GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super vs GeForce RTX 3060 12GB

Winner:
GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super
Main Difference:
Higher VRAM capacity and superior Ada Lovelace architecture with dual AV1 encoders
Page Summary:
GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super is a massive upgrade over the RTX 3060 12GB, offering 16GB of high-speed memory and significant architectural improvements for high-end gaming and heavy creative workloads.
Last updated:
January 31, 2026

The Essentials

GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super

MSRP:
$799
See Current Price
Spec Sheet:
Core Count:
8448
Thread Count:
Base Clock:
2340 MHz
Boost Clock:
2610 MHz
Integrated Graphics:
VRAM:
16.0 GB
L3 Cache:
16.0 GB
TDP:
285 W
Socket:
256 bit
Bus Width:
256 bit
Release Date:
2024-01-08
Gaming Scores:
(Higher is better)
Resolution
Rasterization
Ray Tracing
1080p
74.1
72.9
1440p
64.3
58
4K
50
50
Gaming and Productivity Scores:
(Higher is better)
Gaming
Productivity

GeForce RTX 3060 12GB

MSRP:
$329
See Current Price
Spec Sheet:
Core Count:
3584
Thread Count:
Base Clock:
1320 MHz
Boost Clock:
1777 MHz
Integrated Graphics:
VRAM:
12.0 GB
L3 Cache:
12.0 GB
TDP:
170 W
Socket:
192 bit
Bus Width:
192 bit
Release Date:
2021-01-12
Gaming Scores:
(Higher is better)
Resolution
Rasterization
Ray Tracing
1080p
30.7
27.6
1440p
24.4
20.7
4K
18.9
16.3
Gaming and Productivity Scores:
(Higher is better)
Gaming
Productivity
Note about scores:
We measure this card's performance against the absolute best GPU currently available. The numbers show the percentage of performance you get compared to the market leader at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions, with the leader at 100. These scores are aggregated from a wide range of different games to create a reliable average. However, keep in mind that performance in specific titles may deviate from this average depending on how that game is optimized.
Note about scores:
We measure this processor's performance against the absolute best CPU currently available. The numbers show the percentage of performance you get compared to the market leader in both gaming and workstation tasks, with the leader at 100. These scores are aggregated from a wide range of different games and applications to create a reliable average. However, keep in mind that performance in specific software may deviate from this average depending on how that program is optimized.

Performance Deep Dive

GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super
Gaming Analysis:

The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super serves as a high-end solution for enthusiast-grade gaming, specifically targeting those who want to push high settings at 1440p without the compromises found in lower-tier hardware. While the silicon possesses enough raw power to navigate titles at 4K, its primary strength lies in maintaining fluid motion and dense detail on ultra-wide or high-speed displays. This hardware effectively addresses the throughput limitations of earlier models by expanding the memory interface and widening the data paths, which keeps frametimes steady when the action on screen becomes intense.

A significant hardware shift here is the 16GB GDDR6X VRAM buffer, which removes the pressure of managing texture budgets in modern titles. With this capacity, you can dial up the visual fidelity in demanding games without the looming threat of asset pop-in or stuttering. Because the card uses a 256-bit bus width to move data, it avoids the local bottlenecks that often impact cards with smaller memory pools during high-fidelity asset loading. This architectural change provides a sturdy long-term foundation for upcoming software releases that demand more from a GPU's memory subsystem.

Ray tracing is a core strength of the Ada Lovelace architecture, and with 66 dedicated RT cores, this card handles complex light calculations and reflections with significant headroom. It manages the heavy computational load of path tracing by utilizing Frame Generation to sustain smooth visual delivery. Unlike hardware that struggles when ray-traced shadows are enabled, this card maintains a balance between high-end visual features and responsive input, ensuring that advanced lighting feels like a part of the experience rather than a burden on the system.

  • 1440p Performance: Effortless dominance. You can expect very high frame rates across the modern AAA catalog even when the settings are pushed to their limits.
  • 4K Performance: Capability with consideration. High-resolution gaming is possible, though you will likely want to utilize DLSS to keep the motion fluid in the most demanding titles.
  • Texture Quality: Broad flexibility. The 16GB memory pool ensures that high-resolution textures stay loaded and crisp even during long sessions in open-world environments.
  • Ray Tracing: Fully playable. The dedicated hardware allows you to keep advanced lighting and reflection effects active while still enjoying a sharp and responsive image.
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB
Gaming Analysis:

The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB functions as a high-headroom choice for standard high-definition play that manages to maintain steady performance even when stepping up to slightly higher resolutions. While the raw hardware speed targets a middle-tier experience, the inclusion of a 12GB VRAM buffer on a 192-bit bus acts as a meaningful safety net against the stuttering and texture pop-in that can occur with cards limited to 8GB of memory. You can generally keep texture settings high without the engine struggling to manage high-resolution assets or hitting a hard ceiling during memory-heavy scenes.

