GeForce RTX 3060
Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280
GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 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 7950 / R9 280 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 7950 / R9 280: 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
- ✅152.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Delivers 202.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 17.1 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).
- ✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
- ✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 3 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 7950 / R9 280
2012Why buy it
- ✅Costs $50 less on MSRP ($279 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
- ❌2012 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 17.1 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
Quick Answers
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GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 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 7950 / R9 280
The Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 31 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1250 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,765 points. Launch price was $449.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280's 4,765 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 256.7%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 uses GCN 1.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 1,792 (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 2.867 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 1250 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 16,995+257% | 4,765 |
| Architecture | Ampere | GCN 1.0 |
| Process Node | 8 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 3584+100% | 1792 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 12.74 TFLOPS+344% | 2.867 TFLOPS |
| Boost Clock | 1777 MHz+42% | 1250 MHz |
| ROPs | 48+50% | 32 |
| TMUs | 112 | 112 |
| L1 Cache | 3.5 MB+695% | 0.44 MB |
| L2 Cache | 3 MB+300% | 0.75 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce RTX 3060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 7950 / R9 280 carries 3 GB. GeForce RTX 3060 gives you 300% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 360 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 240 GB/s (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) — a 50% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3060. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 and 384-bit on the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 0.75 MB (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) — the GeForce RTX 3060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 12 GB+300% | 3 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 360 GB/s+50% | 240 GB/s |
| Bus Width | 192-bit | 384-bit+100% |
| L2 Cache | 3 MB+300% | 0.75 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12 (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate | 12 |
| Vulkan | 1.3+8% | 1.2 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Max Displays | 4 | 4 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs UVD 3.2. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MVC (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 7th Gen | VCE 1.0 |
| Decoder | NVDEC 5th Gen | UVD 3.2 |
| Codecs | AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 | H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MVC |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280's 200W — a 16.2% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 500W (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 278mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 80°C.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 170W-15% | 200W |
| Recommended PSU | 550W | 500W-9% |
| Power Connector | 8-pin | 2x 6-pin |
| Length | 242mm | 278mm |
| Height | 112mm | 111mm |
| Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 75-6% | 80°C |
| Perf/Watt | 100.0+320% | 23.8 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 came in at $329, while the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 launched at $279. On MSRP, Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 was 15.2% cheaper ($50 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 17.1 (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 202.3% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 (2021 vs 2012).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $329 | $279-15% |
| Performance per Dollar | 51.7+202% | 17.1 |
| Codename | GA106 | Tahiti |
| Release | January 12 2021 | January 31 2012 |
| Ranking | #114 | #454 |
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