GeForce RTX 3060 Ti vs Radeon R5 230

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020Core: 1410 MHzBoost: 1665 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon R5 230

2017Core: 730 MHzBoost: 1024 MHz

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti vs Radeon R5 230 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 R5 230 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 R5 230: 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

  • 4144.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 1046.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 4.4 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $50 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.
  • 44% longer card at 242mm vs 168mm.

Radeon R5 230

2017

Why buy it

  • Costs $349 less on MSRP ($50 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
  • Draws 50W instead of 200W, a 150W reduction.
  • Measures 168mm instead of 242mm, a 74mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

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 4.4 vs 50.9 G3D/$ ($50 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 4144.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 9049.5% in PassMark G3D (20,312 vs 222), 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 28nm, 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 $349 more expensive on MSRP at $399 vs $50, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1046.6% (50.9 vs 4.4), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti vs Radeon R5 230 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 R5 230

The Radeon R5 230 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 18 2017. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 730 MHz to 1024 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 222 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 20,312 versus the Radeon R5 230's 222 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads by 9049.5%. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is built on Ampere while the Radeon R5 230 uses GCN 3.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 4,864 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 384 (Radeon R5 230). Raw compute: 16.2 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 0.7864 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 230). Boost clocks: 1665 MHz vs 1024 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon R5 230
G3D Mark Score
20,312+9050%
222
Architecture
Ampere
GCN 3.0
Process Node
8 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
4864+1167%
384
Compute (TFLOPS)
16.2 TFLOPS+1960%
0.7864 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1665 MHz+63%
1024 MHz
ROPs
80+900%
8
TMUs
152+533%
24
L1 Cache
4.8 MB+5233%
0.09 MB
L2 Cache
4 MB+2977%
0.13 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R5 230 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon R5 230
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 R5 230 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 128-bit on the Radeon R5 230. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 0.13 MB (Radeon R5 230) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon R5 230
VRAM Capacity
8 GB+1500%
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
448 GB/s
Unknown
Bus Width
256-bit+100%
128-bit
L2 Cache
4 MB+2977%
0.13 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 11.2 (Radeon R5 230). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon R5 230
DirectX
12 Ultimate (12_2)+7%
11.2
Max Displays
4+100%
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Ampere) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs UVD 2.2 (Radeon R5 230). Decoder: NVDEC (Ampere) vs UVD 2.2.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon R5 230
Encoder
NVENC (Ampere)
UVD 2.2
Decoder
NVDEC (Ampere)
UVD 2.2
Codecs
H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti draws 200W versus the Radeon R5 230's 50W — a 120% difference. The Radeon R5 230 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 350W (Radeon R5 230). Power connectors: 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 242mm vs 168mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon R5 230
TDP
200W
50W-75%
Recommended PSU
600W
350W-42%
Power Connector
8-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
242mm
168mm
Height
112mm
Slots
2
1-50%
Temp (Load)
75
Perf/Watt
101.6+2209%
4.4
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti came in at $399, while the Radeon R5 230 launched at $50. On MSRP, Radeon R5 230 was 87.5% cheaper ($349 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 50.9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 4.4 (Radeon R5 230) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers 1056.8% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (2020 vs 2017).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon R5 230
MSRP
$399
$50-87%
Performance per Dollar
50.9+1057%
4.4
Codename
GA104
Weston
Release
December 1 2020
April 18 2017
Ranking
#73
#873

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