It is an attention-grabbing time for the greatest graphics playing cards, what with Nvidia’s RTX 40-series Ada GPUs and AMD’s RX 7000-series RDNA 3 GPUs each anticipated to launch inside the subsequent couple of months. Some may say it is a horrible time to purchase a graphics card, however I sailed on that boat proper earlier than the Ampere launch and realized a precious lesson: Predicting the long run is not a precise science. Apart from, Ada and RDNA 3 will nearly actually begin on the highest finish of the graphics card market, which suggests even when playing cards are in inventory at MSRP, they’re probably far costlier than most players are prepared to pay.
A have a look at the most recent Steam {Hardware} Survey confirms this. GTX 1650, a GPU that we did not even notably look after at launch, now ranks as the most well-liked particular person GPU — tied with the GTX 1060 that retains hanging round, over six years after it initially launched. The older 1060 6GB truly delivers superior efficiency in most video games, although it additionally prices a bit extra even at present. However the third hottest GPU on Steam is at present’s matter, the GeForce RTX 2060.
Three and a half years after its debut in January 2019, the RTX 2060 is staging a comeback. A lot of the different RTX 20-series GPUs have lengthy since gone out of inventory at retail, however a pair months again the RTX 2060 began displaying up on EVGA’s retailer and has since proliferated onto Newegg, Amazon, and different locations. Initially priced at $349 and later formally discounted to $299 (to fight the RX 5600 XT launch), like each different GPU the RTX 2060 was almost unattainable to search out at an inexpensive value throughout many of the previous two years. That has now modified, in an enormous manner.
Proper now, the GeForce RTX 2060 might be had for simply $229 at Amazon (opens in new tab), Newegg (opens in new tab), or direct from EVGA. We have even seen it go for much less once in a while. The cardboard has a number of limitations, particularly the 6GB of VRAM, however that is nonetheless not less than equal to related playing cards just like the GTX 1660 Tremendous and RX 5600 XT. Plus, you too can discover the RTX 2060 12GB for $279, in case you actually insist on having extra VRAM.
To be clear, we’re completely not saying the RTX 2060 represents the perfect worth amongst all graphics playing cards proper now. That honor goes to the Radeon RX 6600, which you could find for $249 at Amazon (opens in new tab). (There have to be one thing about that quantity, as previous time players will nonetheless fondly recall Nvidia’s 6600 GT.) However not everybody desires to purchase an AMD GPU, and the RTX 2060 offers full assist for DLSS — one thing you possibly can’t get in every other equally priced GPU.
Unusually, Nvidia’s newer GeForce RTX 3050 nonetheless carries a reasonably massive value premium. It is likely to be an inexpensive various if it have been promoting on the official $249 MSRP, however the most cost-effective 3050 proper now prices $299. What’s extra, exterior of some instances the place we exceeded the 6GB VRAM on the 2060, the RTX 2060 delivers higher efficiency in most video games — and the 12GB variant would shore up any exceptions whereas nonetheless saving you cash.
That is principally a microcosm of what AMD and Nvidia will probably be going through within the close to future with their new GPUs. Efficiency is likely to be greater, however there are studies of enormous numbers of present era GPUs sitting on cabinets and in warehouses. As GPU costs proceed to drop, older GPUs may nonetheless be the higher worth, notably within the midrange and price range sectors.
The RTX 3060 as a special instance at the moment prices $369 (opens in new tab) or extra, and efficiency lands halfway between the older RTX 2070 and RTX 2070 Tremendous. If these older GPUs have been nonetheless available for $299 or much less, paying extra for the RTX 3060 would not make a lot sense, and that is precisely what the RTX 2060 is doing to the RTX 3050 and GTX 1660 Tremendous.
GeForce RTX 2060 Efficiency
We have to put issues into correct perspective with some testing outcomes. We have included the RTX 2060, RTX 3050, RTX 3060, and GTX 1660 Tremendous from Nvidia for these charts, and from AMD we have now the RX 6600, RX 6600 XT, and RX 6650 XT. The important thing right here is that each a kind of graphics playing cards can nonetheless be bought, model new, at a serious on-line retailer like Amazon, B&H, Newegg, or elsewhere.
We’ll have a look at general worth by way of bang for the buck in a second, however let’s begin with pure efficiency. Notice that we do not have an RTX 2060 12GB, although it ought to by no means be slower than the 6GB mannequin and the additional VRAM will certainly assist at 1080p/1440p extremely settings in some video games.
The GeForce RTX 2060 would not take the highest spot in efficiency, however it does declare a straightforward win over the RTX 3050 and GTX 1660 Tremendous. AMD’s RX 6600/6650 fashions in the meantime provide an honest bounce in normal gaming efficiency, although even the quicker XT playing cards simply barely place forward of the RTX 2060 in our ray tracing checks.
This undoubtedly is not a card the place you possibly can merely max out the entire settings in each recreation, even at 1080p, and anticipate to get liquid clean body charges. 1080p medium simply clear the 60 fps mark in each normal recreation, nevertheless, and 1080p with excessive settings (give or take a number of tweaks) ought to nonetheless look and run nice.
Ray tracing efficiency may give potential customers pause, however keep in mind the value of simply $230. You should not anticipate an distinctive ray tracing expertise with this kind of {hardware}, however you possibly can not less than give it a shot — and DLSS in balanced most can provide a considerable enhance to border charges with a minor loss in visible constancy.
GeForce RTX 2060 Worth
Factoring in costs with efficiency offers a special have a look at issues. As a result of not the entire GPUs assist DirectX Raytracing (DXR), and since ray tracing is not so essential that players completely will need to have it, we have calculated the general efficiency because the geometric imply of the usual 1080p medium and extremely FPS, plus 10% of the 1080p medium DXR FPS. We then divide that quantity by the present retail value to get a last FPS/$ outcome.
The GeForce RTX 2060 would not declare prime honors, and in reality it is not even within the prime three out of the present crop of sub-$500 graphics playing cards. Nevertheless, it does place fourth and ranks greater on the worth scale than every other Nvidia GPU.
Is that this a good manner of representing the info? I am going to allow you to be the decide. Clearly, in case you’re already operating a card that is quicker than the RTX 2060, this entire dialog turns into moot. Alternatively, in case you’re at the moment utilizing a 5 or 6 years previous midrange GPU like a GTX 1060 or RX 570/580 and also you’re attempting to determine an honest improve, this could assist put issues in perspective.
In case you’re useless set on shopping for an Nvidia GPU reasonably than one of many competing AMD options, the RTX 2060 nearly qualifies as a price range providing and definitely charges as the perfect sub-$250 alternative. In case you worth efficiency over value, the RTX 3060 represents a doubtlessly higher choice and also you get 12GB VRAM, however that is an enormous bounce in value for a modest enchancment in efficiency.
For these of you who aren’t devoted to Nvidia, the opposite takeaway is equally clear: RX 6600 represents a wonderful alternative at simply $250. In case you’re prepared to spend a bit extra, the RX 6600/6650 XT are additionally good choices. Past that, the worth proposition turns into far much less compelling.
