If you are looking for a powerful mainstream graphics card for solid 1080p and 1440p gaming then the RTX 3060 is a worthy contender. It is the fifth card in the RTX 30 series and it sits below the RTX 3060 Ti, which is one of the best value graphics cards for 1440p gaming and is quite capable of 4K gaming too. The GeForce RTX 3060 is significantly slower than RTX 3060 Ti but is a very capable card for 1080p and 1440p gaming. GeForce RTX 3060 is up 18% faster than RTX 2060 and is also faster than RTX 2060 SUPER and RTX 2070. Also, the card comes with almost all the features that you can find in higher RTX 30 series cards.
RTX 3060 is built on the Ampere GPU architecture on Samsung’s 8nm fabrication process. The card uses a TU106 chip and comes with 3584 CUDA Cores, 28 RT Cores, and 112 Tensor Cores. When it comes to video memory then it has got 12GB GDDR6 memory having bus width of 192-bit and runs at 15Gbps speed. The card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan, G-Sync, PCI-Express 4.0, HDMI 2.1, AV1 codec, Real-Time Ray Tracing, DLSS 2.0, and is a VR Ready Card. The card’s power consumption is at 170W for the reference specs released by the Nvidia. It should be noted that there is no Founders edition model of this card available. RTX 3060 is only available from AIB manufacturers and there are various models of it available. So, if you are confused about which RTX 3060 model to get for your specific requirements or needs then no need to worry because here, I am going to list the best RTX 3060 cards based on different parameters.
Most Overclocked RTX 3060
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3060 OC Edition
[Dual BIOS, Runs Quiet & Cool, Feature Rich, RGB Lighting]
The RTX 3060 with the highest factory overclock is the ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3060 OC Edition. The card has got GPU Boost Clock speed of 1882 MHz in Gaming mode and 1912 in OC mode which is significantly higher than the reference speed of 1780 MHz. For cooling, the card uses a big aluminum heatsink with five copper heatpipes. The base plate has a super smooth and polished surface to allow better contact with the GPU and the GDDR6 memory chips. The heatsink is cooled down by three axial-tech fans that have connected fan blades (outer ring) and the middle fan spins in opposite direction to reduce air turbulence and thus allowing better airflow. The fans are very silent in operation even at full GPU load. The semi-passive cooling tech on the card provides a totally silent operation when the GPU load is low and its temperature is below 50 degrees Celsius. Moreover, the Dual BIOS switch on the card lets you select between the Performance (P) and Quiet (Q) modes. The desired mode can be selected using a physical switch present on the side of the card.
It is a 2.7 slot card and is also pretty long at 300mm. The metal backplate on the card provides structural integrity and prevents it from sagging. Also, the backplate is vented and it also helps in the cooling process. The card features addressable RGB LEDs and they look quite amazing when lit up. It is a pretty solidly built card and the Stainless Steel I/O Bracket further enhances the card’s robustness. There are two 4-pin PWM fan headers present on the card that allows you to add extra case fans, which can be synced with the GPU or CPU temperature. The free ASUS GPU Tweak II allows you to tweak critical parameters of the card that include GPU core clocks, memory frequency, and voltage settings, with the option to monitor everything in real-time through a customizable on-screen display. The card requires a single 8-pin PCIe power connector and a 750W PSU is recommended from the manufacturer. Display connectivity options include three DisplayPort 1.4a and two HDMI 2.1 ports. So, if you are looking for the fastest RTX 3060 card with a ton of features then look no further. However, you do have to pay a significant premium over the base MSRP for this card.
| ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3060 OC Edition Specifications | |
| CUDA Cores | 3584 |
| GPU Clock | 1912 MHz Boost (OC Mode) |
| Memory Clock | 15 Gbps |
| Memory Size | 12 GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Interface | 192-bit |
| Bus Interface | PCI Express 4.0 |
| DirectX | 12 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 |
| PCI-E Power Connector | 8-pin x 1 |
| Output Ports | DisplayPort 1.4a x 3, HDMI 2.1 x 2 |
Buy ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3060 OC Edition
Best Silent RTX 3060
MSI GeForce RTX 3060 GAMING X TRIO 12G
[Very Silent, Runs Cool, RGB Lighting, Looks Stylish]
MSI GeForce RTX 3060 GAMING X TRIO 12G is unarguably the best silent RTX 3060 card in the market right now. It is also one of the fastest RTX 3060 cards and it also runs pretty cool. It is an overclocked edition card that comes with a GPU Boost Clock of 1852 MHz which is 72 MHz more compared to the reference specs. The TRI FROZR 2 cooling system delivers excellent cooling to the card while being remaining very silent even at high GPU loads. The cooler of the card comprises a large aluminum heatsink with six copper heatpipes that make direct contact with the GPU die and the GDDR6 memory chips. On the side of the heatsink, deflectors are present that provide additional surface area and guide air to where it’s needed for maximum cooling. Also, the wave-curved 2.0 fin edges disrupt unwanted airflow harmonics resulting in reduced noise. The heatsink of the card is cooled down by three TORX 4.0 Fans that have pairs of fan blades bound together with an outer ring design to focus airflow directly into the heatsink fins. The fans are super silent and remain very quiet even at higher speeds. Moreover, Zero Frozr tech on the card delivers a semi-passive cooling operation where the fans remain turned off when the GPU temperature is under 60 degrees Celsius.
