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

2021

Why buy it

✅139.2% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $71 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Delivers 111.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 24.4 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

❌209.1% higher power demand at 170W vs 55W.

Radeon 8040S

2025

Why buy it

✅Draws 55W instead of 170W, a 115W reduction.
✅More future proof: RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌
21.6% HIGHER MSRP
$400 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 24.4 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($400 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3060

2021

Radeon 8040S

2025

Why buy it

✅139.2% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $71 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Delivers 111.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 24.4 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 4 GB).

Why buy it

✅Draws 55W instead of 170W, a 115W reduction.
✅More future proof: RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌209.1% higher power demand at 170W vs 55W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌
21.6% HIGHER MSRP
$400 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 24.4 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($400 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 better than Radeon 8040S?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3060 averages 139.2% more FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 16,995 vs 9,756 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3060 is a 2021 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon 8040S is a 2025 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon 8040S is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2025 generation instead of 2021, better upscaling support with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020), and a 4nm process instead of 8nm. 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 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3060 is about $71 cheaper on MSRP at $329 MSRP versus $400 MSRP, and you are getting 139.2% more estimated average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data and 74.2% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 111.8%. Radeon 8040S is the newer 2025 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture, lower power draw (55W vs 170W), and future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does Radeon 8040S make more sense than GeForce RTX 3060?

Yes. Radeon 8040S is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, lower power draw (55W vs 170W), future-proofing, and staying closer to $400 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of GeForce RTX 3060. The trade-off is that GeForce RTX 3060 currently gives you 74.2% higher G3D Mark and 139.2% more estimated average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 111.8%.

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 Benchmark Check

Radeon 8040S Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon 8040S
1080p
low	149 FPS	100 FPS
medium	131 FPS	90 FPS
high	118 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	63 FPS
1440p
low	126 FPS	91 FPS
medium	104 FPS	78 FPS
high	92 FPS	64 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	53 FPS
4K
low	67 FPS	45 FPS
medium	58 FPS	41 FPS
high	39 FPS	30 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	27 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon 8040S

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon 8040S
1080p
low	354 FPS	135 FPS
medium	310 FPS	101 FPS
high	249 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	195 FPS	49 FPS
1440p
low	222 FPS	88 FPS
medium	196 FPS	59 FPS
high	160 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	128 FPS	32 FPS
4K
low	110 FPS	40 FPS
medium	94 FPS	29 FPS
high	77 FPS	24 FPS
ultra	60 FPS	17 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon 8040S

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon 8040S
1080p
low	765 FPS	320 FPS
medium	612 FPS	274 FPS
high	510 FPS	201 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	165 FPS
1440p
low	535 FPS	235 FPS
medium	432 FPS	208 FPS
high	366 FPS	160 FPS
ultra	287 FPS	125 FPS
4K
low	367 FPS	140 FPS
medium	298 FPS	122 FPS
high	221 FPS	85 FPS
ultra	176 FPS	57 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon 8040S

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon 8040S
1080p
low	523 FPS	242 FPS
medium	452 FPS	179 FPS
high	383 FPS	149 FPS
ultra	319 FPS	126 FPS
1440p
low	428 FPS	186 FPS
medium	371 FPS	140 FPS
high	298 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	245 FPS	91 FPS
4K
low	279 FPS	90 FPS
medium	259 FPS	68 FPS
high	225 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	186 FPS	46 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon 8040S

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 and Radeon 8040S

GeForce RTX 3060

The GeForce RTX 3060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 12 2021. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1320 MHz to 1777 MHz. It has 3584 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 170W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 28 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 16,995 points. Launch price was $329.

Radeon 8040S

The Radeon 8040S is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 6 2025. It features the RDNA 3.5 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1295 MHz to 2800 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 55W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,756 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon 8040S's 9,756 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 74.2%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon 8040S uses RDNA 3.5, both on 8 nm vs 4 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 1,024 (Radeon 8040S). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 5.734 TFLOPS (Radeon 8040S). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 2800 MHz. Ray tracing: 28 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 16 (Radeon 8040S) with 112 Tensor cores.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon 8040S
G3D Mark Score	16,995+74%	9,756
Architecture	Ampere	RDNA 3.5
Process Node	8 nm	4 nm
Shading Units	3584+250%	1024
Compute (TFLOPS)	12.74 TFLOPS+122%	5.734 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1777 MHz	2800 MHz+58%
ROPs	48+50%	32
TMUs	112+75%	64
L2 Cache	3 MB	8 MB+167%
Ray Tracing Cores	28+75%	16

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon 8040S relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon 8040S
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 2 Super Resolution	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3060 comes with 12 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon 8040S has 4 GB. The GeForce RTX 3060 offers 200% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 192-bit vs System. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 8 MB (Radeon 8040S) — the Radeon 8040S has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon 8040S
VRAM Capacity	12 GB+200%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	Shared
Memory Bandwidth	360 GB/s	System
Bus Width	192-bit	System
L2 Cache	3 MB	8 MB+167%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12.2 (Radeon 8040S). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon 8040S
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12.2+2%
Vulkan	1.3	1.4+8%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060) vs VCN 4.5 (Radeon 8040S). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs VCN 4.5. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Radeon 8040S).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon 8040S
Encoder	NVENC 7th Gen	VCN 4.5
Decoder	NVDEC 5th Gen	VCN 4.5
Codecs	AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Radeon 8040S's 55W — a 102.2% difference. The Radeon 8040S is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 500W (Radeon 8040S). Power connectors: 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 242mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 85°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon 8040S
TDP	170W	55W-68%
Recommended PSU	550W	500W-9%
Power Connector	8-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	242mm	0mm
Height	112mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	75-12%	85°C
Perf/Watt	100.0	177.4+77%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3060 launched at $329 MSRP, while the Radeon 8040S launched at $400. The GeForce RTX 3060 costs 17.8% less ($71 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 24.4 (Radeon 8040S) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 111.9% better value. The Radeon 8040S is the newer GPU (2025 vs 2021).