GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon RX 6800

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060

2021Core: 1320 MHzBoost: 1777 MHz
RTX family
·······
VS
AMD

Radeon RX 6800

2020Core: 1700 MHzBoost: 2105 MHz
RX family
·······

GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon RX 6800 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 6800 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 6800: 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

  • Costs $250 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $579 MSRP).
  • Delivers 35.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 38.1 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $579 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • Draws 170W instead of 250W, a 80W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 6800 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 12 GB vs 16 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).

Radeon RX 6800

2020

Why buy it

  • 28.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
  • 33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (16 GB vs 12 GB).
  • Measures 240mm instead of 242mm, a 2mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR 3 (2023) instead.
  • 76% HIGHER MSRP
    $579 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 38.1 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($579 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
  • 47.1% higher power demand at 250W vs 170W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon RX 6800 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 28.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 29.8% in PassMark G3D (22,056 vs 16,995), 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: a newer 2021 generation instead of 2020. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 3060 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $250 cheaper on MSRP at $329 vs $579, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 35.6% (51.7 vs 38.1), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon RX 6800 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon RX 6800 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

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 RX 6800

The Radeon RX 6800 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 28 2020. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1700 MHz to 2105 MHz. It has 3840 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. It features 60 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 22,056 points. Launch price was $579.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon RX 6800's 22,056 — the Radeon RX 6800 leads by 29.8%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 6800 uses RDNA 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 3,840 (Radeon RX 6800). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 16.17 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 6800). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 2105 MHz. Ray tracing: 28 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 60 (Radeon RX 6800) with 112 Tensor cores.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 6800
G3D Mark Score
16,995
22,056+30%
Architecture
Ampere
RDNA 2.0
Process Node
8 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
3584
3840+7%
Compute (TFLOPS)
12.74 TFLOPS
16.17 TFLOPS+27%
Boost Clock
1777 MHz
2105 MHz+18%
ROPs
48
96+100%
TMUs
112
240+114%
L1 Cache
3.5 MB+367%
0.75 MB
L2 Cache
3 MB
4 MB+33%
Ray Tracing Cores
28
60+114%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 6800 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 6800 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 6800
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 6800 carries 16 GB. Radeon RX 6800 gives you 33.3% 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 512 GB/s (Radeon RX 6800) — a 42.2% advantage for the Radeon RX 6800. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 and 256-bit on the Radeon RX 6800. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 4 MB (Radeon RX 6800) — the Radeon RX 6800 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 6800
VRAM Capacity
12 GB
16 GB+33%
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
360 GB/s
512 GB/s+42%
Bus Width
192-bit
256-bit+33%
L2 Cache
3 MB
4 MB+33%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12.2 (Radeon RX 6800). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 6800
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12.2+2%
Vulkan
1.3
1.3
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060) vs VCN 4.0 (Radeon RX 6800). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs VCN 4.0. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Radeon RX 6800).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 6800
Encoder
NVENC 7th Gen
VCN 4.0
Decoder
NVDEC 5th Gen
VCN 4.0
Codecs
AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Radeon RX 6800's 250W — a 38.1% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 650W (Radeon RX 6800). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 240mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 75°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 6800
TDP
170W-32%
250W
Recommended PSU
550W-15%
650W
Power Connector
8-pin
2x 8-pin
Length
242mm
240mm
Height
112mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75
75°C
Perf/Watt
100.0+13%
88.2
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 came in at $329, while the Radeon RX 6800 launched at $579. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3060 was 43.2% cheaper ($250 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 38.1 (Radeon RX 6800) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 35.7% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 (2021 vs 2020).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 6800
MSRP
$329-43%
$579
Performance per Dollar
51.7+36%
38.1
Codename
GA106
Navi 21
Release
January 12 2021
October 28 2020
Ranking
#114
#65

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