GeForce RTX 3060
Radeon RX 6850M
GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon RX 6850M 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 6850M 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 6850M: 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
- ✅14.5% 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/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
- ✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
- ✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 8 GB).
- ✅Measures 242mm instead of 267mm, a 25mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
Trade-offs
- ❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
- ❌41.7% higher power demand at 170W vs 120W.
Radeon RX 6850M
2022Why buy it
- ✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
- ✅Draws 120W instead of 170W, a 50W reduction.
- ✅More future proof: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 8 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR 3 (2023) instead.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 51.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
- ❌10.3% longer card at 267mm vs 242mm.
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 6850M 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 6850M
The Radeon RX 6850M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 4 2022. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 2068 MHz to 2416 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 120W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. It features 28 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 12,274 points.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon RX 6850M's 12,274 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 38.5%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 6850M uses RDNA 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 1,792 (Radeon RX 6850M). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 8.659 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 6850M). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 2416 MHz. Ray tracing: 28 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 28 (Radeon RX 6850M) with 112 Tensor cores.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon RX 6850M |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 16,995+38% | 12,274 |
| Architecture | Ampere | RDNA 2.0 |
| Process Node | 8 nm | 7 nm |
| Shading Units | 3584+100% | 1792 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 12.74 TFLOPS+47% | 8.659 TFLOPS |
| Boost Clock | 1777 MHz | 2416 MHz+36% |
| ROPs | 48 | 64+33% |
| TMUs | 112 | 112 |
| L1 Cache | 3.5 MB+600% | 0.5 MB |
| L2 Cache | 3 MB+50% | 2 MB |
| Ray Tracing Cores | 28 | 28 |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 6850M 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 6850M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon RX 6850M |
|---|---|---|
| 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 6850M 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 432 GB/s (Radeon RX 6850M) — a 20% advantage for the Radeon RX 6850M. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 and 192-bit on the Radeon RX 6850M. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX 6850M) — the GeForce RTX 3060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon RX 6850M |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 12 GB+50% | 8 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR6 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 360 GB/s | 432 GB/s+20% |
| Bus Width | 192-bit | 192-bit |
| L2 Cache | 3 MB+50% | 2 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12.2 (Radeon RX 6850M). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon RX 6850M |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate | 12.2+2% |
| Vulkan | 1.3 | 1.4+8% |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Max Displays | 4 | 4 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060) vs VCN 3.0 (Radeon RX 6850M). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs VCN 3.0. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 6850M).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon RX 6850M |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 7th Gen | VCN 3.0 |
| Decoder | NVDEC 5th Gen | VCN 3.0 |
| 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 6850M's 120W — a 34.5% difference. The Radeon RX 6850M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 500W (Radeon RX 6850M). Power connectors: 8-pin vs Mobile. Card length: 242mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 85°C.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon RX 6850M |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 170W | 120W-29% |
| Recommended PSU | 550W | 500W-9% |
| Power Connector | 8-pin | Mobile |
| Length | 242mm | 267mm |
| Height | 112mm | 111mm |
| Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 75-12% | 85°C |
| Perf/Watt | 100.0 | 102.3+2% |
Value Analysis
The newer card here is Radeon RX 6850M (2022 vs 2021).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon RX 6850M |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $329 | — |
| Codename | GA106 | Navi 23 |
| Release | January 12 2021 | January 4 2022 |
| Ranking | #114 | #148 |
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 6850M
