Prime Day is fast approaching, and you might be already eyeing up the Nvidia RTX 3060 if you’re after a budget GPU. Not only will the arrival of its successor, the RTX 4060, potentially have an effect on its price, but you’d perhaps half expect the last-gen GeForce graphics card to receive a discount during the annual Amazon event. However, it’s important to consider whether you should buy an Nvidia RTX 3060 this Prime Day in the first place, and we think it could be the perfect time.
If you’re reading this, there’s a high chance you haven’t upgraded your gaming PC in a while, and your rig might still rock an older GPU like the GTX 1060. Of course, you’re not to blame for that, as component shortages effectively pushed prices beyond average budgets, meaning you’d pay over the odds for one of the best graphics cards with entry-level specs. Thankfully, PC part prices are finally normalising, and it’s now even possible to grab a discount on cards like the RTX 3060.
Before you get excited about the prospect of potential RTX 4000 deals, it’s worth noting that the RTX 4060 probably won’t pop up during Prime Day. Sure, there’s still a chance the newcomer will receive a price cut down the line, as rivals like the AMD Radeon RX 6600 and Intel ARC A750 influence Nvidia’s long term MSRP plans. Nevertheless, if you’ve got your heart set Prime Day gaming deals, you’ll want to pay close attention to the RTX 3060, as it could end up offering more bang per buck.
Should you buy an RTX 3060 this Prime Day?
If prices drop low enough, you absolutely should consider buying an RTX 3060 this Prime Day, and there’s reason to suggest we’ll see hefty discounts during the event. In fact, you can already grab the 30-series card for less on Amazon, as the arrival of RTX 4060 GPUs seems to have had an impact. Right now, you can already grab the MSI GeForce RTX 3060 for £259.98, thanks to a 21% discount that adds distance between it and the new Lovelace MSRP.
Price is key when deciding whether to buy an RTX 3060 or an RTX 4060, as the latter will provide you with a generational performance boost. Sure, on paper the Ampere card actually packs a higher CUDA core count, and there’s a 12GB VRAM model that puts the 4060’s 8GB to shame. However, the new GPU on the block has fresh AI-powered abilities on its side, as it can use DLSS 3 and Frame Generation to boost fps by generating additional frames.
Ultimately, you should base the above decision on your specific gaming PC needs. Both the RTX 3060 and RTX 4060 will pack a 1080p punch, but the latter can make short work of ray tracing tasks using its next-gen RT cores. That said, you’ll need to pay at least $299 to get a hold of the new card, and the performance gap is narrower than you’d think when you remove Frame Generation from the equation. Not to mention the RTX 3060 can still harness AI abilities, as it can dynamically upscale using the power of DLSS 2.
Naturally, Nvidia isn’t the only contender in the GPU ring, and there are other cards that could distract you from Nvidia RTX 3060 Prime Day Deals. For example, the new-gen AMD Radeon RX 7600 is also available right now for $259.99, and it’ll gain FSR 3.0 abilities that’ll compete with DLSS 3 later this year. We’ll need to put team red’s ‘Fluid Motion Frames’ tech to the test before knowing how it stacks up against Frame Generation, but if everything pans out, it might end up being worth picking up over a discounted RTX 3060.
Let’s not forget about the fact that Intel GPUs are now a thing too, and the Arc A750 comes in at $239.99 on Amazon. The Alchemist card can’t keep up with Nvidia when ray tracing is involved, but its lower price is in itself a strong selling point. I’d actually say it’s worth using Intel’s price point as a gauge of sorts, as if you can grab a RTX 3060 for the same amount, picking up one during Prime Day is a no brainer.
Looking for a complete rig? Check out the best Prime Day PC deals. Alternatively, take a peek at the best Prime Day laptop deals for portable solutions.
