GeForce RTX 3060 vs Quadro M6000

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060

2021Core: 1320 MHzBoost: 1777 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
NVIDIA

Quadro M6000

2015Core: 988 MHzBoost: 1114 MHz

Popular choices:

RTX 3060

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

2021

Why buy it

  • 30.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $4,670 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $4,999 MSRP).
  • Delivers 2094.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 2.4 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $4,999 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 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.

Quadro M6000

2015

Why buy it

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 12 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
  • 1419.5% HIGHER MSRP
    $4,999 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.4 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($4,999 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 better than Quadro M6000?
Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3060 averages 30.4% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 16,995 vs 11,769 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3060 is a 2021 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Quadro M6000 is a 2015 model from an older generation with no meaningful modern upscaling stack. 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, 44.4% more raw performance headroom, better upscaling support with DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 8nm process instead of 28nm. 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 $4,670 cheaper on MSRP at $329 MSRP versus $4,999 MSRP, and you are getting 30.4% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 44.4% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 2094.2%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.
Is Quadro M6000 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
Yes. Quadro M6000 is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $4,999 MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 3060 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 3060Quadro M6000
1080p
low149 FPS121 FPS
medium131 FPS103 FPS
high118 FPS88 FPS
ultra99 FPS59 FPS
1440p
low126 FPS98 FPS
medium104 FPS82 FPS
high92 FPS64 FPS
ultra80 FPS43 FPS
4K
low67 FPS38 FPS
medium58 FPS34 FPS
high39 FPS21 FPS
ultra32 FPS18 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3060Quadro M6000
1080p
low354 FPS187 FPS
medium310 FPS166 FPS
high249 FPS135 FPS
ultra195 FPS104 FPS
1440p
low222 FPS128 FPS
medium196 FPS104 FPS
high160 FPS82 FPS
ultra128 FPS62 FPS
4K
low110 FPS60 FPS
medium94 FPS50 FPS
high77 FPS46 FPS
ultra60 FPS37 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce RTX 3060Quadro M6000
1080p
low765 FPS530 FPS
medium612 FPS424 FPS
high510 FPS353 FPS
ultra382 FPS265 FPS
1440p
low535 FPS397 FPS
medium432 FPS318 FPS
high366 FPS265 FPS
ultra287 FPS199 FPS
4K
low367 FPS265 FPS
medium298 FPS212 FPS
high221 FPS177 FPS
ultra176 FPS132 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce RTX 3060Quadro M6000
1080p
low523 FPS233 FPS
medium452 FPS200 FPS
high383 FPS165 FPS
ultra319 FPS137 FPS
1440p
low428 FPS179 FPS
medium371 FPS157 FPS
high298 FPS124 FPS
ultra245 FPS101 FPS
4K
low279 FPS102 FPS
medium259 FPS82 FPS
high225 FPS65 FPS
ultra186 FPS52 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 and Quadro M6000

NVIDIA

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.

NVIDIA

Quadro M6000

The Quadro M6000 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 21 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 988 MHz to 1114 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 11,769 points. Launch price was $4,199.99.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Quadro M6000's 11,769 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 44.4%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Quadro M6000 uses Maxwell 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 3,072 (Quadro M6000). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 6.844 TFLOPS (Quadro M6000). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 1114 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Quadro M6000
G3D Mark Score
16,995+44%
11,769
Architecture
Ampere
Maxwell 2.0
Process Node
8 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
3584+17%
3072
Compute (TFLOPS)
12.74 TFLOPS+86%
6.844 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1777 MHz+60%
1114 MHz
ROPs
48
96+100%
TMUs
112
192+71%
L1 Cache
3.5 MB+218%
1.1 MB
L2 Cache
3 MB
3 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 Quadro M6000 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Quadro M6000
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 12 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 360 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 317 GB/s (Quadro M6000) — a 13.6% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3060. Bus width: 192-bit vs 384-bit.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Quadro M6000
VRAM Capacity
12 GB
12 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
360 GB/s+14%
317 GB/s
Bus Width
192-bit
384-bit+100%
L2 Cache
3 MB
3 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12/1 (Quadro M6000). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.5. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Quadro M6000
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12/1
Vulkan
1.3+18%
1.1
OpenGL
4.6+2%
4.5
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060) vs NVENC 4.0 (Quadro M6000). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs PureVideo HD VP6. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Quadro M6000).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Quadro M6000
Encoder
NVENC 7th Gen
NVENC 4.0
Decoder
NVDEC 5th Gen
PureVideo HD VP6
Codecs
AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Quadro M6000's 250W — a 38.1% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 500W (Quadro M6000). Power connectors: 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 242mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 80°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Quadro M6000
TDP
170W-32%
250W
Recommended PSU
550W
500W-9%
Power Connector
8-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
242mm
267mm
Height
112mm
112mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75-6%
80°C
Perf/Watt
100.0+112%
47.1
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3060 launched at $329 MSRP, while the Quadro M6000 launched at $4999. The GeForce RTX 3060 costs 93.4% less ($4670 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 2.4 (Quadro M6000) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 2054.2% better value. The GeForce RTX 3060 is the newer GPU (2021 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Quadro M6000
MSRP
$329-93%
$4999
Performance per Dollar
51.7+2054%
2.4
Codename
GA106
GM200
Release
January 12 2021
March 21 2015
Ranking
#114
#228