Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 vs Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060: What is the difference?

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is built on the Ampere architecture, while the RTX 4060 and RTX 4070 use the newer Ada Lovelace architecture. Understanding the differences in GPU architecture helps you choose the right card for your needs. The RTX 4060 and RTX 4070, built on NVIDIA's Ada Lovelace architecture, clearly benefit from these advancements.
It handles high-resolution textures and ray tracing with ease, making it the go-to choice for enthusiasts. This makes it a better choice for gamers seeking higher resolution without sacrificing frame rates. At 1440p, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 continues to shine with an average fps of 99, outperforming the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070's 65 fps. Titles like Shadow of the Tomb Raider run at 110 fps on max settings, showcasing its ability to handle demanding games. It achieves an average fps of 148, surpassing the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, which averages 134 fps. For ray-traced games at 1440p, the RTX 4060 achieves over twice the efficiency of the RX 7600.

How does power efficiency impact your choice?

The difference between the power consumption between the current-gen RTX 4060 and the last-gen RTX 3070 is about 48%, with the 3070 drawing more power. In our gaming tests, the RTX 3070 maintained an impressive average frame rate of 76 FPS, outperforming the RTX 4060’s lackluster average of 56 FPS. In contrast, the 3070 is an older model that may consume more power and generate more heat, especially during demanding tasks. This is due to its newer architecture and improved power management capabilities. In contrast, the 3070 may struggle to maintain high frame rates at 4K resolution, especially in more demanding games. The 4060 can deliver smoother frame rates and more detailed graphics, making for a more immersive gaming experience.
Their marketing infrastructure outsold Intel in the CPU market despite a 15% performance deficit. In terms of real world performance, Nvidia’s 3000 series has more or less put AMD’s Radeon group in checkmate. The combination of RTX+DLSS delivers stunning graphics that are several tiers higher than both AMD's best discrete GPUs and the upcoming consoles. At ultra settings, with ray tracing enabled, Cyberpunk 2077 redefines the boundaries of immersive gaming.
In contrast, the 3070 is an older model, but still a powerful GPU in its own right. In the end, the choice between the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 and RTX 3070 depends on your specific needs and preferences. In the 3DMark DLSS benchmark, the RTX 4060 scored an average of 80 FPS, while the RTX 3070 scored an average of 60 FPS. In the 3DMark Port Royal benchmark, the RTX 4060 scored an average of 6,000 points, while the RTX 3070 scored an average of 4,000 points. When it comes to ray tracing and AI-enhanced graphics, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 and RTX 3070 have different capabilities. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory, while the RTX 3070 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory.

Which GPU is best for budget-conscious gamers?

However, the RTX 4060 can catch back up once you make use of its DLSS 3 advancements, though this can reduce the quality of the graphics and incur input lag. With those benchmarks in mind, you can see that the RTX 3070 will definitely outperform the RTX 4060 at native resolutions. Other available benchmarks (like TechSpot) show that the RTX 4060 averages around 20 FPS less than the 3070 in both 1080p and 1440p.
The RTX 3070 and RTX 4060 use different chip designs, which affect their performance and power usage. We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider. The GeForce RTX 3070 is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce RTX 4060 in performance tests. RTX 4060, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 2 years, a 60% more advanced lithography process, and 91.3% lower power consumption. Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Using 1920×1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

Features

Consider your needs, budget, and power supply when choosing. Either card can play modern games nicely. The RTX 4060’s DLSS 3 is a significant consideration for some games. The RTX 4060’s newer architecture takes the lead here. Power efficiency matters sagaspins casino bonus for your electricity bill and system requirements. Both cards continue to perform well with new games in 2025.
In the 3DMark Time Spy benchmark, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 scored an average of 12,000 points, while the RTX 3070 scored an average of 10,000 points. When it comes to performance, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 and RTX 3070 are both capable GPUs. It also supports ray tracing, artificial intelligence-enhanced graphics, and variable rate shading.
DLSS, on the other hand, uses AI to upscale lower-resolution images, delivering higher frame rates without sacrificing visual quality. Ray tracing simulates realistic lighting, shadows, and reflections, making games look more lifelike. Ray tracing and DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) are two standout features that elevate gaming and creative experiences. Memory bandwidth plays a crucial role in determining how quickly your GPU can access and process data. VRAM capacity determines how well your GPU handles high-resolution textures and large datasets. If you prioritize efficiency and cutting-edge features, the Ada Lovelace GPUs are the way to go.

• For desktop graphics cards it’s interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).
• Other available benchmarks (like TechSpot) show that the RTX 4060 averages around 20 FPS less than the 3070 in both 1080p and 1440p.
• The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is based on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features 3072 CUDA cores, 24 GB of GDDR6X memory, and a boost clock speed of up to 2.5 GHz.
• Its 12 GB of VRAM and 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth make it perfect for 4K gaming and tasks like 3D modeling or video editing.
• In summary, the choice between these GPUs depends on balancing core count and architectural advancements.
• If you aim for a balance between performance and cost, the RTX 4060 offers a compelling option for casual 4K gaming.

Why is RTX 3070 better than RTX 4060?

When it comes to video editing, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 excels due to its higher VRAM capacity and faster memory bandwidth. If you aim for a balance between performance and cost, the RTX 4060 offers a compelling option for casual 4K gaming. The RTX 4060, while capable, averages 63 fps, which is still a significant improvement over the RTX 3070's 38 fps.
The RTX 4060 focuses on energy efficiency and affordability, making it ideal for 1080p gaming. The RTX 4060 excels in energy efficiency, making it the best choice for budget-conscious users and 1080p gamers. The Ada Lovelace architecture ensures superior ray tracing and DLSS 3.0 performance. The RTX 4070 offers the best performance for high-end gaming and professional workloads.

Games with Best DLSS 3 Support:

When Nvidia announced the RTX 4060, they dropped a ton of performance benchmarks, mostly focusing on the performance increases thanks to the improved DLSS and RT on board. Next up is our performance comparison, perhaps the main factor you want to know about when deciding on a GPU. Overall, the RTX 3070 should hold out as the more powerful card overall. However, this scaling back is reflected in the lower TDP of the card, with almost half of the RTX 3070 to make it much more power efficient. Though they both have 8GB of memory, so the difference may not be the biggest.

• When Nvidia announced the RTX 4060, they dropped a ton of performance benchmarks, mostly focusing on the performance increases thanks to the improved DLSS and RT on board.
• While it has fewer CUDA cores compared to the RTX 3070, its updated architecture introduces improvements in efficiency and specialized AI workflows.
• The RTX 3070 excels in raw computational power, making it a strong choice for gamers who prioritize performance at 1440p resolution.
• In contrast, the 3070 is an older model that may consume more power and generate more heat, especially during demanding tasks.
• While it can still handle 4K gaming, the experience may not be as smooth or detailed as with the 4060.

Cooling and Thermal Performance

I believe this difference is not justified when we see the performance difference. Moreover, the 1% lows of the RTX 3070 remained stable at 56 FPS, whereas the RTX 4060 struggled with less consistent performance at 45 FPS. Moving ahead in comparing the RTX 4060 and the RTX 3070, we will now focus on their game performances. In the RTX 4060 vs RTX 3070 comparison, we will pin these cards together to gauge their strengths and weaknesses in real-world gaming scenarios. At Tech4Gamers, I began as a comparison writer, analyzing GPU and CPU performance. For future-proofing and upgradeability, the 4060 is generally the better choice.