GeForce RTX 3060
Radeon RX 5500 XT
GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon RX 5500 XT 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 RX 5500 XT 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 RX 5500 XT: 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
- ✅83.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Delivers 13.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 45.6 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
- ✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
- ✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 8 GB).
- ✅Better long-term bet: Ampere on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
- ❌30.8% higher power demand at 170W vs 130W.
- ❌34.4% longer card at 242mm vs 180mm.
Radeon RX 5500 XT
2019Why buy it
- ✅Costs $130 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
- ✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
- ✅Draws 130W instead of 170W, a 40W reduction.
- ✅Measures 180mm instead of 242mm, a 62mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 8 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
- ❌GeForce RTX 3060 is the safer long-term pick here because the hardware is newer and the feature stack is stronger.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 45.6 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
Quick Answers
Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon RX 5500 XT 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 RX 5500 XT
The Radeon RX 5500 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 12 2019. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1607 MHz to 1845 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 130W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,080 points. Launch price was $169.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon RX 5500 XT's 9,080 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 87.2%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 5500 XT uses RDNA 1.0, both on 8 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 1,408 (Radeon RX 5500 XT). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 5.196 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 5500 XT). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 1845 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon RX 5500 XT |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 16,995+87% | 9,080 |
| Architecture | Ampere | RDNA 1.0 |
| Process Node | 8 nm | 7 nm |
| Shading Units | 3584+155% | 1408 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 12.74 TFLOPS+145% | 5.196 TFLOPS |
| Boost Clock | 1777 MHz | 1845 MHz+4% |
| ROPs | 48+50% | 32 |
| TMUs | 112+27% | 88 |
| L2 Cache | 3 MB+50% | 2 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 5500 XT is support for FSR Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The GeForce RTX 3060 does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce RTX 3060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon RX 5500 XT leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon RX 5500 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling Tech | DLSS 2 Super Resolution | FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 |
| Frame Generation | Not Supported | FSR Frame Generation |
| 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 RX 5500 XT carries 8 GB. GeForce RTX 3060 gives you 50% 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 224 GB/s (Radeon RX 5500 XT) — a 60.7% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3060. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 and 128-bit on the Radeon RX 5500 XT. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX 5500 XT) — the GeForce RTX 3060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon RX 5500 XT |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 12 GB+50% | 8 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR6 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 360 GB/s+61% | 224 GB/s |
| Bus Width | 192-bit+50% | 128-bit |
| L2 Cache | 3 MB+50% | 2 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12.1 (Radeon RX 5500 XT). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon RX 5500 XT |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate | 12.1 |
| 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 VCN 2.0 (Radeon RX 5500 XT). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs VCN 2.0. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 5500 XT).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon RX 5500 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 7th Gen | VCN 2.0 |
| Decoder | NVDEC 5th Gen | VCN 2.0 |
| Codecs | AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 | MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Radeon RX 5500 XT's 130W — a 26.7% difference. The Radeon RX 5500 XT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 450W (Radeon RX 5500 XT). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 180mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 75°C.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon RX 5500 XT |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 170W | 130W-24% |
| Recommended PSU | 550W | 450W-18% |
| Power Connector | 8-pin | 8-pin |
| Length | 242mm | 180mm |
| Height | 112mm | 110mm |
| Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 75 | 75°C |
| Perf/Watt | 100.0+43% | 69.8 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 came in at $329, while the Radeon RX 5500 XT launched at $199. On MSRP, Radeon RX 5500 XT was 39.5% cheaper ($130 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 45.6 (Radeon RX 5500 XT) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 13.4% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 (2021 vs 2019).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon RX 5500 XT |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $329 | $199-40% |
| Performance per Dollar | 51.7+13% | 45.6 |
| Codename | GA106 | Navi 14 |
| Release | January 12 2021 | December 12 2019 |
| Ranking | #114 | #291 |
Affiliate Disclosure
ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
Top Performing GPUs
The most powerful gpus ranked by G3D Mark benchmark scores.
You May Also Compare
Similar GPU comparisons based on GeForce RTX 3060 and Radeon RX 5500 XT
