GeForce RTX 3060 8 GB vs RTX 2060 Max-Q

Place in the ranking	217	108
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Power efficiency	26.84	16.19
Architecture	Turing (2018−2022)	Ampere (2020−2024)
GPU code name	TU106	GA106
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop
Release date	29 January 2020 (5 years ago)	12 October 2022 (2 years ago)

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores	1920	3584
Core clock speed	975 MHz	1320 MHz
Boost clock speed	1185 MHz	1777 MHz
Number of transistors	10,800 million	12,000 million
Manufacturing process technology	12 nm	8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	170 Watt
Texture fill rate	142.2	199.0
Floating-point processing power	4.55 TFLOPS	12.74 TFLOPS
ROPs	48	48
TMUs	120	112
Tensor Cores	240	112
Ray Tracing Cores	30	28

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Laptop size	large	no data
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x16	PCIe 4.0 x16
Length	no data	242 mm
Width	no data	2-slot
Supplementary power connectors	None	1x 12-pin

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount	6 GB	8 GB
Memory bus width	192 Bit	128 Bit
Memory clock speed	1375 MHz	1875 MHz
Memory bandwidth	264.0 GB/s	240.0 GB/s
Shared memory	-	-

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors	No outputs	1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
HDMI	-	+
G-SYNC support	+	-

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

VR Ready

no data

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX	12 Ultimate (12_1)	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model	6.5	6.7
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
OpenCL	1.2	3.0
Vulkan	1.2.131	1.3
CUDA	7.5	8.6

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

RTX 2060 Max-Q 24.38

RTX 3060 8 GB 38.45
+57.7%

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

RTX 2060 Max-Q 9744

RTX 3060 8 GB 15365
+57.7%

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD	94 −48.9%	140−150 +48.9%
1440p	34 −47.1%	50−55 +47.1%
4K	41 −46.3%	60−65 +46.3%

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2	45−50 −48.9%	70−75 +48.9%
Cyberpunk 2077	50−55 −53.8%	80−85 +53.8%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5	75−80 −55.8%	120−130 +55.8%
Counter-Strike 2	45−50 −48.9%	70−75 +48.9%
Cyberpunk 2077	50−55 −53.8%	80−85 +53.8%
Forza Horizon 4	130 −53.8%	200−210 +53.8%
Forza Horizon 5	65−70 −49.3%	100−105 +49.3%
Metro Exodus	75 −46.7%	110−120 +46.7%
Red Dead Redemption 2	93 −50.5%	140−150 +50.5%
Valorant	109 −56%	170−180 +56%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5	75−80 −55.8%	120−130 +55.8%
Counter-Strike 2	45−50 −48.9%	70−75 +48.9%
Cyberpunk 2077	50−55 −53.8%	80−85 +53.8%
Dota 2	102 −56.9%	160−170 +56.9%
Far Cry 5	77 −55.8%	120−130 +55.8%
Fortnite	120−130 −57.5%	200−210 +57.5%
Forza Horizon 4	106 −50.9%	160−170 +50.9%
Forza Horizon 5	65−70 −49.3%	100−105 +49.3%
Grand Theft Auto V	94 −48.9%	140−150 +48.9%
Metro Exodus	57 −49.1%	85−90 +49.1%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	235 −48.9%	350−400 +48.9%
Red Dead Redemption 2	55−60 −54.5%	85−90 +54.5%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	80−85 −46.3%	120−130 +46.3%
Valorant	76 −44.7%	110−120 +44.7%
World of Tanks	250−260 −54.4%	400−450 +54.4%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	75−80 −55.8%	120−130 +55.8%
Counter-Strike 2	45−50 −48.9%	70−75 +48.9%
Cyberpunk 2077	50−55 −53.8%	80−85 +53.8%
Dota 2	115 −56.5%	180−190 +56.5%
Far Cry 5	75−80 −55.8%	120−130 +55.8%
Forza Horizon 4	93 −50.5%	140−150 +50.5%
Forza Horizon 5	65−70 −49.3%	100−105 +49.3%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	150−160 −51.9%	240−250 +51.9%
Valorant	93 −50.5%	140−150 +50.5%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2	40−45 −51.2%	65−70 +51.2%
Grand Theft Auto V	40−45 −51.2%	65−70 +51.2%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	170−180 −54.3%	270−280 +54.3%
Red Dead Redemption 2	21−24 −52.2%	35−40 +52.2%
World of Tanks	160−170 −55.7%	260−270 +55.7%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	50−55 −56.9%	80−85 +56.9%
Counter-Strike 2	21−24 −36.4%	30−33 +36.4%
Cyberpunk 2077	21−24 −36.4%	30−33 +36.4%
Far Cry 5	70−75 −48.6%	110−120 +48.6%
Forza Horizon 4	65−70 −47.1%	100−105 +47.1%
Forza Horizon 5	40−45 −46.3%	60−65 +46.3%
Metro Exodus	55−60 −55.2%	90−95 +55.2%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	35−40 −44.7%	55−60 +44.7%
Valorant	65−70 −44.9%	100−105 +44.9%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2	20−22 −50%	30−33 +50%
Dota 2	40−45 −47.7%	65−70 +47.7%
Grand Theft Auto V	40−45 −47.7%	65−70 +47.7%
Metro Exodus	20−22 −50%	30−33 +50%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	75−80 −53.8%	120−130 +53.8%
Red Dead Redemption 2	16−18 −50%	24−27 +50%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	40−45 −47.7%	65−70 +47.7%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	27−30 −48.1%	40−45 +48.1%
Counter-Strike 2	20−22 −50%	30−33 +50%
Cyberpunk 2077	9−10 −55.6%	14−16 +55.6%
Dota 2	79 −51.9%	120−130 +51.9%
Far Cry 5	30−35 −47.1%	50−55 +47.1%
Fortnite	30−35 −56.3%	50−55 +56.3%
Forza Horizon 4	35−40 −53.8%	60−65 +53.8%
Forza Horizon 5	21−24 −42.9%	30−33 +42.9%
Valorant	30−35 −51.5%	50−55 +51.5%

This is how RTX 2060 Max-Q and RTX 3060 8 GB compete in popular games:

RTX 3060 8 GB is 49% faster in 1080p
RTX 3060 8 GB is 47% faster in 1440p
RTX 3060 8 GB is 46% faster in 4K

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	24.38	38.45
Recency	29 January 2020	12 October 2022
Maximum RAM amount	6 GB	8 GB
Chip lithography	12 nm	8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	170 Watt

RTX 2060 Max-Q has 161.5% lower power consumption.

RTX 3060 8 GB, on the other hand, has a 57.7% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 years, a 33.3% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 50% more advanced lithography process.

The GeForce RTX 3060 8 GB is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q is a notebook card while GeForce RTX 3060 8 GB is a desktop one.

Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.