[Comparison] NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (85W) vs RTX 3060 (130W) – when frequencies matter

The good thing about the NVIDIA Ampere GPUs is that they are widely available with several TGP versions from their release date (almost).  There is one cath – it’s hard to guess what version of the video card is fitted in every particular laptop on the market.

But hey, we are testing a lot of new machines and we’re going to share everything that we know about them, with you. In today’s case, we’re going to see how fast is the GeForce RTX 3070 (85W) when a mid-range GPU like the RTX 3060 is on the other side of the ring. The latter has a hefty TGP – 130W so the frequencies are not a problem because they are as high as possible (for this GPU).

So, let’s see if the GeForce RTX 3070 (85W) can hold its ground against the RTX 3060 on steroids.

You can also check our dedicated article about All laptops with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 / 3070 Max-Q.
You can also check our dedicated article about All laptops with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 / 3060 Max-Q.

Contents


GeForce RTX 3070 and RTX 3060 variants

The GeForce RTX 3070 (85W) is the same GPU as the 95W and the 130W version but it has decreased TGP and clocks. Its core has the following frequencies –  780 MHz/1290 MHz and the memory is set to just 1500 MHz.

In the meantime, the RTX 3060 (130W) is much higher clocked than its sibling – 1387 MHz/1702 Mhz and its memory is faster too – 1750 MHz (but with a 192-bit bus).

 GeForce RTX 3070 [85W]GeForce RTX 3060 [130W]
ArchitectureAmpereAmpere
GPU chipGA104GA106
Shader units5120 (+33%)3840
ROPs80 (+67%)48
Base Clock (MHz)7801387 (+78%)
Boost clock (MHz)12901702 (+32%)
Memory clock (MHz)15001750 (+17%)
Memory size (MB)8192 (+33%)6144
Memory typeGDDR6GDDR6
Memory bus width (bit)256 (+33%)192
TGP (Total Graphics Power)85W130W (+53%)
DirectX version12.112.1
Technology8nm8nm
RTX capabilitiesYes Yes
Release date01.202101.2021
Detailed specsLinkLink

Synthetic benchmarks

Results are from the 3DMark: Time Spy (Graphics) benchmark (higher the score, the better)

Results are from the 3DMark: Fire Strike (Graphics) benchmark (higher the score, the better)


Gaming tests

Far Cry 5Full HD, Normal (Check settings)Full HD, High (Check settings)Full HD, Ultra (Check settings)
GeForce RTX 3070 [85W]101 fps96 fps92 fps
GeForce RTX 3060 [130W]108 fps (+7%)100 fps (+4%)93 fps (+1%)

rise-of-the-tomb-raider

Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016)Full HD, Medium (Check settings)Full HD, Very High (Check settings)Full HD, MAX (Check settings)
GeForce RTX 3070 [85W]137 fps89 fps60 fps
GeForce RTX 3060 [130W]164 fps (+20%)97 fps (+9%)65 fps (+8%)

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon WildlandsFull HD, High (Check settings)Full HD, Very High (Check settings)Full HD, Ultra (Check settings)
GeForce RTX 3070 [85W]94 fps (+9%)83 fps (+12%)58 fps (+21%)
GeForce RTX 3060 [130W]86 fps74 fps48 fps

Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018)Full HD, Medium (Check settings)Full HD, High (Check settings)Full HD, Highest (Check settings)
GeForce RTX 3070 [85W]96 fps (+3%)96 fps (+12%)73 fps (+33%)
GeForce RTX 3060 [130W]93 fps86 fps55 fps

Verdict

Surprisingly, the GeForce RTX 3060 (130) is a very capable mid-ranger. It beat the GeForce RTX 3070 (85W) in some games which is a decent score for a video card from this class. In addition, keep in mind that this GPU boosts a lot so it dissipates more heat, consumes more power, and it requires a significant cooling solution so you can’t find it in thin machines.

The GeForce RTX 3070 (85W) has its own place in the market – it is suited for thin laptops that combine good gaming capabilities and portability at the same time. That’s the main advantage of this GPU.

You can also check our dedicated article about All laptops with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 / 3070 Max-Q.
You can also check our dedicated article about All laptops with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 / 3060 Max-Q.

All laptops equipped with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 [85W]

All laptops equipped with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 [130W]

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