GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon R7 A8-8650

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060

2021Core: 1320 MHzBoost: 1777 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon R7 A8-8650

2014Core: 725 MHzBoost: 825 MHz

Popular choices:

RTX 3060

Performance Spectrum - GPU

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.

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

  • +2263.7% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Delivers 252% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 14.7 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $49 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

  • 466.7% higher power demand at 170W vs 30W.

Radeon R7 A8-8650

2014

Why buy it

  • Costs $280 less on MSRP ($49 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
  • Draws 30W instead of 170W, a 140W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (719 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: 2014-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 14.7 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($49 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 better than Radeon R7 A8-8650?
Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 16,995 vs 719 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3060 is a 2021 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon R7 A8-8650 is a 2014 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 2014, 2263.7% 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 by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 3060 is about 571.4% more expensive on MSRP at $329 MSRP versus $49 MSRP, and you are getting 2263.7% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R7 A8-8650 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.
Is Radeon R7 A8-8650 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon R7 A8-8650 is 2014 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM, 719 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.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3060Radeon R7 A8-8650
1080p
low149 FPS13 FPS
medium131 FPS8 FPS
high118 FPS4 FPS
ultra99 FPS3 FPS
1440p
low126 FPS7 FPS
medium104 FPS4 FPS
high92 FPS2 FPS
ultra80 FPS1 FPS
4K
low67 FPS3 FPS
medium58 FPS2 FPS
high39 FPS1 FPS
ultra32 FPS1 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3060Radeon R7 A8-8650
1080p
low354 FPS32 FPS
medium310 FPS20 FPS
high249 FPS14 FPS
ultra195 FPS10 FPS
1440p
low222 FPS12 FPS
medium196 FPS6 FPS
high160 FPS4 FPS
ultra128 FPS4 FPS
4K
low110 FPS3 FPS
medium94 FPS2 FPS
high77 FPS2 FPS
ultra60 FPS1 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce RTX 3060Radeon R7 A8-8650
1080p
low765 FPS32 FPS
medium612 FPS26 FPS
high510 FPS22 FPS
ultra382 FPS16 FPS
1440p
low535 FPS24 FPS
medium432 FPS19 FPS
high366 FPS16 FPS
ultra287 FPS12 FPS
4K
low367 FPS16 FPS
medium298 FPS13 FPS
high221 FPS11 FPS
ultra176 FPS8 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce RTX 3060Radeon R7 A8-8650
1080p
low523 FPS32 FPS
medium452 FPS26 FPS
high383 FPS19 FPS
ultra319 FPS13 FPS
1440p
low428 FPS5 FPS
medium371 FPS3 FPS
high298 FPS3 FPS
ultra245 FPS2 FPS
4K
low279 FPS3 FPS
medium259 FPS2 FPS
high225 FPS2 FPS
ultra186 FPS1 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 and Radeon R7 A8-8650

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 R7 A8-8650

The Radeon R7 A8-8650 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 9 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 725 MHz to 825 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 719 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon R7 A8-8650's 719 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 2263.7%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon R7 A8-8650 uses GCN 1.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 384 (Radeon R7 A8-8650). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 0.6336 TFLOPS (Radeon R7 A8-8650). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 825 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon R7 A8-8650
G3D Mark Score
16,995+2264%
719
Architecture
Ampere
GCN 1.0
Process Node
8 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
3584+833%
384
Compute (TFLOPS)
12.74 TFLOPS+1911%
0.6336 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1777 MHz+115%
825 MHz
ROPs
48+500%
8
TMUs
112+367%
24
L1 Cache
3.5 MB+3789%
0.09 MB
L2 Cache
3 MB+1100%
0.25 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 R7 A8-8650 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon R7 A8-8650
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 R7 A8-8650 has 512 MB. The GeForce RTX 3060 offers 2300% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 192-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon R7 A8-8650) — the GeForce RTX 3060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon R7 A8-8650
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+1100%
0.25 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R7 A8-8650). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon R7 A8-8650
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12 (12_0)
Vulkan
1.3+8%
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4+33%
3
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R7 A8-8650). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs UVD 6.0. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon R7 A8-8650).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon R7 A8-8650
Encoder
NVENC 7th Gen
VCE 2.0
Decoder
NVDEC 5th Gen
UVD 6.0
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 R7 A8-8650's 30W — a 140% difference. The Radeon R7 A8-8650 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 350W (Radeon R7 A8-8650). Power connectors: 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 242mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 72.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon R7 A8-8650
TDP
170W
30W-82%
Recommended PSU
550W
350W-36%
Power Connector
8-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
242mm
0mm
Height
112mm
0mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
75
72-4%
Perf/Watt
100.0+317%
24.0
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3060 launched at $329 MSRP, while the Radeon R7 A8-8650 launched at $49. The Radeon R7 A8-8650 costs 85.1% less ($280 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 14.7 (Radeon R7 A8-8650) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 251.7% better value. The GeForce RTX 3060 is the newer GPU (2021 vs 2014).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon R7 A8-8650
MSRP
$329
$49-85%
Performance per Dollar
51.7+252%
14.7
Codename
GA106
Opal
Release
January 12 2021
January 9 2014
Ranking
#114
#890