GeForce RTX 2060 vs Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 2060

2019Core: 1365 MHzBoost: 1680 MHz
RTX family
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire

2011Core: 680 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce RTX 2060 vs Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire 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 vs Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire 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 vs Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire: 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

2019

Why buy it

  • 195.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
  • Better long-term bet: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 220% higher power demand at 160W vs 50W.
  • 22800% longer card at 229mm vs 1mm.

Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire

2011

Why buy it

  • Costs $199 less on MSRP ($150 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
  • Draws 50W instead of 160W, a 110W reduction.
  • Measures 1mm instead of 229mm, a 228mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 2060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
  • 2011 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 2060 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 195.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 150.4% in PassMark G3D (14,114 vs 5,637), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 2060 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 6 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM, a 12nm process instead of 40nm, 30 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2011. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 2060 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $199 more expensive on MSRP at $349 vs $150, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 7.6% (40.4 vs 37.6), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce RTX 2060 vs Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire Technical Specifications

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

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.

AMD

Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire

The Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 6 2011. It features the Terascale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 680 MHz. It has 1920 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,637 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 2060 scores 14,114 versus the Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire's 5,637 — the GeForce RTX 2060 leads by 150.4%. The GeForce RTX 2060 is built on Turing while the Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire uses Terascale 2, both on 12 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 1,920 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 1,920 (Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire).

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire
G3D Mark Score
14,114+150%
5,637
Architecture
Turing
Terascale 2
Process Node
12 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
1920
1920

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 2060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire
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 has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire carries 4 GB. GeForce RTX 2060 gives you 50% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 336 GB/s (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 115.2 GB/s x2 (Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire) — a 191.6% advantage for the GeForce RTX 2060. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 2060 and 256-bit x2 on the Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire
VRAM Capacity
6 GB+50%
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
336 GB/s+192%
115.2 GB/s x2
Bus Width
192-bit
256-bit x2+33%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 11_0 (Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire
DirectX
12 Ultimate (12_2)+9%
11_0
Max Displays
4
0
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Turing) (GeForce RTX 2060) vs UVD 3 (Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire). Decoder: NVDEC (Turing) vs UVD 3.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire
Encoder
NVENC (Turing)
UVD 3
Decoder
NVDEC (Turing)
UVD 3
Codecs
H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 2060 draws 160W versus the Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire's 50W — a 104.8% difference. The Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 350W (Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 229mm vs 1mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire
TDP
160W
50W-69%
Recommended PSU
500W
350W-30%
Power Connector
8-pin
1x 6-pin
Length
229mm
1mm
Height
113mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
72
Perf/Watt
88.2
112.7+28%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 2060 came in at $349, while the Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire launched at $150. On MSRP, Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire was 57% cheaper ($199 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 37.6 (Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire) — the GeForce RTX 2060 offers 7.4% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 2060 (2019 vs 2011).

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire
MSRP
$349
$150-57%
Performance per Dollar
40.4+7%
37.6
Codename
TU106
Blackcomb XT
Release
January 7 2019
January 6 2011
Ranking
#168
#537

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