Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB: More VRAM reserves, but too expensive
27/7/2023
Translation: machine translated
A week after its market launch, the reviews of the Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB are trickling in. Various portals certify that the graphics card is more future-proof, but also agree that the price is outrageous.
This is how a graphics card launch usually works: chip manufacturers make so-called Founders Editions available to some tech portals before the release. The testers then have time for detailed benchmarks until the launch. Afterwards, partner cards from manufacturers such as Asus, MSI or Gigabyte are launched on the market, some of which are tested separately.
The Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB is different. There is no Founders Edition. And the partner brands do not provide any review samples either. There were therefore no tests to read at the market launch. This lack of PR suggests that Nvidia does not have much confidence in its own product. The first reviews with cards purchased by Nvidia are only slowly trickling in. Here is a selection:
Techpowerup: "Surcharge is too high"
$100 extra for 8 GB more VRAM? As the new 16 GB version of the RTX 4060 Ti is based on the exact same AD106 graphics processor, its price is a sour note for "Techpowerup". The performance is only slightly faster than the previous model - and above all: practically identical to the RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB. The 16 GB version achieved just two per cent more average FPS across 25 tested games in 4K resolution. The advantage is even smaller in 1440p and 1080p.
Author W1zzard emphasises the energy efficiency and DLSS 3 in a positive light. Both are advantages over the last generation. However, this also applies to the card with 8 GB VRAM. Future-proofing is often cited as an argument in favour of 16 GB. In the present, however, W1zzard writes: "In 99 per cent of games, there is no difference between 8 GB and 16 GB in 1080p and 1440p." And even in the few individual cases, the hefty surcharge could not be justified.
The devastating conclusion: "The value for money of the RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB is extremely poor and you'd be better off buying an RTX 3080 or a Radeon RX 6800 XT."
To the test report from "Techpowerup"
PCGH: "Better at memory-hogging games"
Raffael Vötter from "PC Games Hardware" focusses on the differences between the 8 GB and 16 GB variants of the RTX 4060 Ti in his first tests. He has specifically selected games that are known to be memory guzzlers. In other words, a best-case scenario for the new graphics card. His results also read more optimistically. In fact, the system with 16 GB VRAM achieves significantly more FPS in the 1440p resolution typical for this class. In "Forza Horizon 5", for example, it is 36 per cent more, in "Diablo IV" 17 per cent and in "The Witcher 3 Next-Gen" 19 per cent.
Since the memory requirements of games will increase in the future, "PC Games Hardware" concludes that it makes little sense to buy a normal RTX 4060 Ti with 8 GB VRAM now - especially since it is not cheap either. Vötter does not yet write whether the new 16 GB variant is a good product overall. He saves this judgement for the upcoming detailed overall test of the card.
To the comparison test by "PC Games Hardware"
Hardware Unboxed: "500 dollars is crazy"
"Hardware Unboxed" also compares the RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB with the 8 GB version in various games. In games with high memory requirements, the new graphics card has major advantages in the 99th percentile. This means that stutters occur less frequently. In certain games, the difference in average FPS is also enormous. For example, in "The Callisto Protocol" or "A Plague Tale Requiem". In other games such as "Halo Infinite", the performance seems to be comparable, but the textures look better with the RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB because the cheaper version reaches the limits of its VRAM.
In many current games, however, "Hardware Unboxed" also comes to the conclusion that 16 GB VRAM does not bring any advantages. Nevertheless, looking to the future, the RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB is "a much better product than the 8 GB version". Like most portals, "Hardware Unboxed" sees the big problem with both variants in the price. This should be around 350 US dollars for the 16 GB card. "500 dollars is crazy."
Here you can find all models of the RTX 4060 Ti with 16 GB VRAM.
Cover image: Screenshot YouTube // Hardware Unboxed
Samuel Buchmann
Senior Editor
Samuel.Buchmann@digitecgalaxus.chMy fingerprint often changes so drastically that my MacBook doesn't recognise it anymore. The reason? If I'm not clinging to a monitor or camera, I'm probably clinging to a rockface by the tips of my fingers.