GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon RX 7900 XTX

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060

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

Radeon RX 7900 XTX

2022Core: 1929 MHzBoost: 2498 MHz
RX family
·······

GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon RX 7900 XTX 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 7900 XTX 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 7900 XTX: 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 $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 average FPS than Radeon RX 7900 XTX across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 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).
  • Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the safer long-term pick here because the hardware is newer and the feature stack is stronger.

Radeon RX 7900 XTX

2022

Why buy it

  • 67.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 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).
  • Better long-term bet: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base 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

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 67.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 84.1% in PassMark G3D (31,285 vs 16,995), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 24 GB vs 12 GB of VRAM, 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 5nm process instead of 8nm, and 96 vs 28 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 $670 cheaper on MSRP at $329 vs $999, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 65% (51.7 vs 31.3), 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 1440p and 4K headroom, Radeon RX 7900 XTX has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon RX 7900 XTX 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 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)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 7900 XTX 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 7900 XTX leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

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 has 12 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 7900 XTX carries 24 GB. Radeon RX 7900 XTX gives you 100% 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 960 GB/s (Radeon RX 7900 XTX) — a 166.7% advantage for the Radeon RX 7900 XTX. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 and 384-bit on the Radeon RX 7900 XTX. 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

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 came in at $329, while the Radeon RX 7900 XTX launched at $999. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3060 was 67.1% cheaper ($670 less). 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 newer card here is Radeon RX 7900 XTX (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

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