GeForce RTX 3060
Radeon HD 6970
GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon HD 6970 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 6970 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 6970: 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
- ✅246.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Costs $40 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $369 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 573.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 7.7 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $369 MSRP).
- ✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
- ✅500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 2 GB).
Trade-offs
- ❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.
Radeon HD 6970
2010Why buy it
- ✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
- ❌2010 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌12.2% HIGHER MSRP$369 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
Quick Answers
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GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon HD 6970 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 6970
The Radeon HD 6970 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 14 2010. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The boost clock speed is 880 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,831 points. Launch price was $369.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon HD 6970's 2,831 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 500.3%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon HD 6970 uses TeraScale 3, both on 8 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 1,536 (Radeon HD 6970). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 2.703 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6970). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 880 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 6970 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 16,995+500% | 2,831 |
| Architecture | Ampere | TeraScale 3 |
| Process Node | 8 nm | 40 nm |
| Shading Units | 3584+133% | 1536 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 12.74 TFLOPS+371% | 2.703 TFLOPS |
| Boost Clock | 1777 MHz+102% | 880 MHz |
| ROPs | 48+50% | 32 |
| TMUs | 112+17% | 96 |
| L1 Cache | 3.5 MB+1742% | 0.19 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 6970 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 6970 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 6970 carries 2 GB. GeForce RTX 3060 gives you 500% 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 6970. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 6970) — the GeForce RTX 3060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 6970 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 12 GB+500% | 2 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 11.0 (Radeon HD 6970). Vulkan: 1.3 vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 6970 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate+9% | 11.0 |
| Vulkan | 1.3 | N/A |
| OpenGL | 4.6+5% | 4.4 |
| Max Displays | 4 | 6+50% |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060) vs None (Radeon HD 6970). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs UVD 3.0. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,MPEG-4,MVC (Radeon HD 6970).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 6970 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 7th Gen | None |
| Decoder | NVDEC 5th Gen | UVD 3.0 |
| Codecs | AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 | MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,MPEG-4,MVC |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Radeon HD 6970's 250W — a 38.1% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 550W (Radeon HD 6970). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 286mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 90.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 6970 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 170W-32% | 250W |
| Recommended PSU | 550W | 550W |
| Power Connector | 8-pin | 6-pin + 8-pin |
| Length | 242mm | 286mm |
| Height | 112mm | 111mm |
| Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 75-17% | 90 |
| Perf/Watt | 100.0+785% | 11.3 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 came in at $329, while the Radeon HD 6970 launched at $369. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3060 was 10.8% cheaper ($40 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 7.7 (Radeon HD 6970) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 571.4% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 (2021 vs 2010).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 6970 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $329-11% | $369 |
| Performance per Dollar | 51.7+571% | 7.7 |
| Codename | GA106 | Cayman |
| Release | January 12 2021 | December 14 2010 |
| Ranking | #114 | #596 |
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