GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon HD 7770

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060

2021Core: 1320 MHzBoost: 1777 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon HD 7770

2012Core: 1000 MHz

Popular choices:

RTX 3060

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

2021

Why buy it

  • 728.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 278% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 13.7 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 2 GB).
  • More future proof: Ampere on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 112.5% higher power demand at 170W vs 80W.
  • 15.2% longer card at 242mm vs 210mm.

Radeon HD 7770

2012

Why buy it

  • Costs $170 less on MSRP ($159 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
  • Draws 80W instead of 170W, a 90W reduction.
  • Measures 210mm instead of 242mm, a 32mm 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 2 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
  • Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 13.7 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($159 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 better than Radeon HD 7770?
Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3060 averages 728.5% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 16,995 vs 2,173 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3060 is a 2021 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon HD 7770 is a 2012 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. 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 2012, 682.1% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 12 GB instead of 2 GB, and the stronger feature stack with DLSS Super Resolution instead of FSR upscaling. 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 by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 3060 is about 106.9% more expensive on MSRP at $329 MSRP versus $159 MSRP, and you are getting 728.5% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 682.1% higher G3D Mark. Radeon HD 7770 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.
Is Radeon HD 7770 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon HD 7770 is 2012 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM, 2,173 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

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 3060Radeon HD 7770
1080p
low149 FPS23 FPS
medium131 FPS13 FPS
high118 FPS8 FPS
ultra99 FPS4 FPS
1440p
low126 FPS11 FPS
medium104 FPS6 FPS
high92 FPS3 FPS
ultra80 FPS1 FPS
4K
low67 FPS4 FPS
medium58 FPS3 FPS
high39 FPS1 FPS
ultra32 FPS1 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3060Radeon HD 7770
1080p
low354 FPS52 FPS
medium310 FPS27 FPS
high249 FPS20 FPS
ultra195 FPS13 FPS
1440p
low222 FPS23 FPS
medium196 FPS13 FPS
high160 FPS8 FPS
ultra128 FPS6 FPS
4K
low110 FPS7 FPS
medium94 FPS4 FPS
high77 FPS3 FPS
ultra60 FPS2 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce RTX 3060Radeon HD 7770
1080p
low765 FPS98 FPS
medium612 FPS78 FPS
high510 FPS65 FPS
ultra382 FPS49 FPS
1440p
low535 FPS73 FPS
medium432 FPS59 FPS
high366 FPS49 FPS
ultra287 FPS37 FPS
4K
low367 FPS49 FPS
medium298 FPS39 FPS
high221 FPS33 FPS
ultra176 FPS24 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce RTX 3060Radeon HD 7770
1080p
low523 FPS98 FPS
medium452 FPS78 FPS
high383 FPS64 FPS
ultra319 FPS49 FPS
1440p
low428 FPS61 FPS
medium371 FPS47 FPS
high298 FPS38 FPS
ultra245 FPS28 FPS
4K
low279 FPS34 FPS
medium259 FPS25 FPS
high225 FPS20 FPS
ultra186 FPS14 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 and Radeon HD 7770

NVIDIA

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.

AMD

Radeon HD 7770

The Radeon HD 7770 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in February 15 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,173 points. Launch price was $159.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon HD 7770's 2,173 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 682.1%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon HD 7770 uses GCN 1.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 640 (Radeon HD 7770). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 1.28 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7770).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon HD 7770
G3D Mark Score
16,995+682%
2,173
Architecture
Ampere
GCN 1.0
Process Node
8 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
3584+460%
640
Compute (TFLOPS)
12.74 TFLOPS+895%
1.28 TFLOPS
ROPs
48+200%
16
TMUs
112+180%
40
L1 Cache
3.5 MB+2088%
0.16 MB
L2 Cache
3 MB+1100%
0.25 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon HD 7770 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon HD 7770
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 comes with 12 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7770 has 2 GB. The GeForce RTX 3060 offers 500% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 360 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 72 GB/s (Radeon HD 7770) — a 400% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3060. Bus width: 192-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 7770) — the GeForce RTX 3060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon HD 7770
VRAM Capacity
12 GB+500%
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
360 GB/s+400%
72 GB/s
Bus Width
192-bit+50%
128-bit
L2 Cache
3 MB+1100%
0.25 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12_0 (Radeon HD 7770). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon HD 7770
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12_0
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7770). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs UVD 3.1. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs H.264 (Radeon HD 7770).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon HD 7770
Encoder
NVENC 7th Gen
VCE 1.0
Decoder
NVDEC 5th Gen
UVD 3.1
Codecs
AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9
H.264
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Radeon HD 7770's 80W — a 72% difference. The Radeon HD 7770 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 450W (Radeon HD 7770). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 210mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon HD 7770
TDP
170W
80W-53%
Recommended PSU
550W
450W-18%
Power Connector
8-pin
1x 6-pin
Length
242mm
210mm
Height
112mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75
Perf/Watt
100.0+268%
27.2
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3060 launched at $329 MSRP, while the Radeon HD 7770 launched at $159. The Radeon HD 7770 costs 51.7% less ($170 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 13.7 (Radeon HD 7770) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 277.4% better value. The GeForce RTX 3060 is the newer GPU (2021 vs 2012).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon HD 7770
MSRP
$329
$159-52%
Performance per Dollar
51.7+277%
13.7
Codename
GA106
Cape Verde
Release
January 12 2021
February 15 2012
Ranking
#114
#664