Nvidia’s decision to release the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB edition graphics card without providing review samples to the press is concerning and indicates a negative outcome.
Despite the availability of the product on Newegg’s platform, Nvidia has chosen not to actively promote the launch or provide media outlets with review samples for the RTX 4060 Ti 16GB edition. Consequently, the graphics card’s arrival lacks significant attention or excitement.
What is the reason behind the subdued launch? Nvidia initiated the sale of the 8GB version of the RTX 4060 Ti in May, starting at $399. The 16GB edition offers double the video memory but comes with a higher starting price of $499. Surprisingly, even Nvidia seems to suggest that users are better off opting for the more economical 8GB version, despite the increase in memory.
According to a statement from the company, “For the majority of games, the performance level of both versions of the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti (8GB and 16GB) is identical, as their specifications are the same. However, there are a few games that perform optimally at ‘High’ settings presets on the RTX 4060 Ti (8GB) and ‘Ultra’ settings on the RTX 4060 Ti (16GB).”
Nvidia has reaffirmed this through a recently published benchmark for the 16GB card, demonstrating that it generally provides comparable frame rates to the 8GB model. The only discrepancy arises in two games, namely A Plague Tale: Requiem and Resident Evil 4, where the benchmark appears to have been conducted with distinct graphics settings.
The similarity in performance between both cards can be attributed to their utilization of a 128-bit memory interface, which represents a reduction compared to the 256-bit interface found in the RTX 3060 Ti, the product’s direct predecessor. This outcome may hinder the smooth rendering of graphics at higher resolutions, such as 1440p and 4K, for both versions of the RTX 4060 Ti.
Up until now, the reception of Nvidia’s RTX 4000 series has been underwhelming, with numerous consumers expressing dissatisfaction regarding the high price of the RTX 4000 and its marginal performance improvements compared to the previous RTX 3000 series.
Images Credit: NVIDIA