GeForce RTX 3060
Radeon R5 230
GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon R5 230 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 R5 230 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 R5 230: 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
- ✅3562.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Delivers 1063.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 4.4 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.
- ❌44% longer card at 242mm vs 168mm.
Radeon R5 230
2017Why buy it
- ✅Costs $279 less on MSRP ($50 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
- ✅Draws 50W instead of 170W, a 120W reduction.
- ✅Measures 168mm instead of 242mm, a 74mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
- ❌2017 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.4 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
Quick Answers
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GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon R5 230 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 R5 230
The Radeon R5 230 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 18 2017. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 730 MHz to 1024 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 222 points.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon R5 230's 222 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 7555.4%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon R5 230 uses GCN 3.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 384 (Radeon R5 230). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 0.7864 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 230). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 1024 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon R5 230 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 16,995+7555% | 222 |
| Architecture | Ampere | GCN 3.0 |
| Process Node | 8 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 3584+833% | 384 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 12.74 TFLOPS+1520% | 0.7864 TFLOPS |
| Boost Clock | 1777 MHz+74% | 1024 MHz |
| ROPs | 48+500% | 8 |
| TMUs | 112+367% | 24 |
| L1 Cache | 3.5 MB+3789% | 0.09 MB |
| L2 Cache | 3 MB+2208% | 0.13 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce RTX 3060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R5 230 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon R5 230 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 R5 230 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 128-bit on the Radeon R5 230. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 0.13 MB (Radeon R5 230) — the GeForce RTX 3060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon R5 230 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 12 GB+2300% | 0.5 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 360 GB/s | Unknown |
| Bus Width | 192-bit+50% | 128-bit |
| L2 Cache | 3 MB+2208% | 0.13 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 11.2 (Radeon R5 230). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon R5 230 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate+7% | 11.2 |
| Max Displays | 4+100% | 2 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060) vs UVD 2.2 (Radeon R5 230). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs UVD 2.2.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon R5 230 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 7th Gen | UVD 2.2 |
| Decoder | NVDEC 5th Gen | UVD 2.2 |
| Codecs | AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 | — |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Radeon R5 230's 50W — a 109.1% difference. The Radeon R5 230 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 350W (Radeon R5 230). Power connectors: 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 242mm vs 168mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon R5 230 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 170W | 50W-71% |
| Recommended PSU | 550W | 350W-36% |
| Power Connector | 8-pin | PCIe-powered |
| Length | 242mm | 168mm |
| Height | 112mm | — |
| Slots | 2 | 1-50% |
| Temp (Load) | 75 | — |
| Perf/Watt | 100.0+2173% | 4.4 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 came in at $329, while the Radeon R5 230 launched at $50. On MSRP, Radeon R5 230 was 84.8% cheaper ($279 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 4.4 (Radeon R5 230) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 1075% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 (2021 vs 2017).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon R5 230 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $329 | $50-85% |
| Performance per Dollar | 51.7+1075% | 4.4 |
| Codename | GA106 | Weston |
| Release | January 12 2021 | April 18 2017 |
| Ranking | #114 | #873 |
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