Products at a Glance
How we chose the best RTX 3060 GPU in 2024
We’ve made our choices for the best RTX 3060 GPUs based on the cards’ price-to-performance and the value for money offered. With this particular graphics card line being several years old, buying new can be challenging, and that’s where retailers like Amazon come in. We’ll be primarily relying on this US retailer so that you can buy with confidence without paying over the odds to someone unnecessarily.
Product Reviews
- Powerful triple-fan setup
- Single 8-pin connector
- Boost clock of 1,807 MHz
- Could be too long for some cases
The MSI Gaming RTX 3060 Ventus 3X is our number one pick due to its triple-fan setup and powerful overclocking potential. If you’re looking to get the absolute best performance out of the card’s 12GB GDDR6 memory with a clock speed of 1,807 MHz. There’s also a total of 3x DisplayPort 1.4 and a single 2.1 HDMI port so you should be fully covered when it comes to connectivity. There’s also a reinforced backplate and a silencing heatsink design so you should experience cool temperatures when gaming.
That’s coupled with the triple fan setup which will provide more powerful cooling than going for a single or dual-fan setup. This does come at the cost of size, however, as this one measures in at an unsubtle 12.4 x 1.7 x 4.7 inches and 1.66 lbs. That means it may not be the right choice if you’re running a particularly cramped case. MSI has a good track record in GPUs and this RTX 3060 variant is no exception, especially considering its sub-$300 price point.
- Super compact size
- Powerful cooling
- Bundled in software
- Less fans for cooling
- On the pricier side
If you’re in the market for a small form factor GPU that still packs a punch in terms of performance then look no further than the ASUS Phoenix RTX 3060 V2 which is a single fan option that’s ideal for super small console-sized machines. The only real trade-off here comes at the form of cooling performance, as one fan simply can’t do what two or three can. That one fan is powerful, though, with an axial-tech design for enhanced airflow with longer blades.
There’s also a protective backplate which should prevent any warping or damage when under stress. For a small form factor card, it’s impressively well built and should mean you shouldn’t have to worry about thermal throttling for a long time to come. Newer generations of GPUs aren’t typically sold in this smaller compact form factor, and the RTX 3060 still provides a good level of performance in 2024.
- Outstanding design
- Dual fans
- Thick heatsink
- Pricier than some other variants
If you’ve got a little more cash to spend then you won’t want to miss out on the Zotac RTX 3060 Twin Edge which features a leading design with its thick heatsink, dual fan design, protective backplate, and strong boost clock performance. It’s available nowadays for around the $350 mark, however, depending on the retailer, you can find it considerably cheaper as it’s been available for a good few years now.
It’s only around $20 more expensive than the respective MSRP of the base RTX 3060, but Zotac’s Twin Edge model is among the best in terms of its physical design and bundled-in software. This includes FireStorm Utility which you can use to do things such as overclock your card and check advanced diagnostics. There’s also the option of “Freeze Stop” fans which means the fans onboard can halt when idling reducing the amount of stress on the blades.
- High boost clock
- Good design
- Aggressive pricing
- EVGA no longer makes GPUs
If you’re in the market for an RTX 3060 that you can overclock significantly then the EVGA RTX 3060 XC Gaming could be for you. It’s available around the $399 mark but can frequently be found cheaper depending on the retailer. The thing that sets this model apart from its competition is the boost clock of up to 1882 MHz which is about 5.9% faster than the boost clock of 1777 MHz from the Founders Edition model. That could translate to a few more frames in certain games, which could make all the difference.
The EVGA RTX 3060 XC Gaming features a pre-installed all-metal backplate with a slim dual-slot design. It measures in at just 7.94 x 4.33 inches (LxH) so it should be ideal for more cramped gaming PCs. You won’t be at risk of thermal throttling from limited airflow either as this card features two powerful fans. To use this GPU effectively, you’ll need a power supply of at least 550W and this card connects with just a single 8-pin connector for fuss-free installation.
Things to consider when buying an RTX 3060 GPU
The most important thing to remember when considering an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card is that the GPU features 12GB GDDR6 VRAM, which gives you a good amount of overhead even playing today’s games in 1080p and 1440p. We should stress that it’ll likely be the latter resolution this card will be able to excel in, especially when utilizing DLSS 2 for a solid framerate boost. However, you won’t be able to use DLSS 3 Frame Generation as that’s exclusive to RTX 40 series GPUs such as the RTX 4060 and up.
An advantage this GPU line has over its successor, however, is the 8-pin connector which spending on the partner card will either be one or two. This is in contrast to the 16-pin adapter which makes installing a lot more straightforward. It’s a big bump up from the 6GB or 8GB VRAM of older, similarly priced cards, too. As far as PC gaming hardware goes, Nvidia’s offering can be a little more powerful than some AMD RX XT cards in the price bracket.
Keep in mind that while you won’t be getting the same FPS performance as the RTX 3060 Ti despite the fact that this card features less video RAM. However, you can expect improved performance over older GTX cards like the 1650 and 1660 Ti, especially if buying an OC card with a faster boost clock. While Nvidia’s RTX 3060 isn’t exactly going to rival today’s best graphics cards, variants like the EVGA GeForce RTX model, the launch version, and those made by ASUS ROG Strix and Gigabyte still hold up in 2024.
Is the RTX 3060 still worth it?
Yes, the RTX 3060 is still worth it. The GPU features 12GB GDDR6 VRAM which is more than enough for pushing games in 1080p and even 1440p with light ray tracing performance. What’s more, it’s commonly discounted in 2024.
Is the RTX 3060 or RTX 3060 Ti better?
Despite having a full 4GB more VRAM, the RTX 3060 Ti is the better card out of the two. That’s because it features a total of 4,846 CUDA cores over the non-Ti variant’s 3,584. The Ti version also features a larger 256-bit memory bus in contrast to the 192-bit memory bus of the non-Ti. Crucially, however, the RTX 3060 is built on the smaller GA106 die instead of the GA104 die of the RTX 3060 Ti.
Our Verdict
The MSI Gaming RTX 3060 Ventus 3X OC is our pick for the best RTX 3060 GPU for its price and overclocking performance.