GeForce RTX 2060 vs RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 2060

2019Core: 1365 MHzBoost: 1680 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
NVIDIA

RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU

2023Core: 1110 MHzBoost: 1545 MHz

Popular choices:

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 2060

2019

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU across 46 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • Weaker long-term outlook: RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.
  • 60% higher power demand at 160W vs 100W.

RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU

2023

Why buy it

  • 36.7% more average FPS across 46 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 6 GB).
  • More future proof: Ada Lovelace on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
  • Draws 100W instead of 160W, a 60W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 40.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $349 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU better than GeForce RTX 2060?
Yes. RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU is clearly the better overall GPU here. RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU averages 36.7% more FPS across 46 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 19,656 vs 14,114 in G3D Mark. On top of that, RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU is a 2023 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while GeForce RTX 2060 is a 2019 model from an older generation with DLSS Super Resolution. 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?
RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2019, 39.3% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 12 GB instead of 6 GB, and the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of DLSS Super Resolution. 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?
RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $349 MSRP, and you are getting 36.7% more estimated average FPS across 46 tracked games in our benchmark data and 39.3% higher G3D Mark. GeForce RTX 2060 still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium. If you are comfortable paying the premium for the stronger gaming result, RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU is the one to buy. If staying closer to budget matters more, GeForce RTX 2060 still makes more sense on price alone and remains capable enough for modern gaming.
Is GeForce RTX 2060 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
Yes. GeForce RTX 2060 is still a strong gaming GPU in 2026: it is very strong for 1080p, good for 1440p, and more limited at 4K. This mostly comes down to price. If you want to stay closer to $349 MSRP, it remains a strong choice; if you are comfortable paying more, RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU earns that extra money with a clearly stronger gaming result and a more complete overall package.

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 2060RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
1080p
low108 FPS143 FPS
medium98 FPS124 FPS
high82 FPS109 FPS
ultra69 FPS77 FPS
1440p
low95 FPS114 FPS
medium83 FPS95 FPS
high69 FPS76 FPS
ultra60 FPS53 FPS
4K
low47 FPS51 FPS
medium43 FPS44 FPS
high31 FPS33 FPS
ultra27 FPS28 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce RTX 2060RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
1080p
low290 FPS379 FPS
medium247 FPS327 FPS
high197 FPS265 FPS
ultra155 FPS230 FPS
1440p
low192 FPS282 FPS
medium164 FPS236 FPS
high131 FPS190 FPS
ultra104 FPS156 FPS
4K
low108 FPS132 FPS
medium91 FPS113 FPS
high75 FPS95 FPS
ultra57 FPS72 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce RTX 2060RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
1080p
low635 FPS826 FPS
medium508 FPS680 FPS
high423 FPS590 FPS
ultra318 FPS442 FPS
1440p
low476 FPS628 FPS
medium381 FPS510 FPS
high318 FPS442 FPS
ultra238 FPS332 FPS
4K
low318 FPS406 FPS
medium254 FPS324 FPS
high212 FPS268 FPS
ultra159 FPS212 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce RTX 2060RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
1080p
low428 FPS301 FPS
medium354 FPS260 FPS
high286 FPS217 FPS
ultra244 FPS190 FPS
1440p
low357 FPS239 FPS
medium302 FPS211 FPS
high235 FPS177 FPS
ultra193 FPS151 FPS
4K
low204 FPS142 FPS
medium166 FPS121 FPS
high154 FPS96 FPS
ultra119 FPS79 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 2060 and RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 2060

The GeForce RTX 2060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 7 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1365 MHz to 1680 MHz. It has 1920 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 160W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 30 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 14,114 points. Launch price was $349.

NVIDIA

RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU

The RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 21 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 1110 MHz to 1545 MHz. It has 5120 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 40 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 19,656 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 2060 scores 14,114 versus the RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU's 19,656 — the RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU leads by 39.3%. The GeForce RTX 2060 is built on Turing while the RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU uses Ada Lovelace, both on 12 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 1,920 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 5,120 (RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU). Raw compute: 6.451 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 15.82 TFLOPS (RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU). Boost clocks: 1680 MHz vs 1545 MHz. Ray tracing: 30 RT cores (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 40 (RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU) with 240 Tensor cores vs 160.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
G3D Mark Score
14,114
19,656+39%
Architecture
Turing
Ada Lovelace
Process Node
12 nm
5 nm
Shading Units
1920
5120+167%
Compute (TFLOPS)
6.451 TFLOPS
15.82 TFLOPS+145%
Boost Clock
1680 MHz+9%
1545 MHz
ROPs
48
64+33%
TMUs
120
160+33%
L1 Cache
1.9 MB
5 MB+163%
L2 Cache
3 MB
48 MB+1500%
Ray Tracing Cores
30
40+33%
Tensor Cores
240+50%
160

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU supports the newer Upscaling support, whereas the GeForce RTX 2060 is capped at DLSS 2 Super Resolution.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 2060 comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU has 12 GB. The RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 336 GB/s (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 432 GB/s (RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU) — a 28.6% advantage for the RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU. Bus width: 192-bit vs 192-bit. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 48 MB (RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU) — the RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
12 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
336 GB/s
432 GB/s+29%
Bus Width
192-bit
192-bit
L2 Cache
3 MB
48 MB+1500%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 12 Ultimate (RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
DirectX
12 Ultimate (12_2)
12 Ultimate
Vulkan
1.3
1.3
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Turing) (GeForce RTX 2060) vs NVENC 8th gen (RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU). Decoder: NVDEC (Turing) vs NVDEC 5th gen. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 (RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU).

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
Encoder
NVENC (Turing)
NVENC 8th gen
Decoder
NVDEC (Turing)
NVDEC 5th gen
Codecs
H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 2060 draws 160W versus the RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU's 100W — a 46.2% difference. The RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 150W (RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU). Power connectors: 8-pin vs Mobile. Typical load temperature: 72 vs 80°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
TDP
160W
100W-38%
Recommended PSU
500W
150W-70%
Power Connector
8-pin
Mobile
Length
229mm
Height
113mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
72-10%
80°C
Perf/Watt
88.2
196.6+123%
💰

Value Analysis

The RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU is the newer GPU (2023 vs 2019).

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060RTX 3500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
MSRP
$349
Codename
TU106
AD104
Release
January 7 2019
March 21 2023
Ranking
#168
#81