GeForce RTX 3060 Ti vs Radeon HD 3850 X2

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

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

Radeon HD 3850 X2

2011Core: 800 MHz

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti vs Radeon HD 3850 X2 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 HD 3850 X2 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 HD 3850 X2: 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

  • 1062.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 2061.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 2.4 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 700% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 1 GB).
  • Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Radeon HD 3850 X2

2011

Why buy it

  • Costs $50 less on MSRP ($349 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Ti across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
  • 2011 hardware with 1 GB 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 2.4 vs 50.9 G3D/$ ($349 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 1062.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2371% in PassMark G3D (20,312 vs 822), 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 1 GB of VRAM, a 8nm process instead of 40nm, 38 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2020 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 Ti makes the most sense to buy today. It is $50 more expensive on MSRP at $399 vs $349, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 2061.4% (50.9 vs 2.4), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti vs Radeon HD 3850 X2 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 HD 3850 X2

The Radeon HD 3850 X2 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 19 2011. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 800 MHz. It has 960 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 254W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 822 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 20,312 versus the Radeon HD 3850 X2's 822 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads by 2371%. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is built on Ampere while the Radeon HD 3850 X2 uses TeraScale 2, both on 8 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 4,864 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 960 (Radeon HD 3850 X2). Raw compute: 16.2 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 1.536 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 3850 X2).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon HD 3850 X2
G3D Mark Score
20,312+2371%
822
Architecture
Ampere
TeraScale 2
Process Node
8 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
4864+407%
960 ×2
Compute (TFLOPS)
16.2 TFLOPS+955%
1.536 TFLOPS ×2
ROPs
80+150%
32 ×2
TMUs
152+217%
48 ×2
L1 Cache
4.8 MB+2426%
0.19 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 HD 3850 X2 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon HD 3850 X2
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 HD 3850 X2 carries 1 GB. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti gives you 700% 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 128-bit on the Radeon HD 3850 X2. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 3850 X2) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon HD 3850 X2
VRAM Capacity
8 GB+700%
1 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
448 GB/s
Unknown
Bus Width
256-bit+100%
128-bit
L2 Cache
4 MB+700%
0.5 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 3850 X2). OpenGL: 4.6 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon HD 3850 X2
DirectX
12 Ultimate (12_2)+19%
10.1
OpenGL
4.6+39%
3.3
Max Displays
4+100%
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Decoder: NVDEC (Ampere) vs UVD+. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 3850 X2).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon HD 3850 X2
Encoder
NVENC (Ampere)
Decoder
NVDEC (Ampere)
UVD+
Codecs
H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti draws 200W versus the Radeon HD 3850 X2's 254W — a 23.8% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 450W (Radeon HD 3850 X2). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 90°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon HD 3850 X2
TDP
200W-21%
254W
Recommended PSU
600W
450W-25%
Power Connector
8-pin
2x 6-pin
Length
242mm
267mm
Height
112mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75-17%
90°C
Perf/Watt
101.6+3075%
3.2
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti came in at $399, while the Radeon HD 3850 X2 launched at $349. On MSRP, Radeon HD 3850 X2 was 12.5% cheaper ($50 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 50.9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 2.4 (Radeon HD 3850 X2) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers 2020.8% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (2020 vs 2011).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon HD 3850 X2
MSRP
$399
$349-13%
Performance per Dollar
50.9+2021%
2.4
Codename
GA104
Barts
Release
December 1 2020
September 19 2011
Ranking
#73
#630

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