A closer look at Nvidia’s RTX 4060 and 4060 Ti graphics cards reveals missed opportunities for the company to create something truly remarkable. While these budget GPUs deliver decent performance improvements and come with useful technologies like DLSS 3 and Frame Generation, they fall short in terms of specifications.
The RTX 4060, if it were named the RTX 4050 and priced appropriately, would have been a standout mid-range graphics card. However, it falls behind its predecessor, the RTX 3060 12GB, with only 3,072 activated shaders, 8GB of VRAM, and a 128-bit bus. This regression in specifications is disappointing and leaves gamers wanting more.
The RTX 4060 Ti fares slightly better with its AD106 GPU and 4,352 shaders. However, it still falls short with 8GB of VRAM and a 128-bit bus. Comparing it to the RTX 3060 Ti with its superior specifications, such as the 392mm² GA104 GPU, 4,864 shaders, and a 256-bit bus, it becomes apparent that the RTX 4060 Ti is also a regression.
It seems that Nvidia underestimated the performance of both the AD107 and AD106 GPUs, leading to the decision to use lower-tier GPUs to save costs. While this strategy allows for more usable dies per wafer and simplified PCB designs, it ultimately results in underwhelming graphics cards.
To salvage the situation, Nvidia should consider giving the RTX 4060 and 4060 Ti the “Super” treatment. A future RTX 4060 Super with an AD106 GPU, 3,840 shaders, and 16GB of GDDR6 or GDDR6X would significantly improve its performance. Similarly, an RTX 4060 Ti Super with the AD104 GPU and a 192-bit bus would bridge the gap between the RTX 4060 Ti and the more powerful RTX 4070.
While the possibility of these Super versions exists, it remains uncertain if Nvidia will pursue this path. However, given the missed opportunities with the current RTX 4060 series, it is clear that these cards have the potential to be so much better and offer more value to gamers.