GeForce RTX 3060 12GB vs Radeon VII

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060 12GB

2022Core: 1260 MHzBoost: 1710 MHz
RTX family
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VS
AMD

Radeon VII

2019Core: 1400 MHzBoost: 1750 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce RTX 3060 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 3060 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 3060 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 3060 12GB

2022

Why buy it

  • 20.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $370 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
  • Delivers 118.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.0 vs 23.3 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
  • 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

  • Less VRAM, with 12 GB vs 16 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 18.6% higher power demand at 350W vs 295W.

Radeon VII

2019

Why buy it

  • 33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (16 GB vs 12 GB).
  • Draws 295W instead of 350W, a 55W reduction.
  • More future proof: GCN 5.1 (2018−2022) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 12GB across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
  • GeForce RTX 3060 12GB is the safer long-term pick here because the hardware is newer and the feature stack is stronger.
  • 112.5% HIGHER MSRP
    $699 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 23.3 vs 51.0 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 20.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.9% in PassMark G3D (16,777 vs 16,308), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 70 vs 0 ray-tracing units and a newer 2022 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 3060 12GB makes the most sense to buy today. It is $370 cheaper on MSRP at $329 vs $699, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 118.6% (51.0 vs 23.3), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce RTX 3060 12GB vs Radeon VII Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060 12GB

The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 11 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1260 MHz to 1710 MHz. It has 8960 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 350W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 70 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 16,777 points. Launch price was $799.

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 3060 12GB scores 16,777 and the Radeon VII reaches 16,308 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB is built on Ampere while the Radeon VII uses GCN 5.1, both on 8 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 8,960 (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs 3,840 (Radeon VII). Raw compute: 30.64 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs 13.44 TFLOPS (Radeon VII). Boost clocks: 1710 MHz vs 1750 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 12GBRadeon VII
G3D Mark Score
16,777+3%
16,308
Architecture
Ampere
GCN 5.1
Process Node
8 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
8960+133%
3840
Compute (TFLOPS)
30.64 TFLOPS+128%
13.44 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1710 MHz
1750 MHz+2%
ROPs
96+50%
64
TMUs
280+17%
240
L1 Cache
8.8 MB+836%
0.94 MB
L2 Cache
6 MB+50%
4 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 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 3060 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 3060 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: 360 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs 1024 GB/s (Radeon VII) — a 184.4% advantage for the Radeon VII. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB and 4096-bit on the Radeon VII. L2 Cache: 6 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs 4 MB (Radeon VII) — the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 12GBRadeon VII
VRAM Capacity
12 GB
16 GB+33%
Memory Type
GDDR6
HBM2
Memory Bandwidth
360 GB/s
1024 GB/s+184%
Bus Width
192-bit
4096-bit+2033%
L2 Cache
6 MB+50%
4 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060 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 3060 12GBRadeon VII
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12.1
Vulkan
1.3
1.3
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs VCE 4.1 (Radeon VII). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs UVD 7.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon VII).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 12GBRadeon VII
Encoder
NVENC 7th gen
VCE 4.1
Decoder
NVDEC 5th gen
UVD 7.2
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB draws 350W versus the Radeon VII's 295W — a 17.1% difference. The Radeon VII is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs 750W (Radeon VII). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 280mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 89°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 12GBRadeon VII
TDP
350W
295W-16%
Recommended PSU
550W-27%
750W
Power Connector
8-pin
2x 8-pin
Length
242mm
280mm
Height
112mm
125mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75°C-16%
89°C
Perf/Watt
47.9
55.3+15%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB came in at $329, while the Radeon VII launched at $699. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3060 12GB was 52.9% cheaper ($370 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.0 (GeForce RTX 3060 12GB) vs 23.3 (Radeon VII) — the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB offers 118.9% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 12GB (2022 vs 2019).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 12GBRadeon VII
MSRP
$329-53%
$699
Performance per Dollar
51.0+119%
23.3
Codename
GA102
Vega 20
Release
January 11 2022
February 7 2019
Ranking
#38
#125

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