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 GTX 680

2012

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (5,609 vs 22,172).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 11.2 vs 44.4 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3070

2020

Why buy it

✅+295.3% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 295.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 11.2 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) 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.

GeForce GTX 680

2012

GeForce RTX 3070

2020

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅+295.3% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 295.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 11.2 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (5,609 vs 22,172).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 11.2 vs 44.4 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Trade-offs

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

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3070 better than GeForce GTX 680?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3070 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 22,172 vs 5,609 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3070 is a 2020 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while GeForce GTX 680 is a 2012 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 3070 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2012, 295.3% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 4 GB, and better upscaling support with DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack. 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 3070 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 3070 is in basically the same MSRP band at $499 MSRP versus $499 MSRP, and you are getting 295.3% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 680 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is GeForce GTX 680 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. GeForce GTX 680 is 2012 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM, 5,609 in G3D Mark, and no meaningful modern upscaling stack. 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 GTX 680 Benchmark Check

GeForce RTX 3070 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 680	GeForce RTX 3070
1080p
low	78 FPS	158 FPS
medium	66 FPS	140 FPS
high	53 FPS	123 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	104 FPS
1440p
low	68 FPS	134 FPS
medium	60 FPS	109 FPS
high	42 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	86 FPS
4K
low	25 FPS	80 FPS
medium	23 FPS	67 FPS
high	15 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	13 FPS	45 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680 Open GeForce RTX 3070

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 680	GeForce RTX 3070
1080p
low	124 FPS	470 FPS
medium	92 FPS	405 FPS
high	70 FPS	327 FPS
ultra	46 FPS	277 FPS
1440p
low	67 FPS	294 FPS
medium	46 FPS	246 FPS
high	34 FPS	213 FPS
ultra	24 FPS	179 FPS
4K
low	25 FPS	141 FPS
medium	17 FPS	120 FPS
high	13 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	10 FPS	83 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680 Open GeForce RTX 3070

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 680	GeForce RTX 3070
1080p
low	252 FPS	885 FPS
medium	202 FPS	712 FPS
high	168 FPS	619 FPS
ultra	126 FPS	499 FPS
1440p
low	189 FPS	692 FPS
medium	151 FPS	557 FPS
high	126 FPS	473 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	374 FPS
4K
low	126 FPS	479 FPS
medium	101 FPS	388 FPS
high	84 FPS	330 FPS
ultra	63 FPS	249 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680 Open GeForce RTX 3070

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 680	GeForce RTX 3070
1080p
low	126 FPS	600 FPS
medium	101 FPS	527 FPS
high	86 FPS	433 FPS
ultra	73 FPS	385 FPS
1440p
low	97 FPS	489 FPS
medium	78 FPS	433 FPS
high	67 FPS	339 FPS
ultra	52 FPS	297 FPS
4K
low	57 FPS	292 FPS
medium	44 FPS	270 FPS
high	35 FPS	238 FPS
ultra	25 FPS	200 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680 Open GeForce RTX 3070

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 680 and GeForce RTX 3070

GeForce GTX 680

The GeForce GTX 680 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 22 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 1006 MHz to 1058 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 195W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,609 points. Launch price was $499.

GeForce RTX 3070

The GeForce RTX 3070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1500 MHz to 1725 MHz. It has 5888 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 22,172 points. Launch price was $499.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 680 scores 5,609 versus the GeForce RTX 3070's 22,172 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 295.3%. The GeForce GTX 680 is built on Kepler while the GeForce RTX 3070 uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 680) vs 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070). Raw compute: 3.25 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 680) vs 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070). Boost clocks: 1058 MHz vs 1725 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	GeForce RTX 3070
G3D Mark Score	5,609	22,172+295%
Architecture	Kepler	Ampere
Process Node	28 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	1536	5888+283%
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.25 TFLOPS	20.31 TFLOPS+525%
Boost Clock	1058 MHz	1725 MHz+63%
ROPs	32	96+200%
TMUs	128	184+44%
L1 Cache	0.13 MB	5.8 MB+4362%
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	4 MB+700%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3070 supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 680 is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	GeForce RTX 3070
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 680 comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3070 has 8 GB. The GeForce RTX 3070 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 192.2 GB/s (GeForce GTX 680) vs 448 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3070) — a 133.1% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3070. Bus width: 256-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (GeForce GTX 680) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	GeForce RTX 3070
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	8 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	192.2 GB/s	448 GB/s+133%
Bus Width	256-bit	256-bit
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	4 MB+700%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FL 11_0) (GeForce GTX 680) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3070). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	GeForce RTX 3070
DirectX	12 (FL 11_0)	12 Ultimate
Vulkan	1.1	1.4+27%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st gen (GeForce GTX 680) vs NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3070). Decoder: PureVideo VP5 vs NVDEC 5th gen. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTX 680) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070).

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	GeForce RTX 3070
Encoder	NVENC 1st gen	NVENC 7th gen
Decoder	PureVideo VP5	NVDEC 5th gen
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 680 draws 195W versus the GeForce RTX 3070's 220W — a 12% difference. The GeForce GTX 680 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce GTX 680) vs 650W (GeForce RTX 3070). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 256mm vs 242mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 98°C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	GeForce RTX 3070
TDP	195W-11%	220W
Recommended PSU	550W-15%	650W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	8-pin
Length	256mm	242mm
Height	111mm	112mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	98°C	75°C-23%
Perf/Watt	28.8	100.8+250%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 680 launched at $499 MSRP, while the GeForce RTX 3070 launched at $499. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 11.2 (GeForce GTX 680) vs 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) — the GeForce RTX 3070 offers 296.4% better value. The GeForce RTX 3070 is the newer GPU (2020 vs 2012).