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

✅+454.5% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌100% higher power demand at 200W vs 100W.

Radeon HD 7970M

2012

Why buy it

✅Draws 100W instead of 200W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (3,663 vs 20,312).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 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: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 50.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Radeon HD 7970M

2012

Why buy it

✅+454.5% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Draws 100W instead of 200W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌100% higher power demand at 200W vs 100W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (3,663 vs 20,312).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 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: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 50.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 Ti better than Radeon HD 7970M?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 20,312 vs 3,663 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is a 2020 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon HD 7970M is a 2012 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 2012, 454.5% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 4 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 priced in an unclear MSRP range at $399 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 454.5% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon HD 7970M still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon HD 7970M 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 an unclear 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 7970M Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon HD 7970M
1080p
low	152 FPS	81 FPS
medium	137 FPS	69 FPS
high	118 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	36 FPS
1440p
low	131 FPS	71 FPS
medium	107 FPS	61 FPS
high	91 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	82 FPS	28 FPS
4K
low	77 FPS	25 FPS
medium	65 FPS	24 FPS
high	50 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Open Radeon HD 7970M

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon HD 7970M
1080p
low	425 FPS	150 FPS
medium	366 FPS	112 FPS
high	296 FPS	81 FPS
ultra	248 FPS	54 FPS
1440p
low	272 FPS	102 FPS
medium	229 FPS	71 FPS
high	190 FPS	54 FPS
ultra	156 FPS	39 FPS
4K
low	133 FPS	51 FPS
medium	114 FPS	37 FPS
high	96 FPS	29 FPS
ultra	73 FPS	20 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Open Radeon HD 7970M

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon HD 7970M
1080p
low	859 FPS	165 FPS
medium	693 FPS	132 FPS
high	602 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	457 FPS	82 FPS
1440p
low	658 FPS	124 FPS
medium	529 FPS	99 FPS
high	452 FPS	82 FPS
ultra	343 FPS	62 FPS
4K
low	434 FPS	82 FPS
medium	346 FPS	66 FPS
high	275 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	221 FPS	41 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Open Radeon HD 7970M

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon HD 7970M
1080p
low	580 FPS	144 FPS
medium	514 FPS	114 FPS
high	424 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	373 FPS	80 FPS
1440p
low	478 FPS	104 FPS
medium	427 FPS	85 FPS
high	335 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	290 FPS	56 FPS
4K
low	285 FPS	61 FPS
medium	266 FPS	46 FPS
high	234 FPS	36 FPS
ultra	195 FPS	25 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Open Radeon HD 7970M

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 Ti and Radeon HD 7970M

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 7970M

The Radeon HD 7970M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 24 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,663 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 20,312 versus the Radeon HD 7970M's 3,663 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads by 454.5%. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is built on Ampere while the Radeon HD 7970M uses GCN 1.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 4,864 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 7970M). Raw compute: 16.2 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 2.176 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7970M).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon HD 7970M
G3D Mark Score	20,312+455%	3,663
Architecture	Ampere	GCN 1.0
Process Node	8 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	4864+280%	1280
Compute (TFLOPS)	16.2 TFLOPS+644%	2.176 TFLOPS
ROPs	80+150%	32
TMUs	152+90%	80
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 7970M relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon HD 7970M
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 7970M has 4 GB. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 256-bit vs System. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 7970M) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon HD 7970M
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+100%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	Shared
Memory Bandwidth	448 GB/s	System
Bus Width	256-bit	System
L2 Cache	4 MB+700%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 7970M). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon HD 7970M
DirectX	12 Ultimate (12_2)	12 (11_1)
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Ampere) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7970M). Decoder: NVDEC (Ampere) vs UVD 3. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 7970M).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon HD 7970M
Encoder	NVENC (Ampere)	VCE 1.0
Decoder	NVDEC (Ampere)	UVD 3
Codecs	H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti draws 200W versus the Radeon HD 7970M's 100W — a 66.7% difference. The Radeon HD 7970M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7970M). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 85°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon HD 7970M
TDP	200W	100W-50%
Recommended PSU	600W	350W-42%
Power Connector	8-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	242mm	—
Height	112mm	—
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	75-12%	85°C
Perf/Watt	101.6+178%	36.6