The card has a 2.7-slot design and is quite long at 323mm. An anti-bending metal plate is fixed on the card to provide structural integrity and prevents it from sagging. Moreover, a GPU support bracket comes bundled with the card which you can attach to your PC case and provide additional reinforcement to the card. The card has a graphene backplate which is a composite of graphite and plastic, and it is used to protect the card and also provides some level of cooling to the VRM components located on the back of the card. The card features RGB LED lighting and supports MSI RGB Mystic Light Sync. When it comes to power then the card requires two 8-pin PCIe connectors and a 550W PSU is recommended by the manufacturer. Display connectivity options include three DisplayPort 1.4a and two HDMI 2.1 ports. Using the MSI Dragon Center software, you can tweak and optimize the card’s various advanced settings and monitor the various important parameters in real-time.
| MSI GeForce RTX 3060 GAMING X TRIO 12G Specifications | |
| CUDA Cores | 3584 |
| GPU Clock | 1852 MHz Boost |
| Memory Clock | 15 Gbps |
| Memory Size | 12 GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Interface | 192-bit |
| Bus Interface | PCI Express 4.0 |
| DirectX | 12 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 |
| PCI-E Power Connector | 8-pin x 2 |
| Output Ports | DisplayPort 1.4a x 3, HDMI 2.1 x 1 |
Buy MSI GeForce RTX 3060 GAMING X TRIO 12G
Best Compact RTX 3060
EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 XC GAMING
[Dual Slot, High Factory Overclocking, Semi-passive cooling]
If you are looking for a compact RTX 3060 card then EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 XC GAMING is the best option. The card is 202mm long and has a strict dual-slot design that makes it fit in the majority of small form factor cases without any issues. It is a factory overclocked card and has got a GPU Boost Clock speed of 1882 MHz which is 102 MHz more than the reference. For cooling, the card uses an aluminum heatsink with two long copper heatpipes and a large copper plate that makes direct contact with the GPU and the GDDR6 memory chips. The heatsink is cooled by two fans that are decently quiet. The card does have fan-stop semi-passive cooling technology which turns the fans off during low GPU load and starts them when the GPU load and temperature increases.
The card comes with a metal backplate that has honeycomb vents for improving airflow. The metal backplate also protects the card during handling and gives it structural integrity. It is rather a simple-looking card with a neat design and it does sport any kind of fancy stuff such as RGB LEDs or lighting. Using the EVGA Precision X1 software, you can adjust and control various important parameters (fan speed, clock speed, etc.) and can monitor them in real-time. The card requires a single 8-pin PCIe power connector and a 550W PSU is recommended for it. Display connectivity options include three DisplayPort 1.4a ports and one HDMI 2.1 port. It is the fastest dual-fan dual-slot RTX 3060 card you can buy and is also very compact.
Note: A lower variant of this card is also available as EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 XC Black Gaming that does not come with a backplate and has got reference GPU Boost clock speed while other specifications and design of the card remain the same. It is also quite cheaper and is priced close to the base MSRP.
| EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 XC GAMING Specifications | |
| CUDA Cores | 3584 |
| GPU Clock | 1882 MHz Boost |
| Memory Clock | 15 Gbps |
| Memory Size | 12 GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Interface | 192-bit |
| Bus Interface | PCI Express 4.0 |
| DirectX | 12 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 |
| PCI-E Power Connector | 8-pin x 1 |
| Output Ports | DisplayPort 1.4a x 3, HDMI 2.1 x 1 |
Buy EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 XC GAMING
Single Fan Compact RTX 3060
MSI GeForce RTX 3060 AERO ITX 12G OC
[Dual Slot, Super Compact design, 172mm length]
The most compact RTX 3060 card is the MSI GeForce RTX 3060 AERO ITX 12G OC. It is a dual-slot card having a length of only 172mm and can fit in almost all the SFF cases excluding the slim PC cases where only a low profile card can fit. It is an OC edition card and has a GPU Boost clock speed of 1792 MHz which is only 12 MHz more than the reference. The card comes with a compact aluminum heatsink with two 6mm thick copper heatpipes that makes direct contact with the GPU. There is a single large fan that cools the heatsink and does its job very effectively.
