Why You Can Trust CNET Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 restock updates from Amazon, Best Buy, Newegg and more
Where can you find Nvidia's entry-level RTX 3000-series GPU in stock? We're monitoring inventory at these and other stores to alert you when it becomes available.
On the hunt for an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3000 series graphics card? Get in line. Between the pandemic that forced people to stay home and game more and the explosion in cryptocurrency mining, demand is sky high for Nvidia's new Ampere GPU. Finding a new RTX 3000 card is next to impossible; the GeForce RTX 3060, RTX 3060 Ti, RTX 3070, RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 have been perpetually out of stock since they were released. You'd have better luck tracking down a PS5 or locating an Xbox Series X console than finding a new RTX GPU for your gaming rig.
Nvidia is not deaf to your cries for an RTX 3000 series GPU. It tweaked the RTX 3060's driver to discourage crypto miners from snatching up the card and will soon release new versions of the higher-end cards with the same restriction. Labeled as "Lite Hash Rate" or LHR cards, they will will throttle back performance if they detect that you are mining using the Ethereum algorithm. Fear not, gamers: These cards will run at full speed for games. The new LHR cards will begin shipping in late May.
A GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card is harder to find than a PS5 or Xbox Series X.
Despite Nvidia's efforts to get the RTX 3060 into the hands of gamers from the start, it's out of stock everywhere -- along with the rest of its RTX 3000-series siblings. You can find it on eBay or StockX, but be prepared to pay three or four times its $330 retail price. If you aren't willing to shell out $1,000 and up for an RTX 3060, then keep this page bookmarked.
To aid your efforts in finding an RTX 3060 card that's actually in stock and available to purchase, we've linked below to product listing pages of the major retailers for the cards from the various manufacturers -- namely Asus, EVGA, Gigabyte, MSI, PNY and Zotac. There is no Founders Edition of the card from Nvidia, but you can check Nvidia's site to see the different flavors of the RTX 3060 sold by its partners and check inventory.
You can also sign up for Discord's Stock Informer and get alerts on your phone when a card is in stock. You'll have to act fast when a notification appears -- there are currently more than 50,000 Stock Informer members -- but it will let you keep your finger on the next-gen GPU pulse.
Read more: The best graphics card for 2021
RTX 3060 vs. RTX 3060 OC
There are many variants of the RTX 3060 across the manufacturers, but the biggest differentiators are the size/length of the card determined by whether it has two or three cooling fans. In addition, there are OC versions of the RTX 3060 that are factory-overclocked (making them faster) and therefore pricier.
RTX 3060 (starts at $330): This is the baseline model -- running at stock speeds and cooled by two fans.
RTX 3060 OC (starts at $480 to $550): This is the factory-overclocked version, which often sports three fans.
Best Buy and Newegg have the most product listings for the RTX 3060, followed by B&H, while Amazon has very few and GameStop has even fewer. Again, there are currently no RTX 3060 cards in stock at any of these retailers, with the exception of a few exceptionally overpriced cards on Amazon; you can do better on eBay and StockX.
We will update this story as soon as we find any retailer with inventory of any of the cards from any manufacturer. Until then, you can click about and check for yourself in the hopes that you time it just right and find an RTX 3060 suddenly in stock. We'll keep this story up to date.
Read more: GeForce RTX 3060 is a solid video card, if the price is right
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 (starts at $330)
Here are your best bets for finding the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 at national retailers.
The baseline RTX 3060 starts at $390 at Best Buy, but the retailer has nothing in stock at the time of this writing.
Newegg has the most listings for RTX 3060 cards. Pricing starts at $330 but nothing is currently in stock.
B&H has RTX 3060 OC product listings that start at $460 but nothing in stock at the moment.
What about the RTX 3060 Ti?
The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is one rung up on the RTX 3000 series ladder from the RTX 3060. With a retail price of $400, it costs $70 more than the entry-level RTX 3060. The RTX 3060 Ti has more cores and a larger memory pipe than the RTX 3060 and draws a bit more power. The RTX 3060 actually has more memory (12GB versus 8GB) and a higher boost clock speed (1.8GHz versus 1.7GHz) than the RTX 3060 Ti, but its smaller memory pipe (192-bit versus 256-bit) gives the performance edge to the RTX 3060 Ti.
One other difference between the two? There's a Founders Edition of the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti.
Both cards deliver excellent value, but the RTX 3060 Ti is the better pick if you want fast frame rates at 1440p.
Best Buy has a handful of listings for the RTX 3060 Ti but nothing currently in stock. Pricing starts at $400.
Newegg has numerous listings for RTX 3060 Ti cards. Pricing starts at $500 but nothing is currently in stock.
B&H has a fair number of RTX 3060 TI product listings that start at $400 but nothing in stock at the moment.