GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU vs Radeon HD 6790

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

2022Core: 1320 MHzBoost: 1777 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon HD 6790

2011Core: 840 MHz

Popular choices:

Performance Spectrum - GPU

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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

2022

Why buy it

  • 559.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 1 GB).
  • More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 10.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $149 MSRP).

Radeon HD 6790

2011

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 10.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
  • Very weak future-proofing: 2011-era hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU better than Radeon HD 6790?
Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU averages 559.8% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 13,170 vs 1,567 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is a 2022 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon HD 6790 is a 2011 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.
Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2011, 740.5% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 6 GB instead of 1 GB, and the stronger feature stack with DLSS Super Resolution instead of FSR upscaling. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.
Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?
GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $149 MSRP, and you are getting 559.8% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 740.5% higher G3D Mark. Radeon HD 6790 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.
Is Radeon HD 6790 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon HD 6790 is 2011 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM, 1,567 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPURadeon HD 6790
1080p
low109 FPS23 FPS
medium98 FPS13 FPS
high84 FPS8 FPS
ultra70 FPS4 FPS
1440p
low95 FPS11 FPS
medium83 FPS6 FPS
high70 FPS3 FPS
ultra59 FPS1 FPS
4K
low48 FPS4 FPS
medium43 FPS3 FPS
high30 FPS1 FPS
ultra26 FPS1 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPURadeon HD 6790
1080p
low351 FPS66 FPS
medium307 FPS38 FPS
high246 FPS26 FPS
ultra194 FPS17 FPS
1440p
low222 FPS29 FPS
medium195 FPS18 FPS
high159 FPS11 FPS
ultra127 FPS9 FPS
4K
low110 FPS8 FPS
medium93 FPS6 FPS
high77 FPS5 FPS
ultra59 FPS3 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPURadeon HD 6790
1080p
low593 FPS71 FPS
medium474 FPS56 FPS
high395 FPS47 FPS
ultra296 FPS35 FPS
1440p
low444 FPS53 FPS
medium356 FPS42 FPS
high296 FPS35 FPS
ultra222 FPS26 FPS
4K
low296 FPS35 FPS
medium237 FPS28 FPS
high198 FPS24 FPS
ultra148 FPS18 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPURadeon HD 6790
1080p
low519 FPS71 FPS
medium439 FPS56 FPS
high376 FPS47 FPS
ultra296 FPS35 FPS
1440p
low425 FPS53 FPS
medium356 FPS42 FPS
high296 FPS35 FPS
ultra222 FPS26 FPS
4K
low277 FPS35 FPS
medium237 FPS28 FPS
high198 FPS24 FPS
ultra148 FPS18 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU and Radeon HD 6790

NVIDIA

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.

AMD

Radeon HD 6790

The Radeon HD 6790 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 4 2011. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 840 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,567 points. Launch price was $149.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU scores 13,170 versus the Radeon HD 6790's 1,567 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU leads by 740.5%. The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is built on Ampere while the Radeon HD 6790 uses TeraScale 2, both on 8 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU) vs 800 (Radeon HD 6790). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU) vs 1.344 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6790).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPURadeon HD 6790
G3D Mark Score
13,170+740%
1,567
Architecture
Ampere
TeraScale 2
Process Node
8 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
3584+348%
800
Compute (TFLOPS)
12.74 TFLOPS+848%
1.344 TFLOPS
ROPs
48+200%
16
TMUs
112+180%
40
L1 Cache
3.5 MB+2088%
0.16 MB
L2 Cache
3 MB+500%
0.5 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon HD 6790 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPURadeon HD 6790
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 Laptop GPU comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 6790 has 1 GB. The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU offers 500% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 192-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 6790) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPURadeon HD 6790
VRAM Capacity
6 GB+500%
1 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
336 GB/s
Unknown
Bus Width
192-bit+50%
128-bit
L2 Cache
3 MB+500%
0.5 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU) vs 11.2 (11_0) (Radeon HD 6790). Vulkan: 1.4 vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPURadeon HD 6790
DirectX
12 Ultimate+7%
11.2 (11_0)
Vulkan
1.4
N/A
OpenGL
4.6+5%
4.4
Max Displays
4+33%
3
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (7th Gen) (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU) vs None (Radeon HD 6790). Decoder: NVDEC (5th Gen) vs UVD 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode),VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 6790).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPURadeon HD 6790
Encoder
NVENC (7th Gen)
None
Decoder
NVDEC (5th Gen)
UVD 3.0
Codecs
H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode),VP9
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU draws 170W versus the Radeon HD 6790's 150W — a 12.5% difference. The Radeon HD 6790 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU) vs 450W (Radeon HD 6790). Power connectors: Mobile vs 2x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 80.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPURadeon HD 6790
TDP
170W
150W-12%
Recommended PSU
500W
450W-10%
Power Connector
Mobile
2x 6-pin
Length
240mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
Temp (Load)
75°C-6%
80
Perf/Watt
77.5+645%
10.4
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is the newer GPU (2022 vs 2011).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPURadeon HD 6790
MSRP
$149
Codename
GA106
Barts
Release
October 12 2022
April 4 2011
Ranking
#147
#759