RTX 3060 vs 4060: Which To Choose In 2026? Full Review

The most popular choices in the mid-range gpu tier are the 12GB RTX 3060 vs 4060 8GB, each having their own strengths and weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages.

The RTX 3060 was released in 2021 and built on the 8 nm microchip while the RTX 4060 was released in 2023 and built on the 5 nm microchip.

The two graphics cards offer the ability to play modern AAA video games in 1080p with a decent FPS and even 2K in some cases. However, the RTX 4060 and the RTX 3060 are not meant for a 4K, mesmerising experience, video games are playable but without decent, fluid and smooth FPS.

The RTX 4060 and the RTX 3060 offer capabilities for a fair price without breaking the bank such as the case of the RTX 4090 and the latest RTX 5090, the most powerful Nvidia GeForce GPU ever made as of 2025.

The RTX 4060 and the RTX 3060 can also be used by content creators, artists and designers. But, What are the main differences between the RTX 3060 and RTX 4060? What improvements and features does the RTX 4060 bring over the RTX 3060? What are the differences between gaming with an RTX 3060 and gaming with an RTX 4060?

In this article, it’s time for a GPU SHOWDOWN: RTX 3060 vs 4060. This battle will guide you to choose the best gpu for your use case and for that it will present a side-by-side comparison between the two GPUs to help you decide, it will also analyse their gaming performance, power efficiency and overall value. Let the battle begin!

Specs For RTX 3060 vs 4060

As you can see, the RTX 3060 has a TDP of 170W and the RTX 4060 has a TDP of 115W.

That means that the RTX 4060 is more power efficient than the RTX 3060 and that’s because of the architecture that was built on it and the process size manufacturing.

The RTX 4060 was manufactured based on the newer architecture ADA Lovelace and on a process size of 5 nm. The RTX 3060 was manufactured based on the older architecture Ampere and on a process size of 8 nm.

That’s why the RTX 4060 has a recommended PSU of 300W which is pretty decent and the RTX 3060 has a recommended PSU of 450W. It’s 150W less!

The difference between the newer architecture ADA Lovelace and the older architecture Ampere is a significant one.

The 5 nm process size allows for more transistors to fit in the same space and that of course will impact the overall performance.

The 8 nm process size is a pretty decent size for a mid-range GPU but it’s not quite as good as the 5 nm process size. The 8 nm process size still provides a solid performance compared with old processing sizes.

As you can see, the RTX 4060 and the RTX 3060 support the same DirectX version which is the latest version, 12 Ultimate. The two GPUs also have the same memory type, GDDR6.

Unlike the mobile version of RTX 3060 used in laptops which has 6GB VRAM and the RTX 4060 which has only 8GB.

The RTX 3060 offers a huge memory size, 12GB. Capable of rendering modern AAA titles and working with modern, ressources intensive editing, designing and modelling software like Adobe After Effects and Blender.

The fact that the RTX 3060 has a total CUDA cores of 3584 and a bandwidth of 360.0 GB per second and a BUS interface which is the PCIe 4.0 x16 doesn’t mean that the RTX 3060 has the lead and the best performance compared with the RTX 4060.

In fact, the RTX 4060 performs about 18% better than the RTX 3060.

The Ray Tracing cores commonly known as “RT cores” are found in NVIDIA’s RTX series, it’s a feature used as a marketing term that lead to the success and dominance of Nvidia GPUs compared with AMD Radeon GPUs.

The RTX 3060 has a total of 28 RT cores compared with the RTX 4060 that has a total of 24 RT cores. The RTX 3060 performs slightly better than the RTX 4060 in ray tracing capabilities.

For those who don’t know, ray tracing is a technique that simulates the way light interacts with objects to create more realistic lighting similar to what we see in our real life.

RTX 3060 vs 4060 Gaming Performance

Let’s see their performance according to a Youtube video from “Testing Games” Channel

We can sum up video games performance results featured in this video in the following table:

Please note that all testing were in 1080p at the highest settings possible per game.

Some games were benefiting from “DLSS” a technologie developed by Nvidia that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to upscale lower-resolution frames in order to maintain a steady average FPS and Ray Tracing features.

Based on the results in the video, the performance of the RTX 4060 is approximately 17% faster in average FPS and 17% faster in 1% low FPS than the RTX 3060.

Some games like “Ghost of Tsushima” & “Horizon Forbidden West” equipped with the RTX 4060 were approximately 20% faster in average FPS than the RTX 3060.

The RTX 4060 features new technologies that The RTX 3060 hasn’t. The RTX 4060 specifically and RTX 40 Series in general feature the new “DLSS” version “DLSS 3” the technologie that boosts frame rates by up to 4X.

Some VRAM intensive games will get drop frames or even crash in case you play it on the highest texture settings because 8GB of VRAM in 2025 is not quite enough.

All Nvidia GeForce RTX 40 GPU series support AV1 encoding which will be helpful in cases of streaming or content creation.

The RTX 4060 is the best choice for content creators, Youtubers specifically because Youtube supports the new AV1 encoder.

The RTX 3060 is the best choice for gamers and 3D modelers because the intensive AAA titles and 3D softwares run better with a huge GPU memory size such as 12GB.

RTX 3060 vs 4060 Productivity Performance

When it comes to productivity, the RTX 3060 and the RTX 4060 both can handle video editing and 3D rendering.

The RTX 3060 has the upper hand in 3D rendering workloads because 3D modeling softwares such as Blender and CAD tend to like huge memory sizes.

The RTX 4060 has the upper hand in video editing because video editors tend to like better encoders to get the rendering tasks done quickly.

When it comes to AI and machine learning, the RTX 4060 with its “Tensor Cores” certainly has the upper hand.

Is 12 GB VRAM enough in 2025?

In 2025, 12 GB VRAM will be a standard in video games or productivity softwares because 8 GB is not enough in some cases for some people.

I’m not saying that 8 GB of VRAM is bad, you can play with 8GB of VRAM with pretty decent FPS, but if you want to play all AAA video games in the highest settings possible and if you want to work with VRAM intensive software such as Blender or CAD apps, it’s recommended to have at least 12 GB VRAM.

RTX 3060 vs 4060: Which One Should You Buy?

If you are content creator and you found a good deal where the RTX 4060 is cheaper than RTX 3060, save your money and go for it.

You will not regret this decision because it’s 16% better than the RTX 3060 and features technologies that will benefit both content creator and video editors thanks to its better encoders.

Video editors such as Premiere Pro tend to like better encoders to get the job done quickly.

RTX 3060 is always cheaper than RTX 4060 except for some rare cases.

If you find a good deal where the RTX 3060 is cheaper than RTX 4060, save your money and go for it.

You will not regret this decision because it is a GPU that will live with you in the future thanks to its 12GB VRAM.

You can stream with the RTX 3060 with H.264 encoder but the AV1 is better in saving internet bandwidth and it’s recommended for people with low internet speeds.

The RTX 3060 is also the best for 3D modelers and 3D modeling softwares such as Blender as they tend to like huge memory sizes.