NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090

Name: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB
Brand: Nvidia
Availability: InStock

FPS benchmarks across 150 games (reference CPU: r9-9950x3D2), live prices, popularity and community builds.

Nvidia

RTX 3060 12GB

Ampere · 12 GB GDDR6

#14 / 71▼

Overall score Relative gaming performance score, based on the average FPS measured across our benchmarked games. 100 = the fastest card in our catalog.29/100

Lowest price

$449

FPS / $

0.826

See the cheapest model See all 21 models

Nvidia

RTX 4090

Ada Lovelace · 24 GB GDDR6X

#32 / 71▼

Overall score Relative gaming performance score, based on the average FPS measured across our benchmarked games. 100 = the fastest card in our catalog.97/100

Lowest price

$4,299

FPS / $

0.149

See the cheapest model See all 4 models

Our verdict

The RTX 4090 is on average 70% faster than the RTX 3060 12GB at 1440p across our reference games.
The RTX 3060 12GB is currently $3,850 cheaper ($449 vs $4,299).
With 0.826 FPS/$, the RTX 3060 12GB offers the best price-to-performance ratio.
The RTX 4090 packs more video memory (24 GB vs 12 GB), an advantage for 4K and heavy textures.

Gaming performance

Benchmarks measured with a r9-9950x3D2 to avoid bottlenecking the graphics cards.

RTX 3060 12GB

RTX 4090

Counter-Strike 2

+35%

351 FPS

1% low 201

473 FPS

1% low 277

Apex Legends

+75%

203 FPS

1% low 141

355 FPS

1% low 230

Grand Theft Auto V

+162%

68 FPS

1% low 54

178 FPS

1% low 139

Red Dead Redemption 2

+113%

106 FPS

1% low 77

226 FPS

1% low 154

Cyberpunk 2077

+113%

80 FPS

1% low 59

170 FPS

1% low 128

Rocket League

+63%

635 FPS

1% low 271

1037 FPS

1% low 502

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

+103%

115 FPS

1% low 92

233 FPS

1% low 166

Crimson Desert

+113%

89 FPS

1% low 65

190 FPS

1% low 130

FPS / $

The higher the number, the better the performance you get for your money.

RTX 3060 12GB

0.826

RTX 4090

0.149

Want to see FPS in other games? Explore all our benchmarks

Specifications

	RTX 3060 12GB	RTX 4090
Architecture	Ampere	Ada Lovelace
Release date	2021-02	2022-10
Video memory	12 GB	24 GB
Memory type	GDDR6	GDDR6X
Memory bus	192 bit	384 bit
Bandwidth	360 GB/s	1008 GB/s
Shading units	3584	16384
Boost clock	1777 MHz	2520 MHz
Power draw (TDP)	170 W	450 W
Recommended PSU	550 W	850 W
Interface	PCIe 4.0 x16	PCIe 4.0 x16
Launch price	$329	$1599

Popularity on DropReference

RTX 3060 12GB

#14 / 71

Popularity score8.5/100

Share of builds Percentage of builds created by the DropReference community that use this GPU.0.5%

Number of builds created with this GPU

130

Average build price

$1,022

Most paired CPUs

Most used power supply

GIGABYTE P650G 650W 80 Plus Gold ATX

650 W · $141

Latest builds

Yannick pc

Yannick pc

tkt

RTX 4090

#32 / 71

Popularity score3.7/100

Share of builds Percentage of builds created by the DropReference community that use this GPU.1.2%

Number of builds created with this GPU

Average build price

$5,666

Most paired CPUs

Most used power supply

EVGA SuperNOVA 1300 P+ 1300W 80 Plus Platinum Fully Modular

1300 W · $270

Latest builds

Unnamed build

Unnamed build

mon pc

All models

Real-time prices and stock in your region

Price indicator

Awesome deal

Good deal

Decent deal

Relatively poor deal

RTX 3060 12GB

21 models tracked

See all models in stock

RTX 4090

4 models tracked

See all models in stock

Frequently asked questions

Which is the better graphics card, the RTX 3060 12GB or the RTX 4090?

The RTX 4090 is on average 70% faster than the RTX 3060 12GB at 1440p across our reference games. The RTX 3060 12GB is currently $3,850 cheaper ($449 vs $4,299). With 0.826 FPS/$, the RTX 3060 12GB offers the best price-to-performance ratio. The RTX 4090 packs more video memory (24 GB vs 12 GB), an advantage for 4K and heavy textures.

Which card should you pick for 1440p gaming: RTX 3060 12GB or RTX 4090?

At 1440p, the RTX 3060 12GB averages 332 FPS versus 564 FPS for the RTX 4090 across our reference games.

What power supply do you need for the RTX 3060 12GB?

A power supply of around 550 W is recommended for the RTX 3060 12GB. On DropReference, the most used PSU with this card is the GIGABYTE P650G 650W 80 Plus Gold ATX.

What power supply do you need for the RTX 4090?

A power supply of around 850 W is recommended for the RTX 4090. On DropReference, the most used PSU with this card is the EVGA SuperNOVA 1300 P+ 1300W 80 Plus Platinum Fully Modular.

Which CPU should you pair with the RTX 3060 12GB?

In community builds, the CPU most often paired with the RTX 3060 12GB is the r5-5500 (21 builds).

Which CPU should you pair with the RTX 4090?

In community builds, the CPU most often paired with the RTX 4090 is the r7-9800x3D (7 builds).

How much does the RTX 3060 12GB cost right now?

The RTX 3060 12GB is available from $449. We track 21 models in real time.

How much does the RTX 4090 cost right now?

The RTX 4090 is available from $4,299. We track 4 models in real time.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 delivers smooth gameplay at 1080p and 1440p thanks to the Ampere architecture. Featuring 12 GB of GDDR6 memory, it's ideal for gamers seeking great performance at a reasonable price. Supports ray tracing and DLSS for more realistic graphics and better frame rates.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, with Ada Lovelace architecture, offers ultra high-end gaming performance with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory. The absolute flagship card of the RTX 4000 series excels at 4K and competes with the best cards of its generation.