Question Need a suggestion about RTX2060S vs. RTX3060

[nicepen1]

Hi All,
I am looking for buying a new Nvidia graphic card. I have a budget around RTX2060S and RTX3060 prices.
2060S has 8GB ram and 256bit
3060 has 12GB ram but 192bit
My motherboard is Asus Z87-A (a bit old)
CPU is Intel i7-4770 3.40GHz 4 Cores (a bit old)
Which one do you suggest me? By the way you can suggest me same tier another graphic card.

Thanks in Advance

 

[Darkbreeze]

First, make sure you have the latest stable motherboard BIOS version installed, because neither of those cards will likely work properly without it.

Second, the performance is incredibly similar, and given the fact that you are probably not going to push the capabilities of either of those cards with your current supporting hardware it's probably down to whichever you can get for less money BUT if you have plans to upgrade your platform anytime soon (And yes, your platform is a more than just "a bit" old, LOL, it's 9 years old, which is an eternity when it comes to gaming hardware) then you might opt for the 3060.

Additionally there is the fact that the 2060 Super is older and no longer manufactured, so at some point stores of warranty replacement cards is going to be non-existent. To keep the probability of being able to get one as high as possible in the event you should have a problem at some point, getting the newer card is a no brainer in that regard. Also the 3060 requires a slightly higher capacity power supply and knowing what your power supply's EXACT model is might help in determining which card, or a different one entirely, is going to be the best fit or if in fact the PSU itself needs to be addressed as well. If your PSU is as old as the rest of the system, then regardless of how good it was when it was new, it is time, way past time, for a new one.

 

[nicepen1]

Thank you for your explanation.
My PSU is Cool Master Bronze GX 750W
is it enough?

 

[Darkbreeze]

So, that is like 12 years old? Because 2010 is when those units were in production. Maybe, at best, only 10 years old.

 

[joedup]

Personal suggestion is rather apply the budget to a MOBO / CPU / RAM upgrade. There's not going to be major benefit running a new GPU but then getting throttled by everything else.
Just to give you an example - I'm running my RTX 3080 on an i5-9400 and my CPU runs at 100% when playing games causing major stutters and spikes.

If you are set on upgrading the GPU first then always go for newer gen (longer future proofing). So the RTX 3060.
As mentioned above by @Darkbreeze - all components need to (as closely as possible) be in unison to work optimally... so Mobo, CPU, RAM, PSU all need to be on a level to efficiently support your GPU choice.

 

[Matt_ogu812]

For compatibility assurance, I'd go to the MB manufacturer and ask.
When I went from a EVGA 1050 Ti to a EVGA 3060 installed in an ASUS MB Z390 I was more than happy with the response they provided.
Worked like a charm even though I didn't cross my fingers

 

[Darkbreeze]

For compatibility assurance, I'd go to the MB manufacturer and ask.
When I went from a EVGA 1050 Ti to a EVGA 3060 installed in an ASUS MB Z390 I was more than happy with the response they provided.
Worked like a charm even though I didn't cross my fingers

Big difference between a board that's only four years old and one that is nine, almost ten years old. Not sure why you'd even have any concerns about using a recently released 30 series card on a four year old board like you might if it was many generations older, but sure, you can try that if you feel the need. Good luck with it though, especially through ASUS. Since Raja left their support division getting decently informed answers, or any decent help in general, is a much more problematic process. But it's always worth a shot if you have questions that can't be answered elsewhere.

 

[RodroX]

Thank you for your explanation.
My PSU is Cool Master Bronze GX 750W
is it enough?

I agree with Darkbreeze and go for the RTX 3060, as long as you have the lastest BIOS. But I would also get a new and better PSU.

And eventually a new system if you care to take full advantage of such newer GPU.