The card has got a protection backplate made of plastic and it protects the card during handling. A single 8-pin PCIe connector is required by the card and the PSU recommendation is 550W. Display connectivity options include three DisplayPort 1.4a ports and one HDMI 2.1 port. You can tweak and monitor various parameters of the card using the MSI Afterburner overclocking utility that can be downloaded for free from the MSI official website.
Note: A non-OC model of this card is also available as MSI GeForce RTX 3060 AERO ITX 12G.
| MSI GeForce RTX 3060 AERO ITX 12G OC Specifications | |
| CUDA Cores | 3584 |
| GPU Clock | 1792 MHz Boost |
| Memory Clock | 15 Gbps |
| Memory Size | 12 GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Interface | 192-bit |
| Bus Interface | PCI Express 4.0 |
| DirectX | 12 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 |
| PCI-E Power Connector | 8-pin x 1 |
| Output Ports | DisplayPort 1.4a x 3, HDMI 2.1 x 1 |
Buy MSI GeForce RTX 3060 AERO ITX 12G OC
Best Overall & Coolest RTX 3060
ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 OC Edition
[Dual BIOS, Aluminum Shroud, Silent, RGB Lighting]
To my knowledge, the best coolest running RTX 3060 card is the ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 OC Edition. It is also the best overall RTX 3060 card as it excels in every department whether it is performance, build quality, or features. It is an OC edition card that comes with a GPU Boost clock of 1852 MHz which is 72 MHz more than the reference. The cooler used on the card is almost the same as of ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3060 OC Edition mentioned above. The card comes with a large aluminum heatsink with five copper heatpipes and has a super smooth polished base plate that makes contact with the GPU and the GDDR6 memory chips present on the card’s PCB. The heatsink is cooled by two Axial-Tech fans having dual ball bearings for added durability and they have a longer lifespan. Here, the two side fans spin counterclockwise i.e. in the opposite direction of the middle one to reduce air turbulence, improving the airflow. The fan start-stop semi-passive cooling feature on the card stops the fans from spinning when the GPU temperature falls below 50 degrees Celsius, allowing for completely silent operation. Also, the card comes with a Dual BIOS switch that allows selecting between Performance (P) or Quiet (Q) based on your requirements.
It is a big card with a 2.7-slot design and is 301mm long. A vented metal backplate protects the card during handling, prevents it from sagging, and also helps in the cooling process. It is a solidly built card and has got an aluminum shroud and a Stainless Steel I/O Bracket. The card sports RGB LED lighting that can be seen on the front top side of the shroud. For power, a single 8-pin PCI-Express connector is required and the manufacturer recommends a 750W PSU for this card. Display connectivity options include three DisplayPort 1.4a ports and one HDMI 2.1 port. You can use the free ASUS GPU Tweak II utility to tweak critical parameters that include GPU core clocks, memory frequency, and voltage settings and can monitor everything in real-time through a customizable on-screen display (OSD).
| ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 OC Edition Specifications | |
| CUDA Cores | 3584 |
| GPU Clock | 1852 MHz Boost |
| Memory Clock | 15 Gbps |
| Memory Size | 12 GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Interface | 192-bit |
| Bus Interface | PCI Express 4.0 |
| DirectX | 12 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 |
| PCI-E Power Connector | 8-pin x 1 |
| Output Ports | DisplayPort 1.4a x 3, HDMI 2.1 x 2 |
Buy ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 OC Edition
Other RTX 3060 Cards
Some other good RTX 3060 cards that are worth checking out.
- ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3060 Twin Edge OC
- Palit GeForce RTX 3060 Dual OC
- Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3060 GAMING OC 12G
- MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ti VENTUS 2X OC
See also:
Final Words
Well, RTX 3060 may not be the best value card but it is a good card for mainstream gamers who have a limited budget but want a powerful card for seamless 1080p and 1440p gaming. The card also has lower power consumption and comes with almost all the features present on the higher RTX 30 series cards. There are various models available for this card from different AIB manufacturers and if you have any trouble selecting the right one for your specific requirement then you can freely ask your queries in the comment section below.
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