The Steam Hardware Survey for April 2023 is here, and its results point to the arrival of a new people’s champion in the graphics card space: the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060. It’s taken an abnormally long time for it to take its expected place as the platform’s most popular GPU, but the pixel pusher is now sitting confidently at the top with a comfortable lead.
The 60 class model in every GeForce generation is generally perceived as the best graphics card for most people, offering great bank for buck, and the RTX 3060 is no exception. The GPU now occupies a whopping 10.44% of Steam users’ systems, following a jump of 6.23% from last month. Meanwhile, the RTX 2060 and GTX 1060 trail behind the pixel pusher, boasting a respective 7.89% and 7.69% share.
It’s taken three years or so for the RTX 3060 to achieve this feat, but it’s hard to say whether its reign as Steam’s most prolific GPU will last quite as long. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 release date will hopefully arrive in the not too distant future, and could be a tempting upgrade path for those with 10 and 20 series cards.
However, it appears that the RTX 40 series still has a long way to go before it even comes close to taking over the Steam Hardware Survey. The RTX 4090remains the most popular of the DLSS 3 capable cards, but only lays claim to 0.25% of gaming PCs running Valve’s platform. The RTX 4080 comes off worse, however, with 0.19%, and even the cheapest GPU in the stack, the RTX 4070 Ti,enjoys a mere 0.23% – check out ourNvidia GeForce RTX 4090 review, ourRTX 4080 review, andourRTX 4070 Ti reviewfor our full verdicts on each of Nvidia’s latest line.
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 release date will likely be up next, and could be the pixel pushing champion that the company is looking for to win wider market share. We’ll have a review on the graphics card around launch, so stay tuned for that!
FAQs
September Hardware Survey: RTX 3060 is now the most popular GPU on Steam.
Is the GeForce RTX 3060 good for gaming? ›
It is perfect for every type of gamer, capable of running casual entry-level titles such as Fortnite or Stardew Valley to AAA games including Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077. Regardless of your choice of game, the RTX 3060 will render the world in smooth realistic light on max settings at 1440p.
Why is the RTX 3060 so popular? ›
According to the latest Steam Hardware & Software Survey, the venerable Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 is currently the most widely used graphics card on Valve's platform — and with good reason. In particular, it still offers an outstanding price-performance ratio for PC gamers.
Is the RTX 3060 still good in 2024? ›
It's the go-to GPU for maxed-out 1080p gaming in 2024, but based on my testing, it probably shouldn't be. The RTX 3060 is a workhorse, and for a large range of games, it's one of the best graphics cards you can buy.
What is the #1 GPU in the world? ›
Search Best Graphics Cards
| Rank | Device | MSRP Price |
|---|
| 1 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 DirectX 12.0 | $1599 |
| 2 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D DirectX 12.0 | n/a |
| 3 | AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX DirectX 12.0 | $999 |
| 4 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER DirectX 12.0 | n/a |
70 more rowsNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
The most popular graphics cards are calculated based on 1547 professional players.
Why is GeForce RTX 3060 so cheap? ›
NVIDIA introduced a cheaper version last year with 8GB of VRAM. NVIDIA's goal is to lower the price for their RTX 3060 12GB model below 2000 RMB (282 USD). Currently, the price for this card in the US is around $290 to $350, with 8GB model being offered for less.
Is the RTX 3060 good for streaming? ›
The RTX 3060 is a 'Jack of all trades' playing AAA titles, simulator games, competitive titles, content creation and streaming.
Will the RTX 3060 age well? ›
I can say with confidence that it will definitely last for 6 years or more if your target is at high, 1080p, and 60fps. The RTX 3060 Ti can play most AAA games on ultra, 1080p, and still get > 140fps. If you will be staying with 1080p, and only aiming for 60fps, I'd say it's a damn good card.
Is 3060 future proof? ›
I know these cards can do better, but I'm more concerned with longevity than going for higher res/fps. I'd rather have a 1080/60 build that lasts 5 years vs. 1440/144 that lasts 1 if you get what I'm saying. 3060 is a decent card for 1440p, so yeah it will do fine for 1080p as well.
NVIDIA RTX 3060 continues to dominate Steam Charts.
In March 2024, Steam data showed a noticeable 0.75% rise in RTX 3060 ownership among its user base. Despite being three years old, this GPU has become the top choice among gamers, now making up nearly 7% of all users.
Can rtx 3060 run gta 6? ›
If you prefer a new system, the Chillblast AMD Ryzen 5 RTX 3060 Gaming PC is a great choice. It combines a powerful CPU with the Nvidia RTX 3060, offering excellent gaming performance and the ability to run GTA 6 at high settings.
Will RTX 3060 bottleneck? ›
Yes, a budget CPU can potentially bottleneck the performance of an RTX 3060. Budget CPUs often have lower core counts and slower clock speeds compared to higher-end models. While they may be sufficient for basic tasks, they may struggle to keep up with the demanding requirements of an RTX 3060.
What RTX card will come out in 2025? ›
In response to questions relating to potential RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 ports, leaker Kopite7kimi has given the nod that the cards will come armed with DisplayPort 2.1. According to HardwareLuxx, Nvidia has shared a GPU release date roadmap that implies an RTX 4090 successor could show up in 2025.
Which GPU is most popular? ›
Nvidia RTX 4090 Founders Edition
The undisputed heavyweight champion of consumer graphics cards, nothing else comes close to the RTX 4090 in performance or price. It's time for the monster. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 is the undisputed best graphics card for gaming right now.
Why is the GTX 1650 so popular? ›
The GTX 1650 isn't a bad card: In our 2019 GTX 1650 review, Jarred said it was the "fastest 75W GPU around." These days, the GTX 1650 is a budget GPU for lower-spec gaming machines that might get you to 60 fps at 1080p on low-to-medium settings on older PC games.
Why is the GTX 1060 so popular? ›
What has made the GTX 1060 the most popular graphics card? it's place in the current range of graphics cards. Want a computer that can handle1080p games at maximum settings? for the most part a 1060 6gb or rx 580 8gb is the card to go with. want a computer that is affordable but plays games well.
