The RTX 2060 and the RTX 2070 were two powerful gaming graphics cards in 2019, but which is worth your money? The answer might not be as straightforward as you think. Let’s break down the specs, features, and differences between these two GPUs so that you can make an informed decision when buying a new GPU for gaming.
The Nvidia RTX 2060 is the company’s entry-level Ray Tracing GPU, but its hefty power lets it shine in tests and offers some of the most outstanding value in the series. The RTX 2060 is a budget-friendly alternative to the RTX 2070, giving an equivalent performance at a lower price.
We’ll look at what’s behind the specs of the RTX 2060 and RTX 2070 in this part. A few gamers out there may be still undecided about which GPU to purchase, so comparing features, architecture, and performance should help.
Features And Architecture
The RTX 2060 and 2070 GPUs are based on the TU106 and constructed using the 12nm technology. Nvidia’s TU106 GPUs use the Turing Architecture, and they both support DirectX 12 Ultimate. Throughout the series, the Turing architecture combines real-time ray tracing, AI, and programmable shading.
In both the RTX 2060 and 2070, the Turing Architecture combines numerous specialized CPU cores to enable real-time ray tracing. The TU106 graphics processor device has a die size of 445 mm2 and a transistor count of 10,800 million. As a result, the RTX 2060 is not the same as the fully unlocked RTX 2070, with 2304 shaders (CUDA cores), 144 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units activated. On the other hand, Nvidia has deactivated part of the shading units on the RTX 2060, which has 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs.
OpenGL 4.5, Vulkan, Nvidia Ansel, GPU Boost, and G-Sync are all supported by the RTX 2060 and 2070. Furthermore, both cards are VR-ready and perform well in any VR game. The RTX 2060 has 240 Tensor Cores, while the RTX 2070 has 288. Tensor Cores, which assist enhance the performance of machine learning applications, are slightly different between the two cards, with the RTX 2060 having 240 and the RTX 2070 having 288. Even though the RTX 2070 is the more powerful card, the two use the same amount of electricity. The RTX 2060 has a TDP of 160W, and the RTX 2070 has a TDP of 175W. Therefore, both cards may be powered by a 500W PSU.
Memory
The RTX 2060 and RTX 2070 both have GDDR6 RAM. However, the details differ. Samsung provides the GDDR6 memory for the whole series, with 6GB in the RTX 2060 and 8GB in the RTX 2070. The RTX 2060 has a 192-bit interface with a 336 Gb/s bandwidth. However, the RTX 2070 has a 256-bit interface with a bandwidth of 448 Gb/s. The RTX 2070’s additional 2GB is only evident when playing games at a higher resolution, like 4K, or other memory-intensive activities.
Availability and Price
There is a significant pricing difference between the RTX 2060 and the RTX 2070. Even at higher resolutions than 1080p, the performance of the RTX 2070 is minimal. We have two MSI Ventus GPUs here, demonstrating that there is still a significant pricing difference even after all this time.
As you can see, the pricing difference between the RTX 2060 and 2070 is roughly $100, making 2060 a very appealing alternative. However, at the same price as the RTX 2070, AMD’s Radeon 5700 XT delivers superior performance. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to use ray tracing technology with AMD’s 5700 XT, but you’ll get more bang for your dollars.
The RTX 2060 is still readily available, while the RTX 2070 is in short supply. These RTX monsters are no longer as easily accessible as when Nvidia debuted its Super line of RTX beasts.
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