I understand this GPU has a 192 bit bus so nVidia has to choose between 6GB or 12GB of VRAM, but putting 12GB on this card seems like overkill and it seems mismatched. The 3080 is a $700 product with 10GB of memory, the 3070 is a $500 product with 8GB of memory, and this is a $330 product with 12GB of memory. Either the higher end parts need more memory or this one has too much, IDK. 8GB would have been a good fit IMO
It has too much. But it's cheaper to have too much than to have too many memory controllers. Not only this GPU will use the die, a decision to have more memory controllers would also add cost to any GPU that uses the same die, which will likely include the 1050 Ti and maybe the 1050.
True, the extra 6 GB memory is like $20, whereas more silicone, complex PCB, additional power requirements and still needing some more memory (ie, 2GB to make 8GB like the Ti) would cost much more. It would also probably compete too closely to the Ti in performance too, especially if overclocked.
12GB is the right amount for the long term viability given the options of 6GB being too small and 8GB not fitting the memory controller design. This is the first Nvidia card this generation aside from the 3090 with the right amount of VRAM, the 3080 and 3070 are both way under equipped.
This is the correct answer. It's not that this has too much, it's that 8GB was embarrassingly too little. They need to refresh the 3080 with a 20GB Ti ASAP.
It only looks out of place because Nvidia skimped on memory on their higher end cards. Maybe GDDR6X really is so expensive that the couldn't reasonably do it on the 3090/3080, but there's really no reason they couldn't have done a 16GB 3070, at least as an option, given current memory prices (except perhaps not wanting to upstage their top level cards).
The double capacity GDDR6X to create a 20GB RTX 3080 doesn't exist yet, it's coming later this year. They only way the 3090 has 24GB is by using over twice as many memory chips. They could have made 16GB versions of the 3060 Ti/3070 though but didn't.
It's comical that the 3080 has 10GB and the 3070 has 8GB but the 3060 has 12GB. Yea, I get it. It has to do with the type of memory used. But it's still comical.
You have to believe that Nvidia will update the base 3080/3070 soon with 16GB of RAM.
It might signal a shift from using 1GB to 2GB chips so we start to see double the memory in all new cards going from 8GB on a 3050 to 20GB on a 3080Ti.
Can you tell me the difference between these 3070 cards because price is 100e different and in spec everything is the same GeForce RTX 3070 Ti and Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 3070 Ti
Maybe a little, but the 3050Ti is likely going to be a cut-down version with fewer operational memory controllers anyway - and I don't think the die size difference would have been so dramatic as to outweigh the extra cost of the memory.
It's more likely that they did this to avoid the performance encroaching on the 3060Ti.
I extrapolated some numbers and I think this card will perform similarly to an RTX 2070 Super. I think this card will use a smaller die than the RTX 3060 Ti, and I think the RTX 3050 Ti will probably have 3072 CUDA cores and perform a bit better than the RTX 2060 Super.
As the owner of a relatively new 1660-ti (and earlier gens in 2 other boxes), and always on the low-enough-to-work end of current-gen anything, I'm quite interested in this card. I'm still on 1080 and probably will be for a while, so with 1660ti, 970, and (yeah) 760, from the bottom end setup upward, could see nice gains with this card. It's several notches below top-of-the-stack, but still markedly better than everything I'm sporting. Will wait for availability (as if that's a choice) and AMD's offerings, but maybe it's really time to nix the 760!
I'm wondering what this generations slot powered card would be, historically a xx50ti fits the bill. It seems unlikely with the TDPs so far that a 3050ti LP will have a TDP of 75W.
Fingers crossed for a low profile, cool card for media pc upgrades.
There is an article over on videocardz.com that suggests that the RTX 3050 will have a ~90W TGP. So unless you plan on underclocking your card or a manufacturer takes the unusual step of releasing a desktop card with an RTX 3050 Mobile part, I don't see RTX being a good fit for small silent PCs this year.
I hope this version will come out small enough for ITX / SFF PC builders. I have a K39 build that is half the size of a shoebox. It’s lovely. My 1060 GPU fits inside no problem, but so far none of the 3000 range will fit inside. To be honest I’m getting more value out of the cloud gaming subscription someone gave me for Xmas. I won’t give the name but it was 25 quid for 6 months & covers *some* of my steam games and gives me a 1080 equivalent on all of my laptops. I use it a lot more than I thought I would.
12gb is too much for a vanilla -60. I think this should have been a 256bit bus 8gb card since its aimed at 1080p and entry level 1440p performance, with the -50 being a 192bit bus 6gb card for entry level 1080p performance
100% agreed here. I've concluded that a 256bit variant would have embarrassed their 3060Ti card, though, not to mention that there are marginal savings on the PCB from running fewer traces (and power ought to be a little lower, too).
