GeForce RTX 3060 Ti vs Radeon RX 590

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020Core: 1410 MHzBoost: 1665 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon RX 590

2018Core: 1469 MHzBoost: 1545 MHz

Popular choices:

RTX 3060 Ti

Performance Spectrum - GPU

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.

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

  • +118.1% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Delivers 52.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 33.4 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).

Radeon RX 590

2018

Why buy it

  • Costs $120 less on MSRP ($279 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • Measures 241mm instead of 242mm, a 1mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (9,315 vs 20,312).
  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
  • Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 8 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 33.4 vs 50.9 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 Ti better than Radeon RX 590?
Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 20,312 vs 9,315 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is a 2020 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon RX 590 is a 2018 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation. 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 2018, 118.1% more raw performance headroom, the stronger feature stack with DLSS Super Resolution instead of FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation, and a 8nm process instead of 12nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.
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 43.0% more expensive on MSRP at $399 MSRP versus $279 MSRP, and you are getting 118.1% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 52.5%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.
Is Radeon RX 590 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
Yes. Radeon RX 590 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 $279 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.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon RX 590
1080p
low152 FPS175 FPS
medium137 FPS159 FPS
high118 FPS138 FPS
ultra100 FPS107 FPS
1440p
low131 FPS153 FPS
medium107 FPS126 FPS
high91 FPS104 FPS
ultra82 FPS85 FPS
4K
low77 FPS76 FPS
medium65 FPS64 FPS
high50 FPS49 FPS
ultra43 FPS43 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon RX 590
1080p
low425 FPS170 FPS
medium366 FPS145 FPS
high296 FPS126 FPS
ultra248 FPS98 FPS
1440p
low272 FPS96 FPS
medium229 FPS75 FPS
high190 FPS60 FPS
ultra156 FPS49 FPS
4K
low133 FPS46 FPS
medium114 FPS36 FPS
high96 FPS31 FPS
ultra73 FPS26 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon RX 590
1080p
low859 FPS419 FPS
medium693 FPS335 FPS
high602 FPS279 FPS
ultra457 FPS210 FPS
1440p
low658 FPS314 FPS
medium529 FPS252 FPS
high452 FPS210 FPS
ultra343 FPS157 FPS
4K
low434 FPS210 FPS
medium346 FPS168 FPS
high275 FPS140 FPS
ultra221 FPS105 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon RX 590
1080p
low580 FPS419 FPS
medium514 FPS335 FPS
high424 FPS279 FPS
ultra373 FPS210 FPS
1440p
low478 FPS314 FPS
medium427 FPS252 FPS
high335 FPS210 FPS
ultra290 FPS157 FPS
4K
low285 FPS190 FPS
medium266 FPS149 FPS
high234 FPS131 FPS
ultra195 FPS105 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 Ti and Radeon RX 590

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 RX 590

The Radeon RX 590 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 15 2018. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1469 MHz to 1545 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 175W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,315 points. Launch price was $279.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 20,312 versus the Radeon RX 590's 9,315 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads by 118.1%. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 590 uses GCN 4.0, both on 8 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 4,864 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX 590). Raw compute: 16.2 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 7.119 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 590). Boost clocks: 1665 MHz vs 1545 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon RX 590
G3D Mark Score
20,312+118%
9,315
Architecture
Ampere
GCN 4.0
Process Node
8 nm
12 nm
Shading Units
4864+111%
2304
Compute (TFLOPS)
16.2 TFLOPS+128%
7.119 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1665 MHz+8%
1545 MHz
ROPs
80+150%
32
TMUs
152+6%
144
L1 Cache
4.8 MB+757%
0.56 MB
L2 Cache
4 MB+100%
2 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 590 is support for FSR Frame Generation. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.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 RX 590 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon RX 590
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
FSR Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 8 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 448 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 256 GB/s (Radeon RX 590) — a 75% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. Bus width: 256-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX 590) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon RX 590
VRAM Capacity
8 GB
8 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
448 GB/s+75%
256 GB/s
Bus Width
256-bit
256-bit
L2 Cache
4 MB+100%
2 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 12.0 (Radeon RX 590). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon RX 590
DirectX
12 Ultimate (12_2)
12.0
Vulkan
1.3+8%
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Ampere) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 590). Decoder: NVDEC (Ampere) vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon RX 590).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon RX 590
Encoder
NVENC (Ampere)
VCE 3.4
Decoder
NVDEC (Ampere)
UVD 6.3
Codecs
H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti draws 200W versus the Radeon RX 590's 175W — a 13.3% difference. The Radeon RX 590 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 500W (Radeon RX 590). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 241mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 80°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon RX 590
TDP
200W
175W-13%
Recommended PSU
600W
500W-17%
Power Connector
8-pin
8-pin
Length
242mm
241mm
Height
112mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75-6%
80°C
Perf/Watt
101.6+91%
53.2
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti launched at $399 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 590 launched at $279. The Radeon RX 590 costs 30.1% less ($120 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 50.9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 33.4 (Radeon RX 590) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers 52.4% better value. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the newer GPU (2020 vs 2018).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060 TiRadeon RX 590
MSRP
$399
$279-30%
Performance per Dollar
50.9+52%
33.4
Codename
GA104
Polaris 30
Release
December 1 2020
November 15 2018
Ranking
#73
#285