GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon HD 8600/8700M

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

✅+1550% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅2300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 512 MB).
✅More future proof: Ampere on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌240% higher power demand at 170W vs 50W.

Radeon HD 8600/8700M

2013

Why buy it

✅Draws 50W instead of 170W, a 120W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (1,030 vs 16,995).
❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB 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: 2013-era hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 51.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3060

2021

Radeon HD 8600/8700M

2013

Why buy it

✅+1550% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅2300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 512 MB).
✅More future proof: Ampere on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Draws 50W instead of 170W, a 120W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌240% higher power demand at 170W vs 50W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (1,030 vs 16,995).
❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB 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: 2013-era hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 51.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 better than Radeon HD 8600/8700M?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 16,995 vs 1,030 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3060 is a 2021 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon HD 8600/8700M is a 2013 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 2013, 1550.0% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 12 GB instead of 512 MB, 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 today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3060 is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $329 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 1550.0% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon HD 8600/8700M still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon HD 8600/8700M is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around an unclear MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 3060 is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

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 8600/8700M Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon HD 8600/8700M
1080p
low	149 FPS	28 FPS
medium	131 FPS	17 FPS
high	118 FPS	10 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	5 FPS
1440p
low	126 FPS	13 FPS
medium	104 FPS	7 FPS
high	92 FPS	3 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	2 FPS
4K
low	67 FPS	5 FPS
medium	58 FPS	3 FPS
high	39 FPS	1 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	1 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon HD 8600/8700M

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon HD 8600/8700M
1080p
low	354 FPS	46 FPS
medium	310 FPS	37 FPS
high	249 FPS	31 FPS
ultra	195 FPS	23 FPS
1440p
low	222 FPS	35 FPS
medium	196 FPS	28 FPS
high	160 FPS	22 FPS
ultra	128 FPS	17 FPS
4K
low	110 FPS	23 FPS
medium	94 FPS	16 FPS
high	77 FPS	12 FPS
ultra	60 FPS	9 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon HD 8600/8700M

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon HD 8600/8700M
1080p
low	765 FPS	46 FPS
medium	612 FPS	37 FPS
high	510 FPS	31 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	23 FPS
1440p
low	535 FPS	35 FPS
medium	432 FPS	28 FPS
high	366 FPS	23 FPS
ultra	287 FPS	17 FPS
4K
low	367 FPS	23 FPS
medium	298 FPS	19 FPS
high	221 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	176 FPS	12 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon HD 8600/8700M

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon HD 8600/8700M
1080p
low	523 FPS	46 FPS
medium	452 FPS	37 FPS
high	383 FPS	31 FPS
ultra	319 FPS	23 FPS
1440p
low	428 FPS	35 FPS
medium	371 FPS	28 FPS
high	298 FPS	23 FPS
ultra	245 FPS	17 FPS
4K
low	279 FPS	23 FPS
medium	259 FPS	19 FPS
high	225 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	186 FPS	12 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon HD 8600/8700M

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 and Radeon HD 8600/8700M

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 8600/8700M

The Radeon HD 8600/8700M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 1 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 725 MHz to 775 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,030 points.

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Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon HD 8600/8700M's 1,030 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 1550%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon HD 8600/8700M uses GCN 1.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 640 (Radeon HD 8600/8700M). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 0.992 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8600/8700M). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 775 MHz.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon HD 8600/8700M
G3D Mark Score	16,995+1550%	1,030
Architecture	Ampere	GCN 1.0
Process Node	8 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	3584+460%	640
Compute (TFLOPS)	12.74 TFLOPS+1184%	0.992 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1777 MHz+129%	775 MHz
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

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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 8600/8700M relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon HD 8600/8700M
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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3060 comes with 12 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 8600/8700M has 512 MB. The GeForce RTX 3060 offers 2300% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 192-bit vs System. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 8600/8700M) — the GeForce RTX 3060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon HD 8600/8700M
VRAM Capacity	12 GB+2300%	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	Shared
Memory Bandwidth	360 GB/s	System
Bus Width	192-bit	System
L2 Cache	3 MB+1100%	0.25 MB

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Radeon HD 8600/8700M's 50W — a 109.1% difference. The Radeon HD 8600/8700M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8600/8700M). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin.