RTX 2070 Vs RTX 3060
RTX line of graphics cards started in 2018 with the release of the 20-series GPU. 20-series was the successor of the ever-popular 10-series Nvidia GPUs, which had real-time ray tracing in consumer hardware for the first time. Soon after 20-series, 30-series followed, improved their line of GPUs, and arrived on the market in 2020. 20-series cards are based on the architecture called Turing, whereas the 30-series architecture is called Ampere.
RTX 2070 was the mid-range performance card of the 20-series lineup, while the RTX 3060 is considered the entry-level performance card of the 30-series lineup. These graphics cards are much better than the budget GPU’s we have listed on our website (graphics cards under 10,000 and 15,000 rupees). In this article, we will pit RTX 3060 vs RTX 2070 and see which is better and what is the RTX 3060 equivalent to.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
Nvidia RTX 3060 is based on the Ampere architecture, which was a huge hit among the masses because of its absolute value. It has one of the highest performance-to-price ratios making it an ideal GPU for many budgets builds and can therefore be found in many laptops under 1 Lakh, including laptops with Windows 11 and 11th Gen Intel processors.
It is an entry-level graphic card that is more than enough to handle virtually any game in 1080p. It can also run games on 1440p comfortably, but it depends on the title you are playing. It has 2nd Gen RT Cores, which are improved over the 1st-gen RT cores in the RTX 2070. It also has the 3rd Gen Tensor Sensor cores, which significantly help DLSS.
RTX 3060 Specs
| Architecture | Ampere |
| NVIDIA CUDA Cores | 3584 |
| Boost Clock | 1.32 GHz (Boost clock of 1.78 GHz) |
| Memory | 12 GB DDR6 |
| Memory Bus Width | 192-bit |
| Graphics Power Draw | 170W |
| DLSS | Yes |
| Display Output | 4, HDMI and Display Port (x3) |
| Maximum supported resolution | 7680×4320 (8K) |
RTX 3060 also improves upon the technology of DLSS by using 3rd Gen Tensor Cores. The use of 12GB of VRAM is one of the highest ever seen in a mid-range card. It will not have any issue of memory bottleneck even at 1440p. While the RTX 3060 is meant to be a 1080p gaming card, it can run many games in 1440p comfortably but might have to tweak some settings to get a stable 60fps performance.
RTX 3060 is officially priced at 329$, but it doesn’t have Founder’s Edition, and as a result, the official base price will be slightly higher than $329, depending on the board partner. Even at $329, it is priced well, keeping its performance in mind. Compared to the RTX 2060, which costs $349, RTX 3060 outperforms it while being cheaper. RTX 3060 is about 16% faster than the 20-series counterpart, RTX 2060.
Apart from the performance and pricing aspects, the architecture used in RTX 3060 is hugely improved upon to provide better performance and is manufactured on an 8nm process. The 112 Tensor Cores provide a much-needed boost in machine learning and AI workloads. The increased number of Tensor cores and better Tensor cores result in better DLSS performance, which can help this entry-level GPU perform even at 4k.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070
RTX 2070 is the mid-range card from the 20-series lineup based on the Turing architecture. Xx70 series cards are usually meant for higher fidelity 1440p gaming but, in this case, perform the same as RTX 3060, even at 1440p resolution. The big difference in RTX 2070 vs RTX 3060 lies in using 1st gen Ray Tracing Cores. The first gen was not as mature as the 2nd gen RT cores. This results in a comparatively poorer Ray Tracing performance in 2070 vs 3060.
RTX 2070 Specs
| Architecture | Turing |
| NVIDIA CUDA Cores | 2034 |
| Boost Clock | 1.4 GHz (Boost clock of 1.71 GHz) |
| Memory | 8 GB DDR6 |
| Memory Bus Width | 256-bit |
| Graphics Power Draw | 185W |
| DLSS | Yes |
| Display Output | 4, DisplayPort, HDMI, USB Type-C™, DVI-DL |
| Maximum supported resolution | 7680×4320 (8K) |
RTX 2070 and other 20 series cards were the first to use hardware-accelerated ray tracing in consumer hardware. As a result, ray tracing performance was not as mature as it is now, which is bound to improve with the release of 40 series RTX cards.
