I'm planning to upgrade my graphics card eventually and would appreciate some advice. My current system has a Ryzen 5 5500 with an undervolt, a B450 Machinist motherboard, 24GB of mixed 8GB and 16GB DDR4-3200 memory, and a 128GB M.2 drive. The power supply is a Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 600W. I'm considering replacing my GTX 1070 with a 12GB RTX 3060 because it's about the highest-end card I'm targeting and the extra VRAM seems like it could help avoid problems later. Is the RTX 3060 a sensible upgrade, or are there better options around the same price?
4 Answers
The 12GB of VRAM gives the RTX 3060 some useful longevity for games that are becoming more memory-hungry. It should also work comfortably with a quality 600W power supply, assuming the unit is in good condition.
The RTX 3060 12GB would be a reasonable upgrade, especially if you want more VRAM and lower power usage. However, check prices carefully because a 3060 Ti can sometimes cost about the same while offering noticeably better performance, despite having only 8GB of VRAM.
Don’t assume the 3060 is automatically the best value. Used RTX 2080 or 2080 Super cards may be available around $200, while a 3060 Ti can sometimes be found near $230. Selling the GTX 1070 could recover roughly $90, which would make one of those options more attractive.
It’s also worth comparing RTX 3070 prices in your area. If one is only slightly more expensive than a 3060, it could provide a bigger performance jump, although the 3060’s 12GB of VRAM may still be preferable for your priorities.
I’ve seen some RTX 3070 cards listed around $360–$420, but I’m mainly interested in finding a reasonably priced 12GB RTX 3060.