RTX 4060 vs RX 7600: Which Budget GPU Should You Buy?
Two popular last-gen budget GPUs, one winner. We run the numbers on rasterization, ray tracing, power efficiency, and value — and tell you when current-gen cards make more sense.
The verdict up front
RTX 4060 wins overall — but context matters in 2026.
The RTX 4060 is around 18% faster in overall gaming benchmarks at 1080p, and 42% faster in ray tracing workloads. It’s more power efficient, has a more mature driver ecosystem, and is generally the better card. The RX 7600 wins in specific AMD-optimized titles and typically costs slightly less, but loses the head-to-head more often than it wins.
Here’s the complication: both cards are now a generation old, and the current-gen Intel Arc B580 at $249 has 12GB of VRAM and competitive performance — making the choice between the 4060 and 7600 most relevant when you’re finding them used, on clearance, or significantly discounted.
Building new? Skip both and check our best GPU under $300 guide and best GPU under $400 guide for current-gen recommendations.
Current pricing — March 2026
| Card | VRAM | Current Amazon price | Used (eBay) |
|---|---|---|---|
| RX 7600 8GB | 8GB GDDR6 | ~$269 | ~$199–$220 |
| RTX 4060 8GB | 8GB GDDR6 | ~$299 | ~$240–$260 |
| Arc B580 12GB | 12GB GDDR6 | ~$249 | — |
Notably, the RTX 4060 is back at its $299 launch price on Amazon. The Arc B580 is $249 new — which means you can get a current-gen 12GB card for $50 less than the older RTX 4060. That context shapes the whole comparison.
Specs at a glance
| Spec | RTX 4060 | RX 7600 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Ada Lovelace (AD107) | RDNA 3 (Navi 33) |
| VRAM | 8GB GDDR6 | 8GB GDDR6 |
| Memory bus | 128-bit | 128-bit |
| TDP | 115W | 165W |
| Launch price | $299 | $269 |
| Current Amazon | ~$299 | ~$269 |
Both share the same 8GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus — a limitation that increasingly shows in texture-heavy modern titles at 1440p.
Rasterization performance: RTX 4060 wins
Based on Tom’s Hardware testing across 19 games at 1080p ultra, the RTX 4060 leads by 18% overall and 21% at 1440p. That’s a meaningful gap.
The RX 7600 does win in specific titles. In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II the 7600 leads by 39% at 1080p — one of its strongest scenarios. In Cyberpunk 2077 without ray tracing the RX 7600 is 5% faster at 1080p and 13% faster at 1440p.
But these AMD wins are the exception. Across the majority of tested titles, the RTX 4060 is faster.
Ray tracing: RTX 4060 wins decisively
The RTX 4060 leads by 42% in ray tracing performance across an 8-game test suite. This isn’t close. Nvidia’s dedicated RT hardware in Ada Lovelace is meaningfully better than AMD’s RT implementation at this price tier.
If you play Cyberpunk 2077, Alan Wake 2, or Metro Exodus with RT enabled, the RTX 4060 is the clear choice. The RX 7600 can run these games with RT, but you’ll need to drop settings significantly.
Check price — Nvidia RTX 4060 (~$299) ↗Power efficiency: RTX 4060 wins
The RTX 4060’s 115W TDP vs the RX 7600’s 165W is a 50W difference — significant for a budget card. More efficient means cooler, quieter, and less strain on a budget PSU. For a card you’ll run for hours daily, this matters more than benchmark numbers suggest.
Value: complicated
At current prices — RTX 4060 at $299, RX 7600 at $269 — the RTX 4060 costs 11% more for 18% more performance. Value is roughly comparable. If you find the RX 7600 meaningfully below $250, it becomes a defensible purchase. At current prices, the RTX 4060 is the better buy.
But here’s the real issue: the Arc B580 is $249 new, has 12GB of VRAM, and performs competitively with both cards. Unless you find either the 4060 or 7600 used at a significant discount, current-gen makes more sense.
Check price — AMD RX 7600 (~$269) ↗ Check price — Arc B580 12GB (~$249) — current-gen alternative ↗Fortnite: RTX 4060
Worth a specific callout since it’s one of the most-played PC games. In Fortnite at DX11 epic settings, the RTX 4060 delivers 22% more FPS at 1080p and 16% more at 1440p. If Fortnite is your primary game, Nvidia is the better choice at this tier. See our Fortnite build guide for more.
The full comparison picture
| Card | VRAM | Generation | 1080p perf | Street price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RX 7600 8GB | 8GB | Last-gen | ✓✓ | ~$269 |
| RTX 4060 8GB | 8GB | Last-gen | ✓✓✓ | ~$299 |
| Arc B580 12GB | 12GB | Current-gen | ✓✓✓ | ~$249 |
| RX 9060 XT 8GB | 8GB | Current-gen | ✓✓✓✓ | ~$339 |
The Arc B580 at $249 is cheaper than the RTX 4060, has more VRAM, and is current-gen. Unless you find the RTX 4060 used under $230 or the RX 7600 used under $180, the B580 is the smarter purchase for a new build.
Who should buy the RTX 4060
- You found one used under $230
- You play ray tracing-heavy or Nvidia-optimized titles
- You want DLSS and a quieter, more efficient card
Who should buy the RX 7600
- You found one used under $180
- You primarily play AMD-optimized titles
- Raw rasterization per dollar is your only metric
The verdict
The RTX 4060 is the better GPU between these two. Faster, more efficient, better ray tracing, and better DLSS support. At current prices it’s also not much more expensive.
But the more important question in March 2026 is whether you should be buying either. The Arc B580 at $249 new undercuts the RTX 4060 by $50, offers 12GB of VRAM, and is current-gen. For a new build, it’s the smarter choice — unless you specifically need Nvidia’s ecosystem. Read our full Arc B580 review for the detailed breakdown.
For all current GPU options at this price tier, see our best GPU under $300 guide and best GPU under $400 guide.