  • Standard High-Definition Gaming: This is where the card feels most natural and responsive. It handles modern titles with a fluidity that keeps gameplay smooth and avoids the heavy, sluggish feeling typical of entry-level hardware.
  • Higher Resolution Performance: Moving beyond the basics causes the chip to lose momentum, though it remains functional for several types of games. You will likely rely on DLSS 2 to maintain a steady visual flow, as fast-motion scenes can begin to feel less snappy when the hardware is pushed to its architectural limits.
  • VRAM and Textures: The 12GB of GDDR6 memory is a standout feature for this tier of hardware. This generous capacity allows for larger texture packs and more complex mod lists than what is typically possible on cards with narrower memory limits, ensuring that frame times stay more consistent during long sessions.
  • Ray Tracing Capability: While the Ampere architecture includes 28 Ray Tracing cores, turning these effects on involves a heavy performance trade. Though the hardware supports the technology, the penalty to overall smoothness is significant enough that most players will find the visual trade-off difficult to justify in fast-paced titles.
  • Upscaling Support: You have access to DLSS 2 for improved performance through temporal upscaling. It is important to note that this card does not support the AI frame generation found in later generations, so your ceiling is determined by the actual rendering power of the silicon.
GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super
Productivity Analysis:

While this hardware excels in high-refresh environments, it proves its worth when you transition from entertainment to professional production. Moving from 1440p gaming to a complex creative timeline often exposes where standard hardware begins to struggle, but the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super avoids typical bottlenecks by leveraging a 256-bit memory bus and a 16GB VRAM buffer. This configuration provides a stable foundation for projects that require significant memory headroom, such as high-resolution video editing or 3D scene assembly, where a lack of local memory can otherwise stall a workflow. It functions as a reliable workstation solution that offers flagship-level memory stability without the investment required for top-tier enthusiast cards.

The 16GB capacity serves as a critical threshold for creative software. In 3D rendering and video production, smaller memory pools often force the system to rely on slower system RAM, which can turn a brief export into a frustratingly long wait. With this much dedicated space, you can maintain a fluid multitasking environment where applications like Premiere Pro and Photoshop remain responsive even while a background render is active. This overhead ensures that large textures and complex geometric data stay on the card, preserving the speed of your interactions and eliminating the need to constantly monitor resource usage or close secondary tasks to free up space.

The Ada Lovelace architecture provides deep integration with professional software suites through the CUDA ecosystem, which remains a standard for reliability in rendering and AI tasks. Dual 8th Generation NVENC encoders allow for efficient video exports by effectively distributing the processing workload, which reduces the time spent waiting for a project to finish. These dedicated engines also handle the demands of high-quality broadcasting, ensuring that a live stream does not impact the responsiveness of the primary application. Furthermore, the 264 fourth-gen Tensor cores accelerate AI-driven features such as localized masking and upscaling, turning manual adjustments into near-instant results that respect your time.

  • Memory Throughput: The 672.3 GB/s bandwidth provides the necessary speed for scrubbing through complex 4K timelines without experiencing the lag or stuttering common on hardware with narrower data paths.
  • Software Compatibility: Professional drivers and extensive support from major creative developers ensure that the hardware remains stable and efficient throughout long production sessions.
  • AI Acceleration: Dedicated Tensor cores enable local execution of AI model inference and generative tools, providing professional-grade speeds for modern creative workflows.
  • Future-Proof Encoding: Hardware-level AV1 support offers a significant advantage for high-fidelity streaming and video archiving, delivering better visual quality at efficient bitrates.
  • System Power: To ensure a stable environment under full professional loads, a high-quality 750W power supply is recommended for this configuration.
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB
Productivity Analysis:

While the hardware is designed to handle high-definition play, the 12GB of VRAM transitions this card from a standard gaming chip into a stable entry point for professional creative work. Hardware speed is only one part of the equation when you are building a workstation, as technical limitations like memory capacity often dictate whether a project can even be opened. This specific model provides a massive buffer that prevents the system from hitting a hard wall when you load high-resolution assets or complex 3D scenes that would overwhelm cards with less memory.

