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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Max Q

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Max Q: Power in a Compact Format

April 2025

Introduction

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Max Q continues to be a popular choice for thin gaming laptops and mobile workstations. Despite the fact that several years have passed since its announcement, thanks to its optimized architecture and support for modern technologies, this model remains relevant in 2025. In this article, we will explore what makes the RTX 3060 Max Q noteworthy, how it performs in gaming and professional tasks, and who should consider it.

1. Architecture and Key Features

Ampere Architecture: Efficiency and Innovations

The RTX 3060 Max Q is built on the Ampere architecture, which debuted in 2020. Key improvements include an increase in the number of CUDA cores (3584 in this model) and a redesign of the RT (ray tracing) and Tensor (artificial intelligence) cores. The manufacturing process is 8 nm (Samsung), which has allowed for a reduction in power consumption without a significant loss in performance.

Unique Technologies

- RTX (Ray Tracing): Support for real-time hardware ray tracing, adding realism to shadows, reflections, and lighting.

- DLSS 3.5: Image scaling technology using AI. By 2025, DLSS has become even smarter, maintaining image clarity even at 4K.

- NVIDIA Reflex: Reduces input lag in competitive games.

- Compatibility with FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR): Although FSR is developed by AMD, many games support both standards, expanding graphics customization options.

2. Memory: Fast GDDR6 for Mobile Tasks

The RTX 3060 Max Q comes with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. The bandwidth reaches 336 GB/s (14 Gbps effective speed). This is sufficient for most games at High/Ultra settings in 1080p and 1440p resolutions, but when playing in 4K or utilizing RTX heavily, VRAM limitations may occur.

Impact on Performance:

- In games with highly detailed textures (e.g., Cyberpunk 2077), 6 GB can sometimes become a bottleneck, particularly when ray tracing is enabled.

- For professional tasks (rendering in Blender, editing 8K video), the memory capacity may not suffice — here, it’s better to look at the RTX 3070 and above.

3. Gaming Performance: Numbers and Realities

Average FPS in Popular Titles (2025):

- Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra, RTX Off / DLSS Quality): 65–70 FPS / 55–60 FPS (with RTX).

- Hogwarts Legacy 2 (1440p, High, DLSS Balanced): 80–85 FPS.

- Apex Legends (1440p, Competitive settings): 120–140 FPS.

- Alan Wake 2 (1080p, Medium, RTX + DLSS Performance): 50–55 FPS.

Resolutions and Ray Tracing:

- 1080p: The ideal choice for maximum FPS with RTX.

- 1440p: Comfortable gameplay at High/Ultra, but DLSS becomes necessary.

- 4K: Only for less demanding titles (e.g., CS2) or with significant settings reductions.

4. Professional Tasks: Not Just Gaming

Video Editing and 3D Rendering:

- CUDA Cores accelerate rendering in DaVinci Resolve and Premiere Pro. Exporting a 30-minute 4K video takes about 12–15 minutes.

- Blender Cycles: A medium-complexity scene renders in 8–10 minutes (optimization through OptiX).

Scientific Calculations:

Support for OpenCL and CUDA makes the card suitable for machine learning (basic models) and simulations in MATLAB. However, for serious tasks, it’s better to use an RTX with more memory.

5. Power Consumption and Heat Output

TDP and Cooling:

The maximum power consumption is 80 Watts (compared to 115 Watts for the standard mobile RTX 3060). This allows the GPU to be installed in ultrabooks with a thickness of 18 mm or more.

Recommendations:

- Choose laptops with cooling systems based on vapor chambers (e.g., ASUS Zephyrus G14 2025).

- Avoid prolonged loads at temperatures above 85°C — this may lead to throttling.

6. Comparison with Competitors

AMD Radeon RX 7600M XT:

- Pros: 8 GB of GDDR6, better at handling 1440p.

- Cons: Weaker in RTX tasks, no equivalent of DLSS 3.5.

Intel Arc A770M:

- Cheaper (~$300), but drivers are still lagging behind in optimization for older games.

Conclusion: The RTX 3060 Max Q wins with DLSS and stable drivers but falls short in memory capacity.

7. Practical Tips

Power Supply: A laptop with RTX 3060 Max Q requires an adapter of at least 150 Watts.

Compatibility:

- Supports PCIe 4.0, works with Thunderbolt 5 via external docks.

- Ideal for Windows 11 and Linux (NVIDIA drivers 550.x+).

Drivers: Regularly update GeForce Experience — in 2025, many games require version 535 or higher.

8. Pros and Cons

Pros:

- Energy efficiency for thin laptops.

- Support for DLSS 3.5 and RTX.

- Optimization for professional software.

Cons:

- Only 6 GB of VRAM.

- Limited performance in 4K.

9. Final Conclusion: Who Should Consider the RTX 3060 Max Q?

This graphics card is an excellent choice for:

- Mobile gamers who value a balance between FPS and image quality.

- Students and professionals needing portability for work in Blender or Premiere.

- Enthusiasts upgrading old systems from the GTX 10 series.

Price: Laptops with RTX 3060 Max Q in 2025 start at $900.

Conclusion

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Max Q has proven to remain relevant even after years. Its strength lies in its versatility: it handles modern games, assists in work, and won’t overload your backpack. If you're looking for the "golden mean," this is your option.

