Overview
Since the RTX 3060 graphics card's official launch a few months ago, stock levels have remained dreadfully low.
Having said that, we are now starting to notice some encouraging signals of stock levels starting to replenish, igniting discussion on forums about the best graphics card in this price range.
One of NVIDIA's entry-level 30-series GPUs, the RTX 3060 delivers excellent performance at the lower end of the performance/price range.
It has excellent specifications that would improve the performance of any PC built on a tight budget.
The best RTX 3060 is a superb example of price to performance, even though the option to choose the entry-level AMD or NVIDIA GPU is still up for dispute.
We'll be scouring the web for the best RTX 3060 graphics cards available in the guide below.
Performance, cooling, build quality, and pricing will be compared along the way, and we'll come to a conclusion about which is ideal for specific categories.
Top Picks
If you're in a rush, take a look at the fast selection of our favorites, or scroll down to read our whole list with in-depth reviews of the Best RTX 3060 Graphics Card in 2024. Each of the devices on this list has been chosen to reach the ideal balance between compatibility, performance, memory, speed, and interface:
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Best Overall: ASUS ROG Strix NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 OC Edition
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Runner-Up: MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3060
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Best Value: ASUS TUF Gaming NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 OC Edition
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Great choice: EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 XC Gaming
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Excellent price to performance: PALIT GEFORCE RTX 3060 Dual
What to Consider When Buying The Best 3060 Graphics Card
It's important to understand that there are specific standards for pricing, performance, and cooling when purchasing one of the best RTX 3060 graphics cards.
We'll go through all the most reasonable expectations you should be aware of when buying an RTX 3060 because of this and because this is a topic that is asked pretty frequently.
Price
Let's begin with the retail price as it may now be the most contentious. The RTX 3060 was advertised as the entry-level 30-series option when it originally came out, along with an entry-level (kind of) pricing.
Yet, since the official launch a few months ago, stock levels have remained appallingly low, allowing scalpers to drive up GPU prices dramatically in the absence of retailers.
Therefore, the first thing to keep in mind is that, if you're looking to buy a GPU right now, there's a good possibility you'll end up paying a premium.
Having said that, the RTX 3060 is unquestionably one of the greatest value-for-money GPUs available when prices start to level out again.
Cooling
One of the most crucial factors to take into account when purchasing any GPU, not just an RTX 3060, is cooling. It is important to keep your GPU running at optimum temperatures because doing so affects everything from gaming performance to hardware longevity.
Because of this, all of the graphics cards in our list of the best RTX 3060 graphics cards feature incredibly effective cooling systems.
Furthermore, there is sometimes a significant variance in internal temperatures when comparing different AIBs because not all RTX 3060 GPUs have triple-fan cooling systems.
Size
Rookie PC builders frequently ignore the importance of size, mostly because they lack the knowledge needed to understand that some GPUs are significantly larger than others.
Whether your case can physically accept the hardware you're looking at is one of the key purchase aspects you need to be aware of when searching for a new GPU.
Additionally, even if your PC case can fit the GPU, the internal airflow will be severely affected. On smaller micro ATX cases, a bigger GPU will naturally obstruct part of the internal airflow.
The dimensions of each GPU are listed in this article so you may determine whether your case can hold them before making a purchase.
Detail Reviews Of Top 5 Best RTX 3060 Graphics Cards
1. ASUS ROG Strix NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 OC Edition
(Best overall)
Product’s Specifications
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Clock Speed: 1912 MHz Boost Clock (OC), 1882 MHz (Boost Clock)
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VRAM: 12GB GDDR6
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Thermal Design: Axial-tech Triple Fan
Reasons to buy
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Premium modern architecture.
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Extremely effective cooling.
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Superb build quality.
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Axial-tech fan design.
Reasons to avoid
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Expensive.
Product Summary
The ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 3060 is not just the greatest RTX 3060 graphics card on the market, but it's also the best ASUS 3060.