  • The 12GB memory buffer acts as a safety net for 4K video editing and high-resolution textures where 8GB often serves as a functional ceiling. Having this extra overhead means the software can keep more data on the card rather than swapping to slower system memory, which preserves the responsiveness of your workstation during long sessions.
  • The Ampere architecture provides deep integration with professional suites through the CUDA ecosystem, offering a level of driver stability that is helpful when reliability is the priority. Whether you are using specific rendering engines or hardware acceleration for creative effects, the software support is mature and functions without the friction often found on less established platforms.
  • A 192-bit memory bus facilitates a steady flow of data that helps the timeline feel responsive when you are scrubbing through footage or moving the playhead across a busy project. This bandwidth ensures that the preview window updates with minimal delay, allowing for a more natural rhythm while editing rather than a stuttering experience.
  • The inclusion of 112 Tensor cores provides the necessary hardware for modern AI-assisted tools like background removal and automated masking. With 12.7 TFLOPS of compute performance, these specialized tasks finish quickly, which transforms the hardware into a capable choice for local AI experiments or smart filtering in photography applications.
  • The dedicated hardware encoder offloads the heavy lifting of video exports and live broadcasts to a specialized block on the silicon. This allows your primary system resources to remain available for the actual creative task, ensuring the final output is processed efficiently without causing the rest of your software to become sluggish or unresponsive.

Stability is the metric that matters most when a project is due and you cannot afford a technical failure. This hardware is not the fastest available, but the generous memory capacity makes it a reliable tool for people who need to ensure their renders finish without running out of resources. It offers a level of comfort that is rare for a mid-range component, providing the headroom needed to handle professional workloads without the constant worry of hitting hardware limits. You are getting a tool that prioritizes consistent progress over theoretical peak speeds.

GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super
Feature Analysis:

A 285W TDP means that managing heat and air volume inside your chassis is the primary physical constraint for this build. While the silicon is efficient for the performance it provides, that much power requires a case with high airflow and a power supply capable of absorbing sudden electrical transients. Although official specifications often suggest a 600W minimum, a 750W unit is the practical floor for maintaining long-term stability and protecting your components from the voltage spikes common in the Ada Lovelace architecture. Skimping on the power delivery here risks unexpected shutdowns or thermal throttling when the card is pushed during intense rendering or high-fidelity gaming sessions.

The card relies on a single 16-pin power connector, which introduces specific physical requirements for your internal cable management. These high-density cables are notoriously stiff and require a significant amount of straight clearance before they can be safely bent toward the power supply. If your chassis is narrow, you must ensure there is enough room between the GPU and the side panel to avoid putting lateral pressure on the connector, as a secure and flush seating is mandatory for a safe connection. By moving to the Super variant, you have also opted into a 256-bit memory bus that avoids the data bottlenecks found on cards with narrower interfaces, providing a much cleaner path for high-resolution assets and complex textures.

Choosing this hardware is effectively a decision to pay for the reliability and maturity of a well-established software ecosystem. You are gaining access to a suite of features that prioritize visual stability and consistent frame delivery over raw hardware specs alone. This build reality is less about searching for a bargain and more about securing a predictable experience where drivers and software integration just work. The 16GB VRAM buffer ensures that you have enough headroom to ignore texture settings menus for the foreseeable future, making the system feel reliable even as software demands continue to climb.

  • Power Delivery: A 750W power supply is recommended to provide the necessary electrical buffer for the transients and sustained loads this architecture demands.
  • Cable Management: The 16-pin power interface requires careful routing and sufficient clearance from the side panel to ensure a fully seated and secure connection.
  • Interface Bandwidth: Running on a full PCIe 4.0 x16 interface ensures that the GPU has unrestricted access to system resources without the compromises seen on lower-tier cards.
  • Thermal Design: The 285W heat output necessitates a case with a clear path for intake and exhaust to prevent hot air from recirculating and impacting other components.
  • Memory Headroom: The 16GB configuration provides a comfortable ceiling for 4K textures and high-resolution assets, reducing the likelihood of stuttering caused by memory overfilling.
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB
Feature Analysis:

A 170W power draw places this hardware into a comfortable category for most mid-sized cases where heat management remains straightforward and predictable. While the base manufacturer requirement suggests a 450W power supply, pairing this card with a 550W unit provides the necessary electrical headroom to handle transient spikes without stressing your components. This extra cushion ensures that your system maintains stability during long gaming sessions or overnight renders when a smaller unit might struggle under the constant thermal and electrical load.

  • The PCIe 4.0 x16 interface ensures that the card communicates with your motherboard through a full set of data lanes. This provides a level of flexibility for those upgrading older systems that only support PCIe 3.0, as you avoid the technical bottlenecks sometimes found on budget cards with narrower lane counts.
  • The power delivery relies on a single connector that uses standard cabling rather than the newer, more rigid power standards found on high-end flagship cards. This makes the installation process much simpler for standard power supplies and allows for easier cable management in smaller chassis where space for thick adapters is limited.
  • The 12GB VRAM capacity provides a significant buffer for 1440p textures and complex asset libraries that frequently exceed the limits of 8GB hardware. Having this physical memory on the board allows you to keep settings high without the stuttering that occurs when a system is forced to swap data between the GPU and slower system RAM.
  • The Ampere architecture lacks the specific specialized hardware for AI-generated frame interpolation found in more recent generations. Your performance is tied directly to the raw rendering capability of the silicon and the standard upscaling features available in the software ecosystem.
  • The physical footprint of these cards is generally compact enough to fit into most standard towers without requiring specialized brackets or oversized enclosures. This makes it a versatile choice for builders who prefer a functional, no-fuss assembly over the massive cooling solutions required by higher-wattage components.

