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 4060

2023

Why buy it

✅+128.7% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 75.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 65.4 vs 37.3 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
✅More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 115W instead of 150W, a 35W reduction.

Trade-offs

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

Radeon RX 480

2016

Why buy it

✅Costs $70 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (8,546 vs 19,548).
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 37.3 vs 65.4 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌30.4% higher power demand at 150W vs 115W.

GeForce RTX 4060

2023

Radeon RX 480

2016

Why buy it

✅+128.7% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 75.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 65.4 vs 37.3 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
✅More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 115W instead of 150W, a 35W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Costs $70 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $299 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 (8,546 vs 19,548).
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 37.3 vs 65.4 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌30.4% higher power demand at 150W vs 115W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 4060 better than Radeon RX 480?

Yes. GeForce RTX 4060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 19,548 vs 8,546 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 4060 is a 2023 card with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation, while Radeon RX 480 is a 2016 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 4060 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2016, 128.7% more raw performance headroom, better frame-generation support with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023) instead of FSR upscaling, and a 5nm process instead of 14nm. 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 4060 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 4060 is about 30.6% more expensive on MSRP at $299 MSRP versus $229 MSRP, and you are getting 128.7% higher G3D Mark. Radeon RX 480 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon RX 480 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon RX 480 is 2016 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM, 8,546 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 4060 Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 480 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon RX 480
1080p
low	167 FPS	134 FPS
medium	152 FPS	113 FPS
high	134 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	115 FPS	58 FPS
1440p
low	137 FPS	114 FPS
medium	114 FPS	96 FPS
high	99 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	90 FPS	42 FPS
4K
low	86 FPS	39 FPS
medium	74 FPS	36 FPS
high	62 FPS	23 FPS
ultra	55 FPS	19 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4060 Open Radeon RX 480

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon RX 480
1080p
low	392 FPS	156 FPS
medium	334 FPS	135 FPS
high	268 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	211 FPS	89 FPS
1440p
low	240 FPS	91 FPS
medium	209 FPS	71 FPS
high	169 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	137 FPS	44 FPS
4K
low	119 FPS	37 FPS
medium	98 FPS	29 FPS
high	82 FPS	23 FPS
ultra	63 FPS	18 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4060 Open Radeon RX 480

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon RX 480
1080p
low	812 FPS	385 FPS
medium	642 FPS	308 FPS
high	551 FPS	256 FPS
ultra	440 FPS	192 FPS
1440p
low	535 FPS	288 FPS
medium	443 FPS	231 FPS
high	379 FPS	192 FPS
ultra	329 FPS	144 FPS
4K
low	365 FPS	192 FPS
medium	297 FPS	154 FPS
high	234 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	186 FPS	96 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4060 Open Radeon RX 480

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon RX 480
1080p
low	746 FPS	290 FPS
medium	613 FPS	252 FPS
high	536 FPS	210 FPS
ultra	440 FPS	166 FPS
1440p
low	594 FPS	213 FPS
medium	486 FPS	190 FPS
high	421 FPS	153 FPS
ultra	330 FPS	118 FPS
4K
low	358 FPS	120 FPS
medium	308 FPS	98 FPS
high	285 FPS	80 FPS
ultra	220 FPS	62 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4060 Open Radeon RX 480

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 4060 and Radeon RX 480

GeForce RTX 4060

The GeForce RTX 4060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 18 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 1830 MHz to 2460 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 115W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 24 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 19,548 points. Launch price was $299.

Radeon RX 480

The Radeon RX 480 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 29 2016. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1120 MHz to 1266 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,546 points. Launch price was $229.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 4060 scores 19,548 versus the Radeon RX 480's 8,546 — the GeForce RTX 4060 leads by 128.7%. The GeForce RTX 4060 is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon RX 480 uses GCN 4.0, both on 5 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 3,072 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX 480). Raw compute: 15.11 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 5.834 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 480). Boost clocks: 2460 MHz vs 1266 MHz.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon RX 480
G3D Mark Score	19,548+129%	8,546
Architecture	Ada Lovelace	GCN 4.0
Process Node	5 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	3072+33%	2304
Compute (TFLOPS)	15.11 TFLOPS+159%	5.834 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	2460 MHz+94%	1266 MHz
ROPs	48+50%	32
TMUs	96	144+50%
L1 Cache	3 MB+436%	0.56 MB
L2 Cache	24 MB+1100%	2 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the GeForce RTX 4060 is support for DLSS 3.5 + 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 Radeon RX 480 lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce RTX 4060 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon RX 480 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon RX 480
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	Yes (DLSS 3.5)	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 8 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 272 GB/s (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 256 GB/s (Radeon RX 480) — a 6.3% advantage for the GeForce RTX 4060. Bus width: 128-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 24 MB (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX 480) — the GeForce RTX 4060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon RX 480
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	272 GB/s+6%	256 GB/s
Bus Width	128-bit	256-bit+100%
L2 Cache	24 MB+1100%	2 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 12.0 (Radeon RX 480). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon RX 480
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12.0
Vulkan	1.3	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 8th gen (GeForce RTX 4060) vs VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 480). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon RX 480).

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon RX 480
Encoder	NVENC 8th gen	VCE 3.4
Decoder	NVDEC 5th gen	UVD 6.3
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 4060 draws 115W versus the Radeon RX 480's 150W — a 26.4% difference. The GeForce RTX 4060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 500W (Radeon RX 480). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 240mm vs 240mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 73°C vs 85°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon RX 480
TDP	115W-23%	150W
Recommended PSU	550W	500W-9%
Power Connector	8-pin	8-pin
Length	240mm	240mm
Height	111mm	95mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	73°C-14%	85°C
Perf/Watt	170.0+198%	57.0

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 4060 launched at $299 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 480 launched at $229. The Radeon RX 480 costs 23.4% less ($70 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 65.4 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 37.3 (Radeon RX 480) — the GeForce RTX 4060 offers 75.3% better value. The GeForce RTX 4060 is the newer GPU (2023 vs 2016).