It has a sturdy build, sleek design, and high clock speeds, which together make it an extremely effective operator. Additionally to its recognizable RGB lights to offer color and customization.
The ROG STRIX OC Edition, which has high clock rates of 1912 MHz (OC Boost mode) and 1882 MHz (Game Mode), is the most potent RTX 3060 the manufacturer provides. Along with excellent clock rates, this GPU offers 12GB of GDDR6 VRAM, a highly robust internal structure, and unquestionably one of the greatest cooling systems available.
Improved airflow and significantly reduced turbulence are made possible by the Axial-tech cooling system's freshly tuned form and inverted core fan. The experience gets cooler and quieter as a result of this.
One of the guide's most attractive-looking GPUs is the ASUS 2.7 slot GPU. When you combine it with the performance-improving upgrades made from the RTX 2060 of the past, it's clear why this amazing card gets our top rank.
2. MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3060
(Runner-up)
Product’s Specifications
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Clock Speed: 1852 MHz Boost Clock
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VRAM: 12GB GDDR6
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Thermal Design: Tri FROZR 2
Reasons to buy
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Quiet triple-fan cooling system.
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Impressive gaming design.
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Appealing RGB.
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Tri Frozr 2 fan design.
Reasons to avoid
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Vastly oversized.
Product SummaryÂ
The Gaming X TRIO RTX 3060 is just one more outstanding example of the excellent quality that MSI has developed over the years to provide some of the greatest GPUs the industry has to offer. And even though MSI has faced criticism in the past, they are still among the best in the business when it comes to GPU manufacturing.
The MSI Gaming X TRIO strikes a smart balance between increased clock speeds and excellent cooling in terms of performance. It features a triple-fan design that is comparable to the ROG STRIX and delivers exceptional consumption efficiency. To assist the air flow across the heatsink more precisely, the TORX 4.0 fins are connected together.
The design of this GPU includes an anti-bend bar for added stiffness and robustness. You may also attach the GPU's reinforced case bar to this, though it's not usually required.
3. ASUS TUF Gaming NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 OC Edition
(Best value)
Product’s Specifications
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Clock Speed: 1882 MHz Boost Clock
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VRAM: 12GB GDDR6
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Thermal Design: Axial-tech Triple Fan
Reasons to buy
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Reasonable pricing.
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Triple-fan cooling system.
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Decent build quality.
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High-end Axial-tech fan design.
Reasons to avoid
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Lacking the premium features offered in the ROG STRIX model.
Product SummaryÂ
The budget-friendly model of ASUS' RTX 3060 series is the TUF Gaming RTX 3060. If you are unable to afford the more expensive ROG STRIX option, this OC version checks all the appropriate boxes. It has NVIDIA ampere streaming multiprocessors, 2nd generation RT cores, 3rd generation Tensor cores, and a very well-built architecture, much like other RTX cards do.
The ASUS TUF has a sleek design that is in no way ostentatious. The black theme adds sophistication to your PC and works well with all-black builds. The three strong axial-tech fans are covered by an entirely new metal shroud, which offers a great look that is both smooth and durable. Durable dual ball fan bearings that have been improved for efficiency and a decrease in turbulence are used by the fans.
A reinforced backplate for added stiffness, Auto-Extreme technology, and TUF-tailored components are a few of the extra features of this card. Similar to the ROG card, the fans rotate in both sides to increase airflow and make better contact with the heatsink, enabling the card to operate at peak levels for a longer period of time.
4. EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 XC Gaming
(Great choice)
Product’s Specifications
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Clock Speed: 1882 MHz Boost Clock
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VRAM: 12GB GDDR6
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Thermal Design: Dual fan
Reasons to buy
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Great value for the money.
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Solid all-metal backplate.
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Great design.
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PCB has a unique design for more airflow.
Reasons to avoid
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Only features a dual fan design.
Product Summary
When it comes to producing high-end graphics cards, EVGA is one of the most well-known brands. The EVGA XC Gaming's top ranking on our list therefore comes as no surprise.
