RTX 4060 vs RTX 4060 Ti: Which Entry-Level NVIDIA GPU is Best?

If NVIDIA’s previous GPU generations are anything to go by, XX60 and XX60 Ti graphics cards are some of the most popular ones on the market. So, what about the RTX 4060 and RTX 4060 Ti?

The $299 and $399 price tags of the RTX 4060 and 4060 Ti are certainly a breath of fresh air compared to NVIDIA’s previous high-end models like the RTX 4070 and RTX 4080. This, above all else, should make these entry-level GPUs popular.

But being cheaper doesn’t mean much unless there’s reasonable performance to match. After all, there are some great previous-gen GPUs still available for $300-$400. If the RTX 4060 and RTX 4060 Ti don’t perform well, there might be little reason to opt for them over similarly priced (or even cheaper) previous-gen GPUs.

Fortunately, as it turns out, there are reasons to opt for one of these GPUs over a previous-gen one. In this guide, we’ve compared the RTX 4060 vs RTX 4060 Ti by combing through their specs, features, and real-world performances, to help you decide which GPU is best for you.

What is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060?

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the most affordable NVIDIA 40-series GPU. Based on NVIDIA’s Ada Lovelace GPU architecture, the RTX 4060 launched in June 2023 and is targeted at 1080p gaming.

While it’s meant for gaming on a 1080p monitor, it can also handle 60fps at 1440p in a pinch, providing you don’t mind lowering your in-game settings a little in some games. It also benefits from DLSS 3 upscaling and frame generation, which can make it a performer at 1440p in those games that support it.

In fact, the primary draw for the RTX 4060 over, say, a cheaper previous-gen GPU, is its better ray tracing performance and DLSS capabilities. For such ray tracing and upscaling performance, the RTX 4060 is as cheap as you can get today.

What is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti?

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti launched in May 2023 and, like the RTX 4060, is based on NVIDIA’s latest Ada Lovelace GPU architecture.

The RTX 4060 Ti is also targeted at 1080p gaming, but it can handle 1440p much better than the RTX 4060 can without DLSS enabled. The 4060 Ti can be considered “entry-level” only in the context of current-gen GPU prices, but for most intents and purposes it’s somewhat of a midrange card, capable of delivering reasonable 1440p performance in modern, demanding titles.

The 4060 Ti is probably the cheapest current-gen GPU on the market that can handle modern 1440p gaming with relative ease. Though not at high refresh rates, of course—for that, you’ll want a higher-end GPU.

NVIDIA RTX 40-Series: New Features

Apart from improved performance and efficiency, there are several new features of 40-series graphics cards that might make them worth buying over a previous-gen GPU.

• DLSS 3 (soon DLSS 3.5)
• Shader Execution Reordering (SER)
• New RT and Tensor Cores
• Dual AV1 encoding

Probably the most important of all these features for most PC gamers will be DLSS 3. In games that support it, with DLSS 3, NVIDIA 40-series graphics cards can use Deep Learning to upscale the game resolution and use frame generation to interpolate frames between those that are rendered by the GPU.

This can double or even close to triple framerates with little hit to visual fidelity, and it’s helped along by 40-series GPUs’ new Tensor Cores.

DLSS 3.5 should also launch towards the end of 2023, which will use AI to improve ray tracing performance, similar to how it can already improve rendering performance by upscaling from a lower resolution to a higher one.

Even without DLSS 3.5 to help it along, however, 40-series GPUs are much better at ray tracing than 30-series GPUs. Ada Lovelace’s improved RT cores trace rays more efficiently, and NVIDIA’s implementation of SER helps the ray tracing process move along quicker, too.

Finally, 40-series graphics cards like the RTX 4060 and RTX 4060 Ti have dual AV1 encoders, meaning they support AV1 encoding. This is a faster encoding format than traditional ones, and using it should speed up content creation, whether that’s streaming on platforms that support the format, or creating videos.

RTX 4060 vs 4060 Ti: Price Comparison

At MSRP, the RTX 4060 Ti is $100 (33%) more expensive than the RTX 4060.

