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 GT 520M 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 GT 520M 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 GT 520M

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $339 less on MSRP ($60 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Draws 50W instead of 200W, a 150W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Ti across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌2013 hardware with 1 GB 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 4.7 vs 50.9 G3D/$ ($60 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Why buy it

✅3848.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 975.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 4.7 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅700% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 1 GB).
✅Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌300% higher power demand at 200W vs 50W.

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 3848.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 7052.1% in PassMark G3D (20,312 vs 284), 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 1 GB 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 $339 more expensive on MSRP at $399 vs $60, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 975.5% (50.9 vs 4.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GT 520M vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GT 520M

The GeForce GT 520M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 9 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 941 MHz to 967 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 284 points.

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 GT 520M scores 284 versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 20,312 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads by 7052.1%. The GeForce GT 520M is built on Kepler while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 520M) vs 4,864 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Raw compute: 0.7427 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 520M) vs 16.2 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Boost clocks: 967 MHz vs 1665 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GT 520M	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
G3D Mark Score	284	20,312+7052%
Architecture	Kepler	Ampere
Process Node	28 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	384	4864+1167%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.7427 TFLOPS	16.2 TFLOPS+2081%
Boost Clock	967 MHz	1665 MHz+72%
ROPs	16	80+400%
TMUs	32	152+375%
L1 Cache	0.03 MB	4.8 MB+15900%
L2 Cache	0.25 MB	4 MB+1500%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GT 520M is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GT 520M	GeForce 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 GT 520M has 1 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti carries 8 GB. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti gives you 700% 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 GT 520M and 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. L2 Cache: 0.25 MB (GeForce GT 520M) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GT 520M	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	8 GB+700%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	448 GB/s
Bus Width	128-bit	256-bit+100%
L2 Cache	0.25 MB	4 MB+1500%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.0 (GeForce GT 520M) vs 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Vulkan: None vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.0 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GT 520M	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
DirectX	11.0	12 Ultimate (12_2)+9%
Vulkan	None	1.3
OpenGL	4.0	4.6+15%
Max Displays	1	4+300%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce GT 520M) vs NVENC (Ampere) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP4 vs NVDEC (Ampere). Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GT 520M) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti).

Feature	GeForce GT 520M	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Encoder	No	NVENC (Ampere)
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP4	NVDEC (Ampere)
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP	H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 520M draws 50W versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 200W — a 120% difference. The GeForce GT 520M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GT 520M) vs 600W (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 242mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 70°C vs 75.

Feature	GeForce GT 520M	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
TDP	50W-75%	200W
Recommended PSU	350W-42%	600W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	8-pin
Length	0mm	242mm
Height	0mm	112mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	70°C-7%	75
Perf/Watt	5.7	101.6+1682%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GT 520M came in at $60, while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti launched at $399. On MSRP, GeForce GT 520M was 85% cheaper ($339 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 4.7 (GeForce GT 520M) vs 50.9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers 983% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (2020 vs 2013).

Feature	GeForce GT 520M	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
MSRP	$60-85%	$399
Performance per Dollar	4.7	50.9+983%
Codename	GK107	GA104
Release	January 9 2013	December 1 2020
Ranking	#792	#73

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