Why the RTX 3060 Ti is not worth buying in May 2024

Modified May 09, 2024 11:03 GMT

The RTX 3060 Ti Founders' Edition (Image via Nvidia)

The Geforce RTX 3060 Ti has rocketed to one of the top positions in the Steam Hardware Survey charts. April 2024 data revealed about 3.7% of all gamers are using the card, making it the third most popular GPU today, only behind the Nvidia RTX 3060 and the older GTX 1650. However, for several reasons, we feel the GPU isn't worth your cash anymore.

The RTX 3060 Ti was initially introduced at $330. The graphics card was Nvidia's offering for 1080p gaming with no compromises. Today, the cheapest deal we could find on the card is $384.99. Things are better in the used market, but you need to exercise caution while buying GPUs that have been used.

However, while choosing a graphics card for a gaming system, users need to consider a few other factors contributing to a card's overall performance and usability.

The list includes value for money spent, competition, and more. Considering these factors, the RTX 3060 Ti looks like a shabby option for gamers in May 2024.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.

Should you buy the Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti?

The Founders' Edition variant (Image via Nvidia)

The RTX 3060 Ti continues to be one of the fastest rendering machines in the mid-range. This graphics card is only 15% slower than the RTX 3070 and beats the RTX 4060 when it comes to gaming. It becomes more interesting when users compare its capabilities to the resolution it was built for, 1080p. The 3060 Ti nails any workload at today's most popular resolution.

The capabilities of the 3060 Ti made it great value for money when the card was launched in 2020. At $330, this video card was much better than the competition's offer with the RX 6600 XT and the newer RX 7600 XT. This primarily contributed to the 3060 Ti's rise in the Steam Hardware Survey charts.

A Walmart listing of the 3060 Ti for $524.99 (Image via Walmart)

However, the current pricing of the 3060 Ti is killing it. Nvidia now has the more efficient 40 series options, which is causing the older GPUs to go for unregulated prices in the market. We spotted a couple of listings of the 3060 Ti demanding over $500. That's scalping-era pricing.

Looking at the competition, the direct competitor to the RTX 3060 Ti, the RX 6600 XT 8 GB, starts from $330. The graphics card is a tad slower as compared to Nvidia's offering. But, considering the massive $100 difference, users can justify the performance difference.

When introduced back in 2020, the RX 6600 XT was a worse value for the price tag when compared to the 3060 Ti. However, the tables have been completely turned today.

The XFX RX 6700 XT MERC319 (Image via Newegg)

Now, let's look at the competition: the last-gen RX 6700 XT is currently selling for $300-310 on multiple websites. This card was built for 1440p gaming and was originally a competitor to the RTX 3070 graphics card. Thus, it is no surprise that the RX 6700 XT ultimately beats the RTX 3060 Ti in every workload and video card.

Users who do not want to be limited by the slightly slower RX 6600 XT or RX 7600 video card and are willing to spend a ridiculous price for the RTX 3060 Ti should consider the much more capable RX 6700 XT for their build. This graphics card is closer to the 4060 Ti in terms of performance and AMD is still officially stocking it. Moreover, you get 12 GB of VRAM with it, which future-proofs the GPU.

However, do note that the 6700 XT, and RDNA 2, in general, have some limitations. Ray tracing performance isn't the best on these cards. Moreover, DLSS has been consistently seen to deliver better output picture quality than AMD's FSR. On this note, be assured that the 6700 XT can pump out playable framerates despite being slightly slower than Nvidia's alternatives.

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Edited by Srijan Sen