This price difference bears true (roughly) in reality, too, with online retailer sites listing most of the cheaper respective AIB GPUs for about the same price as MSRP. However, the RTX 4060 can currently be picked up for a little cheaper than MSRP, which makes it look more promising for those on a tight budget.

Alternative GPUs

If you’re considering the RTX 4060 and RTX 4060 Ti, you’re probably looking for the best value entry-level or midrange GPU on the market—something powerful but for a mainstream price.

If you want something cheaper than the 4060, there are plenty of decent options such as the RX 6650 XT, but for gamers considering an RTX 4060 Ti this probably won’t offer enough performance.

Probably the best alternative to the RTX 4060 and RTX 4060 Ti is the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, which currently retails for about $320. This GPU performs better than the RTX 4060 but not quite as well as the RTX 4060 Ti. Its main downsides are its worse power efficiency, worse ray tracing performance, and lack of DLSS 3 capability.

You could also consider an RTX 3060 Ti. The 3060 Ti retails for about $339 and performs better than the RTX 4060 but a little worse than the RX 6700 XT. For this reason, the 6700 XT is a better deal in terms of raw performance. However, if you want better ray tracing performance and the option to enable DLSS 2 (but not DLSS 3), or if you can find a great deal for one, an RTX 3060 Ti might be a suitable alternative.

Finally, you could consider the AMD Radeon RX 7600. The RX 7600 costs $269 and performs about the same as the RTX 4060 at 1080p and 1440p. If you want a current-gen 1080p GPU for as cheap as possible, this graphics card might be a great shout. However, the 4060 can use DLSS 3 and has better ray tracing performance, and if you don’t care about these things, then the RX 6650 will look mighty appealing.

Also Read:

• Best RX 6700 XT Graphics Cards for 2023
• Best RTX 3060 Ti Graphics Cards for 2023
• NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti Review: Still a Great GPU Upgrade Right Now
• RTX 4060 Ti vs RTX 3060 Ti: How Much Better is the New GPU?

Graphics Card Specs

The RTX 4060’s AD107 GPU and RTX 4060 Ti’s AD106 GPU are both based on the same Ada Lovelace architecture, so we should expect specification differences to roughly map onto performance differences.

We see that the 4060 Ti has about 42% more CUDA Cores, Tensor Cores, and RT Cores than the 4060. It also has a higher base clock and slightly higher boost clock.

While this might not translate to a 42% increase in performance—don’t forget, game performance doesn’t all come from the GPU—we can be confident that the 4060 Ti should perform significantly better than the 4060.

The two graphics cards also share the same memory configuration, except the 4060 Ti has a slightly wider memory bandwidth thanks to a slightly faster memory speed.

8GB capacity isn’t great by 2023 standards, and this is especially the case for the $399 RTX 4060 Ti. But perhaps the increased L2 cache size will make up for this, as NVIDIA reportedly claims.

Dimensions

Both the RTX 4060 and RTX 4060 Ti should fit in most ATX cases—neither are close to the behemoth sizes of the RTX 4080 and RTX 4090. There is no reference (FE) RTX 4060, however, so there are no baseline dimensions for this graphics card.

Power Draw and Thermal Performance

The first thing to note about both the RTX 4060 and RTX 4060 Ti is that NVIDIA has really nailed power efficiency with this GPU generation. 115W is obviously great for the RTX 4060, but 160W is stellar for the RTX 4060 Ti, too. NVIDIA recommends a 550W PSU for both the RTX 4060 and 4060 Ti.

Also Read: The Best Power Supplies for 2023

Thermally, there’s little significant difference between the RTX 4060 Ti and RTX 4060. Both should stay well below 70c—and probably, if your ambient temps and case air flow are sound, at or below 60c. But, of course, this depends on the specific AIB model in question and its particular cooling solution.

RTX 4060 Ti vs RTX 4060: Gaming Performance

To compare the RTX 4060 Ti vs RTX 4060, we’ve used data from several online graphics card reviews, such as those from TomsHardware, TechPowerUp, and TechSpot.

Also Read: 1080p vs. 1440p vs. 4K: Which Resolution Is Best for Gaming?

We’ve averaged framerate data for 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions, and presented this data in graphs below. We’ve also given you the average GPU performance differences as percentages for each resolution, which should better account for games with unusually high framerates.

