Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 and 4060 Ti Comparison
In today's review, we are comparing the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 with its more advanced counterpart, the RTX 4060 Ti. Priced $100 apart, the goal is to determine if the additional cost of the Ti variant is justified or if the standard 4060 model represents better value.
Key Differences Between the Two GPUs
Silicon and Specifications
The RTX 4060 is based on the smaller 159mm2 AD107 silicon, while the 4060 Ti uses the larger AD106 at 188mm2, making them distinct products rather than variations of the same design. The RTX 4060 has fewer cores, less memory bandwidth, and a smaller L2 cache than the Ti model.
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Price and Performance Expectations
With a 25% lower price, the standard RTX 4060 at $300 faces stiff competition, not just from the 4060 Ti but also from AMD's Radeon RX 6700 XT. The review critiques the 4060's price point as still higher than desirable.
Testing Setup and Methodology
System Configuration
The GPUs were tested on a system equipped with a Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU, Gigabyte X670E Aorus Master motherboard, and 32GB of DDR5-6000 CL30 memory. A comprehensive 40-game benchmark at 1080p and 1440p resolutions was conducted, including ray tracing tests.
Benchmarking and Performance
Individual Game Analysis
In titles like Cyberpunk 2077, the 4060 Ti demonstrated significant performance advantages over the standard 4060, especially at higher resolutions. However, when ray tracing was enabled, the performance gap narrowed, suggesting bandwidth limitations.
Overall Performance Trends
Across various games like Call of Duty Modern Warfare II and A Plague Tale: Requiem, the 4060 Ti consistently outperformed the standard 4060, with varying degrees of improvement. Notably, in The Callisto Protocol, the performance gap was narrower, indicating that certain games might not fully utilize the extra resources of the Ti model.
Ray Tracing and VRAM Limitations
Impact of Memory Bandwidth
In ray tracing scenarios, the limitations of memory bandwidth became apparent. Despite having more L2 cache, the 4060 Ti's performance advantage was less pronounced under these conditions, pointing to a potential bottleneck.
VRAM Shortcomings
Both GPUs struggled with VRAM limitations in demanding games like The Callisto Protocol when using ultra-quality settings and ray tracing. This suggests that 8GB of VRAM may not be sufficient for high-end gaming with advanced settings, a limitation shared by both the 4060 and 4060 Ti models.
Conclusion: Evaluating the RTX 4060 and 4060 Ti
Price-to-Performance Ratio
While the 4060 Ti generally offers better performance than the standard 4060, the price increase does not always correlate with a proportional performance gain. In some cases, the extra $100 may not be justifiable based on the performance improvements observed.
Choosing Between the Two GPUs
The decision between the RTX 4060 and 4060 Ti depends on individual gaming needs and budget considerations. For gamers prioritizing performance at 1440p resolution and willing to spend more, the 4060 Ti could be a more suitable choice. However, for those on a tighter budget or playing primarily at 1080p, the standard 4060 might offer sufficient performance at a more affordable price point.
Market Position and Alternatives
Considering alternatives like AMD's Radeon RX 6700 XT, both Nvidia GPUs face stiff competition, especially in terms of value. Nvidia's pricing strategy for these models might require reassessment to better compete in the dynamic GPU market.
