GeForce GTX 870M vs GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

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 GTX 870M vs GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU 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 GTX 870M vs GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU: 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 GTX 870M

2014

Why buy it

✅Draws 100W instead of 170W, a 70W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌2014 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

2022

Why buy it

✅220.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌70% higher power demand at 170W vs 100W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 220.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 272.5% in PassMark G3D (13,170 vs 3,536), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 8nm process instead of 28nm, 28 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2022 generation instead of 2014. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

GeForce GTX 870M vs GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 870M

The GeForce GTX 870M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 12 2014. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 941 MHz to 967 MHz. It has 1344 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,536 points.

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 12 2022. 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: 13,170 points.

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Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 870M scores 3,536 versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU's 13,170 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU leads by 272.5%. The GeForce GTX 870M is built on Kepler while the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 1,344 (GeForce GTX 870M) vs 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Raw compute: 2.599 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 870M) vs 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Boost clocks: 967 MHz vs 1777 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 870M	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
G3D Mark Score	3,536	13,170+272%
Architecture	Kepler	Ampere
Process Node	28 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	1344	3584+167%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.599 TFLOPS	12.74 TFLOPS+390%
Boost Clock	967 MHz	1777 MHz+84%
ROPs	24	48+100%
TMUs	112	112
L1 Cache	0.11 MB	3.5 MB+3082%
L2 Cache	0.38 MB	3 MB+689%

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 870M is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 870M	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

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Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 6 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 870M and 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU. L2 Cache: 0.38 MB (GeForce GTX 870M) vs 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 870M	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	6 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	336 GB/s
Bus Width	128-bit	192-bit+50%
L2 Cache	0.38 MB	3 MB+689%

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Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 870M) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 870M	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
DirectX	12 (11_0)	12 Ultimate
Vulkan	1.2	1.4+17%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

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Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: 1st Gen NVENC (Kepler) (GeForce GTX 870M) vs NVENC (7th Gen) (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP5 vs NVDEC (5th Gen). Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTX 870M) vs H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode),VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU).

Feature	GeForce GTX 870M	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
Encoder	1st Gen NVENC (Kepler)	NVENC (7th Gen)
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP5	NVDEC (5th Gen)
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2	H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode),VP9

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 870M draws 100W versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU's 170W — a 51.9% difference. The GeForce GTX 870M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 870M) vs 500W (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs Mobile. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 75°C.