Architect's technical teardown: VRAM capacity, memory bandwidth, TDP, and AI throughput — compared head-to-head for local LLM workloads.
The ultimate budget entry card. 12GB of VRAM provides the vital headroom needed for Llama 3 and Stable Diffusion at minimum cost.
16-core Raptor Lake processor. Excellent balance of multi-core AI preprocessing performance, high clock speeds, and overall system value.
| Metric | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB | Intel Core i7-13700K |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM | 12GB | 0GB |
| Memory Bandwidth | 360 GB/s | 89.6 GB/s |
| AI Throughput (TOPS) | 102 | 1.2 |
| TDP (Power Draw) | 170W | 125W |
| Est. Price | $249.99 | $349.99 |