Nvidia's latest RTX 30-series lineup includes five graphics cards designed for all manner of gaming, from 1080p to 8K. At the bottom of the new RTX 30 lineup sits the GeForce RTX 3060, while the RTX 3090 is a polar opposite, delivering "best-in-class" performance with little to no compromise. The price difference between these two cards is as big as the difference between their roles in the PC gaming sphere.

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 features a starting price of $329 — that is if one can be acquired. The RTX 3090 graphics card, on the other hand, is the most expensive Ampere graphics card, with a starting price of $1,499, which is more than four times the price of the RTX 3060. It is worth noting that third-party prices for RTX 30-series cards can be significantly higher due to the current stock shortage. Both the RTX 3060 and RTX 3090 are based on Nvidia's new Ampere architecture and feature second-gen Ray Tracing cores and third-gen Tensor cores. However, this is where the similarities between the two cards end.

Related: GeForce RTX 3060 Vs. 3070: Best Nvidia Graphics Card Under $500?

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 features 10,496 CUDA Cores, 24GB of GDDR6X VRAM, a 384-bit memory bus, and a boost clock speed of 1.70GHz. The RTX 3060, on the other hand, comes with 3,584 CUDA Cores, 12GB of GDDR6 VRAM, a 192-bit memory bus, and a boost clock speed of 1.78GHz. In terms of specifications, there's absolutely no competition between the two cards, although that's expected when considering their price difference. Determining, which is the better card, will depend on the use case. Based on specifications alone, the Nvidia's RTX 3090 is theoretically about 20 percent faster than the RTX 3080.

RTX 3060 Vs RTX 3090: Budget Gaming Vs. Enthusiast Gaming

Nvidia GeForce 3090 graphics card

According to Nvidia, the RTX 3080 could deliver better performance than 2x RTX 2080 GPUs. This makes the faster RTX 3090 an absolute beast, with Nvidia's touting it as a Titan replacement. Nvidia's Titan GTX or RTX cards have always sat on the top of the company's lineup for gaming. For comparison, Nvidia claims that the RTX 3090 is about 50 percent faster than the RTX Titan. With its top-tier RTX 30-series GPU, Nvidia is making an ambitious leap, targeting 8K gaming.

The RTX 3060, on the other hand, sits on the opposite end of the spectrum, aiming to replace the GTX 1060, one of the most popular graphics cards used on Steam. Nvidia's most affordable RTX 30-series GPU performs around 20 percent better than the RTX 2060, although making the upgrade from a GTX 1060 will offer massive gains in performance. Nvidia says the RTX 3060 can reach around 60fps (1080p) in Cyberpunk 2077 with DLSS and ray tracing enabled. However, the RTX 3060's target of smooth gameplay with ray tracing turned on is dwarfed by RTX 3090 8K ambitions. This means that the RTX 3090 is designed to serve enthusiast gamers, while the 3060 is a budget gamer's best friend.

Choosing between Nvidia's top-end and cheapest RTX 30-series GPU is an easy choice. While the RTX 3060 offers excellent value, the monstrous RTX 3090 offers the least value of any new 30-series graphics cards. However, expecting value when considering the 'best of the best' is folly. Additionally, the GeForce RTX 3090 can do something none of the other cards in the series can do, tailor-made for niche audiences. It is also worth noting that accessing the RTX 3090's full potential will require powerful hardware that won't come cheap.

More: GeForce RTX 30 Series Gaming Laptops Coming Soon: What You Need To Know

Source: Nvidia