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WillItRun

Can I run Starfield with a GeForce RTX 3060 12GB?

The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB lands 56% above what Starfield asks at minimum and 22% below the 18 it would need for recommended.

Ranked 35 of the 47 cards we track, with 17 of them carrying more video memory - and 13 of the 47 cards we track stop at the same point in Starfield.

estimated index 14 · 12 GB · 2021
Ceiling with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D and 32 GB

Runs at minimum

Playable at the lowest supported settings, with nothing in reserve.

Headroom
56% clear - a wide margin on GPU
Bottleneck
GPU
Confidence
estimated

Tier ladder

  1. minimum cleared
  2. recommended blocked by GPU
  3. high blocked by GPU
  4. ultra blocked by GPU + VRAM

The weakest link is graphics card: this rig brings 14 against the 18 that Starfield asks for at the recommended tier. Everything else in the rig is already past that line.

That readout is the best this card can do in Starfield: it assumes nothing else in the machine holds it back. Your own processor and memory can only lower it, never raise it.

The same card with three different processors

In Starfield the processor beside a GeForce RTX 3060 12GB changes the answer, which is why a card-only verdict is not worth much here. Each row assumes 16 GB of system memory.

Processor Index Verdict Bottleneck
Ryzen 5 1600 30 Will not run processor
Ryzen 9 5900X 70 Runs at minimum graphics card
Ryzen 7 9800X3D 95 Runs at minimum graphics card

Cheapest way up one tier

graphics card: Arc A770 16GB

The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB sits at index 14 and the recommended tier starts at 18.

That is the smallest part in our catalogue that clears the recommended tier - not the fastest one, and not a price claim: we hold no price data, so "cheapest" here means "least upgrade that does the job".

Where to look: Arc A770 16GB (no store links yet)

Thresholds, against this card

Green means the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB clears that number, red means it does not. The processor and memory columns are yours to fill in with the checker below.

System requirement thresholds for Starfield, by tier
Requirement minimum recommended high ultra your rig
GPU index 9 18 26 45 14
CPU index 35 45 65 85 0
Video memory 6 GB 8 GB 12 GB 16 GB 12 GB
System memory 16 GB 16 GB 32 GB 32 GB 0 GB
Storage 125 GB 125 GB 125 GB 125 GB -

The CPU and system memory rows show zero because this page knows the card and nothing else.

Check your whole rig

Add your processor and memory for a verdict about your machine rather than about this card.

GeForce RTX 3060 12GB

Shorthand works: we match on the names people actually type.

If several parts match, we show them rather than guess.

Standing by

Pick a graphics card and a processor. The verdict appears here, with the exact part that limits it.

Nothing you type leaves your browser. There is no account, no upload, and no hardware scan - the comparison runs on this page.

Questions

Will a GeForce RTX 3060 12GB run Starfield?
The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB lands 56% above what Starfield asks at minimum and 22% below the 18 it would need for recommended. Above that the graphics card is what stops it.
Is 12 GB of video memory enough for Starfield?
Yes for the tiers this card can reach anyway - its core speed runs out before its 12 GB of video memory does in Starfield.

More on this card: what the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB runs across every game we track.