GeForce RTX 3060
Radeon HD 3850
GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon HD 3850 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 vs Radeon HD 3850 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.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon HD 3850: 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
2021Why buy it
- ✅1572.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Delivers 2205.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 2.2 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $179 MSRP).
- ✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
- ✅1100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 1 GB).
- ✅Better long-term bet: Ampere on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌30.8% higher power demand at 170W vs 130W.
- ❌16.3% longer card at 242mm vs 208mm.
Radeon HD 3850
2012Why buy it
- ✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($179 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
- ✅Draws 130W instead of 170W, a 40W reduction.
- ✅Measures 208mm instead of 242mm, a 34mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
- ❌2012 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.2 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($179 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
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GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon HD 3850 Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
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.
Radeon HD 3850
The Radeon HD 3850 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 5 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 130W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 401 points. Launch price was $249.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon HD 3850's 401 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 4138.2%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon HD 3850 uses GCN 1.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 1,024 (Radeon HD 3850). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 1.761 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 3850). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 1000 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 3850 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 16,995+4138% | 401 |
| Architecture | Ampere | GCN 1.0 |
| Process Node | 8 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 3584+250% | 1024 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 12.74 TFLOPS+623% | 1.761 TFLOPS |
| Boost Clock | 1777 MHz+78% | 1000 MHz |
| ROPs | 48+50% | 32 |
| TMUs | 112+75% | 64 |
| L1 Cache | 3.5 MB+1300% | 0.25 MB |
| L2 Cache | 3 MB+500% | 0.5 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce RTX 3060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 3850 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 3850 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 has 12 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 3850 carries 1 GB. GeForce RTX 3060 gives you 1100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 3850. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 3850) — the GeForce RTX 3060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 3850 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 12 GB+1100% | 1 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 360 GB/s | Unknown |
| Bus Width | 192-bit+50% | 128-bit |
| L2 Cache | 3 MB+500% | 0.5 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 3850). OpenGL: 4.6 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 3850 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate+19% | 10.1 |
| OpenGL | 4.6+39% | 3.3 |
| Max Displays | 4+100% | 2 |
Media & Encoding
Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs UVD+. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs H.264,VC-1,DivX,MPEG-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 3850).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 3850 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 7th Gen | — |
| Decoder | NVDEC 5th Gen | UVD+ |
| Codecs | AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 | H.264,VC-1,DivX,MPEG-1,MPEG-2 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Radeon HD 3850's 130W — a 26.7% difference. The Radeon HD 3850 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 450W (Radeon HD 3850). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 208mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 80°C.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 3850 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 170W | 130W-24% |
| Recommended PSU | 550W | 450W-18% |
| Power Connector | 8-pin | 1x 6-pin |
| Length | 242mm | 208mm |
| Height | 112mm | — |
| Slots | 2 | 1-50% |
| Temp (Load) | 75-6% | 80°C |
| Perf/Watt | 100.0+3126% | 3.1 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 came in at $329, while the Radeon HD 3850 launched at $179. On MSRP, Radeon HD 3850 was 45.6% cheaper ($150 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 2.2 (Radeon HD 3850) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 2250% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 (2021 vs 2012).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 3850 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $329 | $179-46% |
| Performance per Dollar | 51.7+2250% | 2.2 |
| Codename | GA106 | Pitcairn |
| Release | January 12 2021 | March 5 2012 |
| Ranking | #114 | #503 |
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