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

2021

Why buy it

✅50.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 6 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer Tensor Cores for AI-powered features like DLSS and frame generation (112 vs 288), which can reduce FPS gains in supported games.
❌183.3% higher power demand at 170W vs 60W.

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

2019

Why buy it

✅157.1% more Tensor Cores for AI-powered features like DLSS and frame generation, which can increase overall FPS in supported games (288 vs 112).
✅Draws 60W instead of 170W, a 110W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Weaker long-term outlook: GeForce RTX 3060 is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 51.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3060

2021

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

2019

Why buy it

✅50.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 6 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅157.1% more Tensor Cores for AI-powered features like DLSS and frame generation, which can increase overall FPS in supported games (288 vs 112).
✅Draws 60W instead of 170W, a 110W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer Tensor Cores for AI-powered features like DLSS and frame generation (112 vs 288), which can reduce FPS gains in supported games.
❌183.3% higher power demand at 170W vs 60W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Weaker long-term outlook: GeForce RTX 3060 is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 51.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 better than Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3060 averages 50.9% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 16,995 vs 8,119 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3060 is a 2021 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is a 2019 model from an older generation with DLSS Super Resolution. 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 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2021 generation instead of 2019, 109.3% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 12 GB instead of 6 GB, and a 8nm process instead of 12nm. 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 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3060 is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $329 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 50.9% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 109.3% 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 Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design 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 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 Benchmark Check

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	149 FPS	83 FPS
medium	131 FPS	72 FPS
high	118 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	39 FPS
1440p
low	126 FPS	73 FPS
medium	104 FPS	64 FPS
high	92 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	30 FPS
4K
low	67 FPS	27 FPS
medium	58 FPS	26 FPS
high	39 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	15 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	354 FPS	170 FPS
medium	310 FPS	135 FPS
high	249 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	195 FPS	94 FPS
1440p
low	222 FPS	131 FPS
medium	196 FPS	102 FPS
high	160 FPS	84 FPS
ultra	128 FPS	68 FPS
4K
low	110 FPS	76 FPS
medium	94 FPS	62 FPS
high	77 FPS	50 FPS
ultra	60 FPS	37 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	765 FPS	365 FPS
medium	612 FPS	292 FPS
high	510 FPS	244 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	183 FPS
1440p
low	535 FPS	274 FPS
medium	432 FPS	219 FPS
high	366 FPS	183 FPS
ultra	287 FPS	137 FPS
4K
low	367 FPS	183 FPS
medium	298 FPS	146 FPS
high	221 FPS	122 FPS
ultra	176 FPS	91 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	523 FPS	231 FPS
medium	452 FPS	195 FPS
high	383 FPS	159 FPS
ultra	319 FPS	134 FPS
1440p
low	428 FPS	180 FPS
medium	371 FPS	158 FPS
high	298 FPS	126 FPS
ultra	245 FPS	104 FPS
4K
low	279 FPS	107 FPS
medium	259 FPS	89 FPS
high	225 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	186 FPS	54 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 and Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

GeForce RTX 3060

The GeForce RTX 3060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 12 2021. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1320 MHz to 1777 MHz. It has 3584 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 170W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 28 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 16,995 points. Launch price was $329.

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

The Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 27 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 600 MHz to 1215 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 60W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 36 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,119 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design's 8,119 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 109.3%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design uses Turing, both on 8 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 2,304 (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 5.599 TFLOPS (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 1215 MHz. Ray tracing: 28 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 36 (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design) with 112 Tensor cores vs 288.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
G3D Mark Score	16,995+109%	8,119
Architecture	Ampere	Turing
Process Node	8 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	3584+56%	2304
Compute (TFLOPS)	12.74 TFLOPS+128%	5.599 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1777 MHz+46%	1215 MHz
ROPs	48	64+33%
TMUs	112	144+29%
L1 Cache	3.5 MB+52%	2.3 MB
L2 Cache	3 MB	4 MB+33%
Ray Tracing Cores	28	36+29%
Tensor Cores	112	288+157%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 2 Super Resolution	DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3060 comes with 12 GB of VRAM, while the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design has 6 GB. The GeForce RTX 3060 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 192-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 4 MB (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design) — the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
VRAM Capacity	12 GB+100%	6 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Bus Width	192-bit	256-bit+33%
L2 Cache	3 MB	4 MB+33%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12 Ultimate (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12 Ultimate
Vulkan	1.3	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060) vs NVENC 7th Gen (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs NVDEC 4th Gen. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs H.265,H.264 (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
Encoder	NVENC 7th Gen	NVENC 7th Gen
Decoder	NVDEC 5th Gen	NVDEC 4th Gen
Codecs	AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9	H.265,H.264

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design's 60W — a 95.7% difference. The Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 500W (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Power connectors: 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 242mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs Unknown.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
TDP	170W	60W-65%
Recommended PSU	550W	500W-9%
Power Connector	8-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	242mm	0mm
Height	112mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	75	Unknown-100%
Perf/Watt	100.0	135.3+35%