1080p Benchmarks

Framerates averaged from multiple online benchmarks.

On average, the RTX 4060 Ti performs about 22% better than the RTX 4060 at 1080p.

For 1080p gaming just as for gaming at higher resolutions, whether to opt for an RTX 4060 or RTX 4060 Ti will depend on what kinds of games you’re playing and what refresh rate your monitor runs at.

For 60fps 1080p gaming, both the 4060 Ti and 4060 will be perfect for almost any modern game, even when settings are maxed out. If that’s your only goal, then it’s probably worth saving the $100 and opting for an RTX 4060, especially since you might be able to enable DLSS in those very few, ultra-demanding games that occasionally cause a problem.

If you want to play demanding games on max settings at a higher refresh rate, however—say, 120Hz or 144Hz—then an RTX 4060 Ti will be a better choice, even for its 33% higher cost. Demanding titles will average closer to 60fps or 70fps than 100fps with an RTX 4060, whereas a 4060 Ti should play these titles at closer to 100fps and should play slightly less demanding titles at or above 120fps.

If you’re somewhere in the middle, only looking to play modern, somewhat demanding but not GPU-crushing titles, then an RTX 4060 will probably be good enough for you. It can average close to 100fps in most titles like this (roughly 90fps in Dying Light 2, for example).

Finally, if your gaming time will be focused on playing competitive games at high refresh rates, for most games, an RTX 4060 will be enough. Most competitive Esports shooters, for example, aren’t very GPU-intensive at all, and an RTX 4060 should be able to handle them even at high refresh rates.

1440p Benchmarks

Framerates averaged from multiple online benchmarks.

On average, the RTX 4060 Ti performs about 25% better than the RTX 4060 at 1440p.

For 1440p, an RTX 4060 Ti will be a better choice for most PC gamers. At this resolution, many modern, graphically intensive games will struggle to average 60fps with an RTX 4060 if settings are cranked up to ultra or maximum.

Also Read: Is 1440P Worth it for Gaming?

An RTX 4060 Ti, on the other hand, should remain closer to 60fps. A 4060 Ti likely won’t hit 60fps in all games on max settings at this resolution, either, but it will get a lot closer. It might be the difference between, say, 40fps/45fps for the 4060 and 50fps/55fps for the 4060 Ti in games like Hogwarts Legacy or Atomic Heart. These 10 frames can make all the difference at such low framerates.

Also Read: Best 1440P 144Hz Monitors for 2022: (G-Sync & Freesync)

In less demanding games such as Deathloop, an RTX 4060 should average between 60fps and 100fps, while an RTX 4060 Ti should average towards the top of that range more consistently. And in very well optimized games like DOOM Eternal, an RTX 4060 should average just over 100fps, while an RTX 4060 Ti should average over 120fps, making it perfect for 120Hz and even 144Hz monitors.

4K Benchmarks

Framerates averaged from multiple online benchmarks.

On average, the RTX 4060 Ti performs about 22% better than the RTX 4060 at 4K.

If you want to game at 4K without enabling DLSS upscaling, if you can afford it, you’re probably best going for an RTX 4070, RX 7900 XT, or better.

However, if your budget tops out at $400, an RTX 4060 Ti will probably be worth it over an RTX 4060 for 4K gaming. Many modern games (Far Cry 6, RDR2, etc.) will run below 60fps with both GPUs. In some of these games, the difference between the 4060 and 4060 Ti will be slim, but in other games, the difference will be significant.

Also Read: Is 4K Worth it for Gaming? Why Most Gamers Don’t Need a 4K Monitor

For instance, TechPowerUp found that the 4060 Ti performs about 9fps faster than the 4060 in Red Dead Redemption 2. Moving from 34fps to 43fps can mean the difference between choppy and playable framerates.

Of course, older or non-demanding titles should run fine on both graphics cards, even at 4K. DOOM Eternal, for example, should run at closer to 100fps than 60fps even with an RTX 4060.

If you’re planning on gaming primarily at 4K resolution, it really makes sense to opt for a better GPU than either of these. But if you’re sticking to one of these two GPUs, while an RTX 4060 Ti won’t give massive improvements in every game, in those games that it improves, it will make the difference between it being unplayable and it being playable. That should more than justify the extra $100.

