Nvidia RTX 3060 vs RTX 2070 Super

Do you really need the newest card

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Last Updated: April 8th, 2022

We take a look at another generational difference and compare Nvidia’s RTX 3060 vs 2070 Super. Seeing the difference the generation can make and if a lower SKU card can take the lead. Battling over which will be your next best graphics card.

The RTX 2070 Super came out in July 2019. Rounding up the retiring Turing architecture to last a little while longer. Whilst the RTX 3060 joined the 30 series lineup in February 2021. Offering a lower-end option a little further down the line.

ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER Advanced Overclocked

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Pros

Great in-game performance

Very high build quality

Ray-tracing technology

Very efficient cooling

Cons

Few RTX-enabled games to enjoy

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CHECK PRICE
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ASUS ROG Strix NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 OC Edition

Pros

Premium new-age design

Very efficient cooling

Axial-tech fan design

Excellent build quality

Cons

On the expensive side

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Architecture

Comparing the 3060 vs 2070 Super, 2070 is based on the older Turing architecture. The series was the first to introduce the RTX name offering new features like ray tracing. With the Super range offering a later upgrade. Whilst the 3060 is on the newer improved Ampere lineup.

In particular, the RTX 2070 Super is built with the TU104-410 GPU. Made with TSMCs 12nm process, making it a 545mm² die with 13.6 billion transistors. Whilst the RTX 3060 is the GA106-300 die. Which moved to Samsungs 8nm process, creating a die size of 276mm² containing 12 billion transistors.

Specifications

	RTX 2070 Super	RTX 3060
GPU	TU104-410-A1	GA106-300-A1
Shaders	2,560	3,584
RT cores	40	28
TMUs	160	112
Memory	8GB GDDR6	12GB GDDR6
Base clock	1,605 MHz	1,320 MHz
Boost clock	1,770 MHz	1,777 MHz
Memory clock	14 Gbps	15 Gbps
Card bus	PCIe 3.0 x16	PCIe 4.0 x16
Memory bandwidth	448.0 GB/s	360.0 GB/s
TDP	215W	170W

With new generations, the architecture changes the layout and build of the GPU. So they also likely contain varied specifications. We take a look at how they differ and what it means for them.

GPU cores

The specialized parts of a die work on particular equations for different parts of graphics. In particular, we look at the shaders, RT cores, and TMUs. These work on shading and shadows, real-time ray tracing, and creating 3D objects from bitmaps.

Between the 3060 vs 2070 Super, we see a similar situation to other Ampere vs Turing comparisons. The 30 series card has a higher shader count, 40% more in fact. Whilst the 20 series take the lead in RT cores and TMUs. With about 43% more, which should give it the advantage in those workings.

VRAM

Video memory is used as a buffer between the CPU and GPU as well as a pixel store. This aims to reduce latency between frames as it has all the details ready for the next one. And the capacity is important for higher resolutions as they have more pixels to display and render.

Both of these GPUs are utilizing to same memory type in the GDDR6, not the fastest around but very capable. However, they vary on everything else to do with it. As 2060 has a larger memory bus of 256 bits compared to 192 of the 3060. Which will allow more data overall.

It also has a higher bandwidth likely from the bigger bus. As the 3060 does have a higher capacity and memory clock. With 4GB more, a 1 Gbps higher clock it still has 88 GB/s less bandwidth overall.

Clock rate

Is also known as clock speed it’s the measure of how quickly the silicon in the die can cycle. Which is also the measure of how quickly it can process instructions. That in turn produces the graphics you see. Although not always directly responsible for performance it is a popular candidate for overclocking and getting the most out of your card.

With the 3060 vs 2070 Super, it’s a mixed situation with them trading lead. For the base clock, the 2070 Super has a much higher clock rate. It achieves a 285MHz higher rate, whilst the 3060 is just about clocks higher in the boost clock. With a massive 7MHz more boost clock. Of course, custom solutions and pushing them more can change that result.

Card bus

The connecting link between a graphics card and the motherboard utilizes the PCIe standard. And with the generational difference, there was an upgrade to the PCI generation used.

The 20 series card uses the older Gen 3, whilst the 30 series uses the Gen 4. This upgrade doubles the available bandwidth to the graphics card. It increases from 15.74GB/s to 31.51 GB/s. Which can alleviate bottlenecks to the CPU if a GPU is spewing out lots of graphical data.

Thermal design power

TDP of a component is the maximum amount of energy it can consume working at full power. This also translates into how much heat it will give off from inefficiencies. Between the two, it’s the 3060 with the lower TDP. It is rated for 170W compared to the 215W the 2070Super has. Making it more power-hungry and likely to run hotter.

3060 vs 2060 Super performance

Comparing the pure graphical performance of the two graphics cards we utilize 3dmarks benchmarks. In that, the RTX 2070 Super achieves a score of 10,147. With a price to performance score of 20. Whilst the RTX 3060 manages a score of 8,784 with a price to performance score of 26.

Comparing the two in-game performances, the RTX 2070 Super takes the lead by just a few FPS. Across all resolutions, it achieves 5-6% higher framerates. While both can utilize Nvidia’s RTX-only features such as DLSS to improve on this further, especially with ray tracing.

3060 vs 2060 Super price comparison

We compare the launch prices of the two cards to see what they were valued at. So in 2019, on release, the 2070 Super cost $499/£395. Whilst the 3060 two years later was set at $329/£299.

Although in the current GPU shortage market, graphics cards are expensive. This means they sell at an inflated price. Although prices have been falling and in fact, you can find a 3060 much cheaper than 2070 Super. It can be found for $470 compared to just $800 for a 2070. In the UK the 3060 can be found for £400 with the 2070 Super nowhere to be found. It may be harder and more expensive to try and find one.

GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 2070 Super

Pros

Great in-game performance

Very high build quality

Ray tracing technology

Very efficient cooling

Cons

Few RTX-enabled games to enjoy

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EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 XC Gaming

Pros

Decent value for money

Strong all-metal backplate

Great build quality

Custom designed PCB for additional airflow

Cons

Only offers dual fan design

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Conclusion

Overall when comparing the 3060 vs 2060 Super the 20 series card is a better card for performance. However, when comparing the price and generation the 3060 is a better card to consider. It’s much cheaper and more abundant than the 20 series but is becoming older and harder to find.

Both of these are getting older so you could also consider waiting for the next generation of releases. With the like of Intel releasing its new Intel ARC Alchemist cards. Or in the second half of the year, we expect to see the RTX 40 series.