Nvidia's forthcoming GeForce RTX 4060 aims to compete with the best graphics cards for gaming. However, if the rumored specifications are accurate, the GeForce RTX 4060 may disappoint a lot of gamers.
Nvidia's GeForce RTX x060-tier graphics cards have always been a fan favorite for budget-conscious gamers. The latest Steam Hardware Survey can attest to the statement. The last three generations of GeForce RTX x060-series models are among Steam's top ten most used graphics cards. The GeForce GTX 1060 and GeForce RTX 2060 are currently the second and fourth most popular graphics cards, while the GeForce RTX 3060 finds itself in sixth place. Although the Ada Lovelace architecture offers a significant upgrade over Ampere, the GeForce RTX 4060's potential specifications look disheartening.
According to hardware leaker kopite7kimi, who has a solid track record of reliable information, the GeForce RTX 4060 reportedly uses the AD107 silicon. It's a die that we already know about because Nvidia utilizes it for the company's mobile GeForce RTX 4060 and GeForce RTX 4050 SKUs. So yes, barring any changes, the GeForce RTX 4060 appears to use a die tailored to mobile graphics cards.
The GeForce RTX 4060 seemingly employs the PG190 PCB with the AD107-400-A1 at heart. That means the Ada-powered graphics card will wield 3,072 CUDA cores, 96 Tensor cores, and 24 RT cores. The last-generation GeForce RTX 3060 had 3,584 CUDA cores, 17% more than the GeForce RTX 4060. Both use different architectures, of course.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Specifications
| Graphics Card | GeForce RTX 4060* | GeForce RTX 3060 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | AD107 | GA106 |
| Process Technology | TSMC 4N | Samsung 8N |
| Transistors (Billion) | ? | 12 |
| Die size (mm²) | 146 | 276 |
| SMs | 24 | 28 |
| GPU Cores | 3,072 | 3,584 |
| Tensor Cores | 96 | 112 |
| RT Cores | 24 | 28 |
| Base Clock (MHz) | ? | 1,320 |
| Boost Clock (MHz) | ? | 1,777 |
| VRAM Speed (Gbps) | 18 | 15 |
| VRAM | 8GB GDDR6 | 12GB GDDR6 |
| VRAM Bus Width | ? | 192 |
| ROPs | 32 | 48 |
| TMUs | 96 | 112 |
| TFLOPs FP32 (Boost) | ? | 12.7 |
| Bandwidth (GBps) | ? | 360 |
| TGP (watts) | 115 | 170 |
| Launch Date | 2023 | 2021 |
*Specifications are unconfirmed.
The GeForce RTX 4060 may arrive with 8GB of 18 Gbps GDDR6 memory. The memory modules are reportedly faster since the regular GeForce RTX 3060 uses 15 Gbps modules. However, the GeForce RTX 3060 has 12GB, apparently, 50% more than the GeForce RTX 4060. It's a substantial compromise that'll ultimately affect performance in modern titles, such as Hogwarts Legacy, that can devour VRAM.
The leaker didn't share the memory interface for the GeForce RTX 4060, but there aren't too many options. The GeForce RTX 4060 is unlikely to retain the 192-bit memory bus, which has been the norm since the GTX 1060. That means the GeForce RTX 4060 may only offer up to 288 GB/s of bandwidth, representing a 20% less than the GeForce RTX 3060.
The GeForce RTX 4060 will receive an L2 cache upgrade because of the Ada Lovelace architecture. The hardware leaker pegged the GeForce RTX 4060 with a 24MB L2 cache, 700% larger than the one on the GeForce RTX 3060. If we compare the GeForce RTX 4060 to the other Ada-based SKUs that have launched, it sports half the L2 cache of the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti. Given the other Ada GPUs have up to 8MB of L2 cache per 32-bit interface, it would appear that the RTX 4060 is also cut down in that area as well.
Maybe Nvidia's decision to roll with mobile silicon was to lower the power requirement for the GeForce RTX 4060. Kopite7kimi believes that the GeForce RTX 4060 will have a 115W TDP. That's crazy because it would put the GeForce RTX 4060 almost on the same level as a GeForce GTX 1660 (120W) in terms of TDP. For comparison, even the GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile (120W) consumes more power. The GeForce RTX 3060 sports a 170W rating, so the GeForce RTX 4060 has a 32% lower TDP.
Overall, if the leaks are correct, RTX 4060 is shaping up to be a rather odd solution. The lack of VRAM will certainly prove limiting, and while the L2 cache could make up for the loss in bandwidth, it still ends up feeling like less of an upgrade than other models. But then we said the same thing about the RTX 4070 Ti with its 192-bit interface. Time will tell how the RTX 4060 actually stacks up, and how much it will cost.
