GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon RX 6850M XT

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060

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

Radeon RX 6850M XT

2022Core: 2321 MHzBoost: 2581 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon RX 6850M 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 6850M 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 6850M 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

  • Costs $471 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
  • Delivers 138.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 21.7 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 6850M XT across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).

Radeon RX 6850M XT

2022

Why buy it

  • 9.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
  • More future proof: RDNA 2.0 on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR 3 (2023) instead.
  • 143.2% HIGHER MSRP
    $800 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.7 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon RX 6850M XT is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 9.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.1% in PassMark G3D (17,350 vs 16,995), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon RX 6850M XT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer feature stack, with FSR 3 (2023) and FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023), while GeForce RTX 3060 is limited to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) and no comparable frame-generation support, a 7nm process instead of 8nm, 40 vs 28 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2022 generation instead of 2021. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 3060 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $471 cheaper on MSRP at $329 vs $800, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 138.2% (51.7 vs 21.7), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and lighter 1440p, GeForce RTX 3060 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and lighter 1440p headroom, Radeon RX 6850M XT has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon RX 6850M XT 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 6850M XT

The Radeon RX 6850M XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 4 2022. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 2321 MHz to 2581 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 165W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. It features 40 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 17,350 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 and the Radeon RX 6850M XT reaches 17,350 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 6850M XT uses RDNA 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 2,560 (Radeon RX 6850M XT). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 13.21 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 6850M XT). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 2581 MHz. Ray tracing: 28 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 40 (Radeon RX 6850M XT) with 112 Tensor cores.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 6850M XT
G3D Mark Score
16,995
17,350+2%
Architecture
Ampere
RDNA 2.0
Process Node
8 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
3584+40%
2560
Compute (TFLOPS)
12.74 TFLOPS
13.21 TFLOPS+4%
Boost Clock
1777 MHz
2581 MHz+45%
ROPs
48
64+33%
TMUs
112
160+43%
L1 Cache
3.5 MB+600%
0.5 MB
L2 Cache
3 MB
3 MB
Ray Tracing Cores
28
40+43%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 6850M 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 6850M XT leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 6850M 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)

Both cards ship with 12 GB of GDDR6. Memory bandwidth: 360 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 432 GB/s (Radeon RX 6850M XT) — a 20% advantage for the Radeon RX 6850M XT. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 and 192-bit on the Radeon RX 6850M XT.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 6850M XT
VRAM Capacity
12 GB
12 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
360 GB/s
432 GB/s+20%
Bus Width
192-bit
192-bit
L2 Cache
3 MB
3 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12.2 (Radeon RX 6850M XT). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 6850M XT
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12.2+2%
Vulkan
1.3
1.4+8%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4+33%
3
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060) vs VCN 3.0 (Radeon RX 6850M XT). 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 XT).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 6850M XT
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 XT's 165W — a 3% difference. The Radeon RX 6850M XT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 650W (Radeon RX 6850M XT). Power connectors: 8-pin vs Mobile. Card length: 242mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 80°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 6850M XT
TDP
170W
165W-3%
Recommended PSU
550W-15%
650W
Power Connector
8-pin
Mobile
Length
242mm
0mm
Height
112mm
0mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
75-6%
80°C
Perf/Watt
100.0
105.2+5%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 came in at $329, while the Radeon RX 6850M XT launched at $800. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3060 was 58.9% cheaper ($471 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 21.7 (Radeon RX 6850M XT) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 138.2% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 6850M XT (2022 vs 2021).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 6850M XT
MSRP
$329-59%
$800
Performance per Dollar
51.7+138%
21.7
Codename
GA106
Navi 22
Release
January 12 2021
January 4 2022
Ranking
#114
#103

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