GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon RX 7900 XTX

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060

2021Core: 1320 MHzBoost: 1777 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon RX 7900 XTX

2022Core: 1929 MHzBoost: 2498 MHz

Popular choices:

RTX 3060

Performance Spectrum - GPU

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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce RTX 3060

2021

Why buy it

  • Costs $670 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
  • Delivers 65% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 31.3 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • Draws 170W instead of 355W, a 185W reduction.
  • Measures 242mm instead of 287mm, a 45mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (16,995 vs 31,285).
  • Less VRAM, with 12 GB vs 24 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
  • Weaker long-term outlook: Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.

Radeon RX 7900 XTX

2022

Why buy it

  • +84.1% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (24 GB vs 12 GB).
  • More future proof: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR 3 (2023) instead.
  • 203.6% HIGHER MSRP
    $999 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 31.3 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($999 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
  • 108.8% higher power demand at 355W vs 170W.
  • 18.6% longer card at 287mm vs 242mm.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon RX 7900 XTX better than GeForce RTX 3060?
Yes. Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 84.1% higher PassMark G3D performance and 24 GB vs 12 GB of VRAM. It also comes from 2022 instead of 2021, which helps its case as the more complete modern gaming card.
Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2021, 84.1% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 24 GB instead of 12 GB, and better upscaling support with FSR 3 (2023) instead of DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) and better frame-generation support with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023) instead of DLSS Super Resolution. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.
Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?
Radeon RX 7900 XTX is about 203.6% more expensive on MSRP at $999 MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and you are getting 84.1% higher G3D Mark. GeForce RTX 3060 still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium. If you are comfortable paying the premium for the stronger gaming result, Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the one to buy. If staying closer to budget matters more, GeForce RTX 3060 still makes more sense on price alone and remains capable enough for modern gaming.
Is GeForce RTX 3060 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 is still a strong gaming GPU in 2026: it is very strong for 1080p, good for 1440p, and more limited at 4K. This mostly comes down to price. If you want to stay closer to $329 MSRP, it remains a strong choice; if you are comfortable paying more, Radeon RX 7900 XTX earns that extra money with a clearly stronger gaming result and a more complete overall package.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 7900 XTX
1080p
low149 FPS325 FPS
medium131 FPS310 FPS
high118 FPS265 FPS
ultra99 FPS209 FPS
1440p
low126 FPS307 FPS
medium104 FPS258 FPS
high92 FPS208 FPS
ultra80 FPS168 FPS
4K
low67 FPS188 FPS
medium58 FPS156 FPS
high39 FPS119 FPS
ultra32 FPS106 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 7900 XTX
1080p
low354 FPS881 FPS
medium310 FPS690 FPS
high249 FPS534 FPS
ultra195 FPS472 FPS
1440p
low222 FPS678 FPS
medium196 FPS545 FPS
high160 FPS432 FPS
ultra128 FPS362 FPS
4K
low110 FPS375 FPS
medium94 FPS308 FPS
high77 FPS276 FPS
ultra60 FPS237 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 7900 XTX
1080p
low765 FPS999 FPS
medium612 FPS999 FPS
high510 FPS939 FPS
ultra382 FPS704 FPS
1440p
low535 FPS964 FPS
medium432 FPS845 FPS
high366 FPS704 FPS
ultra287 FPS528 FPS
4K
low367 FPS580 FPS
medium298 FPS504 FPS
high221 FPS438 FPS
ultra176 FPS352 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 7900 XTX
1080p
low523 FPS999 FPS
medium452 FPS884 FPS
high383 FPS779 FPS
ultra319 FPS672 FPS
1440p
low428 FPS772 FPS
medium371 FPS655 FPS
high298 FPS563 FPS
ultra245 FPS483 FPS
4K
low279 FPS547 FPS
medium259 FPS475 FPS
high225 FPS415 FPS
ultra186 FPS352 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 and Radeon RX 7900 XTX

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 7900 XTX

The Radeon RX 7900 XTX is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 3 2022. It features the RDNA 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1929 MHz to 2498 MHz. It has 6144 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 355W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 96 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 31,285 points. Launch price was $999.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon RX 7900 XTX's 31,285 — the Radeon RX 7900 XTX leads by 84.1%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 7900 XTX uses RDNA 3.0, both on 8 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 6,144 (Radeon RX 7900 XTX). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 61.39 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 7900 XTX). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 2498 MHz. Ray tracing: 28 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 96 (Radeon RX 7900 XTX) with 112 Tensor cores.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 7900 XTX
G3D Mark Score
16,995
31,285+84%
Architecture
Ampere
RDNA 3.0
Process Node
8 nm
5 nm
Shading Units
3584
6144+71%
Compute (TFLOPS)
12.74 TFLOPS
61.39 TFLOPS+382%
Boost Clock
1777 MHz
2498 MHz+41%
ROPs
48
192+300%
TMUs
112
384+243%
L1 Cache
3.5 MB+17%
3 MB
L2 Cache
3 MB
6 MB+100%
Ray Tracing Cores
28
96+243%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 7900 XTX is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The GeForce RTX 3060 lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce RTX 3060 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon RX 7900 XTX relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 7900 XTX
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 comes with 12 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 7900 XTX has 24 GB. The Radeon RX 7900 XTX offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 360 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 960 GB/s (Radeon RX 7900 XTX) — a 166.7% advantage for the Radeon RX 7900 XTX. Bus width: 192-bit vs 384-bit. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 6 MB (Radeon RX 7900 XTX) — the Radeon RX 7900 XTX has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 7900 XTX
VRAM Capacity
12 GB
24 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
360 GB/s
960 GB/s+167%
Bus Width
192-bit
384-bit+100%
L2 Cache
3 MB
6 MB+100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12 Ultimate (Radeon RX 7900 XTX). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 7900 XTX
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12 Ultimate
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 AMD Dual Media Engine (Radeon RX 7900 XTX). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs AMD Dual Media Engine. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (Radeon RX 7900 XTX).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 7900 XTX
Encoder
NVENC 7th Gen
AMD Dual Media Engine
Decoder
NVDEC 5th Gen
AMD Dual Media Engine
Codecs
AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Radeon RX 7900 XTX's 355W — a 70.5% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 800W (Radeon RX 7900 XTX). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 287mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 68°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 7900 XTX
TDP
170W-52%
355W
Recommended PSU
550W-31%
800W
Power Connector
8-pin
2x 8-pin
Length
242mm
287mm
Height
112mm
110mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75
68°C-9%
Perf/Watt
100.0+14%
88.1
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3060 launched at $329 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 7900 XTX launched at $999. The GeForce RTX 3060 costs 67.1% less ($670 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 31.3 (Radeon RX 7900 XTX) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 65.2% better value. The Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the newer GPU (2022 vs 2021).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 7900 XTX
MSRP
$329-67%
$999
Performance per Dollar
51.7+65%
31.3
Codename
GA106
Navi 31
Release
January 12 2021
November 3 2022
Ranking
#114
#12