The RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB and RTX 3070 are two budget mid-range GPUs. But which is the better card, and which one should you buy? Find out here.

The Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB was released recently, while the RTX 3070 is quite a bit older now. The former is two generations newer than the latter. The former also has double the memory. Despite these advantages, the RTX 5060 Ti is still a 60-class GPU. Can it beat the 70-class RTX 3070 graphics card? That’s exactly what we plan to find in this article, with a detailed comparison of the two cards here. Read on to learn more.
Note: Parts of this article are subjective and reflect the writer’s opinions.
Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB vs RTX 3070: Detailed Comparison
The Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB is designed on the newer Blackwell architecture with all its features. On the other hand, the RTX 3070 is designed on the aging Ampere architecture. Let’s look at their full specs to get a general idea of what they are equipped with.
Specs Comparison

Here are the specs of the Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB and RTX 3070:
Specifications | Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB | Nvidia RTX 3070 |
---|---|---|
Architecture | Blackwell | Ampere |
Shader cores | 4608 | 5888 |
RT cores | 36 | 46 |
TMUs | 144 | 184 |
ROPs | 48 | 96 |
Base core clock speeds | 2407 MHz | 1500 MHz |
Boost core clock speeds | 2572 MHz | 1725 MHz |
Memory capacity | 16GB GDDR7 | 8GB GDDR6 |
Memory bus width | 128-bit | 256-bit |
Memory bandwidth | 448.0 GB/s | 448.0 GB/s |
Manufacturing node | 5nm | 8nm |
Thermal design power (TDPs) | 180W | 220W |
The Nvidia RTX 3070 has more shader cores, RT cores, TMUs, and ROPs than the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB. However, the latter has double the memory and is also built on a newer architecture. The newer architecture enables each individual shader core, TMU, ROP, and component to operate faster than their predecessors. Therefore, it will be interesting to see if the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB can beat the RTX 3070 despite having fewer components inside.
Performance Comparison
Here’s how the Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB and RTX 3070 perform in some of the most popular games on the market:
Games | Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB | Nvidia RTX 3070 |
---|---|---|
Cyberpunk 2077 | 77 FPS | 66 FPS |
Assassin’s Creed Shadows (RT Min & DLSS Quality) | 68 FPS | 55 FPS |
Forza Horizon 5 | 121 FPS | 95 FPS |
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 (DLSS Quality) | 67 FPS | 57 FPS |
Metro Exodus: PC Enhanced Edition (RT) | 71 FPS | 64 FPS |
Black Myth: Wukong (DLSS Quality) | 90 FPS | 73 FPS |
Red Dead Redemption 2 | 86 FPS | 79 FPS |
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered | 58 FPS | 52 FPS |
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 | 92 FPS | 75 FPS |
Kingdom Come Deliverance II (DLSS Quality) | 72 FPS | 63 FPS |
Note: The two GPUs tested here were evaluated at a 1440p resolution with High/Ultra settings unless otherwise specified. All the FPS numbers were sourced from the Testing Games channel on YouTube. For the tests, the two graphics cards were paired with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU.
On average, the new RTX 5060 Ti delivered 18% more FPS than the RTX 3070, despite having less capable hardware inside. The 16 GB VRAM of the former did help, especially in newer titles. However, it’s the architectural changes in the newer GPU that did most of the heavy lifting.
Price Comparison

The Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB is currently selling for only $429 on Amazon. On the other hand, the RTX 3070 is no longer sold officially and has been out of production for a long time. It was priced at $499, but it is currently sold for around $220 to $260 in the used market. In terms of official pricing, the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB is also the better choice, and it has double the memory.
Final Verdict on Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB vs RTX 3070
The Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB is the better choice for a new GPU. It not only scored 18% more FPS than the RTX 3070 but also has double the VRAM. Therefore, this RTX 5060 will have no issues running future games that require more memory. The RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB is also priced cheaper than the RTX 3070. Even if you get an RTX 3070 for a good deal in the used market, we still cannot recommend it. Buying an 8 GB GPU in 2025 is not a great choice.
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