Nvidia is reportedly dropping the RTX 3060, even though it’s still the most popular GPU on Steam
Nvidia’s RTX 3060 graphics card has long been a popular, relatively affordable GPU that tops the charts on Steam. But for this Ampere model (from the previous generation), the death knell seems to have sounded.
Video cardz reports that the news via the Board channels in China – a common source of GPU rumors, but one that warrants some skepticism – that Nvidia is discontinuing the RTX 3060.
The report states that Nvidia is now taking final orders for RTX 3060 GPUs, according to graphics card makers like Palit and Colorful. Once these are placed, the (production) line for this previous-generation fixture will be over.
Of course, there’s still stock on the shelves, and more RTX 3060 graphics cards will be produced and shipped with this final batch of GPUs. So supplies won’t be running out anytime soon, but the RTX 3060 is still alive – if this report is correct in its assertion.
There are, by the way, two versions of the RTX 3060, one of which has 8GB of video memory and the other 12GB of VRAM (and a thicker memory bus at 192-bit instead of 128-bit).
Analysis: Why the RTX 3060 was so popular – and why it’s time to move on
Assuming this is true, how long before the RTX 3060 starts to dwindle on shelves? Our guess is that it probably won’t happen before late 2024 – and that’s just a guess.
However long it lasts, the RTX 3060 has been the most popular GPU in the Steam leaderboards for quite some time now, almost a year now, since it replaced the GTX 1650 later in 2023. Why has the RTX 3060 been so successful? Well, it certainly wasn’t considered one of the best GPUs at launch, and as our review at the time showed, the 3060 wasn’t exactly a bargain for where it sat in the graphics card hierarchy at the time. (Especially when the crypto bubble drove up prices at launch).
Eventually, though, the RTX 3060’s price stabilized and became much more attractive, and it was seen as a solid buy for a 1080p workhorse, particularly the 12GB version which represented the best way to get a healthy VRAM allotment for gaming on a more affordable budget with Nvidia. And let’s not forget that Nvidia graphics cards are far and away the dominant force here – the Steam GPU rankings clearly reflect this, and it’s another clear reason why the RTX 3060 performed well. It was a great choice, particularly for those wanting more than 8GB of VRAM.
At this point, though, the RTX 4060 has also come down in price, and the RTX 3060 – even that 12GB spin on it – makes a lot less sense. If we look at Newegg right now in the US, the cheapest RTX 4060 is just ten bucks more than the cheapest RTX 3060 12GB. (Other regions may vary, as always.)
For that extra ten bucks you may only get 8GB of VRAM instead of 12GB, but with the RTX 4060 you’ll get better performance – maybe not a huge amount in some games or resolutions, but better overall, and quite a bit in some titles – and lower power consumption, too. Perhaps most importantly, you’ll benefit from frame generation and DLSS 3 in supported titles with an RTX 4000 graphics card (and you’ll get a leg up with driver updates – the RTX 3000 is naturally going to get bumped down the pecking order sooner).
It’s undoubtedly time for Nvidia to step up its production plans, as the RTX 5000 is about to hit the market (maybe later this year with the first models, or maybe not, the rumor mill isn’t quite sure yet). Moreover, the current price of the RTX 4060, as discussed, already positions this GPU as a more attractive and affordable mid-range model.
That said, the RTX 3060 will continue to top the Steam GPU charts for a while yet. There’s still stock available for purchase, as noted, and it’s likely we’ll see quite a few pre-built PCs featuring the GPU selling off the shelves, keeping fans of this previous-gen graphics card busy for a while yet.