GeForce RTX 3060
Radeon HD 6790
GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon HD 6790 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 6790 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 6790: 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
- ✅637.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Delivers 391.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 10.5 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $149 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
- ❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.
Radeon HD 6790
2011Why buy it
- ✅Costs $180 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
- ✅Measures 240mm instead of 242mm, a 2mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
- ❌2011 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 10.5 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
Quick Answers
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GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon HD 6790 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 6790
The Radeon HD 6790 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 4 2011. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 840 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,567 points. Launch price was $149.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon HD 6790's 1,567 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 984.6%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon HD 6790 uses TeraScale 2, both on 8 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 800 (Radeon HD 6790). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 1.344 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6790).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 6790 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 16,995+985% | 1,567 |
| Architecture | Ampere | TeraScale 2 |
| Process Node | 8 nm | 40 nm |
| Shading Units | 3584+348% | 800 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 12.74 TFLOPS+848% | 1.344 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 48+200% | 16 |
| TMUs | 112+180% | 40 |
| L1 Cache | 3.5 MB+2088% | 0.16 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 6790 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 6790 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 6790 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 6790. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 6790) — the GeForce RTX 3060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 6790 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 11.2 (11_0) (Radeon HD 6790). Vulkan: 1.3 vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 6790 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate+7% | 11.2 (11_0) |
| Vulkan | 1.3 | N/A |
| OpenGL | 4.6+5% | 4.4 |
| Max Displays | 4+33% | 3 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060) vs None (Radeon HD 6790). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs UVD 3.0. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 6790).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 6790 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 7th Gen | None |
| Decoder | NVDEC 5th Gen | UVD 3.0 |
| Codecs | AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Radeon HD 6790's 150W — a 12.5% difference. The Radeon HD 6790 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 450W (Radeon HD 6790). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 240mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 80.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 6790 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 170W | 150W-12% |
| Recommended PSU | 550W | 450W-18% |
| Power Connector | 8-pin | 2x 6-pin |
| Length | 242mm | 240mm |
| Height | 112mm | 111mm |
| Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 75-6% | 80 |
| Perf/Watt | 100.0+862% | 10.4 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 came in at $329, while the Radeon HD 6790 launched at $149. On MSRP, Radeon HD 6790 was 54.7% cheaper ($180 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 10.5 (Radeon HD 6790) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 392.4% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 (2021 vs 2011).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 6790 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $329 | $149-55% |
| Performance per Dollar | 51.7+392% | 10.5 |
| Codename | GA106 | Barts |
| Release | January 12 2021 | April 4 2011 |
| Ranking | #114 | #759 |
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