GeForce RTX 3060 12GB vs Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060 12GB

2022Core: 1260 MHzBoost: 1710 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary

2019Core: 1680 MHzBoost: 1980 MHz

Popular choices:

Performance Spectrum - GPU

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce RTX 3060 12GB

2022

Why buy it

  • 55.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $170 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
  • Delivers 53.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.0 vs 33.2 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 8 GB).

Trade-offs

  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • 55.6% higher power demand at 350W vs 225W.

Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary

2019

Why buy it

  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • Draws 225W instead of 350W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 12GB across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 8 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
  • 51.7% HIGHER MSRP
    $499 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 33.2 vs 51.0 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 12GB better than Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary?
Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 12GB is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 55.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data, 1.3% higher PassMark G3D performance, DLSS 2 Super Resolution, and 12 GB vs 8 GB of VRAM. It also comes from 2022 instead of 2019, which helps its case as the more complete modern gaming card.
Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2019, more VRAM at 12 GB instead of 8 GB, and the stronger feature stack with DLSS Super Resolution instead of FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.
Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3060 12GB is about $170 cheaper on MSRP at $329 MSRP versus $499 MSRP, and you are getting 55.0% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 1.3% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 53.6%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.
Is Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
Yes. Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is very strong for 1080p, good for 1440p, and more limited at 4K. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $499 MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 3060 12GB is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3060 12GBRadeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary
1080p
low166 FPS159 FPS
medium151 FPS140 FPS
high133 FPS123 FPS
ultra113 FPS105 FPS
1440p
low139 FPS134 FPS
medium116 FPS108 FPS
high98 FPS95 FPS
ultra85 FPS86 FPS
4K
low80 FPS81 FPS
medium67 FPS69 FPS
high51 FPS56 FPS
ultra45 FPS49 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3060 12GBRadeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary
1080p
low494 FPS307 FPS
medium425 FPS253 FPS
high360 FPS175 FPS
ultra323 FPS130 FPS
1440p
low372 FPS176 FPS
medium310 FPS147 FPS
high258 FPS112 FPS
ultra219 FPS85 FPS
4K
low193 FPS88 FPS
medium167 FPS74 FPS
high144 FPS60 FPS
ultra120 FPS44 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce RTX 3060 12GBRadeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary
1080p
low755 FPS745 FPS
medium604 FPS596 FPS
high503 FPS497 FPS
ultra377 FPS373 FPS
1440p
low566 FPS559 FPS
medium453 FPS447 FPS
high377 FPS373 FPS
ultra283 FPS279 FPS
4K
low377 FPS373 FPS
medium302 FPS298 FPS
high252 FPS248 FPS
ultra189 FPS186 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce RTX 3060 12GBRadeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary
1080p
low445 FPS535 FPS
medium396 FPS456 FPS
high330 FPS391 FPS
ultra288 FPS324 FPS
1440p
low366 FPS439 FPS
medium328 FPS376 FPS
high271 FPS304 FPS
ultra231 FPS250 FPS
4K
low237 FPS265 FPS
medium217 FPS249 FPS
high186 FPS216 FPS
ultra160 FPS182 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 12GB and Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060 12GB

The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 11 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1260 MHz to 1710 MHz. It has 8960 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 350W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 70 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 16,777 points. Launch price was $799.

AMD

Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary

The Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 7 2019. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1680 MHz to 1980 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 16,562 points. Launch price was $449.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB scores 16,777 and the Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary reaches 16,562 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary uses RDNA 1.0, both on 8 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 8,960 (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs 2,560 (Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary). Raw compute: 30.64 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs 10.14 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary). Boost clocks: 1710 MHz vs 1980 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 12GBRadeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary
G3D Mark Score
16,777+1%
16,562
Architecture
Ampere
RDNA 1.0
Process Node
8 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
8960+250%
2560
Compute (TFLOPS)
30.64 TFLOPS+202%
10.14 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1710 MHz
1980 MHz+16%
ROPs
96+50%
64
TMUs
280+75%
160
L2 Cache
6 MB+50%
4 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary is support for FSR Frame Generation. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 12GBRadeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
FSR Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB comes with 12 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary has 8 GB. The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 360 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs 448 GB/s (Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary) — a 24.4% advantage for the Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary. Bus width: 192-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 6 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs 4 MB (Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary) — the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 12GBRadeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary
VRAM Capacity
12 GB+50%
8 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
360 GB/s
448 GB/s+24%
Bus Width
192-bit
256-bit+33%
L2 Cache
6 MB+50%
4 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs 12.0 (Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 12GBRadeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12.0
Vulkan
1.3+18%
1.1
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs VCN 2.0 (Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs VCN 2.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 12GBRadeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary
Encoder
NVENC 7th gen
VCN 2.0
Decoder
NVDEC 5th gen
VCN 2.0
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB draws 350W versus the Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary's 225W — a 43.5% difference. The Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs 650W (Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 270mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 85°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 12GBRadeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary
TDP
350W
225W-36%
Recommended PSU
550W-15%
650W
Power Connector
8-pin
6-pin + 8-pin
Length
242mm
270mm
Height
112mm
110mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75°C-12%
85°C
Perf/Watt
47.9
73.6+54%
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB launched at $329 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary launched at $499. The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB costs 34.1% less ($170 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.0 (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs 33.2 (Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary) — the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB offers 53.6% better value. The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB is the newer GPU (2022 vs 2019).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 12GBRadeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary
MSRP
$329-34%
$499
Performance per Dollar
51.0+54%
33.2
Codename
GA102
Navi 10
Release
January 11 2022
July 7 2019
Ranking
#38
#120