NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti Vs. NVIDIA RTX 3070 – Choose the Right One?

Nvidia definitely has a lot of options to offer with their new lineup of RTX GPUs. And if you haven’t built your perfect gaming computer yet, you are in luck as the new 30 series graphics cards from Nvidia are absolutely powerful and available at a very attractive budget range. However, the budget class option often gets users confused as a lot of graphics cards in this range appear identical in terms of design and performance.

Today, we are going to take a look at the NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti and NVIDIA RTX 3070 graphics cards and try to understand which option can be the best-suited option for you. We will discuss the graphic cards, the specifications of each card, and some important differences in terms of performance, applicability, pricing, and building process. If you want to make a perfect price for your budget and make your system future-proof, make sure you read our guide until the end.

NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti

Nvidia is known for offering high-performing graphics cards even for the budget-focused audience. One such example for this is the GTX 1050 Ti graphics card from Nvidia which was labeled as a budget powerhouse for many years. It was so popular that Nvidia recently relaunched the card. Right now, the card that seems to be the perfect upgrade over the 1050 Ti is the NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti. Similar to most 30 series cards, the NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti is built on an 8 nm process and operates on the GA104 graphics processor.

The NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti has full support for DirectX 12 ultimate which ensures compatibility with all existing PC games as well as upcoming games for the next 3 to 4 years. And as this is a graphic card from the RTX series, you will also have the advantage of the DLSS and ray tracing features despite the affordable price range. The NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti offers 4864 active shaders along with 152 texture mapping and 80 ROPs. It also has a large processing chip that covers about 391 sq. mm area, making it one of the larger options compared to the previous budget-focused graphics cards.

As for the RTX performance, you can rely on the 152 tensor cores present on the NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti which should be good enough to offer high performance in almost every game. The NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti has 8 GB of DDR6 memory and the base clock speed is 1410 MHz. However, it goes as high as 1665 MHz when under load to offer flawless performance. The overall power draw of the NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti is about 200 watts which is pretty low compared to other high-end options.

NVIDIA RTX 3070

The RTX 3070 is yet another popular option offered by Nvidia in its latest graphics card lineup. Due to the reduced price range of the high-end cards, a lot of users are preferring the Nvidia RTX 3070 as you get a lot of additional benefits by extending the budget a little more. It is also built on the 8 nm process and is powered by the GA104 processor. The Nvidia RTX 3070 is capable of running almost every game available on the market with the DirectX 12 ultimate support and  8 GB of DDR6 memory.

Coming to the RTX features of the card, it is powered by 184 tensor cores which make the performance quite better in comparison. This includes better results with DLSS, ray tracing, and other AI-based and machine learning applications. The base clock frequency of the Nvidia RTX 3070 is 1500 MHz and the maximum supported boost clock speed is 1725 MHz which makes the card look quite powerful in comparison. Other than that, you will find a higher number of shading units on the card that is 5888 along with 184 texture mapping units.

The Nvidia RTX 3070 is also built on the 8 nm process with a chip area of about 392 sq. mm. Thus, it is still similar in size to its competitor despite the added performance rating. The same goes for the power draw as it utilizes about 220 watts of power via the 12-pin connector. You will find 3 DisplayPorts on the Nvidia RTX 3070 alongside an HDMI port for connectivity.

NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti Vs. RTX 3070

Considering you have gone through our technical overlook for both of the cards, you must have understood how the cards might differ in terms of performance based on the specifications. If you want to make a quicker selection, you should take a look at the following table where we will mention the technical differences between both cards. You can easily pick up the best card for your application by choosing the one based on the information provided right here.

Major Differences Between RTX 3070 and RTX 3060 Ti

Knowing the technical specifications and differences between 2 graphics cards simply isn’t enough to make a choice, especially if this is your first time purchasing a graphics card. Before you buy one, you need to get an idea about how the card will perform regarding various aspects like performance, target application, building process, and many other factors. Thus, we will be discussing some of these aspects in this section of our guide. This should give you a clear idea about which card will be perfect for you considering these factors.

1. Performance

The performance of the latest 30 series cards from Nvidia has been the topic of discussion for enthusiasts ever since its release. Almost all 30 series cards offer equivalent, if not better, performance compared to the 2-step above option from the Turing series. Basically, the RTX 3070 card will be a much better option than the 2080 Ti as it is offered at nearly one-third of its price. Thus, it also leads the competition in this comparison.

However, the situation takes a turn if you are planning to overclock your GPU. An overclocked  RTX 3060 Ti offers almost equivalent performance as an RTX 3070 card in competitive games like Apex Legends, CSGO, and Rainbow Six Siege. This ensures almost equivalent performance compared to the RTX 2080 Super. The difference in performance between 3060 Ti and 3070 is almost negligible at 1080p resolution, but you will start to notice a drop at 1440p or 4K resolution on the RTX 3060 Ti.

2. Middle Ground Between Price and Performance

The Ti series of graphics cards from Nvidia has always managed to cover the perfect middle ground between the price and performance. Almost all Ti series cards offer a competitive performance compared to their successor graphics card with the price range being closer to its predecessor. In simpler words, an RTX 3060 Ti only costs about $50 more than the RTX 3060, but its performance is pretty close to the RTX 3070. The performance gap shortens even more if you overclock the RTX 3060 Ti.

But, you still need to consider the future of your build. For that, the better option always seems to be the latest and more powerful graphics card. If you can spend a little extra on the card, it will be highly beneficial to get the RTX 3070. Even if the difference is not noticeable right now, you will find it advantageous for upcoming games and other heavy applications. Also, it is a much better option for 1440p or 4K gaming whereas the RTX 3060 Ti seems perfect for 1080p monitors.

3. Differences in The Building Process

Generally, there are a lot of differences in terms of the manufacturing and assembly process of various graphics cards. The same was observed with almost all turing cards as the performance difference was pretty noticeable between 2 different cards from the same series. But, it is certainly not the case with the RTX 3060 Ti and RTX 3070. To put it simply, the RTX 3060 Ti is basically RTX 3070 in terms of production with less power capacity and performance. This ensures high production and build quality for both cards. Also, the cooling performance is quite similar for both of these cards.

Realistically, there are no major differences between these 2 cards based on production. Thus, for almost all applications, both of these cards are equally compatible. Whether It is regarding the power requirement or the size and form factor, both cards are going to be compatible with your build.

4. Pricing and availability

The pricing and availability of a graphics card recently became a problem, especially for the new lineup of graphics cards. Due to the sudden rise in cryptocurrency mining followed by a worldwide shortage of silicon, the stock situation of graphics cards, processors, and consoles is in the worst condition and does not seem likely to be back in shape anytime soon.

Because of this, you might end up finding an RTX 3060 Ti in stock at the MSRP of an RTX 3070, if not higher. Therefore, you need to consider the availability of the card in your region as well as how much you will have to shell out to get your hands on the card. In most cases, it is beneficial to grab the one that’s available right now. waiting for a restock might be longer than what you can expect and it could result in the current option being out of stock as well.

Conclusion

There are many differences between the RTX 3060 Ti and RTX 3070. Apart from the varying price range, the cards differ in performance, specifications, and targeted applications. If you still cannot make up your mind, you should consider going with the RTX 3070. By just spending about $100 extra bucks, you will be getting a highly powerful and futureproof graphics card for your system. It can offer flawless performance for both 1080p and 1440p monitors with acceptable performance in the 4K genre. Other than that, it is a future-proof card and will be a decent competitor even for the next generation of graphics cards.