GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon 780M

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060

2021Core: 1320 MHzBoost: 1777 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon 780M

2024Core: 800 MHzBoost: 2900 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

  • +146.1% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown 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

  • 1033.3% higher power demand at 170W vs 15W.

Radeon 780M

2024

Why buy it

  • Draws 15W instead of 170W, a 155W reduction.
  • More future proof: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (6,906 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.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 51.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 better than Radeon 780M?
Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 16,995 vs 6,906 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3060 is a 2021 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon 780M is a 2024 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 146.1% 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 today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3060 is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $329 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 146.1% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%. Radeon 780M is the newer 2024 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture and lower power draw (15W vs 170W) than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.
When does Radeon 780M make more sense than GeForce RTX 3060?
Yes. Radeon 780M 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 (15W vs 170W), and staying closer to an unclear MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of GeForce RTX 3060. The trade-off is that GeForce RTX 3060 currently gives you 146.1% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%.

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 3060Radeon 780M
1080p
low149 FPS93 FPS
medium131 FPS78 FPS
high118 FPS65 FPS
ultra99 FPS43 FPS
1440p
low126 FPS80 FPS
medium104 FPS68 FPS
high92 FPS51 FPS
ultra80 FPS32 FPS
4K
low67 FPS29 FPS
medium58 FPS27 FPS
high39 FPS18 FPS
ultra32 FPS16 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3060Radeon 780M
1080p
low354 FPS96 FPS
medium310 FPS67 FPS
high249 FPS47 FPS
ultra195 FPS32 FPS
1440p
low222 FPS67 FPS
medium196 FPS45 FPS
high160 FPS33 FPS
ultra128 FPS23 FPS
4K
low110 FPS35 FPS
medium94 FPS25 FPS
high77 FPS20 FPS
ultra60 FPS13 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce RTX 3060Radeon 780M
1080p
low765 FPS310 FPS
medium612 FPS249 FPS
high510 FPS206 FPS
ultra382 FPS155 FPS
1440p
low535 FPS227 FPS
medium432 FPS186 FPS
high366 FPS155 FPS
ultra287 FPS117 FPS
4K
low367 FPS137 FPS
medium298 FPS123 FPS
high221 FPS83 FPS
ultra176 FPS59 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce RTX 3060Radeon 780M
1080p
low523 FPS173 FPS
medium452 FPS136 FPS
high383 FPS112 FPS
ultra319 FPS88 FPS
1440p
low428 FPS119 FPS
medium371 FPS96 FPS
high298 FPS81 FPS
ultra245 FPS65 FPS
4K
low279 FPS71 FPS
medium259 FPS57 FPS
high225 FPS45 FPS
ultra186 FPS33 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 and Radeon 780M

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.

AMD

Radeon 780M

The Radeon 780M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 31 2024. It features the RDNA 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 800 MHz to 2900 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 15W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 12 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,906 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon 780M's 6,906 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 146.1%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon 780M uses RDNA 3.0, both on 8 nm vs 4 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 768 (Radeon 780M). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 8.909 TFLOPS (Radeon 780M). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 2900 MHz. Ray tracing: 28 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12 (Radeon 780M) with 112 Tensor cores.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon 780M
G3D Mark Score
16,995+146%
6,906
Architecture
Ampere
RDNA 3.0
Process Node
8 nm
4 nm
Shading Units
3584+367%
768
Compute (TFLOPS)
12.74 TFLOPS+43%
8.909 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1777 MHz
2900 MHz+63%
ROPs
48+50%
32
TMUs
112+133%
48
L1 Cache
3.5 MB+1300%
0.25 MB
L2 Cache
3 MB+50%
2 MB
Ray Tracing Cores
28+133%
12

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 780M relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon 780M
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 780M 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 2 MB (Radeon 780M) — the GeForce RTX 3060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon 780M
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+50%
2 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12.2 (Radeon 780M). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon 780M
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12.2+2%
Vulkan
1.3
1.3
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060) vs VCN 4.0 (Radeon 780M). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs VCN 4.0. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Radeon 780M).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon 780M
Encoder
NVENC 7th Gen
VCN 4.0
Decoder
NVDEC 5th Gen
VCN 4.0
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 780M's 15W — a 167.6% difference. The Radeon 780M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 350W (Radeon 780M). Power connectors: 8-pin vs None. Card length: 242mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon 780M
TDP
170W
15W-91%
Recommended PSU
550W
350W-36%
Power Connector
8-pin
None
Length
242mm
0mm
Height
112mm
0mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
75
Perf/Watt
100.0
460.4+360%
💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon 780M is the newer GPU (2024 vs 2021).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon 780M
MSRP
$329
Codename
GA106
Phoenix
Release
January 12 2021
January 31 2024
Ranking
#114
#359