The GeForce RTX 3060 Reaffirms its Popularity: Leader in the Steam Survey
The persistent popularity of the GeForce RTX 3060 continues, despite its almost three years of existence, establishing itself as a preferred GPU within the gaming community. New data from the September Steam Survey reveals a monthly increase of 1.4%, bringing its market share to a remarkable 6.10%. This mid-range GPU has now displaced the veteran GTX 1650 from its privileged position.
Several factors contribute to this upward trend. It could be attributed to gamers opting to upgrade their GPUs, attracted by tempting deals on the previous generation RTX 3060. Importantly, the RTX 3060 has officially surpassed the GTX 1650, indicating a clear shift in popularity. The inclusion of both variants, the 3060GB 12 and the more recent 3060GB 8, in the survey could also have influenced these results.
However, this doesn't necessarily mean the beginning of the RTX 3060's supremacy on Steam. While the GTX 1650, GTX 1060, and RTX 2060 have individual entries on the list, the RTX 3060 stands apart from the RTX 3060 laptop GPU, contributing an additional 3.6%. Combining these entries, the RTX 3060 has already been the preferred choice on Steam for a significant portion of the last year.
Acknowledging potential anomalies in Steam's survey methodology and Valve's reluctance to divulge details adds a layer of uncertainty. Previous cases, such as a sudden spike in GPU statistics earlier in the year, raise questions about the reliability of the survey.
A detailed analysis of the top twelve positions highlights Nvidia's dominance in all but the number twelve position, occupied by AMD under the umbrella term “AMD Radeon Graphics.” This category likely includes GPUs from various families, both integrated and discrete.
In the global market share competition, Nvidia leads with 77%, followed by AMD with 14.8%, and Intel with 7.9% (with an additional 0.3% classified as “other”). A more focused analysis on recent cards from the last three generations reveals Nvidia's even greater advantage, securing 92.21% compared to AMD's 7.79%.
Although the Steam Survey does not cover the entire PC market, it offers valuable insights into the hardware preferences of Steam users, who number up to 132 million unique players in 2021. The narrative around GPUs has evolved, with Nvidia's 60 series cards stand out for their performance per dollar. However, the industry has seen a shift toward higher profits in the professional/work sector, impacting the availability and diversity of consumer GPUs.
This trend is reflected in AMD's product line, with SKU consolidation and a strategic focus on profit maximization. Competition between GPU manufacturers involves subtle decisions about the allocation of manufacturing capacity, prioritizing profitability over the low-end market, now predominantly served by integrated solutions.
Source: Tom's Hardware
