NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 with 8GB memory has been tested, 17% performance difference vs. 12GB model

Published: Dec 2nd 2022, 11:10 GMT   Comments

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 8GB tested

Hardware Unboxed purchased a sample of GeForce RTX 3060 GPU equipped with 8GB memory. 

The RTX 3060 8GB is a new model released by NVIDIA last month alongside RTX 3060 Ti with upgraded GDDR6X. Both cards were announced as “additional versions” giving more choice to gamers and creators.

NVIDIA RTX 3060 Series, Source: Hardware Unboxed

The RTX 3060 8GB is more than just a memory change. Due to smaller memory capacity, NVIDIA had to modify the memory bus width as well (from 192-bit to 128-bit). A shorter memory bus has an impact on memory bandwidth, and as a result can affect performance at high-fidelity gaming.

However, no other changes were applied to this model, it’s the same GA106-based card with 3584 CUDA cores and 170W TDP. Therefore, NVIDIA found no reason to put a new name on this model. That’s despite the fact there was never a desktop RTX 3050 Ti model perfectly suitable to take this spot.

NVIDIA RTX 3060 8GB vs. 12GB model at 1080p, Source: Hardware Unboxed

Hardware Unboxed tested the card at 1440p and 1080p resolutions with a goal not to exceed the 8GB memory buffer. This would show that the capacity is not the main issue, but the bandwidth. At 1080p resolution with 12 games tested, the performance difference between 12GB and 8GB model goes up to 17%. With higher resolution, the gap widens by 1% in favor of the original 12GB model.

NVIDIA RTX 3060 8GB vs. 12GB model at 1440p, Source: Hardware Unboxed

This model is now sold at nearly the same price as 12GB variant in US, while being 100 AUD cheaper in Australia. Consumers will have to ensure they are buying the correct model by checking the specs or looking for memory capacity information on the packaging.

The reviewer summarized the testing by calling RTX 3060 8GB a “horrible anti-consumer move by NVIDIA” mainly due to confusing SKU naming and a large performance gap between both SKUs. On the other hand, RTX 3060 8GB would make sense if the card was significantly cheaper than the original 2-year-old model, which unfortunately is not the case.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Series
VideoCardz.comGeForce RTX 3060 Ti
GDDR6X
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
GDDR6
GeForce RTX 3060
12GB
GeForce RTX 3060
8GB
Picture
GPUGA104-202GA104-202/200/GA103-300GA106-300/302GA106-302
CUDA Cores
 
4864
 
4864
 
3584
 
3584
Boost Clock
 
1665 MHz
 
1665 MHz
 
1770 MHz
 
1770 MHz
Memory
 
8GB G6X
 
8GB G6
 
12GB G6
 
8GB G6
Memory Bus
 
256-bit
 
256-bit
 
192-bit
 
128-bit
Memory Speed
 
19 Gbps
 
14 Gbps
 
15 Gbps
 
15 Gbps
Bandwidth
 
608 GB/s
 
448 GB/s
 
360 GB/s
 
240 GB/s
TDP
 
200W
 
200W
 
170W
 
170W

Source:

[Hardware Unboxed] 8GB RTX 3060 - Same Name, Same Price, Less Performance (325,291 views)



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