GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU vs Radeon HD8970M

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

✅191.3% more average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 2 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌70% higher power demand at 170W vs 100W.

Radeon HD8970M

2013

Why buy it

✅Draws 100W instead of 170W, a 70W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 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: 2013-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

2022

Radeon HD8970M

2013

Why buy it

✅191.3% more average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 2 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Draws 100W instead of 170W, a 70W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌70% higher power demand at 170W vs 100W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 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: 2013-era hardware with 2 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 HD8970M?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU averages 191.3% more FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 13,170 vs 3,369 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is a 2022 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon HD8970M is a 2013 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 2013, 290.9% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 6 GB instead of 2 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 priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 191.3% more estimated average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data and 290.9% higher G3D Mark. G3D-per-dollar is basically tied between them. If you are comfortable paying the premium for the stronger gaming result, GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is the one to buy. If staying closer to budget matters more, Radeon HD8970M still makes more sense on price alone, but the performance trade-off is much harder to justify by current standards.

Is Radeon HD8970M still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon HD8970M is still a strong gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. This mostly comes down to price. If you want to stay closer to an unclear MSRP, it remains a strong choice; if you are comfortable paying more, GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU earns that extra money with a clearly stronger gaming result and a more complete overall package.

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.

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU Benchmark Check

Radeon HD8970M Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	Radeon HD8970M
1080p
low	109 FPS	77 FPS
medium	98 FPS	63 FPS
high	84 FPS	49 FPS
ultra	70 FPS	32 FPS
1440p
low	95 FPS	65 FPS
medium	83 FPS	53 FPS
high	70 FPS	37 FPS
ultra	59 FPS	23 FPS
4K
low	48 FPS	23 FPS
medium	43 FPS	22 FPS
high	30 FPS	14 FPS
ultra	26 FPS	12 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU Open Radeon HD8970M

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	Radeon HD8970M
1080p
low	357 FPS	140 FPS
medium	310 FPS	105 FPS
high	248 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	195 FPS	49 FPS
1440p
low	221 FPS	96 FPS
medium	190 FPS	67 FPS
high	154 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	123 FPS	36 FPS
4K
low	108 FPS	47 FPS
medium	89 FPS	35 FPS
high	72 FPS	27 FPS
ultra	55 FPS	18 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU Open Radeon HD8970M

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	Radeon HD8970M
1080p
low	593 FPS	152 FPS
medium	474 FPS	121 FPS
high	395 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	296 FPS	76 FPS
1440p
low	444 FPS	114 FPS
medium	356 FPS	91 FPS
high	296 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	222 FPS	57 FPS
4K
low	296 FPS	76 FPS
medium	237 FPS	61 FPS
high	198 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	148 FPS	38 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU Open Radeon HD8970M

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	Radeon HD8970M
1080p
low	519 FPS	141 FPS
medium	439 FPS	112 FPS
high	376 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	296 FPS	76 FPS
1440p
low	425 FPS	102 FPS
medium	356 FPS	83 FPS
high	296 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	222 FPS	55 FPS
4K
low	277 FPS	60 FPS
medium	237 FPS	45 FPS
high	198 FPS	36 FPS
ultra	148 FPS	25 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU Open Radeon HD8970M

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU and Radeon HD8970M

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 HD8970M

The Radeon HD8970M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 14 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 850 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,369 points.

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Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU scores 13,170 versus the Radeon HD8970M's 3,369 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU leads by 290.9%. The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is built on Ampere while the Radeon HD8970M uses GCN 1.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD8970M). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU) vs 2.304 TFLOPS (Radeon HD8970M). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 900 MHz.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	Radeon HD8970M
G3D Mark Score	13,170+291%	3,369
Architecture	Ampere	GCN 1.0
Process Node	8 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	3584+180%	1280
Compute (TFLOPS)	12.74 TFLOPS+453%	2.304 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1777 MHz+97%	900 MHz
ROPs	48+50%	32
TMUs	112+40%	80
L1 Cache	3.5 MB+1029%	0.31 MB
L2 Cache	3 MB+500%	0.5 MB

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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 HD8970M relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	Radeon HD8970M
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 comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD8970M has 2 GB. The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU offers 200% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 192-bit vs System. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD8970M) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU	Radeon HD8970M
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+200%	2 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 HD8970M's 100W — a 51.9% difference. The Radeon HD8970M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU) vs 350W (Radeon HD8970M). Power connectors: Mobile vs PCIe-powered.