Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8GB review: the disappointment is real

RT/DLSS/FSR2/DLSS3 benchmarks: Cyberpunk 2077, Dying Light 2, Forza Horizon 5.

Review by Richard Leadbetter Technology Editor, Digital Foundry

Published on May 25, 2023

Raw ray tracing performance is one thing, but the truth is that RT is usually used in combination with image reconstruction technology for a better balance of visual features and performance. This page seeks to show how these GPUs compare with both technologies in play, with the same (or very close) base resolutions engaged. It's not factoring in image quality - where Nvidia enjoys a noticeable advantage against AMD and Intel - and neither are we considering overall support, where DLSS enjoys wider uptake amongst game developers. Here, we're just looking at raw performance.

We're also adding in frame generation metrics for the cards that support it. DLSS 3 isn't going away and AMD's announcement of FSR3 is effectively an endorsement of the concept from the competition - something to be copied. What I will say, however, is that I do take issue with the concept of generated frames adding 'performance'. They are extra frames, but they do not reduce input lag in the way that DLSS 2 does. Nvidia adds Reflex low-latency support to compensate, but you may still end up with a laggier result.

Once again, if you're jumping straight to this page without looking at prior results, we should stress that our benchmarking system offers a number of ways to get to the data you want, the presentation varying according to the device you're using. You'll get a basic overview of our findings on mobile, with metadata from the video capture of each GPU being translated into simple bar charts with average frame-rate and lowest one per cent measurements for easy comparisons.

On a desktop-class browser, you'll get the full-fat DF experience with embedded YouTube videos of each test scene and live performance metrics. Play the video, and you'll see exactly how each card handled the scene as it progresses. Below the real-time metrics is an interactive bar chart, which you can mouse over to see different measurements and click to switch between actual frame-rates and percentage differences. All the data here is derived from video captured directly from each GPU, ensuring an accurate replay of real performance.

Cyberpunk 2077

Like all the games on this page, Cyberpunk 2077 doesn't just support DLSS, it also features XeSS and FSR2 as well, which is the way we like it. There's more than a sense of deja vu here as the RTX 4060 Ti doesn't quite match RTX 3070 performance (the older card is about four percent faster) but it's a nice 15 points clear of the older RTX 3060 Ti. And that's before you factor in frame generation, which does work rather well here.

There's a 61 percent advantage over the older RTX 2070, which turns into 78 percent against the RTX 2060 Super, while the RX 6700 XT is left for dust here. Even without factoring in frame generation, the new Nvidia card is 66 percent ahead. But you know what? At 1440p in DLSS balanced mode, with the RT optimisation mod in place, you'll be getting similar performance in RT Overdrive mode, which is kind of nuts, but definitely the way I'd be playing the game.

Cyberpunk 2077, Ultra RT, DLSS/FSR2 Quality

Dying Light 2

Thus far, it's been 'almost but not quite' in terms of the RTX 4060 Ti taking on the RTX 3070. The older $500 Ampere card has just enough juice to move ahead of this new Nvidia offering. However, our numbers here at 1440p give the RTX 4060 Ti a six percentage point lead, rising to 33 percent if you choose to engage DLSS 3 frame generation.

By extension, you're 16 percent ahead of the RTX 3060 Ti in like-for-like DLSS 2 quality mode testing, but once again frame-gen offers up another boost to fluidity. It's 44 percent faster. Meanwhile, the older RTX 2060 Super seems to be struggling badly here, offering up one of the bigger Turing to Ada boosts we've seen.

Dying Light 2, Ultra RT, DLSS/FSR2 Quality

Forza Horizon 5

Here in Forza Horizon 5, we're set up at extreme settings with RT disabled, delivering a visual feature set in excess of Series X running in its 30fps quality mode - though DLSS quality mode isn't really a match for native rendering with 4x MSAA, particularly on elements like power lines. The fact we're running with no RT means we can actually use FSR2 to upscale on GTX 1070 - though the gains at 1080p and 1440p vs native resolution with 4x MSAA amount to a nigh-on pointless two frames per second.

It's fun to see a 2.2x performance multiplier up against that venerable Pascal card, but that drops significantly to just a 67 percent upgrade against the 4060 Ti's Turing-based predecessor, the RTX 2060 Super. Compare that with RTX 4070's relative boost over RTX 2070 and 2070 Super.

Frame generation doesn't seem to be doing the 4060 Ti any favours here - there's a paltry three percentage point lead but frame-times are more inconsistent. We may well be facing memory issues here. Perhaps it's best not to look at the 4K scores: RTX 4060 Ti declines with frame-gen active and remarkably, it's beaten by the RTX 3060 Ti. With FSR2 quality mode, the 6700 XT effortlessly bests the new Nvidia card by a factor of almost 18 percent. This is not a good look.