by We compare the specs, price and performance of RTX 4060 notebook vs 3060 notebook graphics cards
Updated: 21 February 2023 at 19.49
Comparison of RTX 4060 notebook vs 3060 notebook GPUs, in a battle between new gen vs old, what exactly are the differences and which one should you buy? We compare them against each other in terms of specifications, performance and price.
*RTX 4060 notebook pre-orders are live!* You can now purchase the first of these machines before they launch on February 22nd from the following retailers: Razer, Best buy, Newegg, Bestwareand B&H photo video. Read our Where can I buy portable RTX 4060 page for more retailers and links.
- Razer Blade 16 – QHD+ 240Hz, Intel i9-13950HX, RTX 4060, 16 GB RAM, 1TB SSD – $2,699.99
- XMG NEO 16 (E23) -1600p 240Hz, Intel Core i9-13900HX, RTX 4060, 16GB RAM, 500GB SSD – €2,199.00
- ASUS ROG 16″ – FHD 165Hz, Intel Core i7, 16GB DDR5 Memory, RTX 4060, 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD – $1449.99
- MSI Cyborg 15.6″ – 144hz, Intel Core i7, RTX 4060, 512GB SSD, 8GB memory – $1099
- MSI Stealth – 14″ 165hz FHD+ Intel Core i7 13620H, RTX 4060, 1TB SSD, 16GB memory – $1699.99
- MSI Katana – 15.6” FHD 144Hz, Intel Core i5-12450H), RTX 4060, 16 GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD – $1,199.00
RTX 4060 Notebook vs RTX 3060 Notebook Specs
The RTX 4060 laptop vs RTX 3060 notebook specs can be seen below. Read further down for an explanation of what these functions mean.
| RTX 4060 portable graphics card | RTX 3060 portable graphics card | |
| GPU | AD107 | GA106-300 |
| CUDA kernels | 3,072 | 3840 |
| Clock speed | 1.47 – 2.37 GHz | 0.9 – 1.425 GHz |
| VRAM | 8 GB GDDR6 | 6 GB GDDR6 |
| Memorial bus | 128-bit | 192-bit |
| Memory bandwidth | unknown | 360 GB/s |
| TGP | 115W | 170W |
Architecture
The new Nvidia 40 series GPU chips are based on TSMC’s 4nm process (known as Ada Lovelace), while the 30 series is built on the 8nm Samsung process (known as Ampere). The smaller process size of the newer chips means that more transistors can be put in the same amount of space, or the same amount on a smaller chip. It also means for greater power efficiency, which we will discuss more below.
GPU and CUDA cores
Nvidia’s GPU naming convention means that larger GPUs have a smaller number, so the AD107 GPU on the RTX 4060 laptop graphics card is smaller than the AD106 in the RTX 4070 laptop graphics card. The prefix AD is the shortened version of Ada Lovelace.
Consequently, the GA103-300 in the RTX 3060 notebook is higher up in the hierarchy, even though it is based on an older technology. As a consequence, it has more CUDA cores on the GPU chip than the newer RTX 4060 laptop does, but this doesn’t necessarily mean it will perform better (in fact, it doesn’t in this case).
Clock speed and TGP
Clock speed is one of the key determinants when looking at performance. As you can see, both the base clock (the lower number in the range) and the boost clock (the higher number) are higher on the newer card than that of the RTX 3060 notebook GPU.
TGP (Total Graphics Power) is the usual determining factor of how hard a laptop graphics card is compared to another with the same name. The GPU may soak up may be different from another RTX 4060 laptop GPU in another machine – meaning more performance at the expense of poorer battery life.
However, across different cards based on different architectures, as the two compared here, it doesn’t mean that the 170W RTX 3060 laptop outperforms the 115W RTX 4060 laptop, it does mean that it will be more energy efficient, hopefully leading to longer battery life for RTX 4060 machines.
VRAM, memory bus and memory bandwidth
VRAM, alias video memory for random access, is essentially the short-term memory of the graphics card that functions as a frame buffer and as pixel storage. The memory bus and bandwidth enable the transfer of this information. More VRAM and a larger memory bus/bandwidth enable a smoother experience with better frame rate and latency. It is especially useful for higher resolutions since they have higher pixel counts to fill up many gigabytes.
Although the memory bus on the newer RTX 4060 has decreased, the VRAM has increased. We don’t yet know what the memory speed or bandwidth will be on the newer chip, and if it’s faster, this may offset the reduced bus size.
RTX 4060 laptop vs RTX 3060 notebook performance
Although proper third-party benchmarks are yet to come out, we have listed below some of the comparative performance graphs that have been leaked by a Chinese leaker. Although the list is written in Mandarin, we ordered them from QHD Red Dead Redemption 2, then QHD Cyberpunk 2077(DLSS/FSR turned on), QHD Forza Horizon 5, FHD CS: GO, FHD Shadow Of The Tomb Raider, FHD Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and finally 3DMark Time Spy Scores.
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The comparison clearly shows that the laptop RTX 4060 is better than both the laptop and desktop versions of the RTX 3060, which is especially impressive because the desktop version of the RTX 3060 (which can be identified by 12G) is a fantastic device performance-wise.
Let’s take a look at some specific results from the comparison graph.
- Red Dead Redemption 2 (QHD): Performs faster than the RTX 3060 desktop GPU by 12.5 percent. Note: The portable variant has not yet been tested.
- Cyberpunk 2077 (QHD): The RTX 4060 GPU outperforms the RTX 3060 laptop GPU performance by 25 percent.
- Forza Horizon 5 (QHD): The GPU of the portable RTX 4060 outshines the GPU of the portable RTX 3060 by a whopping 65 percent.
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider (FHD): The GPU of the RTX 4060 notebook outperforms the GPU of the RTX 3060 notebook by 36 percent.
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (FHD): The RTX 4060 notebook GPU outperforms the RTX 3060 notebook GPU by 60 percent.
- CS:GO (FHD): The GPU of the RTX 4060 notebook outperforms the GPU of the RTX 3060 notebook by 75 percent.
- 3Dmark (artificial benchmark): The RTX 4060 notebook GPU outperforms the RTX 3060 notebook GPU by 23 percent.
RTX 4060 laptop price vs 3060 laptop price
We’ve seen RTX 4060 notebook prices listed so far anywhere between $1,099 all the way up to $2,699.
You’re unlikely to find an RTX 3060 laptop for much cheaper than $1000, so at the cheaper end of the spectrum, the RTX 4060 models seem to offer very good value, given their significantly better performance than the older card.
Of course, these cheaper RTX 4060s probably aren’t the most high-TGP/powered of the bunch, but aside from the models at the higher end of the price range, we’d say the RTX 4060 notebook GPU offers good value overall – with good performance at a reasonable price price.
RTX 4060 mobile vs RTX 3060 mobile FAQ
When are RTX 4060 laptops coming out?
We expect the very first RTX 4060 laptops to drop on February 22, 2023. While some laptop companies will release their devices in the later part of the year.
What is the RTX 4060 laptop GPU equivalent?
In terms of laptops, the RTX 4060 GPU is about as good as the RTX 3070 laptop GPU from the previous generation, but with the added bonus of DLSS 3.0 support.
RTX 4060 notebook vs 3060 notebook final words
We hope that this RTX 4060 notebook vs RTX 3060 notebook the site has given you all the information you need to know. Check out our various other portable gaming guides while you’re here.
