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RTX 3060 is the best-selling Ampere-based RTX 30 series video card. This graphics card was launched in 2021 as a performance-focused 1080p gaming GPU and is a successor to the extremely popular GTX 1060 and RTX 2060 family of GPUs.
Theoretically, the RTX 3060 is a solid option for the average gamer. Most AIB partners have come up with triple fan options with chunky heatsinks for this particular video card. Furthermore, the 3060 has ample VRAM. Nvidia paired the card with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory to make it a long-lasting component. This article will analyze if the RTX 3060 is worth its cost in September 2022.
The GeForce RTX 3060 is getting bulldozed by the competition
The 3060 12 GB GPU was originally introduced at $330. However, gamers will have to pay a premium of at least $60 nowadays. Although prices have plummeted with the 3060 getting $40 cheaper over the last month, general Nvidia pricing has not improved as much as AMD Radeon's offerings have, thereby killing the value proposition of the 3060.
The direct competitor to the RTX 3060 is AMD's Radeon RX 6600. Interestingly, this card was introduced at the same price, $330. However, interested users can easily spot one of these cards available for $260 these days.
Following this trend, the RX 6600 XT has been discounted from its $399 price tag down to $330. The 6600 XT is a superior card when compared to the 3060. Thus, the RTX 3060 loses its performance lead in the pricing difference.
Radeon GPUs are also a part of the AMD Raise the Game Bundle. Therefore, gamers will receive a few free games if they purchase the video card through a participating retailer. This further adds to Radeon cards' value for money, generally making it the more enticing choice.
In terms of pricing, the immediate AMD offering is the slightly improved Radeon RX 6650 XT. Although this GPU is not worth the $60 premium over the 6600 XT, it is slightly faster than the latter, which widens the performance gap to the 3060.
Advantages of the RTX 3060 over the RX 6600 XT and the RX 6650 XT GPUs
Nevertheless, there are a few reasons why gamers are willing to pay the premium for an Nvidia GPU. Team Green has a sophisticated temporal upscaling technology, which the company calls Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS). In comparison, AMD's FSR (FidelityFX™ Super Resolution) is not as polished or refined.
However, FSR has received significant improvements with the latest 2.0 update. Also, considering the pricing difference, users will get a more powerful GPU if they opt for Team Red. Thus, many users might not have to rely on upscaling as the RX 6650 XT has been specifically built for 1080p gaming with no compromises.
Despite this fact, Nvidia GPUs are better optimized for content creators. These cards consistently beat their AMD equivalents in rendering workloads. However, since gamers are getting a more powerful card if they opt for the AMD option, the performance advantage of Nvidia gets attentuated.
Overall, AMD GPUs are in an advantageous position. However, Nvidia graphics cards might have won gamers' hearts as their sales volume is consistently higher than AMD's. This might be marketing magic as the 3060 is currently owned by 3.24% of the market, while the RX 6600 XT is only at 0.36%, according to Steam Hardware Survey results from August 2022.