9GB would have been nice too, but I guess the requisite modules don't exist.
Honestly if the extra 6GB really is worth adding $40 (maybe actual BOM is +$20), offering a hypothetical 3060 6GB card at $280 MSRP I feel would have been a massive seller.
Unless nVidia already knows supply side is still going to be horrible all through 2021. So you might as well tack on some extra BOM and get the higher price point (+ >$20 profit) per unit if you're pretty much assured everything you make will sell?
None of this card sells for MSRP, in Australia, 3060 it goes for around $750 + AUD which translate to $575 USD. I do see the 3070 in stock at some retailers and it's going for the same price I paid for 1080ti more than 3 years ago. I have an ordered 3080 on launch week and I am still waiting.
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XacTactX - Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - link
I understand this GPU has a 192 bit bus so nVidia has to choose between 6GB or 12GB of VRAM, but putting 12GB on this card seems like overkill and it seems mismatched. The 3080 is a $700 product with 10GB of memory, the 3070 is a $500 product with 8GB of memory, and this is a $330 product with 12GB of memory. Either the higher end parts need more memory or this one has too much, IDK. 8GB would have been a good fit IMOYojimbo - Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - link
It has too much. But it's cheaper to have too much than to have too many memory controllers. Not only this GPU will use the die, a decision to have more memory controllers would also add cost to any GPU that uses the same die, which will likely include the 1050 Ti and maybe the 1050.Samus - Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - link
True, the extra 6 GB memory is like $20, whereas more silicone, complex PCB, additional power requirements and still needing some more memory (ie, 2GB to make 8GB like the Ti) would cost much more. It would also probably compete too closely to the Ti in performance too, especially if overclocked.Operandi - Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - link
12GB is the right amount for the long term viability given the options of 6GB being too small and 8GB not fitting the memory controller design. This is the first Nvidia card this generation aside from the 3090 with the right amount of VRAM, the 3080 and 3070 are both way under equipped.im.thatoneguy - Thursday, January 14, 2021 - link
This is the correct answer. It's not that this has too much, it's that 8GB was embarrassingly too little. They need to refresh the 3080 with a 20GB Ti ASAP.fcth - Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - link
It only looks out of place because Nvidia skimped on memory on their higher end cards. Maybe GDDR6X really is so expensive that the couldn't reasonably do it on the 3090/3080, but there's really no reason they couldn't have done a 16GB 3070, at least as an option, given current memory prices (except perhaps not wanting to upstage their top level cards).Kjella - Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - link
The double capacity GDDR6X to create a 20GB RTX 3080 doesn't exist yet, it's coming later this year. They only way the 3090 has 24GB is by using over twice as many memory chips. They could have made 16GB versions of the 3060 Ti/3070 though but didn't.lemurbutton - Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - link
It's comical that the 3080 has 10GB and the 3070 has 8GB but the 3060 has 12GB. Yea, I get it. It has to do with the type of memory used. But it's still comical.You have to believe that Nvidia will update the base 3080/3070 soon with 16GB of RAM.
Dribble - Wednesday, January 13, 2021 - link
It might signal a shift from using 1GB to 2GB chips so we start to see double the memory in all new cards going from 8GB on a 3050 to 20GB on a 3080Ti.Sivar - Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - link
When does nVidia launch the 3080 and 3090?MrSpadge - Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - link
You mean "when will they be introduced to the market"?MarkoneTrue - Thursday, February 24, 2022 - link
Can you tell me the difference between these 3070 cards because price is 100e different and in spec everything is the same GeForce RTX 3070 Ti and Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 3070 TiHarry Lloyd - Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - link
They should have kept the 256-bit bus and 8 GiB of VRAM. 12 GiB will never be useful on this card, but the extra performance would be.Yojimbo - Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - link
I don't think the extra bandwidth would be all that useful, and it would be a more expensive solution, pushing the price of the 3050 Ti up, too.Spunjji - Friday, January 15, 2021 - link
Maybe a little, but the 3050Ti is likely going to be a cut-down version with fewer operational memory controllers anyway - and I don't think the die size difference would have been so dramatic as to outweigh the extra cost of the memory.It's more likely that they did this to avoid the performance encroaching on the 3060Ti.
evilpaul666 - Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - link
Shipping lower end cards with more RAM than will ever be useful is GPU manufacturer tradition.RaistlinZ - Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - link
I look forward to many seconds of it being in stock.shabby - Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - link
Don't be silly its already out of stock.Someguyperson - Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - link
I extrapolated some numbers and I think this card will perform similarly to an RTX 2070 Super. I think this card will use a smaller die than the RTX 3060 Ti, and I think the RTX 3050 Ti will probably have 3072 CUDA cores and perform a bit better than the RTX 2060 Super.cigar3tte - Wednesday, January 13, 2021 - link
This is the one I'm curious about, how will this card compare against the 2060 Superbrucethemoose - Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - link
Wow. With 12GB, this is a *SWEET* card for DL training and GPGPU stuff in general. I want one.What's the highest memory speed ya'll saw in your inbox?
