What you need to know
- NVIDIA's latest card in the RTX 30 series is the RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition.
- The card has the same design as the RTX 3070, with an metal backplate, two fans, and a single 12-pin power connector.
- The RTX 3060 Ti delivers better performance than the RTX 2080 SUPER at 1080p and 1440p gaming.
NVIDIA introduced the GeForce RTX 30 series two months ago, focusing on the premium segment with its initial launches. The RTX 3070 delivers outstanding performance for the asking price, the RTX 3080 sets a new standard for 4K gaming, and the RTX 3090 is a beastly GPU that's in a league of its own.
As is usually the case, NVIDIA is now turning its attention to the value segment with the latest release in the RTX 30 series. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition is now official, and the card will be up for sale starting December 2 for just $399 — $100 less than the RTX 3070 and $300 less than the RTX 3080.
NVIDIA says the RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition is faster than the last-gen RTX 2080 SUPER, which debuted last year for $699. Those claims are for 1080p and 1440p performance, with the Ampere-based GPU featuring a cut-down version of the same silicon that powers the RTX 3070. Other standout features include DLSS, NVIDIA's low-latency Reflex tech, and NVIDIA Broadcast — which includes background noise removal and virtual backgrounds for video calls.
As we've seen with the RTX 30 series so far, NVIDIA is able to deliver huge leaps in performance over the Turing-based RTX 20 series. The RTX 3070 is on par with the RTX 2080 Ti at 1440p and 4K gaming, and the RTX 3080 demolishes the RTX 20 series in this area. So it makes sense that NVIDIA is able to leverage these gains for the RTX 3060 Ti as well.
In terms of the design, the RTX 3060 Ti is nearly identical to the RTX 3070. There's the same dual-fan system and metal backplate, a single 12-pin power connector, and three DisplayPorts along with an HDMI port.
Like the rest of the RTX 30 series, those picking up the RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition will get a one-year subscription to GeForce Now — NVIDIA's game streaming service — for free. The card will be available from December 2 for $399, and aftermarket cards from the likes of ASUS, Colorful, EVGA, Gainward, Galaxy, Gigabyte, Innovision 3D, MSI, Palit, PNY, and Zotac will debut in the coming days and weeks.
Of course, availability has been a huge issue for the RTX 30 series. We've rounded up where you can buy an RTX 3080, 3070, or 3090, and it remains to be seen if NVIDIA can manage inventory of the RTX 3060 Ti any better. We'll have to wait and see how that fares, but if you're looking to upgrade to the RTX 30 cards, there is an exciting new option available.
The RTX 3070 is the sweet spot for gaming, with the card delivering outstanding performance at both 1440p and 4K resolutions. Combine that with all the new features that NVIDIA introduced with the RTX 30 series and you get one of the best all-round options in 2020.
