GeForce RTX 3060
Radeon RX 5500M
GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon RX 5500M 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 5500M 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 5500M: 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
- ✅159.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
- ✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
- ✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 4 GB).
- ✅Better long-term bet: Ampere on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
- ❌100% higher power demand at 170W vs 85W.
Radeon RX 5500M
2019Why buy it
- ✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
- ✅Draws 85W instead of 170W, a 85W reduction.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
- ❌GeForce RTX 3060 is the safer long-term pick here because the hardware is newer and the feature stack is stronger.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 51.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
Quick Answers
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GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon RX 5500M 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 5500M
The Radeon RX 5500M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 7 2019. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1375 MHz to 1645 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 85W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,954 points.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon RX 5500M's 5,954 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 185.4%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 5500M uses RDNA 1.0, both on 8 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 1,408 (Radeon RX 5500M). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 4.632 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 5500M). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 1645 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon RX 5500M |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 16,995+185% | 5,954 |
| Architecture | Ampere | RDNA 1.0 |
| Process Node | 8 nm | 7 nm |
| Shading Units | 3584+155% | 1408 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 12.74 TFLOPS+175% | 4.632 TFLOPS |
| Boost Clock | 1777 MHz+8% | 1645 MHz |
| 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 5500M 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 5500M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon RX 5500M |
|---|---|---|
| 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 5500M carries 4 GB. GeForce RTX 3060 gives you 200% 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 5500M) — 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 5500M. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX 5500M) — the GeForce RTX 3060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon RX 5500M |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 12 GB+200% | 4 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 (Radeon RX 5500M). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon RX 5500M |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate | 12 |
| 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 VCN 2.0 (Radeon RX 5500M). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs VCN 2.0. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 5500M).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon RX 5500M |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 7th Gen | VCN 2.0 |
| Decoder | NVDEC 5th Gen | VCN 2.0 |
| Codecs | AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 | H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP9 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Radeon RX 5500M's 85W — a 66.7% difference. The Radeon RX 5500M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 350W (Radeon RX 5500M). Power connectors: 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 242mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 75°C.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon RX 5500M |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 170W | 85W-50% |
| Recommended PSU | 550W | 350W-36% |
| Power Connector | 8-pin | PCIe-powered |
| Length | 242mm | 0mm |
| Height | 112mm | — |
| Slots | 2 | 0-100% |
| Temp (Load) | 75 | 75°C |
| Perf/Watt | 100.0+43% | 70.0 |
Value Analysis
The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 (2021 vs 2019).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon RX 5500M |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $329 | — |
| Codename | GA106 | Navi 14 |
| Release | January 12 2021 | October 7 2019 |
| Ranking | #114 | #400 |
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