The RTX 3060 12GB, a graphics card from two generations that no one really asked to come back, now costs more than the RTX 5050. Yes, the latter GPU is faster than the old Ampere model, but even the existence of such an option at its current price makes looking for entry-level options a bit of a headache.
As highlighted by Videocardz, an MSI RTX 3060 16GB will set you back $479.99 at Newegg. Yes, it's a new release, but its days as a best graphics card contender are over, as it was technically succeeded by the RTX 4060 back in 2023. Even that Lovelace card has now been replaced with a faster RTX 5060 and a cheaper RTX 5050 card, and the latter is sitting at $299.99 right now.
There's an age-old toss-up here between more VRAM versus a faster GPU, and that's a reason for the price gap. It doesn't excuse the fact that the 2020 card is 60% more than a new-gen model released this year that packs more of a punch at 1080p, but really, we should be getting an RTX 5060 for under $300.
You'll find price variances between models, sure, as the cheapest RTX 3060 12GB is the Gigabyte version for $459.99. The issue is that the Ampere card originally returned with a $329 MSRP, so even the relaunched GPU that was arguably designed to give entry-level players more options is losing price relevance.
You may have your reasons for wanting a GPU with 12GB VRAM, but it makes zero sense to invest in the RTX 3060 when its successor, the 8GB RTX 5060, is $459.99 at Amazon. That's still $150 more than you ought to pay for a new 60-series card since it should be $299.99, but that role is now being filled by the RTX 5050.
If you are willing to pay more for a current-gen contender with 12GB VRAM, the sensible choice would be the AMD Radeon RX 9600 XT. It's also suffering price-wise since it's currently going for $459.99, but picking a new model up rather than something from six years ago is a no-brainer.
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