Best Graphics Cards for Gaming in 2021 (part 3).
The lowest price and performance addition to Nvidia's desktop Ampere lineup is where the cuts to processing power might have gone too far. This is the first GA106 card, with a 192-bit memory interface and 12GB VRAM (though we suspect a 6GB model will show up eventually). But with 26% fewer GPU cores compared to the 3060 Ti, and less memory bandwidth, overall performance is only on the level of the RTX 2070. So, two and a half years later, you can now match a $500 graphics card with a $330 alternative.
Or that's the theory. Unfortunately, demand has once again eclipsed supply in a big way, and we're seeing RTX 3060 12GB cards selling on eBay for over $800. That's despite the measures Nvidia took to cut Ethereum mining performance in half, which ended up being meaningless when Nvidia hacked its own drivers (on accident). Word is miners had already found other workaround, and the pricing certainly suggests that's the case.
VRAM capacity at least isn't a problem, and there are a few instances where the 3060 12GB starts to close the gap with the 3060 Ti. It never quite gets there, however, and the 3060 Ti remains the better choice if you can find one at a reasonable price.
AMD's Radeon RX 6700 XT has the same amount of VRAM, but with the large 96MB Infinity Cache it ends up performance quite a bit better — and costing quite a bit more. Maybe an RX 6700 will show up next month to provide some needed competition in the sub-$400 range, though of course those will also sell out.
If you discount ray tracing and DLSS, the RTX 3060 ends up being roughly the same performance as AMD's RX 5700 XT, 18 months later. Not exactly something to set the world on fire, but then that's typical of mainstream parts. We can only hope supply and pricing return to nominal levels sooner rather than later.
This is the other end of the Navi 21 spectrum. Where the 6800 cuts performance and price a bit, the RX 6900 XT boosts performance a bit and increases the (theoretical) price by over 50%. It's a big jump for small gains, and you don't even get something like more VRAM (the one saving grace of the RTX 3090). Also, good luck finding one for less than $1,500 right now.
AMD pulled out all the stops on the RX 6900 XT. It has a fully enabled Navi 21 GPU, which helps account for its scarcity. It's still a big chip as well, which means AMD is better off making more Zen 3 CPUs or console processors than trying to crank out Big Navi. Even as a mining solution, it's pretty mediocre, as the RX 6800 matches it on Ethereum hashing performance.
The same red flags are still present as well, like the mediocre ray tracing performance and lack of a working DLSS alternative. Also of note is that AMD's Big Navi cards have rendering errors on several of the RT enabled games we've checked — they work, but the RT reflections and other effects are often limited. So, if you want the best RT experience right now, Nvidia still wins (not that you need RT to enjoy games).
Those who just want the fastest AMD GPU will still be happy with the 6900 XT. Unless by 'fastest' you're referring to mining performance, in which case the old Radeon VII still comes out over 30% faster. (Yeah, it's also selling at extreme prices these days.)
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