GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon RX 6500 XT

CPU

GPU

GeForce RTX 3060

2021Core: 1320 MHzBoost: 1777 MHz

RTX family

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Radeon RX 6500 XT

2022Core: 2610 MHzBoost: 2815 MHz

RX family

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GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon RX 6500 XT Performance Spectrum

GeForce RTX 3060

12 GB 170

16,995

+77.0%

GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Mobile

GeForce RTX 2060 (Mobile)

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

RTX 2000 Ada Generation Embedded GPU

TITAN V

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB

GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile

GeForce RTX 5070

Radeon RX 6500 XT

4 GB 107

9,603

0.0%

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 6500 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.

GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon RX 6500 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

2021

Why buy it

✅106.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌58.9% higher power demand at 170W vs 107W.
❌40.7% longer card at 242mm vs 172mm.

Radeon RX 6500 XT

2022

Why buy it

✅Costs $130 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
✅Draws 107W instead of 170W, a 63W reduction.
✅Measures 172mm instead of 242mm, a 70mm 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 4 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR 3 (2023) instead.

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 106.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 77% in PassMark G3D (16,995 vs 9,603), 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 4 GB of VRAM and 28 vs 16 ray-tracing units. 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 $130 more expensive on MSRP at $329 vs $199, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 7% (51.7 vs 48.3), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon RX 6500 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 6500 XT

The Radeon RX 6500 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 19 2022. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 2610 MHz to 2815 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 107W. Manufactured using 6 nm process technology. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,603 points. Launch price was $199.

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Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon RX 6500 XT's 9,603 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 77%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 6500 XT uses RDNA 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 6 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 1,024 (Radeon RX 6500 XT). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 5.765 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 6500 XT). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 2815 MHz. Ray tracing: 28 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 16 (Radeon RX 6500 XT) with 112 Tensor cores.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon RX 6500 XT
G3D Mark Score	16,995+77%	9,603
Architecture	Ampere	RDNA 2.0
Process Node	8 nm	6 nm
Shading Units	3584+250%	1024
Compute (TFLOPS)	12.74 TFLOPS+121%	5.765 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1777 MHz	2815 MHz+58%
ROPs	48+50%	32
TMUs	112+75%	64
L1 Cache	3.5 MB+1300%	0.25 MB
L2 Cache	3 MB+200%	1 MB
Ray Tracing Cores	28+75%	16

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 6500 XT is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF. 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 6500 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 6500 XT
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 2 Super Resolution	FSR 3
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation + AFMF
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 6500 XT 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 144 GB/s (Radeon RX 6500 XT) — a 150% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3060. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 and 64-bit on the Radeon RX 6500 XT. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 1 MB (Radeon RX 6500 XT) — the GeForce RTX 3060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon RX 6500 XT
VRAM Capacity	12 GB+200%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	360 GB/s+150%	144 GB/s
Bus Width	192-bit+200%	64-bit
L2 Cache	3 MB+200%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12.2 (Radeon RX 6500 XT). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon RX 6500 XT
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12.2+2%
Vulkan	1.3	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4+100%	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060) vs None (Radeon RX 6500 XT). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs VCN 3.0 (Limited). Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs MPEG-2,H.264 (Decode),HEVC (Decode) (Radeon RX 6500 XT).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon RX 6500 XT
Encoder	NVENC 7th Gen	None
Decoder	NVDEC 5th Gen	VCN 3.0 (Limited)
Codecs	AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9	MPEG-2,H.264 (Decode),HEVC (Decode)

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Radeon RX 6500 XT's 107W — a 45.5% difference. The Radeon RX 6500 XT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 400W (Radeon RX 6500 XT). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 172mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 70°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon RX 6500 XT
TDP	170W	107W-37%
Recommended PSU	550W	400W-27%
Power Connector	8-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	242mm	172mm
Height	112mm	112mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	75	70°C-7%
Perf/Watt	100.0+11%	89.7

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 came in at $329, while the Radeon RX 6500 XT launched at $199. On MSRP, Radeon RX 6500 XT was 39.5% cheaper ($130 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 48.3 (Radeon RX 6500 XT) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 7% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 6500 XT (2022 vs 2021).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon RX 6500 XT
MSRP	$329	$199-40%
Performance per Dollar	51.7+7%	48.3
Codename	GA106	Navi 24
Release	January 12 2021	January 19 2022
Ranking	#114	#270

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