For the tech-savvy gamers and professionals, a new GPU in the market often sparks excitement. Recently, Nvidia unveiled the GeForce RTX 4060, a promising new entrant in the graphics card arena. This article delves into a comprehensive review of this much-anticipated offering from Nvidia, dissecting its features, performance, and pricing to help you make an informed decision. While the RTX 4060 is geared towards gaming, it’s important to consider all options for different applications, such as deep learning. For a complete overview of the best graphics cards suitable for deep learning applications, visit our guide on the best graphics cards for deep learning.
RTX 4060: An Overview
The GeForce RTX 4060 is Nvidia’s latest contribution to the GPU market. It’s an embodiment of Nvidia’s Ada Lovelace architecture and the RTX 40-series GPUs, offered at a rather affordable price of $299. Positioned between the former RTX 3060 and RTX 3050 in terms of pricing, it offers a solid value proposition for budget-conscious consumers.
The RTX 4060 aspires to be the best mid-range graphics card, assuming it delivers on the performance front. While it might not unlock unprecedented levels of performance, it brings to the table all the latest Nvidia features and upgrades, making it a compelling choice over older generation cards.
A Detailed Look at the Specifications
To fully appreciate the RTX 4060, it’s crucial to delve into its specifications. Nvidia has equipped the RTX 4060 with the AD107 GPU. This is the same chip found in the RTX 4060 and 4050 Laptop GPUs. The card boasts 24 streaming multiprocessors (SMs), each with 128 CUDA cores, culminating in a total shader count of 3,072.
The RTX 4060 has a 128-bit memory interface, which might raise a few eyebrows considering the previous generation RTX 3060 came with a 192-bit interface and 12GB of memory. However, this doesn’t necessarily translate into compromised performance.
Here’s a comparative table of some major GPU specifications:
| Graphics Card | RTX 4060 | RTX 4060 Ti | RTX 4070 | RX 7600 | RX 6700 XT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | AD107 | AD106 | AD104 | Navi 33 | Navi 22 |
| Process Technology | TSMC 4N | TSMC 4N | TSMC 4N | TSMC N6 | TSMC N7 |
| VRAM Speed (Gbps) | 17 | 18 | 21 | 16 | 16 |
| VRAM (GB) | 8 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 12 |
| VRAM Bus Width | 128 | 128 | 192 | 128 | 192 |
| Boost Clock (MHz) | 2460 | 2535 | 2475 | 2625 | 2581 |
| TDP (watts) | 115 | 160 | 200 | 165 | 230 |
| Launch Price ($) | $299 | $399 | $599 | $269 | $479 |
The RTX 4060 is equipped with Nvidia’s 4th-gen Tensor cores, 3rd-gen RT cores, new and improved NVENC/NVDEC units for video encoding and decoding with AV1 support, and a significantly more powerful Optical Flow Accelerator (OFA). The latter finds application in DLSS 3, and all indications suggest that Nvidia doesn’t plan to enable Frame Generation on Ampere and earlier RTX GPUs.
Performance Analysis: 1440p and 1080p
Performance is a key determinant in assessing the worth of a new graphics card. Here’s how the RTX 4060 stacks up against its competitors.
1440p Gaming Performance
At 1440p, the RTX 4060 offers a reasonable gaming experience. In games such as AMD’s RX 7600 and Intel’s Arc A750, the RTX 4060 demonstrates its prowess, delivering solid performance with an adaptive sync screen. However, in some demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077, achieving high frame rates at 1440p might require a reduction in some quality settings.
1080p Gaming Performance
At 1080p, the RTX 4060 shines. It delivers exceptional performance in a variety of games, easily surpassing the 60fps mark. With DLSS 3 and Frame Generation, even games that typically struggle to maintain a smooth 60 fps can be enjoyed with enhanced fluidity.
DLSS Performance
Nvidia pushes DLSS 3 as a game-changer for the RTX 4060. DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) is a revolutionary technology that uses AI to upscale lower resolution images in real-time, resulting in significantly improved performance without compromising visual quality.
In games that support DLSS, such as Cyberpunk 2077 and F1 22, enabling DLSS 3’s quality mode can effectively double, or even triple, the frame rate. This is particularly beneficial for GPUs like the RTX 4060, which might struggle to deliver high frame rates at higher resolutions.
Power Consumption and Efficiency
One area where the RTX 4060 truly stands out is in its power efficiency. With a rated total graphics power (TGP) of just 115W, the RTX 4060 is an exceptionally power-efficient graphics card. This is especially remarkable when compared to the RX 7600, which has a TGP of 165W.
This superior power efficiency means that the RTX 4060 generates less heat, making it suitable for small form factor builds or PCs with limited airflow. Such excellent power efficiency also makes the RTX 4060 an ideal choice for those looking to save on their electricity bills.
Competition Check: AMD and Intel
The primary competition for the RTX 4060 comes from AMD and Intel. AMD’s Radeon RX 7600, priced at up to $50 less than the RTX 4060, and Intel’s Arc A750 offer solid performance in their own right. However, they both fall short in terms of ray tracing performance and AI workloads, where Nvidia’s GPUs typically excel.
In terms of pricing and memory, the RX 6700 XT, priced at $309 and offering 12GB of VRAM, could be a strong competitor to the RTX 4060. The Radeon RX 6700 XT offers potentially better overall performance, making it a worthy consideration.
The Verdict
In conclusion, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 is a capable graphics card that strikes a balance between performance, power efficiency, and pricing. It offers a significant performance boost over previous generation cards, especially when DLSS 3 is enabled. However, its 8GB VRAM might be a limitation for future-proofing, especially as game requirements continue to rise.
The RTX 4060 is a competent choice for those looking to upgrade from older or less powerful graphics cards. However, if you already own a mid-range RTX 30-series or Radeon RX 6000-series card, the performance gains offered by the RTX 4060 might not justify the cost of an upgrade.
The RTX 4060, despite its strengths and weaknesses, signifies Nvidia’s commitment to progress and innovation. It may not set new performance records, but it offers a reasonable improvement over its predecessors, making it a viable choice for many gamers and professionals.