It also introduced DLSS, which is an upscaling technology to improve performance. It renders the game at reduced resolution and upscales it to native resolution with the help of AI. This is why RTX 2070 also has Tensor cores which help the GPU use DLSS more efficiently.
The Ray Tracing performance is okay with RTX 2070, but it won’t be able to give you a consistent 60fps performance at the highest settings without using DLSS. Although it depends on the title you play, this applies to most of the modern titles using Ray Tracing. The official MSRP (price) of the RTX 2070 is $499, which is for the Founder’s Edition. The price will vary for different board partners depending on their product.
Apart from the price and performance, the card’s specs were good, but it fumbled with the pricing and the fact that it was the first to enter the new space of Ray Tracing. It has 288 tensor cores and 36 Ray Tracing Cores. It has a decent power efficiency with a peak power draw of 185W and works on PCIe 3.0×16 interface.
Comparison of RTX 2070 vs RTX 3060
Performance, in general, is very similar on RTX 3060 and RTX 2070, but the main difference comes in things like overclocking, RT performance, DLSS, and the value factor of the GPU.
1. Boost Clocks and Average Performance
The base clock on the RTX 2070 is higher than the RTX 3060 at 1.4GHz, while the RTX 3060 can boost up to 1.72GHz (even higher with some board partners like EVGA). This results in a minor boost in performance for RTX 3060 in general. However, the performance boost is only around 3% which may not sound a lot.
2. Ray Tracing Performance
Ray-tracing performance is slightly better in RTX 3060 even though they are not of the same class, RTX 2070 being a mid-range card and 3060 an entry-level card. Overall, RTX 3060 will have a more rounded performance in Ray Tracing.
3. RTX 3060 vs RTX 2070 in 1080p Gaming
Let’s compare some of the popular games in 1080p and 1440p.
Forza Horizon 4
| GPU | Resolution | FPS |
| RTX 2070 | 1080p | 116 |
| RTX 2070 | 1440p | 95 |
| RTX 3060 | 1080p | 116 |
| RTX 3060 | 1440p | 95 |
Shadow of Tomb Raider
| GPU | Resolution | FPS |
| RTX 2070 | 1080p | 108 |
| RTX 2070 | 1440p | 76 |
| RTX 3060 | 1080p | 103 |
| RTX 3060 | 1440p | 86 |
Valorant
| GPU | Resolution | FPS |
| RTX 2070 | 1080p | 272 |
| RTX 2070 | 1440p | 211 |
| RTX 3060 | 1080p | 280 |
| RTX 3060 | 1440p | 215 |
4. DLSS
DLSS performance depends mostly on the software side of things, but the Tensor cores and better architecture in RTX 3060 will create a small difference. As far as DLSS is concerned, RTX 3060 and RTX 2070 will be the same, but RTX 3060 might have improved performance in some titles.
5. Price-to-Performance Ratio
This is the defining factor in deciding between RTX 2070 and RTX 3060. The performance is the same, and the price difference is huge between them. RTX 3060 costs $329 while the RTX 2070 costs $499. It is clear that RTX 3060 is a much better value card than RTX 2070.
Advantages of RTX 2070 and RTX 3060
Advantages of RTX 2070
- RTX 2070 has wider memory, leading to a slightly better performance in productivity workloads.
- Higher texture loading rate and pixel rate are good for workloads like rendering.
Advantages of RTX 3060
- Much better value GPU suited for mid-range and budget setups.
- At 170W peak power draw, it is more power-efficient than RTX 2070.
- 12 GB DDR6 memory will not have any memory bottleneck in any games or applications. Bigger memory will also help in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning workloads.
- RTX 3060 works on PCIe 4.0×16 interface, which is better since newer hardware will work on PCIe 5.0.
Conclusion
RTX 3060 is overall a better graphics card compared to the RTX 2070. It is also a much better value GPU when price-to-performance is considered. RTX 3060 also has improved architecture, ray tracing cores, and tensor cores. The new architecture makes a huge difference compared to anything else.
RTX 3060 vs 2070, RTX 3060 is about 3% faster than 2070. It might not sound a lot, but considering the price of RTX 2070, which is $499, RTX 3060 is a clear winner. However, you might get an RTX 2070 second-hand, which might cost less.
