Is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super worth buying in 2023?

The GeForce RTX 2060 Super Founder
The GeForce RTX 2060 Super Founder's Edition (Image via Amazon)

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super was launched as a mid-range performance-class graphics card from the Green Camp. The GPU is over three years old and has since been replaced by the RTX 3060 and the 3060 Ti.

Despite the global chip shortage that has affected the hit graphics card shipments over the last couple of years, the company did not discontinue the GPU. Thus, the card can still be bought from leading retailers.

It is worth noting that Nvidia is planning to stop the manufacturing lines of the RTX 2060S and the 1660S cards soon, according to an earlier report. Thus, the cards might not be available for long.

However, if one wants to buy the GPU, either new or used, in 2023, there are a few more factors to consider besides pricing and availability. Let's go over them and analyze whether this Turing card is any good in 2023.

Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links for the products mentioned.


Pricing kills the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super

The RTX 2060 Super is based on a 445 mm² TU106 graphics processor. The GPU packs 2,176 CUDA cores under its hood, 136 Texture Mapping Units (TMUs), 64 Render Output Units (ROPs), and 34 RT cores.

The graphics card also comes with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, which is based on the 256-bit memory bus. It has a bandwidth of 448 GB/s.

The GPU was initially launched with a price tag of $399. However, these days it can be picked up for as low as $230. This makes it a solid alternative to the almost similarly priced Radeon RX 6600.

Buy the RTX 2060 Super from Amazon (in the US and internationally)


Performance metrics

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The GeForce RTX 2060 Super is a relevant graphics card even three years after its release, and can run most video games at 1080p with ray tracing turned on.

According to TechPowerUp's GPU computing power aggregates, the Turing-based 60-class performance GPU is about 14% faster than the Pascal flagship, the GTX 1060, and almost 30% faster than the RTX 3050, an entry-level 1080p gaming option from Nvidia.

In addition, the 2060 Super beats both the RX 6600 and the Arc A750 in multiple video games and takes a clear lead in ray-tracing workloads. Thus, it is no surprise that the GPU still comes recommended forentry-level gaming rigs in 2023.


Availability

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It is worth noting that the RTX 2060 Super has a few caveats. Although the GPU can be bought brand new, multiple variants, like the ROG Strix and MSI Gaming X, are priced well above $500, as spotted on Newegg.

Thus, most of the available stock is in the used market. These days, most second-hand GPUs are cards that were previously used for mining. While mining does not eat away the performance of a GPU, it can damage rotating parts due to wear and tear.

If the GPU has a poor thermal design, which is the case with many cheaper 60-class offerings, it can cause damage to the VRMs and memory chips of the card. However, such cases are quite rare.


Conclusion

The RTX 2060 Super is still a solid GPU for gaming in 2023. However, before purchasing the Turing offering, users should ensure they are getting a fresh and clean card, preferably one that has not been mined.

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