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GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon R3

CPUCPUGPUGPU
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060

2021Core: 1320 MHzBoost: 1777 MHz
RTX family
·······
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VS
AMD

Radeon R3

2019Core: 1082 MHzBoost: 1218 MHz
Similar parts
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Buy on Amazon

GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon R3 Performance Spectrum

GeForce RTX 3060
12 GB 170
16,995
+5312.4%
brand logoGeForce RTX 3050 4GB Mobile
brand logoGeForce RTX 2060 (Mobile)
brand logoGeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
brand logoRTX 2000 Ada Generation Embedded GPU
brand logoTITAN V
brand logoGeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB
brand logoGeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile
brand logoGeForce RTX 5070
Radeon R3
0.5 GB 50
314
0.0%
brand logoMobility Radeon HD 530v
brand logoRadeon HD 4650 AGP
brand logoRadeon HD4650
brand logoRadeon R5 235X
brand logoRadeon HD 7970M Crossfire
brand logoRadeon RX 6550M
brand logoRadeon RX 7600M XT
brand logoRadeon RX 6700 XT

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 R3 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

Path of Exile 2

1080P
GeForce RTX 3060
low149 FPS
medium131 FPS
high118 FPS
ultra99 FPS
1080P
Radeon R3
low14 FPS
medium11 FPS
high9 FPS
ultra7 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

1080P
GeForce RTX 3060
low354 FPS
medium310 FPS
high249 FPS
ultra195 FPS
1080P
Radeon R3
low14 FPS
medium11 FPS
high9 FPS
ultra7 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

1080P
GeForce RTX 3060
low765 FPS
medium612 FPS
high510 FPS
ultra382 FPS
1080P
Radeon R3
low14 FPS
medium11 FPS
high9 FPS
ultra7 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

1080P
GeForce RTX 3060
low523 FPS
medium452 FPS
high383 FPS
ultra319 FPS
1080P
Radeon R3
low14 FPS
medium11 FPS
high9 FPS
ultra7 FPS
Among Us

Among Us

1080P
GeForce RTX 3060
low60 FPS
medium60 FPS
high60 FPS
ultra60 FPS
1080P
Radeon R3
low14 FPS
medium11 FPS
high9 FPS
ultra7 FPS
Apex Legends

Apex Legends

1080P
GeForce RTX 3060
low294 FPS
medium262 FPS
high235 FPS
ultra214 FPS
1080P
Radeon R3
low14 FPS
medium11 FPS
high9 FPS
ultra7 FPS
ARC Raiders

ARC Raiders

1080P
GeForce RTX 3060
low150 FPS
medium126 FPS
high103 FPS
ultra77 FPS
1080P
Radeon R3
low14 FPS
medium11 FPS
high5 FPS
ultra2 FPS
Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3

1080P
GeForce RTX 3060
low162 FPS
medium141 FPS
high124 FPS
ultra100 FPS
1080P
Radeon R3
low14 FPS
medium11 FPS
high9 FPS
ultra7 FPS
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

1080P
GeForce RTX 3060
low119 FPS
medium107 FPS
high82 FPS
ultra72 FPS
1080P
Radeon R3
low14 FPS
medium11 FPS
high9 FPS
ultra7 FPS
Call of Duty: Warzone

Call of Duty: Warzone

1080P
GeForce RTX 3060
low126 FPS
medium108 FPS
high95 FPS
ultra82 FPS
1080P
Radeon R3
low14 FPS
medium11 FPS
high9 FPS
ultra4 FPS
Check FPS with Custom Builds

GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon R3: 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

2021

Why buy it

  • ✅2325.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • ✅Delivers 722.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 6.3 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
  • ✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • ✅2300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 512 MB).
  • ✅Better long-term bet: Ampere on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

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

Radeon R3

2019

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $279 less on MSRP ($50 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
  • ✅Draws 50W instead of 170W, a 120W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • ❌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.
  • ❌2019 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 6.3 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 3060 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 2325.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 5312.4% in PassMark G3D (16,995 vs 314), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3060 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 12 GB vs 512 MB of VRAM, a 8nm process instead of 14nm, 28 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2021 generation instead of 2019. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 3060 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $279 more expensive on MSRP at $329 vs $50, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 722.6% (51.7 vs 6.3), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon R3 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

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 R3

The Radeon R3 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 13 2019. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1082 MHz to 1218 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 314 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon R3's 314 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 5312.4%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon R3 uses GCN 4.0, both on 8 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 512 (Radeon R3). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 1.247 TFLOPS (Radeon R3). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 1218 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon R3
G3D Mark Score
16,995+5312%
314
Architecture
Ampere
GCN 4.0
Process Node
8 nm
14 nm
Shading Units
3584+600%
512
Compute (TFLOPS)
12.74 TFLOPS+922%
1.247 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1777 MHz+46%
1218 MHz
ROPs
48+200%
16
TMUs
112+250%
32
L1 Cache
3.5 MB+2592%
0.13 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 R3 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon R3
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 R3 carries 512 MB. GeForce RTX 3060 gives you 2300% 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 64-bit on the Radeon R3. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon R3) — the GeForce RTX 3060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon R3
VRAM Capacity
12 GB+2300%
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Bus Width
192-bit+200%
64-bit
L2 Cache
3 MB+500%
0.5 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R3). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon R3
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12 (12_0)
Vulkan
1.3+8%
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4+100%
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R3). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon R3).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon R3
Encoder
NVENC 7th Gen
VCE 2.0
Decoder
NVDEC 5th Gen
UVD 4.2
Codecs
AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Radeon R3's 50W — a 109.1% difference. The Radeon R3 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 350W (Radeon R3). Power connectors: 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 70°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon R3
TDP
170W
50W-71%
Recommended PSU
550W
350W-36%
Power Connector
8-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
242mm
—
Height
112mm
—
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
75
70°C-7%
Perf/Watt
100.0+1487%
6.3
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 came in at $329, while the Radeon R3 launched at $50. On MSRP, Radeon R3 was 84.8% cheaper ($279 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 6.3 (Radeon R3) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 720.6% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 (2021 vs 2019).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon R3
MSRP
$329
$50-85%
Performance per Dollar
51.7+721%
6.3
Codename
GA106
Polaris 23
Release
January 12 2021
May 13 2019
Ranking
#114
#757
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