Basic

Label Name

NVIDIA

Platform

Mobile

Launch Date

January 2021

Model Name

GeForce RTX 3060 Max Q

Generation

GeForce 30 Mobile

Base Clock

817MHz

Boost Clock

1282MHz

Bus Interface

PCIe 4.0 x16

Transistors

12,000 million

RT Cores

Tensor Cores

Tensor Cores are specialized processing units designed specifically for deep learning, providing higher training and inference performance compared to FP32 training. They enable rapid computations in areas such as computer vision, natural language processing, speech recognition, text-to-speech conversion, and personalized recommendations. The two most notable applications of Tensor Cores are DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) and AI Denoiser for noise reduction.

120

TMUs

Texture Mapping Units (TMUs) serve as components of the GPU, which are capable of rotating, scaling, and distorting binary images, and then placing them as textures onto any plane of a given 3D model. This process is called texture mapping.

120

Foundry

Samsung

Process Size

8 nm

Architecture

Ampere

Memory Specifications

Memory Size

6GB

Memory Type

GDDR6

Memory Bus

The memory bus width refers to the number of bits of data that the video memory can transfer within a single clock cycle. The larger the bus width, the greater the amount of data that can be transmitted instantaneously, making it one of the crucial parameters of video memory. The memory bandwidth is calculated as: Memory Bandwidth = Memory Frequency x Memory Bus Width / 8. Therefore, when the memory frequencies are similar, the memory bus width will determine the size of the memory bandwidth.

192bit

Memory Clock

1500MHz

Bandwidth

Memory bandwidth refers to the data transfer rate between the graphics chip and the video memory. It is measured in bytes per second, and the formula to calculate it is: memory bandwidth = working frequency × memory bus width / 8 bits.

288.0 GB/s

Theoretical Performance

Pixel Rate

Pixel fill rate refers to the number of pixels a graphics processing unit (GPU) can render per second, measured in MPixels/s (million pixels per second) or GPixels/s (billion pixels per second). It is the most commonly used metric to evaluate the pixel processing performance of a graphics card.

61.54 GPixel/s

Texture Rate

Texture fill rate refers to the number of texture map elements (texels) that a GPU can map to pixels in a single second.

153.8 GTexel/s

FP16 (half)

An important metric for measuring GPU performance is floating-point computing capability. Half-precision floating-point numbers (16-bit) are used for applications like machine learning, where lower precision is acceptable. Single-precision floating-point numbers (32-bit) are used for common multimedia and graphics processing tasks, while double-precision floating-point numbers (64-bit) are required for scientific computing that demands a wide numeric range and high accuracy.

9.846 TFLOPS

FP64 (double)

An important metric for measuring GPU performance is floating-point computing capability. Double-precision floating-point numbers (64-bit) are required for scientific computing that demands a wide numeric range and high accuracy, while single-precision floating-point numbers (32-bit) are used for common multimedia and graphics processing tasks. Half-precision floating-point numbers (16-bit) are used for applications like machine learning, where lower precision is acceptable.

153.8 GFLOPS

FP32 (float)

An important metric for measuring GPU performance is floating-point computing capability. Single-precision floating-point numbers (32-bit) are used for common multimedia and graphics processing tasks, while double-precision floating-point numbers (64-bit) are required for scientific computing that demands a wide numeric range and high accuracy. Half-precision floating-point numbers (16-bit) are used for applications like machine learning, where lower precision is acceptable.

10.043 TFLOPS

Miscellaneous

SM Count

Multiple Streaming Processors (SPs), along with other resources, form a Streaming Multiprocessor (SM), which is also referred to as a GPU's major core. These additional resources include components such as warp schedulers, registers, and shared memory. The SM can be considered the heart of the GPU, similar to a CPU core, with registers and shared memory being scarce resources within the SM.

Shading Units

The most fundamental processing unit is the Streaming Processor (SP), where specific instructions and tasks are executed. GPUs perform parallel computing, which means multiple SPs work simultaneously to process tasks.

3840

L1 Cache

128 KB (per SM)

L2 Cache

3MB

TDP

60W

Vulkan Version

Vulkan is a cross-platform graphics and compute API by Khronos Group, offering high performance and low CPU overhead. It lets developers control the GPU directly, reduces rendering overhead, and supports multi-threading and multi-core processors.

1.3

OpenCL Version

3.0

OpenGL

4.6

DirectX

12 Ultimate (12_2)

CUDA

8.6

Power Connectors

None

Shader Model

6.6

ROPs

The Raster Operations Pipeline (ROPs) is primarily responsible for handling lighting and reflection calculations in games, as well as managing effects like anti-aliasing (AA), high resolution, smoke, and fire. The more demanding the anti-aliasing and lighting effects in a game, the higher the performance requirements for the ROPs; otherwise, it may result in a sharp drop in frame rate.

Benchmarks

FP32 (float)

Score

10.043 TFLOPS

Compared to Other GPU

FP32 (float) / TFLOPS

Radeon Pro Vega 64

10.839 +7.9%

Radeon Pro WX 8100

10.535 +4.9%

GeForce RTX 3060 Max Q

10.043

GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER

9.243 -8%

Radeon Pro Vega 56

8.781 -12.6%