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

✅+336.1% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 230.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 15.7 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $249 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

❌30.8% higher power demand at 170W vs 130W.
❌15.2% longer card at 242mm vs 210mm.

Radeon HD 7850

2012

Why buy it

✅Costs $80 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Draws 130W instead of 170W, a 40W reduction.
✅Measures 210mm instead of 242mm, a 32mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (3,897 vs 16,995).
❌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 15.7 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3060

2021

Radeon HD 7850

2012

Why buy it

✅+336.1% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 230.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 15.7 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $249 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.

Why buy it

✅Costs $80 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Draws 130W instead of 170W, a 40W reduction.
✅Measures 210mm instead of 242mm, a 32mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌30.8% higher power demand at 170W vs 130W.
❌15.2% longer card at 242mm vs 210mm.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (3,897 vs 16,995).
❌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 15.7 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 better than Radeon HD 7850?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 16,995 vs 3,897 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3060 is a 2021 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon HD 7850 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, 336.1% 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 32.1% more expensive on MSRP at $329 MSRP versus $249 MSRP, and you are getting 336.1% higher G3D Mark. Radeon HD 7850 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon HD 7850 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon HD 7850 is 2012 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM, 3,897 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.

GeForce RTX 3060 Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 7850 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon HD 7850
1080p
low	149 FPS	99 FPS
medium	131 FPS	80 FPS
high	118 FPS	62 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	37 FPS
1440p
low	126 FPS	82 FPS
medium	104 FPS	68 FPS
high	92 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	27 FPS
4K
low	67 FPS	26 FPS
medium	58 FPS	25 FPS
high	39 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon HD 7850

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon HD 7850
1080p
low	354 FPS	121 FPS
medium	310 FPS	89 FPS
high	249 FPS	67 FPS
ultra	195 FPS	42 FPS
1440p
low	222 FPS	67 FPS
medium	196 FPS	45 FPS
high	160 FPS	33 FPS
ultra	128 FPS	22 FPS
4K
low	110 FPS	24 FPS
medium	94 FPS	16 FPS
high	77 FPS	13 FPS
ultra	60 FPS	9 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon HD 7850

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon HD 7850
1080p
low	765 FPS	175 FPS
medium	612 FPS	140 FPS
high	510 FPS	117 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	88 FPS
1440p
low	535 FPS	132 FPS
medium	432 FPS	105 FPS
high	366 FPS	88 FPS
ultra	287 FPS	66 FPS
4K
low	367 FPS	88 FPS
medium	298 FPS	70 FPS
high	221 FPS	58 FPS
ultra	176 FPS	44 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon HD 7850

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon HD 7850
1080p
low	523 FPS	133 FPS
medium	452 FPS	105 FPS
high	383 FPS	88 FPS
ultra	319 FPS	73 FPS
1440p
low	428 FPS	97 FPS
medium	371 FPS	78 FPS
high	298 FPS	67 FPS
ultra	245 FPS	51 FPS
4K
low	279 FPS	58 FPS
medium	259 FPS	44 FPS
high	225 FPS	34 FPS
ultra	186 FPS	24 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon HD 7850

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 and Radeon HD 7850

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 7850

The Radeon HD 7850 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: 3,897 points. Launch price was $249.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon HD 7850's 3,897 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 336.1%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon HD 7850 uses GCN 1.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 1,024 (Radeon HD 7850). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 1.761 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7850). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon HD 7850
G3D Mark Score	16,995+336%	3,897
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 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon HD 7850 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon HD 7850
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 7850 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 153.6 GB/s (Radeon HD 7850) — a 134.4% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3060. Bus width: 192-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 7850) — the GeForce RTX 3060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon HD 7850
VRAM Capacity	12 GB+500%	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	360 GB/s+134%	153.6 GB/s
Bus Width	192-bit	256-bit+33%
L2 Cache	3 MB+500%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12 (Radeon HD 7850). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon HD 7850
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7850). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs UVD 3.1. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs H.264 (Radeon HD 7850).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon HD 7850
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 7850's 130W — a 26.7% difference. The Radeon HD 7850 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 500W (Radeon HD 7850). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 210mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon HD 7850
TDP	170W	130W-24%
Recommended PSU	550W	500W-9%
Power Connector	8-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	242mm	210mm
Height	112mm	—
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	75	—
Perf/Watt	100.0+233%	30.0

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3060 launched at $329 MSRP, while the Radeon HD 7850 launched at $249. The Radeon HD 7850 costs 24.3% less ($80 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 15.7 (Radeon HD 7850) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 229.3% better value. The GeForce RTX 3060 is the newer GPU (2021 vs 2012).