GeForce RTX 2060 12GB vs Radeon VII

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 2060 12GB

2021Core: 1470 MHzBoost: 1650 MHz
RTX family
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VS
AMD

Radeon VII

2019Core: 1400 MHzBoost: 1750 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce RTX 2060 12GB vs Radeon VII 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 RTX 2060 12GB vs Radeon VII 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 RTX 2060 12GB vs Radeon VII: 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 RTX 2060 12GB

2021

Why buy it

  • Costs $229 less on MSRP ($470 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
  • Delivers 45.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 33.9 vs 23.3 G3D/$ ($470 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • Draws 184W instead of 295W, a 111W reduction.
  • Measures 229mm instead of 280mm, a 51mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon VII across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 12 GB vs 16 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Radeon VII

2019

Why buy it

  • 12.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (16 GB vs 12 GB).
  • More future proof: GCN 5.1 (2018−2022) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
  • 48.7% HIGHER MSRP
    $699 MSRPvs$470 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 23.3 vs 33.9 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs $470 MSRP).
  • 60.3% higher power demand at 295W vs 184W.
  • 22.3% longer card at 280mm vs 229mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon VII is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 12.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.3% in PassMark G3D (16,308 vs 15,935), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 2060 12GB is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 34 vs 0 ray-tracing units and a newer 2021 generation instead of 2019. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 2060 12GB makes the most sense to buy today. It is $229 cheaper on MSRP at $470 vs $699, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 45.3% (33.9 vs 23.3), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon VII still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce RTX 2060 12GB vs Radeon VII Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 2060 12GB

The GeForce RTX 2060 12GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in December 7 2021. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1470 MHz to 1650 MHz. It has 2176 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 184W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 34 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 15,935 points.

AMD

Radeon VII

The Radeon VII is manufactured by AMD. It was released in February 7 2019. It features the GCN 5.1 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1400 MHz to 1750 MHz. It has 3840 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 295W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 16,308 points. Launch price was $699.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce RTX 2060 12GB scores 15,935 and the Radeon VII reaches 16,308 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce RTX 2060 12GB is built on Turing while the Radeon VII uses GCN 5.1, both on 12 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,176 (GeForce RTX 2060 12GB) vs 3,840 (Radeon VII). Raw compute: 7.181 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2060 12GB) vs 13.44 TFLOPS (Radeon VII). Boost clocks: 1650 MHz vs 1750 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060 12GBRadeon VII
G3D Mark Score
15,935
16,308+2%
Architecture
Turing
GCN 5.1
Process Node
12 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
2176
3840+76%
Compute (TFLOPS)
7.181 TFLOPS
13.44 TFLOPS+87%
Boost Clock
1650 MHz
1750 MHz+6%
ROPs
48
64+33%
TMUs
136
240+76%
L1 Cache
2.1 MB+123%
0.94 MB
L2 Cache
3 MB
4 MB+33%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 2060 12GB gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon VII leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060 12GBRadeon VII
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 2060 12GB has 12 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon VII carries 16 GB. Radeon VII gives you 33.3% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 336 GB/s (GeForce RTX 2060 12GB) vs 1024 GB/s (Radeon VII) — a 204.8% advantage for the Radeon VII. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 2060 12GB and 4096-bit on the Radeon VII. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 2060 12GB) vs 4 MB (Radeon VII) — the Radeon VII has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060 12GBRadeon VII
VRAM Capacity
12 GB
16 GB+33%
Memory Type
GDDR6
HBM2
Memory Bandwidth
336 GB/s
1024 GB/s+205%
Bus Width
192-bit
4096-bit+2033%
L2 Cache
3 MB
4 MB+33%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce RTX 2060 12GB) vs 12.1 (Radeon VII). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060 12GBRadeon VII
DirectX
12.1
12.1
Vulkan
1.3
1.3
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 6.0 (GeForce RTX 2060 12GB) vs VCE 4.1 (Radeon VII). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP9 vs UVD 7.2. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (GeForce RTX 2060 12GB) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon VII).

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060 12GBRadeon VII
Encoder
NVENC 6.0
VCE 4.1
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP9
UVD 7.2
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 2060 12GB draws 184W versus the Radeon VII's 295W — a 46.3% difference. The GeForce RTX 2060 12GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 2060 12GB) vs 750W (Radeon VII). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 229mm vs 280mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 88°C vs 89°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060 12GBRadeon VII
TDP
184W-38%
295W
Recommended PSU
550W-27%
750W
Power Connector
8-pin
2x 8-pin
Length
229mm
280mm
Height
113mm
125mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
88°C-1%
89°C
Perf/Watt
86.6+57%
55.3
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 2060 12GB came in at $470, while the Radeon VII launched at $699. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 2060 12GB was 32.8% cheaper ($229 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 33.9 (GeForce RTX 2060 12GB) vs 23.3 (Radeon VII) — the GeForce RTX 2060 12GB offers 45.5% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 2060 12GB (2021 vs 2019).

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060 12GBRadeon VII
MSRP
$470-33%
$699
Performance per Dollar
33.9+45%
23.3
Codename
TU106
Vega 20
Release
December 7 2021
February 7 2019
Ranking
#133
#125

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