catavalon21 - Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - link
Typo - launch date RTX 3060 02/2021, not 02/2020.As the owner of a relatively new 1660-ti (and earlier gens in 2 other boxes), and always on the low-enough-to-work end of current-gen anything, I'm quite interested in this card. I'm still on 1080 and probably will be for a while, so with 1660ti, 970, and (yeah) 760, from the bottom end setup upward, could see nice gains with this card. It's several notches below top-of-the-stack, but still markedly better than everything I'm sporting. Will wait for availability (as if that's a choice) and AMD's offerings, but maybe it's really time to nix the 760!
duploxxx - Friday, January 15, 2021 - link
if you are on 1080p there is NO reason to upgrade to RTX3060 when you already own 1660-ti. Just waste of money.Kamen Rider Blade - Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - link
Is it me, or does it seem backward to put the 12 GB VRAM on the 3060 instead of the 3060 Ti?Operandi - Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - link
AMD made the 3080 and 3070 looks stupid so unless they want to looks stupid again 12GB is what they had to do.Cellar Door - Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - link
RTX 3060 Anandtech review coming 2022!!!Mr Perfect - Wednesday, January 13, 2021 - link
So you're saying the review will be out before the cards?quorm - Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - link
What's going to happen with gpu power consumption going forward. Are future generations of cards going to top out at 350W?brucethemoose - Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - link
If they go multi-chip, maybe even more.nemi2 - Wednesday, January 13, 2021 - link
I'm wondering what this generations slot powered card would be, historically a xx50ti fits the bill. It seems unlikely with the TDPs so far that a 3050ti LP will have a TDP of 75W.Fingers crossed for a low profile, cool card for media pc upgrades.
Lucky Stripes 99 - Wednesday, January 13, 2021 - link
There is an article over on videocardz.com that suggests that the RTX 3050 will have a ~90W TGP. So unless you plan on underclocking your card or a manufacturer takes the unusual step of releasing a desktop card with an RTX 3050 Mobile part, I don't see RTX being a good fit for small silent PCs this year.Luke212 - Tuesday, January 12, 2021 - link
If the 3060ti has 14gbs ram and this has 16gbs ram, why couldnt they make the 3060ti or 3070 with 16gbs if it was an option?Tomatotech - Wednesday, January 13, 2021 - link
These cards have much faster RAM. This 3060 has more RAM but it is slower and cheaper. Still looks like a damn good card though.brookheather - Wednesday, January 13, 2021 - link
Typo: RTX 3070’s 170W TDP is a further 10W higherTomatotech - Wednesday, January 13, 2021 - link
I hope this version will come out small enough for ITX / SFF PC builders. I have a K39 build that is half the size of a shoebox. It’s lovely. My 1060 GPU fits inside no problem, but so far none of the 3000 range will fit inside. To be honest I’m getting more value out of the cloud gaming subscription someone gave me for Xmas. I won’t give the name but it was 25 quid for 6 months & covers *some* of my steam games and gives me a 1080 equivalent on all of my laptops. I use it a lot more than I thought I would.simpleinhibition - Thursday, January 14, 2021 - link
12gb is too much for a vanilla -60. I think this should have been a 256bit bus 8gb card since its aimed at 1080p and entry level 1440p performance, with the -50 being a 192bit bus 6gb card for entry level 1080p performanceSpunjji - Friday, January 15, 2021 - link
100% agreed here. I've concluded that a 256bit variant would have embarrassed their 3060Ti card, though, not to mention that there are marginal savings on the PCB from running fewer traces (and power ought to be a little lower, too).9GB would have been nice too, but I guess the requisite modules don't exist.
xrror - Sunday, January 17, 2021 - link
Honestly if the extra 6GB really is worth adding $40 (maybe actual BOM is +$20), offering a hypothetical 3060 6GB card at $280 MSRP I feel would have been a massive seller.Unless nVidia already knows supply side is still going to be horrible all through 2021. So you might as well tack on some extra BOM and get the higher price point (+ >$20 profit) per unit if you're pretty much assured everything you make will sell?
Uelmo - Tuesday, January 19, 2021 - link
None of this card sells for MSRP, in Australia, 3060 it goes for around $750 + AUD which translate to $575 USD. I do see the 3070 in stock at some retailers and it's going for the same price I paid for 1080ti more than 3 years ago. I have an ordered 3080 on launch week and I am still waiting.