GeForce RTX 3060 Ti vs Radeon 540

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020Core: 1410 MHzBoost: 1665 MHz
RTX family
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VS
AMD

Radeon 540

2017Core: 1183 MHzBoost: 1124 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce RTX 3060 Ti vs Radeon 540 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 Ti vs Radeon 540 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 Ti vs Radeon 540: 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 Ti

2020

Why buy it

  • 921.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 247.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 14.7 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 1500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 512 MB).
  • Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 300% higher power demand at 200W vs 50W.

Radeon 540

2017

Why buy it

  • Costs $300 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
  • Draws 50W instead of 200W, a 150W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Ti across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
  • 2017 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 14.7 vs 50.9 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 921.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1298.9% in PassMark G3D (20,312 vs 1,452), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 8 GB vs 512 MB of VRAM, a 8nm process instead of 14nm, 38 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2020 generation instead of 2017. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti makes the most sense to buy today. It is $300 more expensive on MSRP at $399 vs $99, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 247.1% (50.9 vs 14.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti vs Radeon 540 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in December 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1410 MHz to 1665 MHz. It has 4864 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 38 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 20,312 points. Launch price was $399.

AMD

Radeon 540

The Radeon 540 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 20 2017. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1183 MHz to 1124 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,452 points. Launch price was $79.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 20,312 versus the Radeon 540's 1,452 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads by 1298.9%. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is built on Ampere while the Radeon 540 uses GCN 4.0, both on 8 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 4,864 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 384 (Radeon 540). Raw compute: 16.2 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 0.9085 TFLOPS (Radeon 540). Boost clocks: 1665 MHz vs 1124 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon 540
G3D Mark Score
20,312+1299%
1,452
Architecture
Ampere
GCN 4.0
Process Node
8 nm
14 nm
Shading Units
4864+1167%
384
Compute (TFLOPS)
16.2 TFLOPS+1683%
0.9085 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1665 MHz+48%
1124 MHz
ROPs
80+400%
16
TMUs
152+533%
24
L1 Cache
4.8 MB+5233%
0.09 MB
L2 Cache
4 MB+700%
0.5 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon 540 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon 540
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 Ti has 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon 540 carries 512 MB. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti gives you 1500% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti and 64-bit on the Radeon 540. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon 540) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon 540
VRAM Capacity
8 GB+1500%
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Bus Width
256-bit+300%
64-bit
L2 Cache
4 MB+700%
0.5 MB
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti draws 200W versus the Radeon 540's 50W — a 120% difference. The Radeon 540 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 350W (Radeon 540). Power connectors: 8-pin vs None.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon 540
TDP
200W
50W-75%
Recommended PSU
600W
350W-42%
Power Connector
8-pin
None
Length
242mm
Height
112mm
Slots
2
Temp (Load)
75
Perf/Watt
101.6+250%
29.0
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti came in at $399, while the Radeon 540 launched at $99. On MSRP, Radeon 540 was 75.2% cheaper ($300 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 50.9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 14.7 (Radeon 540) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers 246.3% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (2020 vs 2017).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon 540
MSRP
$399
$99-75%
Performance per Dollar
50.9+246%
14.7
Codename
GA104
Lexa
Release
December 1 2020
April 20 2017
Ranking
#73
#773

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