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

✅10.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.0 vs 0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 12 GB vs 16 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌133.3% higher power demand at 350W vs 150W.

RTX A5000 Mobile

2021

Why buy it

✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (16 GB vs 12 GB).
✅Draws 150W instead of 350W, a 200W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 12GB across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 51.0 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3060 12GB

2022

RTX A5000 Mobile

2021

Why buy it

✅10.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.0 vs 0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).

Why buy it

✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (16 GB vs 12 GB).
✅Draws 150W instead of 350W, a 200W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 12 GB vs 16 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌133.3% higher power demand at 350W vs 150W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 12GB across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 51.0 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 12GB better than RTX A5000 Mobile?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 12GB is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 10.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data, 2.7% higher PassMark G3D performance, DLSS 2 Super Resolution, and 280 vs 192 Tensor cores. It also comes from 2022 instead of 2021, 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 2021 and better upscaling support with DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

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 priced in an unclear MSRP range at $329 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 10.2% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 2.7% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is RTX A5000 Mobile still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. RTX A5000 Mobile 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 an unclear 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.

GeForce RTX 3060 12GB Benchmark Check

RTX A5000 Mobile Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 12GB	RTX A5000 Mobile
1080p
low	166 FPS	166 FPS
medium	151 FPS	148 FPS
high	133 FPS	125 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	90 FPS
1440p
low	139 FPS	146 FPS
medium	116 FPS	124 FPS
high	98 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	85 FPS	66 FPS
4K
low	80 FPS	70 FPS
medium	67 FPS	60 FPS
high	51 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	38 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 12GB Open RTX A5000 Mobile

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 12GB	RTX A5000 Mobile
1080p
low	494 FPS	360 FPS
medium	425 FPS	309 FPS
high	360 FPS	254 FPS
ultra	323 FPS	212 FPS
1440p
low	372 FPS	251 FPS
medium	310 FPS	207 FPS
high	258 FPS	180 FPS
ultra	219 FPS	146 FPS
4K
low	193 FPS	127 FPS
medium	167 FPS	108 FPS
high	144 FPS	95 FPS
ultra	120 FPS	73 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 12GB Open RTX A5000 Mobile

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 12GB	RTX A5000 Mobile
1080p
low	755 FPS	735 FPS
medium	604 FPS	588 FPS
high	503 FPS	490 FPS
ultra	377 FPS	368 FPS
1440p
low	566 FPS	551 FPS
medium	453 FPS	441 FPS
high	377 FPS	368 FPS
ultra	283 FPS	276 FPS
4K
low	377 FPS	368 FPS
medium	302 FPS	294 FPS
high	252 FPS	245 FPS
ultra	189 FPS	184 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 12GB Open RTX A5000 Mobile

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 12GB	RTX A5000 Mobile
1080p
low	445 FPS	282 FPS
medium	396 FPS	246 FPS
high	330 FPS	201 FPS
ultra	288 FPS	173 FPS
1440p
low	366 FPS	216 FPS
medium	328 FPS	193 FPS
high	271 FPS	159 FPS
ultra	231 FPS	133 FPS
4K
low	237 FPS	131 FPS
medium	217 FPS	112 FPS
high	186 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	160 FPS	72 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 12GB Open RTX A5000 Mobile

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 12GB and RTX A5000 Mobile

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.

RTX A5000 Mobile

The RTX A5000 Mobile is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 12 2021. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 900 MHz to 1575 MHz. It has 6144 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 48 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 16,340 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB scores 16,777 and the RTX A5000 Mobile reaches 16,340 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB is built on Ampere while the RTX A5000 Mobile uses Ampere, both on a 8 nm process. Shader units: 8,960 (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs 6,144 (RTX A5000 Mobile). Raw compute: 30.64 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs 19.35 TFLOPS (RTX A5000 Mobile). Boost clocks: 1710 MHz vs 1575 MHz. Ray tracing: 70 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs 48 (RTX A5000 Mobile) with 280 Tensor cores vs 192.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 12GB	RTX A5000 Mobile
G3D Mark Score	16,777+3%	16,340
Architecture	Ampere	Ampere
Process Node	8 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	8960+46%	6144
Compute (TFLOPS)	30.64 TFLOPS+58%	19.35 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1710 MHz+9%	1575 MHz
ROPs	96	96
TMUs	280+46%	192
L1 Cache	8.8 MB+47%	6 MB
L2 Cache	6 MB+50%	4 MB
Ray Tracing Cores	70+46%	48
Tensor Cores	280+46%	192

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The RTX A5000 Mobile supports the newer Upscaling support, whereas the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB is capped at DLSS 2 Super Resolution.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 12GB	RTX A5000 Mobile
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 2 Super Resolution	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB comes with 12 GB of VRAM, while the RTX A5000 Mobile has 16 GB. The RTX A5000 Mobile offers 33.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 192-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 6 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs 4 MB (RTX A5000 Mobile) — the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 12GB	RTX A5000 Mobile
VRAM Capacity	12 GB	16 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Bus Width	192-bit+50%	128-bit
L2 Cache	6 MB+50%	4 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs 12.2 (RTX A5000 Mobile). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 12GB	RTX A5000 Mobile
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12.2+2%
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs 7th Gen NVENC (RTX A5000 Mobile). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs 5th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode) (RTX A5000 Mobile).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 12GB	RTX A5000 Mobile
Encoder	NVENC 7th gen	7th Gen NVENC
Decoder	NVDEC 5th gen	5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode)

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB draws 350W versus the RTX A5000 Mobile's 150W — a 80% difference. The RTX A5000 Mobile is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs 650W (RTX A5000 Mobile). Power connectors: 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 242mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 80°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 12GB	RTX A5000 Mobile
TDP	350W	150W-57%
Recommended PSU	550W-15%	650W
Power Connector	8-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	242mm	0mm
Height	112mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	75°C-6%	80°C
Perf/Watt	47.9	108.9+127%