GeForce GTX 690 vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 690

2012Core: 915 MHzBoost: 1019 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020Core: 1410 MHzBoost: 1665 MHz
RTX family
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GeForce GTX 690 vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

GeForce GTX 690 vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce GTX 690 vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce GTX 690

2012

Why buy it

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Ti across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • 2012 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 150.4% HIGHER MSRP
    $999 MSRPvs$399 MSRP

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Why buy it

  • 231.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $600 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
  • Delivers 818.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 5.5 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 2 GB).

Trade-offs

  • Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 231.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 266.9% in PassMark G3D (20,312 vs 5,536), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 8 GB vs 2 GB of VRAM, the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 8nm process instead of 28nm, and 38 vs 0 ray-tracing units. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti makes the most sense to buy today. It is $600 cheaper on MSRP at $399 vs $999, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 818.6% (50.9 vs 5.5), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 690 vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 690

The GeForce GTX 690 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 3 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 915 MHz to 1019 MHz. It has 3072 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,536 points. Launch price was $999.

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in December 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1410 MHz to 1665 MHz. It has 4864 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 38 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 20,312 points. Launch price was $399.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 690 scores 5,536 versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 20,312 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads by 266.9%. The GeForce GTX 690 is built on Kepler while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 3,072 (GeForce GTX 690) vs 4,864 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Raw compute: 3.13 TFLOPS ×2 (GeForce GTX 690) vs 16.2 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Boost clocks: 1019 MHz vs 1665 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 690GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
G3D Mark Score
5,536
20,312+267%
Architecture
Kepler
Ampere
Process Node
28 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
3072 ×2
4864+58%
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.13 TFLOPS ×2
16.2 TFLOPS+418%
Boost Clock
1019 MHz
1665 MHz+63%
ROPs
32 ×2
80+150%
TMUs
128 ×2
152+19%
L1 Cache
0.13 MB
4.8 MB+3592%
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
4 MB+700%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 690 is capped at Upscaling support.

FeatureGeForce GTX 690GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 690 has 2 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti carries 8 GB. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti gives you 300% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 192.2 GB/s x2 (GeForce GTX 690) vs 448 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — a 133.1% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. Memory bus width is 256-bit x2 on the GeForce GTX 690 and 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (GeForce GTX 690) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 690GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
8 GB+300%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
192.2 GB/s x2
448 GB/s+133%
Bus Width
256-bit x2
256-bit
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
4 MB+700%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12_0 (GeForce GTX 690) vs 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 690GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
DirectX
12_0
12 Ultimate (12_2)
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st Gen (GeForce GTX 690) vs NVENC (Ampere) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Decoder: VP5 vs NVDEC (Ampere).

FeatureGeForce GTX 690GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Encoder
NVENC 1st Gen
NVENC (Ampere)
Decoder
VP5
NVDEC (Ampere)
Codecs
H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 690 draws 300W versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 200W — a 40% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce GTX 690) vs 600W (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Power connectors: 2x 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 279mm vs 242mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 690GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
TDP
300W
200W-33%
Recommended PSU
650W
600W-8%
Power Connector
2x 8-pin
8-pin
Length
279mm
242mm
Height
112mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75
Perf/Watt
18.5
101.6+449%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 690 came in at $999, while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti launched at $399. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3060 Ti was 60.1% cheaper ($600 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.5 (GeForce GTX 690) vs 50.9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers 825.5% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (2020 vs 2012).

FeatureGeForce GTX 690GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
MSRP
$999
$399-60%
Performance per Dollar
5.5
50.9+825%
Codename
GK104
GA104
Release
May 3 2012
December 1 2020
Ranking
#414
#73

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