Choosing this hardware is a decision to prioritize physical memory capacity and architectural stability over the latest software-driven features. It serves as a dependable workhorse that integrates easily with a wide variety of power supplies and older motherboards without requiring expensive platform upgrades. You are investing in a component that handles fundamental tasks like high-resolution texture loading and local compute work with a level of reliability that defined its generation. It remains a practical option for builders who value consistent, predictable behavior across a broad range of legacy and modern hardware configurations.

GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super
Full Tech Specs:
Feature Specification
Name GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super
MSRP $799
Release Date 2024-01-08
Chipset Manufacturer NVIDIA
Memory Size 16 GB
Memory Type GDDR6X
Memory Bus 256 bit
Memory Clock 1313 MHz
Memory Bandwidth 672.3 GB/s
Base Clock 2340 MHz
Boost Clock 2610 MHz
Shading Units 8448
Ray Tracing Cores 66
TMUs 264
ROPs 96
Pixel Rate 250.6 GPixel/s
Texture Rate 689 GTexel/s
Compute Power (FP16) 44.1 TFLOPS
Compute Power (FP32) 44.1 TFLOPS
Compute Power (FP64) 689.0 GFLOPS
Architecture Ada Lovelace
Process Size 5 nm
Interface PCIe 4.0 x16
Power Connectors 1x 16-pin
TDP 285 W
Suggested PSU (Minimum) 700 W
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB
Full Tech Specs:
Feature Specification
Name GeForce RTX 3060 12GB
MSRP $329
Release Date 2021-01-12
Chipset Manufacturer NVIDIA
Memory Size 12 GB
Memory Type GDDR6
Memory Bus 192 bit
Memory Clock 1875 MHz
Memory Bandwidth 360.0 GB/s
Base Clock 1320 MHz
Boost Clock 1777 MHz
Shading Units 3584
Ray Tracing Cores 28
TMUs 112
ROPs 48
Pixel Rate 85.3 GPixel/s
Texture Rate 199 GTexel/s
Compute Power (FP16) 12.7 TFLOPS
Compute Power (FP32) 12.7 TFLOPS
Compute Power (FP64) 199.0 GFLOPS
Architecture Ampere
Process Size 8 nm
Interface PCIe 4.0 x16
Power Connectors 1x 12-pin
TDP 170 W
Suggested PSU (Minimum) 550 W

Final Verdict

The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super represents a massive generational leap over the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB. While the older card was a reliable mid-range option at its $329 MSRP, it simply cannot compete with the sheer scale of the Ada Lovelace architecture. The newer GPU brings 16GB of GDDR6X VRAM on a wider 256-bit bus, providing significantly more memory bandwidth for high-resolution assets compared to the 192-bit bus found on the older Ampere hardware. This extra buffer is especially important for complex 3D scene assembly and professional video editing where hitting the memory limit can cause severe slowdowns.

Architecturally, the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super introduces 4th Gen Tensor Cores and 3rd Gen RT Cores that handle ray tracing effects with much better efficiency. It supports DLSS 3 Frame Generation, a feature entirely absent from the Ampere-based RTX 3060. This allow for much smoother visuals in modern titles that utilize heavy lighting effects and path tracing. Furthermore, the inclusion of dual AV1 encoders makes a tangible difference for streamers and video editors who need fast, high-quality exports. The RTX 3060 relies on older encoding tech and fewer shading units, making it feel sluggish in demanding modern software environments. While the older card has a lower power requirement, the performance density of the 4070 Ti Super justifies the need for a beefier power supply setup.

  • Buy GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super if you need a powerful 16GB frame buffer for professional rendering, want access to frame generation technology, or require the highest possible performance for modern gaming at its $799 MSRP.
  • Buy GeForce RTX 3060 12GB if you are looking for a basic entry point for 1080p gaming and don't require the advanced software features or heavy throughput of the newer architecture.

Not sure which part is right for you?

Every gamer is unique. Stop guessing and let our smart engine build a custom rig tailored exactly to your budget and the games you actually play.

Take the PCBuildQuiz!

A Note on Market Volatility

Our mission at PCBuildQuiz is to help you get maximum performance for every dollar by scanning for the best new retail prices 24/7. However, the hardware market can be unpredictable, and specific components like RAM or GPUs may experience temporary price spikes due to shortages. If a price seems unusually high, we recommend checking reputable used marketplaces or waiting for the volatility to settle because we would rather you save money than overpay for a brand new box.

Affiliate Disclaimer

Transparency is key. Some links on this page are affiliate links. This means if you click through and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This supports our servers and keeps our build engine free for everyone.