GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU vs Radeon HD 6490M

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 Laptop GPU vs Radeon HD 6490M 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 Laptop GPU vs Radeon HD 6490M: 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 Laptop GPU

2022

Why buy it

✅1490.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅1100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 512 MB).
✅Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌126.7% higher power demand at 170W vs 75W.

Radeon HD 6490M

2011

Why buy it

✅Draws 75W instead of 170W, a 95W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB 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 512 MB 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 3060 Laptop GPU is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1490.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 3384.1% in PassMark G3D (13,170 vs 378), 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: 6 GB vs 512 MB of VRAM, a 8nm process instead of 40nm, 28 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2022 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 3060 Laptop GPU makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU vs Radeon HD 6490M Technical Specifications

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

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.

Radeon HD 6490M

The Radeon HD 6490M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 4 2011. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 680 MHz. It has 960 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 378 points.

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Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU scores 13,170 versus the Radeon HD 6490M's 378 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU leads by 3384.1%. The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is built on Ampere while the Radeon HD 6490M uses TeraScale 2, both on 8 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU) vs 960 (Radeon HD 6490M). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU) vs 1.306 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6490M).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	Radeon HD 6490M
G3D Mark Score	13,170+3384%	378
Architecture	Ampere	TeraScale 2
Process Node	8 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	3584+273%	960
Compute (TFLOPS)	12.74 TFLOPS+875%	1.306 TFLOPS
ROPs	48+50%	32
TMUs	112+133%	48
L1 Cache	3.5 MB+1742%	0.19 MB
L2 Cache	3 MB+500%	0.5 MB

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 6490M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	Radeon HD 6490M
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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 6490M carries 512 MB. GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU gives you 1100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU and System on the Radeon HD 6490M. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 6490M) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	Radeon HD 6490M
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+1100%	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	Shared
Memory Bandwidth	336 GB/s	System
Bus Width	192-bit	System
L2 Cache	3 MB+500%	0.5 MB

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU draws 170W versus the Radeon HD 6490M's 75W — a 77.6% difference. The Radeon HD 6490M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU) vs 350W (Radeon HD 6490M). Power connectors: Mobile vs 1x 6-pin.