 Ti (2310 MHz base and 2535 MHz boost). This graphics card also uses the same GDDR6 memory with a wider memory bus (256-bit) than the RTX 4060 Ti’s GDDR6 memory (14 Gbps) with a narrower memory bus (128-bit).
Performance
In terms of performance, the RTX 4060 Ti outperforms the RTX 3060 Ti in most games, especially when ray tracing and DLSS are enabled. According to various benchmarks, the RTX 4060 Ti can achieve higher frame rates than the RTX 3060 Ti by up to 30% in some titles but on average performs 9% better at 1080p. For example, in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p with ultra settings and ray tracing on, the RTX 4060 Ti can reach 67 FPS with DLSS quality mode, while the RTX 3060 Ti can only manage 51 FPS with DLSS quality mode.
In Control at 1080p with high settings and ray tracing on, the RTX 4060 Ti can achieve 65 FPS with DLSS quality mode, while the RTX 3060 Ti can only get 50 FPS with DLSS quality mode. The rasterized performance between the RTX 4060 Ti and the RTX 3060 Ti is neck and neck at higher resolutions like 1440p and 4k due to the narrow memory bandwidth of the RTX 4060 Ti due to a 128-bit bus.
Power Consumption
The power consumption of the RTX 4060 Ti is also lower than that of the RTX 3060 Ti, with a TDP of 160 W for the former and 200 W for the latter. This means that the RTX 4060 Ti is more energy-efficient and generates less heat than the RTX 3060 Ti. The RTX 3060 series owners have no incentive to upgrade to the RTX 4060 series card as the uplift is very marginal but if you are using the older 1060 or the 2060 series cards, upgrading to the RTX 4060 series card would make a significant difference.
Summary
In this article, we have reviewed the Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti, a new GPU based on the Ada Lovelace architecture that offers excellent performance at 1080p resolution with ray tracing and high settings. We have compared its specifications, features, performance, and price with its competitors in the market, such as the AMD RX 6700 XT and the Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti. We have concluded that the RTX 4060 Ti is a better overall GPU than the RX 6700 XT and the RTX 3060 Ti for 1080p gaming, offering higher performance, lower power consumption, and more features. However, if you are looking for a GPU with more VRAM or a lower price tag, the RX 6700 XT or the RTX 3060 Ti might be good alternatives.