Even though the EVGA GPU just has a basic dual fan design, it nevertheless contributes to maintaining a reasonable internal temperature. The dual fans operate at lower levels for effective effects and are bigger than the triple-fan coolers you've seen in this tutorial.Â
The all-metal backplate gives this GPU's design more strength and rigidity while also adding some great, modest style. Furthermore, air may more readily escape from this GPU in the heat of battle thanks to EVGA's air-through PCB architecture.
Additionally, the RTX 3060 XC Gaming GPU features an 1882 MHz boost clock and a powerful, user-friendly software package that allows you to customize the GPU to your precise needs. Even while this GPU lacks some of the more eye-catching features of others in this guide, it nevertheless provides consumers who value performance above flashy features with an excellent experience.
5. PALIT GEFORCE RTX 3060 Dual
(Excellent price to performance)
Product’s Specifications
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Clock Speed: 1777 MHz Boost Clock
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VRAM: 12GB GDDR6
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Thermal Design: Dual fan
Reasons to buy
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Cost-effective pricing.
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Excellent clock speeds.
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Effective cooling.
Reasons to avoid
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 Basic design.
Product Summary
The Palit GeForce 3060 may not be the best GPU in this post, but it is the most budget-friendly and offers excellent value and performance.
The Palit, like many of the RTX 3060s in this list, has a powerful cooling system with two sizable 90mm fans. Cut-through holes have been added to make it easier for air to pass across the board in order to boost ventilation for the Palit 3060.
As long as we're talking about cooling, Palit has built its 3060 with 0-dB tech fans, letting you carry out less demanding tasks in quiet. The fans will restart in higher demanding situations, like several GPUs in this guide.
Through the ThunderMaster software, you can personalize the Palit 3060. You may modify the LED and even overclock your GPU with this simple software to get more performance.
Considerably less expensive than the other items in this guide, all of this is available for a set price. This can be the ideal GPU for you if you need one that fits your budget.
FAQs
Is the RTX 3060 worth purchasing?
The RTX 3060 card offers excellent value. It provides a low-cost entry point into the gaming sector with an MSRP of $329Â with outstanding 1080p performance and pushing into the 1440p range.
Combined with a powerful Nvidia optimization ecosystem. Since you can use well-optimized ray tracing and DLSS in games that support it, what it can accomplish is much improved. As long as you can find the card in stock.
Is the RTX 3060 available?
After the release of the 30 series, as you may have noticed, the GPU market has been all over the place.
With a shortage brought on by logistics issues, lockdowns, the rise in cryptocurrency mining, and scalpers taking advantage of the circumstance. This made it challenging to purchase a new graphics card.
But as the price of cryptocurrencies falls, the market has become oversaturated and swamped. The price of the cards has therefore been going back to MSRP.
Even though not all of them compete equally with more well-liked options, some do.
As a well-liked Nvidia card, the 3060 does experience success. Retail costs for it continue to be higher than the 2020 launch cost.
How much does a 3060 cost?
The MSRP of the RTX 3060 is $329 USD. However, over the course of its lifetime, that might not have been the price you observed.
However, GPU costs have just started to stabilize. Thus, you ought to be able to find it at the price that was intended.
Final Thought
You now have entry to our in-depth guide on the best RTX 3060 graphics cards available on the market in 2024. We selected the graphics cards based on brand reputation, past performance, and overall features and advantages, combining in value for money for what we feel to be the best RTX 3060s on the market right now.
In the end, whichever GPU you choose to buy from this guide, you'll get a great graphics card that performs exceptionally well in both 1080p and 1440p formats. It was simple for us to select the cards we did because each has a distinct set of advantages and disadvantages.
Please feel free to take a detailed look at our RTX 3070 or RTX 3060 Ti guides if nothing in this article caught your interest.
This information should have assisted you in selecting the GPU that best suits your requirements.