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

✅Costs $370 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Delivers 121.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 23.3 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅More future proof: Ampere on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 170W instead of 295W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon VII across 34 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 12 GB vs 16 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Radeon VII

2019

Why buy it

✅5.7% more average FPS across 34 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (16 GB vs 12 GB).
✅More future proof: GCN 5.1 (2018−2022) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Weaker long-term outlook: GeForce RTX 3060 is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.
❌
112.5% HIGHER MSRP
$699 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 23.3 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
❌73.5% higher power demand at 295W vs 170W.

GeForce RTX 3060

2021

Radeon VII

2019

Why buy it

✅Costs $370 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Delivers 121.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 23.3 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅More future proof: Ampere on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 170W instead of 295W, a 125W reduction.

Why buy it

✅5.7% more average FPS across 34 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (16 GB vs 12 GB).
✅More future proof: GCN 5.1 (2018−2022) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon VII across 34 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 12 GB vs 16 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Trade-offs

❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Weaker long-term outlook: GeForce RTX 3060 is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.
❌
112.5% HIGHER MSRP
$699 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 23.3 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
❌73.5% higher power demand at 295W vs 170W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 better than Radeon VII?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. Radeon VII averages 5.7% more FPS across 34 tracked games in our benchmark data. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 16,995 vs 16,308 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GeForce RTX 3060 is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, DLSS Super Resolution, plus much lower power draw (170W vs 295W).

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 2019 and the stronger feature stack with DLSS Super Resolution instead of FSR upscaling. 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 can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $329 MSRP. GeForce RTX 3060 is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. GeForce RTX 3060 is about $370 cheaper on MSRP at $329 MSRP versus $699 MSRP, and you are getting lower estimated average FPS across 34 tracked games in our benchmark data and 4.2% higher G3D Mark. Moving to $329 MSRP gets you newer hardware, lower power draw (170W vs 295W), and DLSS Super Resolution.

Is Radeon VII still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon VII is still a strong gaming card in 2026: it is very strong for 1080p, good for 1440p, and more limited at 4K. Price is really the swing factor here. If you find it at or below $699 MSRP, it remains a very sensible buy. GeForce RTX 3060 is still the safer recommendation for most fresh builds because it offers a cleaner overall package with newer hardware and DLSS Super Resolution.

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 VII Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon VII
1080p
low	149 FPS	200 FPS
medium	131 FPS	185 FPS
high	118 FPS	161 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	146 FPS
1440p
low	126 FPS	184 FPS
medium	104 FPS	154 FPS
high	92 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	119 FPS
4K
low	67 FPS	118 FPS
medium	58 FPS	99 FPS
high	39 FPS	75 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	69 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon VII

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon VII
1080p
low	354 FPS	392 FPS
medium	310 FPS	336 FPS
high	249 FPS	262 FPS
ultra	195 FPS	212 FPS
1440p
low	222 FPS	240 FPS
medium	196 FPS	203 FPS
high	160 FPS	170 FPS
ultra	128 FPS	136 FPS
4K
low	110 FPS	108 FPS
medium	94 FPS	89 FPS
high	77 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	60 FPS	56 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon VII

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon VII
1080p
low	765 FPS	734 FPS
medium	612 FPS	587 FPS
high	510 FPS	489 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	367 FPS
1440p
low	535 FPS	550 FPS
medium	432 FPS	440 FPS
high	366 FPS	367 FPS
ultra	287 FPS	275 FPS
4K
low	367 FPS	367 FPS
medium	298 FPS	294 FPS
high	221 FPS	245 FPS
ultra	176 FPS	183 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon VII

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon VII
1080p
low	523 FPS	596 FPS
medium	452 FPS	521 FPS
high	383 FPS	435 FPS
ultra	319 FPS	356 FPS
1440p
low	428 FPS	465 FPS
medium	371 FPS	413 FPS
high	298 FPS	329 FPS
ultra	245 FPS	267 FPS
4K
low	279 FPS	297 FPS
medium	259 FPS	281 FPS
high	225 FPS	239 FPS
ultra	186 FPS	183 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon VII

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 and Radeon VII

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 VII

The Radeon VII is manufactured by AMD. It was released in February 7 2019. It features the GCN 5.1 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1400 MHz to 1750 MHz. It has 3840 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 295W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 16,308 points. Launch price was $699.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 and the Radeon VII reaches 16,308 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon VII uses GCN 5.1, both on 8 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 3,840 (Radeon VII). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 13.44 TFLOPS (Radeon VII). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 1750 MHz.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon VII
G3D Mark Score	16,995+4%	16,308
Architecture	Ampere	GCN 5.1
Process Node	8 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	3584	3840+7%
Compute (TFLOPS)	12.74 TFLOPS	13.44 TFLOPS+5%
Boost Clock	1777 MHz+2%	1750 MHz
ROPs	48	64+33%
TMUs	112	240+114%
L1 Cache	3.5 MB+272%	0.94 MB
L2 Cache	3 MB	4 MB+33%

✨

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

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon VII
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 VII has 16 GB. The Radeon VII offers 33.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 360 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 1024 GB/s (Radeon VII) — a 184.4% advantage for the Radeon VII. Bus width: 192-bit vs 4096-bit. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 4 MB (Radeon VII) — the Radeon VII has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon VII
VRAM Capacity	12 GB	16 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR6	HBM2
Memory Bandwidth	360 GB/s	1024 GB/s+184%
Bus Width	192-bit	4096-bit+2033%
L2 Cache	3 MB	4 MB+33%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12.1 (Radeon VII). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon VII
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12.1
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 VCE 4.1 (Radeon VII). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs UVD 7.2. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon VII).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon VII
Encoder	NVENC 7th Gen	VCE 4.1
Decoder	NVDEC 5th Gen	UVD 7.2
Codecs	AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Radeon VII's 295W — a 53.8% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 750W (Radeon VII). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 280mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 89°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon VII
TDP	170W-42%	295W
Recommended PSU	550W-27%	750W
Power Connector	8-pin	2x 8-pin
Length	242mm	280mm
Height	112mm	125mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	75-16%	89°C
Perf/Watt	100.0+81%	55.3

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3060 launched at $329 MSRP, while the Radeon VII launched at $699. The GeForce RTX 3060 costs 52.9% less ($370 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 23.3 (Radeon VII) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 121.9% better value. The GeForce RTX 3060 is the newer GPU (2021 vs 2019).