The GeForce RTX 3060 (codename Ampere) will launch next month at $329. However, early retailer pricing suggests that third-party GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card will likely cost a lot more than Nvidia's MSRP - maybe even as much as the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti.
CCL Computers (via VideoCardz) has already listed a ton of GeForce RTX 3060 models from the different graphics cards manufacturers. The U.K. retailer didn't reveal the price tags for the graphics cards, but VideoCardz discovered a bug in the vendor's system that accidentally exposes the pricing. Since we can't be certain if CCL Computers' prices are accurate, we recommend you approach the pricing with a good bit of caution.
After analyzing all 15 custom GeForce RTX 3060 graphics cards, we've determined that only the Asus models are properly priced. The SKUs from Gigabyte, Palit and Zotac all cost £499.99, which is highly unlikely. We suspect the pricing for those three vendors is a placeholder.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Pricing
| Graphics Card | U.S. Pricing excl VAT | U.K. Pricing inc VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Asus Dual GeForce RTX 3060 Ti OC Edition | $627.06 | £549.99 |
| Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3060 OC Edition | $585.86 | £513.86 |
| Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3060 | $573.9 | £503.36 |
| Asus Dual GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Mini OC Edition | $564.71 | £495.30 |
| Asus TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 OC Edition | $533.15 | £467.62 |
| Asus TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 | $512.18 | £457.12 |
Since it's such a small sample size, it's difficult to reach a general conclusion. If we focus primarily on the Asus models and CCL Computers' pricing, there's a small price difference between the GeForce RTX 3060 and RTX 3060 Ti in some cases. For example, the Dual GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Mini OC Edition is only 5.9% more expensive than the TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 OC Edition. If we look at it from another angle, the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3060 and OC Editions cost more than the Dual GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Mini OC Edition itself.
GeForce RTX 3060 reviews aren't out yet so we don't know how it compares to the best graphics cards and have no clue about the margin between it and the RTX 3060 Ti. Specification-wise, the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is equipped with 35.7% more CUDA cores than the non-Ti, while also offering a 24.4% higher memory bandwidth. In the GeForce RTX 3060's defense, it does come with an extra 4GB of GDDR6. But again, it's difficult to estimate how much faster the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is in comparison to the non-Ti without a proper review.
The GeForce RTX 3060's pricing will determine the graphics card's success, and as we already know, every dollar counts in the mid-range market. Assuming that the price gap between a GeForce RTX 3060 and a RTX 3060 Ti is less than 10%, it would make sense to grab the latter, especially if it ends up offering considerably more performance. The problem is that with the ongoing graphics card shortage and the resurgence of cryptocurrency mining, the odds of finding a GeForce RTX 3060 at $329 are going to be very slim, if not impossible.
