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 Ti

2020

Why buy it

✅351.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $300 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1449.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 3.3 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 2 GB).

Trade-offs

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

Radeon HD 5970

2009

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Ti across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2009-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
75.2% HIGHER MSRP
$699 MSRPvs$399 MSRP

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Radeon HD 5970

2009

Why buy it

✅351.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $300 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1449.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 3.3 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 2 GB).

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Ti across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2009-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
75.2% HIGHER MSRP
$699 MSRPvs$399 MSRP

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 Ti better than Radeon HD 5970?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti averages 351.3% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 20,312 vs 2,297 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is a 2020 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon HD 5970 is a 2009 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 Ti is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2009, 784.3% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 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 Ti is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is about $300 cheaper on MSRP at $399 MSRP versus $699 MSRP, and you are getting 351.3% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 784.3% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 1449.2%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon HD 5970 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon HD 5970 is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $699 MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

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 Ti Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 5970 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon HD 5970
1080p
low	152 FPS	80 FPS
medium	137 FPS	65 FPS
high	118 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	33 FPS
1440p
low	131 FPS	67 FPS
medium	107 FPS	55 FPS
high	91 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	82 FPS	25 FPS
4K
low	77 FPS	24 FPS
medium	65 FPS	23 FPS
high	50 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	13 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Open Radeon HD 5970

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon HD 5970
1080p
low	425 FPS	85 FPS
medium	366 FPS	62 FPS
high	296 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	248 FPS	32 FPS
1440p
low	272 FPS	49 FPS
medium	229 FPS	32 FPS
high	190 FPS	24 FPS
ultra	156 FPS	17 FPS
4K
low	133 FPS	18 FPS
medium	114 FPS	12 FPS
high	96 FPS	9 FPS
ultra	73 FPS	7 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Open Radeon HD 5970

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon HD 5970
1080p
low	859 FPS	103 FPS
medium	693 FPS	83 FPS
high	602 FPS	69 FPS
ultra	457 FPS	52 FPS
1440p
low	658 FPS	78 FPS
medium	529 FPS	62 FPS
high	452 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	343 FPS	39 FPS
4K
low	434 FPS	52 FPS
medium	346 FPS	41 FPS
high	275 FPS	34 FPS
ultra	221 FPS	26 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Open Radeon HD 5970

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon HD 5970
1080p
low	580 FPS	103 FPS
medium	514 FPS	83 FPS
high	424 FPS	69 FPS
ultra	373 FPS	52 FPS
1440p
low	478 FPS	78 FPS
medium	427 FPS	62 FPS
high	335 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	290 FPS	39 FPS
4K
low	285 FPS	52 FPS
medium	266 FPS	41 FPS
high	234 FPS	34 FPS
ultra	195 FPS	25 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Open Radeon HD 5970

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 Ti and Radeon HD 5970

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.

Radeon HD 5970

The Radeon HD 5970 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 18 2009. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 1600 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 294W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,297 points. Launch price was $699.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 20,312 versus the Radeon HD 5970's 2,297 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads by 784.3%. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is built on Ampere while the Radeon HD 5970 uses TeraScale 2, both on 8 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 4,864 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 1,600 (Radeon HD 5970). Raw compute: 16.2 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 2.32 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 5970).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon HD 5970
G3D Mark Score	20,312+784%	2,297
Architecture	Ampere	TeraScale 2
Process Node	8 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	4864+204%	1600 ×2
Compute (TFLOPS)	16.2 TFLOPS+598%	2.32 TFLOPS ×2
ROPs	80+150%	32 ×2
TMUs	152+90%	80 ×2
L1 Cache	4.8 MB+1448%	0.31 MB
L2 Cache	4 MB+700%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon HD 5970 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon HD 5970
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 comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 5970 has 2 GB. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers 300% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 5970) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon HD 5970
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+300%	2 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 11.2 (Radeon HD 5970). Vulkan: 1.3 vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon HD 5970
DirectX	12 Ultimate (12_2)+7%	11.2
Vulkan	1.3	N/A
OpenGL	4.6+5%	4.4
Max Displays	4+33%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Ampere) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs None (Radeon HD 5970). Decoder: NVDEC (Ampere) vs UVD 2.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 5970).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon HD 5970
Encoder	NVENC (Ampere)	None
Decoder	NVDEC (Ampere)	UVD 2.2
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 5970's 294W — a 38.1% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 650W (Radeon HD 5970). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 305mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 90.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon HD 5970
TDP	200W-32%	294W
Recommended PSU	600W-8%	650W
Power Connector	8-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	242mm	305mm
Height	112mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	75-17%	90
Perf/Watt	101.6+1203%	7.8

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti launched at $399 MSRP, while the Radeon HD 5970 launched at $699. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti costs 42.9% less ($300 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 50.9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 3.3 (Radeon HD 5970) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers 1442.4% better value. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the newer GPU (2020 vs 2009).