Next week, the RTX 3060 can officially be pre-ordered. This will make the cheapest RTX 3000 graphics card available. However, it is already evident that demand is likely to be significantly higher than supply, as hardware is currently in high demand.
Nvidia introduced the RTX 3060 in January 2021, making it one of the highlights of CES 2021. For a price of 329 USD, it should already provide enough performance for ray tracing. Starting next week, the card is expected to be available in stores.
In the title image, you see the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti as a substitute.
When can you buy the RTX 3060? On the official Nvidia website, the release date for the RTX 3060 is listed as February 25. According to The Verge, there is even a specific time when the RTX 3060 will be available:
- The sale of the RTX 3060 starts on February 25, 2021, at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET. That’s 6 PM in Central Europe. Officially, we still do not know if the sale will also start in Europe or if the time only applies to American retailers.
- Nvidia has also explained to The Verge that there will be no Founder’s Edition of the RTX 3060. Therefore, you will have to opt for models from other manufacturers.
What should the card officially cost? According to Nvidia, prices are expected to start at 329 USD. It wouldn’t surprise us if the graphics cards end up costing significantly more.
Because usually, custom models, depending on their features (RGB lighting, cooling system, overclocking), cost more than Nvidia’s models. These only offer basic features.
More about the GeForce RTX 3060: We have already looked at the known information about the GeForce RTX 3060 in detail on MeinMMO. More information about the smallest RTX 3000 graphics card can be found here:
- GeForce RTX 3060: Who is Nvidia’s new mid-range card interesting for?
- RTX 3080 vs RTX 3060: Who is Nvidia’s cheaper graphics card suitable for?
However, there is also a positive piece of news: Nvidia has now stated that they will adjust the RTX 3060 so that the graphics card is not profitable for mining cryptocurrencies. This is good news for gamers. A detailed report can be found here:
Few users are likely to get an RTX 3060
Why is availability low? Nvidia stated in its annual conference (via seekingalpha.com) at the beginning of the year that availability will remain tight in the first half of 2021. Colette Kress, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Nvidia, said:
Supply is currently tight. We expect inventory levels (…) to remain tight in the first quarter. Our overall capacity has not been able to keep up with the generally strong demand that we have seen.
Colette Kress, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Nvidia
You should not expect to get more graphics cards before April / May. It is also to be expected that prices will be significantly above Nvidia’s price recommendations.
The faster version of the RTX 3060, the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, is currently hardly available and usually costs around 700 euros.
Currently, there are hardly any alternatives to the RTX 3060
Nvidia clearly targets mid-range gamers with the RTX 3060. This means players who are willing to spend more money on their gaming PC, but generally do not want to spend more than 400 euros on a graphics card. Basically, there are alternatives, but they are currently hardly available.
What Nvidia alternatives are there? Nvidia itself offers two other cards that are also difficult to obtain. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is hardly available or only at high prices. The RTX 2060 Super offers similar performance on paper. However, it is also true that you can hardly get the graphics card at the moment.
Currently, buying a new RTX 2060 Super is only partially recommended, but it is worth looking at the used market:
What AMD alternative is available? The AMD alternative would be the RX 5700 (XT), which is currently also completely sold out or available only for more than 500 euros. The Radeon RX 5700 XT is considered one of the best graphics cards in the mid-range sector by many. The GameStar lists the RX 5700 XT as the best alternative for gamers. The price for new cards is also significantly above the recommended price of around 350 euros.
Meanwhile, the card is now also nearly 2 years old and is waiting for a successor. There have already been leaks about a successor to the RX 5700, but it is unclear when this graphics card will actually be released.
