The RTX 3060 is an impressive mid-range graphics card that is ideal for 1080p and even 1440p gaming. In this article, we are going to go over some of the best RTX 3060 graphics cards that you can buy right now in 2022.
The Nvidia RTX 3060 features 3584 CUDE cores, a base clock speed of 1.32 GHz, and a boost clock speed of 1.78 GHz. The clock speeds are going to be different depending on the variant that you get but they can boost higher than the claimed figures here. You can also overclock these cards to get even better performance out of them.
The Nvidia RTX 3060 comes with 12GB of GDDR6 memory and supports resolutions up to 7680×4320. It has a 192-bit memory bus and a memory clock speed of 15000 MHz.
Note that while graphics card pricing is getting better, it is still all over the place. It is possible that when you read this article pricing is inflated.
Best RTX 3060 Graphics Cards To Buy In 2022
ASUS ROG Strix NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 V2 OC Edition
The Strix variant is the most premium RTX 3060 that Asus has to offer right now. It comes with a triple fan cooler which is overkill for a mid-range graphics card but I for one like such cards and you might as well.
The overall design is similar to the RTX 3070 but there are some small changes. For example, the backplate is a bit different and comes with ROG branding. The card is built well and comes with RGB lighting. There is a light bar on the side of the card and there is an ROG eye that lights up on the backplate as well.
In gaming mode, the rated boost clock speed is 1882 MHz and in OC mode the card can boost to 1912 MHz. You can expect to see higher boost speeds than this. For output, you get a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports and three DP1.4 ports.
There is a BIOS switch on the card for performance and quiet modes. You will need a single 8-pin power connector to provide juice to the graphics card.
The Breakdown:
The following is what we like and dislike about the card:
Pros:
- Impressive cooling
- Silent operation
- Cool RGB lighting
Cons:
- Premium pricing
GIGABYTE AORUS RTX 3060 Elite (REV2.0)
This is the most premium RTX 3060 graphics card that Gigabyte has to offer that comes with triple cooling fans. The middle fan rotates in the opposite direction as compared to the other fans for better cooling.
The design and color scheme is different compared to other Gigabyte models that we have seen and it is easily one of the better-looking models that we have seen. The card has a very beefy cooler and it is going to take up 3 slots in your case.
You will need 8+6-pin power connectors in order to power the card but they are located near the middle of the card which is a bit odd. The core clock speed of the graphics card is 1867 MHz but you can expect to see higher speeds when playing games. The beefy cooling is going to allow you to cover the card to get even better performance.
The graphics card does come with a backplate and for connectivity, you get a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports and a pair of DP1.4 ports.
The Breakdown:
The following is what we like and dislike about the card:
Pros:
- Unique design
- Impressive cooling
- Silent operation
Cons:
- Thick boy
- Premium pricing
- Odd placement of power pins
ASUS TUF RTX 3060 V2 OC Edition
The TUF version comes with a triple-fan cooler but the pricing is lower than the Asus Strix or the GIGABYTE AORUS Elite variants. There is minimal RGB lighting on the card. It does come with a backplate.
You will need a single 8-pin power connector. The card is not noisy at all and operates silently even when under load. This is a big card, so you will need to check case compatibility before buying it.
There is a switch on the card that allows you to toggle between performance and silent modes. Both have the same power limit but performance mode does not mean higher FPS. It does mean that you get the same performance when you switch to silent mode.
In gaming mode, the rated boost clock speed is 1852 MHz and in OC mode it is 1882 MHz. For connectivity, you get a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports and three DP1.4 ports.
The Breakdown:
The following is what we like and dislike about the card:
Pros:
- Great build quality
- Ideal for no RGB builds
- Onboard BIOS switch
- Relatively low power consumption
- Decent overclocking headroom
Cons:
- Large size
GIGABYTE RTX 3060 Gaming OC (REV2.0)
The design is similar to some of the other cards from Gigabyte. This is a very safe design and we see nothing special. The design is neutral and the color scheme should blend in well with the rest of your build. There is a white version as well which you can get if you are interested in building an all-white PC.
There are three fans on the card and the middle one spins in the opposite direction as compared to the other two fans in order to increase airflow and heat dissipation.
You will need a single 8-pin power connector to power the card but the connector is in the middle. So cable management can be a problem. There is some RGB lighting but nothing off the top and you can turn it off if you want.
For connectivity, you get a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports and two DP1.4 ports. The rated core clock speed of the graphics card is 1837 MHz compared to the 1777 MHz of the reference design model. So you are getting a small performance bump out of the box but you can overclock it even further in order to get even better performance.
The Breakdown:
The following is what we like and dislike about the card:
Pros:
- Decent cooling
- Neutral design
- Good build quality
Cons:
- Power connector is in the middle
EVGA RTX 3060 XC
The EVGA RTX 3060 XC has two fans and it has a very compact design. The cooler is the same size as the PCB. You should be able to fit this into pretty much any case on the market right now.
You need a single 8-pin power connector to power the graphics card and it even comes with a metal backplate. In terms of performance, you can expect to get a few frames lower than the Asus TUF edition.
The rated boost clock speed of the card is 1882 MHz. For video output, you get a single HDMI 2.1 port and three DP1.4 ports. Like other EVGA graphics cards, there are some red accents on this card which is something that bothers me but you might not care about that at all.
The Breakdown:
The following is what we like and dislike about the card:
Pros:
- Compact Design
- Decent thermals
- Great performance
- Great for small form-factor builds
Cons:
- Some red accents
ZOTAC RTX 3060 Twin Edge OC
The Twin Edge OC is a fairly compact variant as compared to some other cards on this list. The design is clean and simple but you do get a backplate. There are two fans on the shroud but you can control them independently.
It is worth mentioning that while the backplate is made of metal, it is fairly thin and the shroud is made of plastic. The card does not come with RGB lighting.
You will need a single 8-pin power connector to power the graphics card and for video output, you get a single HDMI 2.1 port and three DP1.4 ports. The rated boost clock speed is 1807 MHz.
The Breakdown:
The following is what we like and dislike about the card:
Pros:
- Great for no RGB builds
- Independent fan controls
- Relatively affordable
- Silent operation
- Great for small form-factor builds
These are some of the best RTXX 3060 graphics cards that you can buy right now. If you are interested in a portable gaming setup then you can check out our recommended RTX 3050 laptops.