Typically you expect a new generation of graphics card to outperform the previous generation, but this time you were in a precarious situation. Nvidia’s recent RTX 4060 Ti hasn’t received a warm reception, and cheaper last-gen options like the RX 6700 XT have looked increasingly enticing as their prices fall.
I ran both cards on my testbed to see which was better to buy, and there’s a clear winner. However, there are some important considerations to keep in mind before picking up either GPU.
Where’s the value?
The RX 6700 XT and RTX 4060 Ti are expected to be in different GPU classes. However, the RX 6700 XT is from AMD’s previous generation, so its nearly $500 list price has dropped significantly, competing well with the RTX 4060 Ti’s $400 list price.
Given how new the RTX 4060 Ti is, you’ll be spending at least $400 for one. Rumors of price cuts have circulated, but have not manifested themselves in the United States. Thankfully, many list-price options are available at retailers like Newegg and Micro Center. If you want an overclocked model or a card with RGB, you can spend up to $470.
Stocks are running out on the RX 6700 XT, but I’ve found inexpensive models up to $310 online. Some models are closer to $350, and I’ve even found one on sale for $390, but you can expect to spend somewhere between $310 and $350 if you pick one up now.
Thankfully, there’s plenty more stock than the updated RX 6750 XT. It’s a slightly faster version of the RX 67o0 XT by somewhere between 5% and 10%, depending on the game, but you can close most of that gap by overclocking a base model. If you’re interested in the updated model, though, you won’t spend much more. The cheapest option I could find was $330, but models fall in the $360 to $400 range.
The clear winner in value is the RX 6700 XT. It’s anywhere from $50 to $90 cheaper than the RTX 4060 Ti, and as I’ll elaborate on in the next section, it offers very similar performance. Outside of price, it’s a better value thanks to its VRAM setup.
It’s usually not worth comparing specs between two graphics cards from two different brands, but the RX 6700 XT has a unique advantage over the RTX 4060 Ti. It comes with 12GB of video memory, while the RTX 4060 Ti only comes with 8GB. The RX 6700 XT also has a larger 192-bit memory bus (compared to the RTX 4060 Ti’s 128-bit), giving you more memory bandwidth overall.
This affects performance, as you can see in my tests. The RX 6700 XT scales better up to higher resolutions than the RTX 4060 Ti, making it a solid option for 1440p gaming. Furthermore, the increasing demands on VRAM in modern games mean it’s much better equipped to handle new releases, while the RTX 4060 Ti looks set to be limited by its 8GB of memory.
Is the RTX 4060 Ti faster than the RX 6700 XT?
Yes, it is, but there’s more to the story. As you can see in my 1080p benchmarks above, the RTX 4060 Ti averages slightly faster than the RX 6700 XT. There are some huge gains, like a 28% increase. Red Dead Redemption 2,but most of the differences are more tame. For example, the RTX 4060 Ti is about 5% faster. The dawn of Horizon Zero.
It’s not a clear-cut win for the RTX 4060 Ti, however. In Hogwarts Legacy, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, ANDReturn,the RTX 4060 Ti and RX 6700 XT produced nearly identical frame rates. The RX 6700 XT also has a whopping 32% lead.The last of us part 1, underlining how limited the 8GB frame buffer on the RTX 4060 Ti can be.
Things change a lot at 1440p. The RTX 4060 Ti’s advantage established at 1080p boils down to a few frames, all while the RX 6700 XT maintains a solid lead inThe last of us part 1. There are differences where the RX 6700 XT is slightly fasterStrength Horizon 5,while the RTX 4060 Ti takes on a similar edgeCyberpunk 2077 but the cards offer nearly identical experiences.
What’s interesting is how the RX 6700 XT bridges the gap at 1440p versus 1080p. Its 12GB of VRAM helps in demanding games likeThe last of us part 1, but it also allows the card to maintain high performance as the resolution increases.
For what it’s worth, Nvidia has marketed the RTX 4060 Ti as a graphics card for 1080p. However, in the previous generation, the $400 price tag was firmly centered around 1440p, and there’s no reason that should change this time around. A GPU like the RX 6700 XT is testament to that, delivering excellent 1440p gaming performance at an even lower price than the RTX 4060 Ti.
With price in mind, the choice is the RX 6700 XT. This is even more true if you can strike a deal on the RX 6750 XT, which offers a small performance boost over the base model.
The wrench of ray tracing
The RX 6700 XT is a better value than the RTX 4060 Ti, but that rating changes once you factor in ray tracing. As you can see from my 1080p ray tracing benchmarks above, the RTX 4060 Ti is about twice as fast as the RX 6700 XT in some games.
That’s not to say the RX 6700 XT is out of order. In less demanding ray tracing titles, such asReturnANDresident evil 4,the graphics card still provides playable frame rates. In more demanding situations, however, the RX 6700 XT falls far behind while the RTX 4060 Ti maintains solid performance.
At 1440p, the situation is worse. The RX 6700 XT bridges the gapresident evil 4,mostly due to how demanding that game is on VRAM, but still takes a backseat to other titles. This too can make a significant difference in some cases. For example, inside Return,the RTX 4060 Ti delivers a crisp 60 frames per second (fps), letting you play games with ray tracing without upscaling. The RX 6700 XT can’t hit that mark.
I ran all of these tests without super resolution features. The RTX 4060 Ti has access to Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) while the RX 6700 XT can use AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) and you’ll want to enable one if you plan to run a ray-traced title.
The Nvidia GPU has an edge here. Not only does DLSS look better than FSR, but the RTX 4060 Ti also supports DLSS frame generation. Return, Cyberpunk 2077,ANDHogwarts Legacyall support Frame Generation, which uses artificial intelligence to predict every other frame.
It dramatically improves performance and allows the RTX 4060 Ti to achieve higher levels of smoothness in the most demanding games. While the RX 6700 XT is the more affordable choice, there’s no question that the RTX 4060 Ti is the better option if you want to enable ray tracing and access features like DLSS 3 in the latest games.
Should you buy RTX 4060 Ti or RX 6700 XT?
As I’ve said in the past, Nvidia’s newest GPUs are essentially little DLSS 3 machines. The RTX 4060 Ti is no different. Judging by its merits as a GPU, it falls short of the RX 6700 XT, offering similar performance at a higher price point ANDa memory configuration that could have dire consequences in future games.
The RTX 4060 Ti still has the edge, mainly for those recent sleight of hand games that have all the visual bells and whistles. Unfortunately, these are the same games that may run into VRAM issues, which puts the RTX 4060 Ti in a bad spot.
For my money, the RX 6700 XT is the GPU to buy. It carries caveats, like poor ray tracing performance and no DLSS, but it’s the clear option in the vast majority of games. The big draw, however, is its 12GB of VRAM, which allows the card to easily scale up to 1440p and handle newer versions that strain video memory.
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