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

RT benchmarks: Dying Light 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Control.

Review by Richard Leadbetter Technology Editor, Digital Foundry

Published on 25 May 2023

Since the arrival of Intel Arc and RTX 40 series GPUs, we've completely revised our test bench, in order to better reflect the future of gaming technology - that means we're zeroing in on titles using key engines and low-level gaming APIs, while we've beefed up representation for ray tracing and image reconstruction. Some of our line-up may need tweaks as the results come in, but right now, we're mostly happy with this more forward-looking approach.

Ray tracing is no longer a second class citizen and with the new wave of GPUs, we're seeing some of the most intensive GPU workloads you can get delivered at really decent frame-rates - even before we factor in image reconstruction technologies like DLSS and FSR2. We're completely rebuilding our benchmark suite based around the Core i9 13900K processor, which means that while we have relevant data in this review, we will be adding more cards as the test data comes in. For now, we're targeting the Ada Lovelace line, equivalents to the 4060 Ti from prior gens and the most pertinent AMD alternative at a similar price-point - the RX 6700 XT in this case.

Our benchmarking system below offers a number of ways to get to the data you want, the presentation varying according to the device you're looking at right now. 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 a 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.

Dying Light 2

Despite the arrival of an actual official benchmark, we're sticking with our introductory run into the game - a beautiful cutscene that stress-tests RT hardware effectively - though perhaps less so when you're looking at the sky briefly!

It's a relatively strong start for the RTX 4060 Ti as at our preferred resolution for this card - 1440p - we're effectively on par with the last-gen RTX 3070 and five percentage points ahead at 1080p. You would never play Dying Light 2 at native 4K with the RTX 4060 Ti, but from an academic perspective, the pleasant comparisons with the 3070 dissipate as the wider memory interface of the older card see its overhaul the newcomer.

A 37fps result at native 1440p is hardly the giddy heights of performance, but remember, you're more likely to be playing this with DLSS enabled - and we've got the numbers for that later.

Dying Light 2, High RT, TAA

Cyberpunk 2077

We're continuing our testing with the CD Projekt RED classic running in its ultra RT mode and prioritising 1440p performance, using an internal streaming test used by the developer to zip around the Kabuki area of Night City. Without RT Overdrive, the 4060 Ti's advantage over the RTX 3070 disappears - the older card is circa eight percentage points ahead, but there's still a nice 26 percentage point lead over the RTX 3060 Ti.

At 1080p, the RTX 4060 Ti is very close to catching the RTX 3070 and it's still a good 17 percent ahead of its predecessor. The RX 6700 XT is probably AMD's best competitor to RTX 4060 Ti in terms of real world pricing right now, but it just can't compete in RT titles, as you can see here. At 1440p, the new card has a 65 percentage point lead, with the AMD offering battling it out with the 2018-vintage RTX 2070.

Cyberpunk 2077, Ultra RT, TAA

Control

On all the Ada Lovelace cards we've tested so far apart from the RTX 4090, Remedy's Control has not fared well in generational comparisons, falling short of where we would expect the game to land - especially when we're benching in Alex Battaglia's Corridor of Doom. At 1440p here though, the new GPU slots in between 3060 Ti and 3070.

In terms of looking at more likely upgrade paths, the RTX 2070 is effectively the same as the RTX 2060 Super give or take a couple of percentage points and the RTX 4060 Ti delivers around 51 percent more performance. That's not too bad, but not really the kind of generational leap you'd be looking for after four to five years.