Is the RTX 2060 Still Worth Buying in 2024? An Enthusiast‘s Take

The short answer? After revisiting the RTX 2060, I‘m happy to report that yes – Nvidia‘s venerable Turing card remains a formidable 1080p/1440p GPU three years after launching.

It may not shine in every 2023 AAA release, but with some tweaked settings, it delivers smooth 60fps+ performance in the majority of games. The RTX 2060 strike a terrific balance between price and performance even now. If you find one at a reasonable price, I wholeheartedly recommend it for intermediate gamers prioritizing value.

Let‘s delve into the specifics across various factors:

Raw Performance – Frame Rates Fully Detailed

I put my ASUS Dual RTX 2060 OC edition through its paces in numerous popular titles at 1080p, 1440p and 4K resolution to quantify its capabilities today. This specific model is factory overclocked and benchmarked a tad higher than Nvidia‘s reference specs.

Here‘s how it handled a diverse sampling of games:

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As shown, the venerable RTX 2060 delivers well over 60fps in even latest games at 1080p resolution with some graphics settings tuned down slightly. It continues punching above its weight class three years from launch.

1440p gaming is very much achievable if you judiciously turn down the eye candy. I was able to enjoy fluid 60+ fps gameplay in all test cases here with high/medium optimized settings.

For context, the RTX 3060 manages ~15% faster frame rates on average, justifying its position one tier above. But the 2060 holds up admirably at almost half the cost.

Expected Longevity Through 2023 and Beyond

The RTX 2060‘s 6GB video memory poses no bottlenecks for 1080p or 1440p gaming in 2024. Textures and assets continue scaling upwards, but 6 gigs has ample headroom for smooth 60Hz gaming even in the latest releases.

I foresee this remaining the status quo through 2023 and 2024 as well. The next inflection is the transition to Unreal Engine 5 – expected to drive up VRAM requirements. But the RTX 2060 should still soldier on comfortably at 1080p.

It may start to choke in 2025 though, where 8GB+ cards gain a decisive advantage. Still, getting 3 more years of enjoyable usage definitely makes the 2060 a worthwhile value buy even now.

Ray Tracing and DLSS Capabilities

The RTX 2060 was one of the first consumer GPUs with dedicated ray tracing hardware under Nvidia‘s Turing architecture. So it remains surprisingly competent at real-time ray traced lighting, shadows and reflections in supported titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Call of Duty.

Of course, keeping frame rates smooth requires dialing down standard graphics settings. The visual upgrade from ray tracing alone still makes this tradeoff worthwhile in my experience though – bringing environments to life with more cinematic and realistic lighting.

Additionally, Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) utilizes AI rendering techniques for crisper imagery while boosting FPS further. This continues giving RTX owners an advantage. DLSS 3 now limits this feature to 40-series RTX models, but the 2060‘s DLSS 2.x capabilities still shine.

Pricing and Availability Situation

This is the catch – the RTX 2060 cannot officially still recommended if purchasing brand new at its original 2019 MSRP. Inflated pricing places it out of contention given the performance uplift from newer GPUs.

However, well-kept used cards can now be snagged for under $200 on eBay or /r/hardwareswap. Others may even have existing systems housing the 2060. In these scenarios, Nvidia‘s Turing chip offers unmatched value and ability for maxed out 1080p gaming.

I‘d keep seeking out secondhand listings because finding one sub-$250 makes for a perfect stopgap card in today‘s exorbitant market!

Closing Thoughts

The RTX 2060 does makes compromises – there‘s no way around its last-gen status. Upgrading to an RTX 3060 or RX 6600 XT is advisable for those who can spend $300+. You‘d gain access to modern features like PCIe 4.0 and dedicated RT/tensor cores that boost gaming performance.

Yet, externally imposed bottlenecks like monitor refresh rates and game engine limits remain the true obstacles to visual splendor for most folks. The RTX 2060 blithely pushes past 60 fps in virtually everything I threw at it with some basic tweaks. It has certainly stood the test of time.

For PC enthusiasts like myself, extracting the most bang for buck matters above all else. Consider me still wholeheartedly Team GeForce RTX 2060 even four years later because it gets the job done surprisingly well without breaking the bank!

Let me know your thoughts in the comments – has your RTX 2060 also aged like fine wine? I‘m curious if you‘ve had experiences similar to mine. Enjoy your continued buttery-smooth 1080p/1440p gaming!