GeForce 6800 vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

NVIDIA

GeForce 6800

2014Core: 1082 MHzBoost: 1150 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020Core: 1410 MHzBoost: 1665 MHz
RTX family
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GeForce 6800 vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Performance Spectrum

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.

GeForce 6800 vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce 6800 vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce 6800

2014

Why buy it

  • Costs $100 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
  • Draws 33W instead of 200W, a 167W reduction.
  • Measures 198mm instead of 242mm, a 44mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Ti across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 256 MB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • 2014 hardware with 256 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.4 vs 50.9 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Why buy it

  • 5836.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 13370.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 0.4 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 3100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 256 MB).
  • Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 506.1% higher power demand at 200W vs 33W.
  • 22.2% longer card at 242mm vs 198mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 5836.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 17875.2% in PassMark G3D (20,312 vs 113), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 8 GB vs 256 MB of VRAM, the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 8nm process instead of 28nm, and 38 vs 0 ray-tracing units. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti makes the most sense to buy today. It is $100 more expensive on MSRP at $399 vs $299, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 13370.2% (50.9 vs 0.4), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce 6800 vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

NVIDIA

GeForce 6800

The GeForce 6800 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in July 22 2014. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1082 MHz to 1150 MHz. It has 256 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 33W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 113 points.

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in December 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1410 MHz to 1665 MHz. It has 4864 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 38 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 20,312 points. Launch price was $399.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce 6800 scores 113 versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 20,312 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads by 17875.2%. The GeForce 6800 is built on Maxwell while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 256 (GeForce 6800) vs 4,864 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Raw compute: 0.5888 TFLOPS (GeForce 6800) vs 16.2 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Boost clocks: 1150 MHz vs 1665 MHz.

FeatureGeForce 6800GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
G3D Mark Score
113
20,312+17875%
Architecture
Maxwell
Ampere
Process Node
28 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
256
4864+1800%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.5888 TFLOPS
16.2 TFLOPS+2651%
Boost Clock
1150 MHz
1665 MHz+45%
ROPs
8
80+900%
TMUs
16
152+850%
L1 Cache
0.13 MB
4.8 MB+3592%
L2 Cache
1 MB
4 MB+300%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce 6800 is capped at Upscaling support.

FeatureGeForce 6800GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
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 6800 has 256 MB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti carries 8 GB. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti gives you 3100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce 6800 and 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce 6800) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce 6800GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
VRAM Capacity
0.25 GB
8 GB+3100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
448 GB/s
Bus Width
128-bit
256-bit+100%
L2 Cache
1 MB
4 MB+300%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 9.0c (GeForce 6800) vs 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Vulkan: N/A vs 1.3. OpenGL: 2.1 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce 6800GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
DirectX
9.0c
12 Ultimate (12_2)+33%
Vulkan
N/A
1.3
OpenGL
2.1
4.6+119%
Max Displays
2
4+100%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (GeForce 6800) vs NVENC (Ampere) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Decoder: PureVideo (VP1) vs NVDEC (Ampere). Supported codecs: MPEG-2,WMV (GeForce 6800) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti).

FeatureGeForce 6800GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Encoder
None
NVENC (Ampere)
Decoder
PureVideo (VP1)
NVDEC (Ampere)
Codecs
MPEG-2,WMV
H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 6800 draws 33W versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 200W — a 143.3% difference. The GeForce 6800 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 6800) vs 600W (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Power connectors: Legacy vs 8-pin. Card length: 198mm vs 242mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80 vs 75.

FeatureGeForce 6800GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
TDP
33W-84%
200W
Recommended PSU
350W-42%
600W
Power Connector
Legacy
8-pin
Length
198mm
242mm
Height
111mm
112mm
Slots
1-50%
2
Temp (Load)
80
75-6%
Perf/Watt
3.4
101.6+2888%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 6800 came in at $299, while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti launched at $399. On MSRP, GeForce 6800 was 25.1% cheaper ($100 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 0.4 (GeForce 6800) vs 50.9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers 12625% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (2020 vs 2014).

FeatureGeForce 6800GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
MSRP
$299-25%
$399
Performance per Dollar
0.4
50.9+12625%
Codename
GM108
GA104
Release
July 22 2014
December 1 2020
Ranking
#832
#73

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