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

✅+183.3% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 71.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 30.2 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Radeon R9 380

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $130 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (6,000 vs 16,995).
❌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.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 30.2 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3060

2021

Radeon R9 380

2015

Why buy it

✅+183.3% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 71.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 30.2 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Costs $130 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (6,000 vs 16,995).
❌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.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 30.2 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 better than Radeon R9 380?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 16,995 vs 6,000 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3060 is a 2021 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon R9 380 is a 2015 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?

GeForce RTX 3060 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2021 generation instead of 2015, 183.3% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 12 GB instead of 4 GB, and the stronger feature stack with DLSS Super Resolution instead of FSR upscaling. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce RTX 3060 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 3060 is about 65.3% more expensive on MSRP at $329 MSRP versus $199 MSRP, and you are getting 183.3% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 380 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon R9 380 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon R9 380 is 2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM, 6,000 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

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 R9 380 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 380
1080p
low	149 FPS	101 FPS
medium	131 FPS	87 FPS
high	118 FPS	70 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	41 FPS
1440p
low	126 FPS	88 FPS
medium	104 FPS	77 FPS
high	92 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	31 FPS
4K
low	67 FPS	28 FPS
medium	58 FPS	26 FPS
high	39 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	15 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon R9 380

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 380
1080p
low	354 FPS	128 FPS
medium	310 FPS	98 FPS
high	249 FPS	78 FPS
ultra	195 FPS	52 FPS
1440p
low	222 FPS	72 FPS
medium	196 FPS	52 FPS
high	160 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	128 FPS	27 FPS
4K
low	110 FPS	27 FPS
medium	94 FPS	19 FPS
high	77 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	60 FPS	11 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon R9 380

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 380
1080p
low	765 FPS	270 FPS
medium	612 FPS	216 FPS
high	510 FPS	180 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	135 FPS
1440p
low	535 FPS	202 FPS
medium	432 FPS	162 FPS
high	366 FPS	135 FPS
ultra	287 FPS	101 FPS
4K
low	367 FPS	135 FPS
medium	298 FPS	108 FPS
high	221 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	176 FPS	68 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon R9 380

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 380
1080p
low	523 FPS	171 FPS
medium	452 FPS	142 FPS
high	383 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	319 FPS	103 FPS
1440p
low	428 FPS	121 FPS
medium	371 FPS	102 FPS
high	298 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	245 FPS	69 FPS
4K
low	279 FPS	71 FPS
medium	259 FPS	57 FPS
high	225 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	186 FPS	32 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon R9 380

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 and Radeon R9 380

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 R9 380

The Radeon R9 380 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 18 2015. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 970 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,000 points. Launch price was $199.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon R9 380's 6,000 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 183.3%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon R9 380 uses GCN 3.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 1,792 (Radeon R9 380). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 3.476 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 380). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 970 MHz.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 380
G3D Mark Score	16,995+183%	6,000
Architecture	Ampere	GCN 3.0
Process Node	8 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	3584+100%	1792
Compute (TFLOPS)	12.74 TFLOPS+267%	3.476 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1777 MHz+83%	970 MHz
ROPs	48+50%	32
TMUs	112	112
L1 Cache	3.5 MB+695%	0.44 MB
L2 Cache	3 MB+500%	0.5 MB

✨

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 R9 380 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 380
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 R9 380 has 4 GB. The GeForce RTX 3060 offers 200% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 360 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 182.4 GB/s (Radeon R9 380) — a 97.4% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3060. Bus width: 192-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 380) — the GeForce RTX 3060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 380
VRAM Capacity	12 GB+200%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	360 GB/s+97%	182.4 GB/s
Bus Width	192-bit	256-bit+33%
L2 Cache	3 MB+500%	0.5 MB

🎬

Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs H.264,H.265 (Radeon R9 380).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 380
Encoder	NVENC 7th Gen	—
Decoder	NVDEC 5th Gen	—
Codecs	AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9	H.264,H.265

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Radeon R9 380's 220W — a 25.6% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 500W (Radeon R9 380). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 2x 6-pin.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 380
TDP	170W-23%	220W
Recommended PSU	550W	500W-9%
Power Connector	8-pin	2x 6-pin
Length	242mm	—
Height	112mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	75	—
Perf/Watt	100.0+266%	27.3

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3060 launched at $329 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 380 launched at $199. The Radeon R9 380 costs 39.5% less ($130 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 30.2 (Radeon R9 380) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 71.2% better value. The GeForce RTX 3060 is the newer GPU (2021 vs 2015).