Ray Tracing and Upscaling

Score taken from PCGamer’s testing (system performance chart).

Based on PCGamer’s testing, the RTX 4060 Ti does ray tracing about 37% better than the RTX 4060.

Ray tracing is another area where the RTX 4060 Ti really justifies its extra cost above the RTX 4060. In fact, it more than justifies this extra cost, since the 4060 Ti costs 33% more than the 4060 and its ray tracing performance improvement is greater than this.

The one thing that might change this is the incoming DLSS 3.5, which both the 4060 and 4060 Ti will benefit from. This technology uses Deep Learning to help the ray tracing process along, rather than using your GPU’s hardware to de-noise the image.

DLSS 3.5 should, if all goes well, greatly improve ray tracing performance in supported games. In which case, perhaps the RTX 4060 will become a more viable ray tracing card.

Of course, the RTX 4060 can also use DLSS 3, just like the RTX 4060 Ti, to improve framerates by up to 2.5x. This can more than offset ray tracing’s performance hit in many games, but it might come at the cost of a slight increase to input latency and a slight reduction of visual fidelity.

Game Performance Summary

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti performs about 22% better than the RTX 4060 at 1080p, about 25% better at 1440p, and about 22% better at 4K.

For 1080p gaming, an RTX 4060 should be more than enough for most gamers. Many modern games will run at close to, or above, 100fps on max settings with an RTX 4060. But if you want about 100fps or higher even in very graphically demanding games, the RTX 4060 Ti will be a better purchase.

For 1440p gaming, an RTX 4060 Ti will be preferable for some gamers, but not all. While an RTX 4060 can handle some modern games above 60fps, it will struggle to get close to 60fps in more demanding ones at max settings. In these more demanding games, a 4060 Ti should average much closer to 60fps.

For 4K gaming, neither the RTX 4060 nor the RTX 4060 Ti is a brilliant choice. Both will average much lower than 60fps in many modern games. However, while in many of these games there will be little difference between the 4060 and 4060 Ti, in some games where there is a difference, this difference will be noticeable. In these games, a 4060 Ti will make the game playable at 4K, compared to unplayable with a 4060.

Finally, both the 4060 and 4060 Ti can use DLSS 3 and DLSS 3.5, so both are great at upscaling and frame generation. The 4060 Ti, however, is significantly (37%) better at ray tracing than the 4060 when we remove upscaling from the picture.

Verdict: Is the RTX 4060 or 4060 Ti a Better Entry-Level GPU?

If we’re talking about entry-level GPUs, the RTX 4060 Ti is probably overkill. While it’s technically an entry-level GPU in the current GPU generation, if we include previous-gen GPUs, too, it looks more decidedly like a midrange card.

The RTX 4060 Ti is obviously better than the RTX 4060 across all three mainstream resolutions. But it also costs $100 more, and that’s $100 that won’t be justified for many gamers.

For most 1080p gamers, for example—unless you’re wanting to play the latest, graphically demanding games on max settings at 120fps or 144fps—an RTX 4060 should be more than enough. Ditto for some 1440p gamers who are simply looking to play some modern games on high (but not max) settings somewhere between 60fps and 100fps.

Those two categories of gamer make up what we might call the “mainstream” PC gamer market. This means we can safely call the RTX 4060 a mainstream graphics card. The RTX 4060 Ti, on the other hand, is for those who want a little more than mainstream.

The major draw of the RTX 4060 Ti over the RTX 4060 is that it will allow you to max out more games at 1440p while maintaining 60+fps, and it will even let you game comfortably at 4K in some less demanding titles.

The problem, however, is that the 4060 Ti doesn’t quite guarantee a 1440p framerate difference to put it meaningfully ahead of the 4060 at 1440p. Most gamers, if a 4060 isn’t enough for them, will probably want a GPU that can deliver close to 100fps in a great many more games than the 4060 Ti can at 1440p.

In other words, gamers who aren’t satisfied with an RTX 4060 will probably want an RTX 4070 or better. And if they opt for one of these more powerful GPUs, they’ll get some much needed extra VRAM to boot.