VRAM
12 GB
TDP
170 W
MSRP
$329
Perf/W
0.25 tok/s/W
Cost/1K tok
$0.08/M
Tested
2025-12-11
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB has a source-attributed result of 42.0 tok/s on Llama 3 8B Q4 (batch 1, 4096-token context, Q4_K_M; runtime not documented). This is a reference report, not an independently verified lab result. A 70B Q4_K_M artifact needs roughly 40GB for weights alone; smaller memory configurations require explicit offload or model splitting and do not establish full-GPU residency.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB — Ampere budget card. 12GB GDDR6 at 360 GB/s, 170W TDP. Surprisingly more VRAM than the 3060 Ti/3070/3070 Ti (all 8GB).
The cheapest 12GB card with CUDA support. Runs 7B Q4 comfortably, 13B Q4 with tight context. ~20-28 tok/s on 12B models. The minimum viable CUDA card for local AI experimentation. Excellent for learning, small coding agents, and embedding generation. Avoid if you need 13B+ models with real context windows.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB with 12GB VRAM at 170W TDP, scored across 5 workloads with 6 benchmark records.
Reference workload
Llama 3 8B Q4
42 tok/s
Quantization
Q4_K_M
4K context · batch 1
| Workload | Score | Quant | Context | σ | Status | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Llama 3 8B Q4 llm | 42.0tok/s | Q4_K_M | 4K | , | Curated Aggregate | 2025-12-11 |
| Mistral 7B llm | 48.0tok/s | Q4_K_M | 4K | , | Curated Aggregate | 2025-06-02 |
| Phi-3 Mini llm | 92.0tok/s | Q4_K_M | 4K | , | Curated Aggregate | 2024-06-01 |
| Gemma 2 9B llm | 32.0tok/s | Q4_K_M | 8K | , | Curated Aggregate | 2024-06-04 |
| Asure 12B llm | 28.0tok/s | Q4_K_M | 8K | , | Curated Aggregate | 2025-05-01 |
There is insufficient comparable evidence to score NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB. A score needs results for multiple devices with matching workload, runtime version, quantization, context and batch size.
Planning estimates for 12GB: weights plus at least 2GB or 10% overhead. Actual KV cache depends on model, context and cache format; confirm the artifact before buying.
Trust score
6/10
MyAI rating
Not scored
Runs
Not documented
Freshness
Stale
Source-linked row with explicit verification status.
Record date: 2025-12-11; 272 days old.
Best place to start
Retailer we'd check first
Amazon search
For mainstream AI hardware, Amazon usually updates street pricing, seller availability, and shipping speed faster than most comparison sites.
Search Amazon listingsThere is insufficient comparable evidence for a purchase recommendation. Check model fit, software support and a current seller quote.
Affiliate note: we do not have a device-level ASIN yet, so this opens tagged Amazon search results for the exact product name.