Although Nvidia has launched its GeForce RTX 40-series (Ada) graphics cards, the chipmaker isn't ready to bid farewell to Ampere yet. Likewise, Nvidia hasn't officially announced the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GDDR6X, but Asus has just confirmed the new Ampere SKU's existence.
The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GDDR6X is part of the rumored refresh, including models like the GeForce RTX 3060 GDDR6X, GeForce RTX 3060 8GB, and GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GA102. The refresh suggests that Nvidia may have accumulated too many Ampere dies and is finding ways to get rid of them. Therefore, the next contenders for the best graphics cards could hail from Nvidia's Ampere family rather than Ada.
As first spotted by VideoCardz, Asus has listed the TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8G GDDR6X and TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti OC Edition 8G GDDR6X graphics cards, with the latter model arriving with a factory overclock. The standard version boosts to 1,665 MHz, the same boost clock as the regular GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition. However, Asus' graphics card has an OC mode that further ups the clock speed to 1,695 MHz. Meanwhile, the OC edition has a 1,775 MHz default boost clock and a 1,785 OC boost clock.
Asus GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GDDR6X Specifications
| Header Cell - Column 0 | CUDA Cores | Default Mode Boost Clock | OC Mode Boost Clock | Memory | Memory Speed | Memory Interface | Bandwidth | Power Connectors | Part Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti OC Edition 8G GDDR6X | 4,864 | 1,755 MHz | 1,785 MHz | 8GB GDDR6X | 19 Gbps | 256-bit | 608 GBps | 2 x 8-pin | TUF-RTX3060TI-O8GD6X-GAMING |
| TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti OC Edition 8GB GDDR6 | 4,864 | 1,755 MHz | 1,785 MHz | 8GB GDDR6 | 14 Gbps | 256-bit | 448 GBps | 1 x 8-pin | TUF-RTX3060TI-O8G-GAMING |
| TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8G GDDR6X | 4,864 | 1,665 MHz | 1,695 MHz | 8GB GDDR6X | 19 Gbps | 256-bit | 608 GBps | 2 x 8-pin | TUF-RTX3060TI-8GD6X-GAMING |
| TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8GB GDDR6 | 4,864 | 1,665 MHz | 1,695 MHz | 8GB GDDR6 | 14 Gbps | 256-bit | 448 GBps | 1 x 8-pin | TUF-RTX3060TI-8G-GAMING |
| GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition | 4,864 | 1,665 MHz | N/A | 8GB GDDR6 | 14 Gbps | 256-bit | 448 GBps | 1 x 12-pin | N/A |
The improved boost clock speeds will help the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GDDR6X offer higher performance over the vanilla version. However, the show's real star is the switch from 14 Gbps GDDR6 memory to 19 Gbps GDDR6X memory. Even though the amount of memory and 256-bit interface remains the same, the GDDR6X memory will boost the Ampere graphics card's memory throughput.
While the standard GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers a memory bandwidth of up to 448 GBps, the GDDR6X variant delivers up to 608 GBps. The new SKU represents a 36% improvement. In a previous leak, the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GDDR6X outperformed the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti by up to 10% in synthetic benchmarks, which don't always tell the whole story. It remains to be seen whether the higher memory bandwidth offers a perceptible uplift in real-world gaming.
Unfortunately, Asus didn't list the TDP for the custom GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GDDR6X graphics cards. It's still a mystery how much impact the GDDR6X memory has on the graphics card's TDP. It would seem that the new variant does draw more power, according to Asus' design.
The TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti OC Edition 8GB GDDR6 only uses a single 8-pin PCIe power connector. In contrast, Asus has outfitted the TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti OC Edition 8G GDDR6X with two 8-pin PCIe power connectors. Both graphics cards feature the same boost clock, so the clock speeds aren't the reason for the higher power requirement. Instead, it comes down to the type of memory.
It's a radical change considering that each 8-pin PCIe power connector is suitable for 150W. However, the extra power connector doesn't necessarily mean that the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GDDR6X pulls the total 150W. Asus still suggests a 750W power supply for the TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti OC Edition 8G GDDR6X despite its twin 8-pin PCIe power connectors. It's the same minimum recommendation as the TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti OC Edition 8GB GDDR6. We can conclude from the power connector arrangement that the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GDDR6X likely has a higher TDP but is not significant enough to warrant a bigger power supply, at least in Asus' case.
It's unknown when Nvidia will unveil the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GDDR6X; it shouldn't be long, though, since Asus has already listed the brand's custom models.
