GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon RX 9070

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060

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

Radeon RX 9070

2025Core: 1330 MHzBoost: 2520 MHz
RX family
······

GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon RX 9070 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 9070 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 9070: 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 $220 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
  • Delivers 11.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 46.2 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • Draws 170W instead of 220W, a 50W reduction.
  • Measures 242mm instead of 267mm, a 25mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 9070 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 2.1 (2025).
  • Radeon RX 9070 is the safer long-term pick here because the hardware is newer and the feature stack is stronger.

Radeon RX 9070

2025

Why buy it

  • 16.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1 (2025).
  • 33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (16 GB vs 12 GB).
  • Better long-term bet: RDNA 4.0 (2025) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
  • 66.9% HIGHER MSRP
    $549 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 46.2 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
  • 29.4% higher power demand at 220W vs 170W.
  • 10.3% longer card at 267mm vs 242mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon RX 9070 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 16.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 49.3% in PassMark G3D (25,380 vs 16,995), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon RX 9070 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 16 GB vs 12 GB of VRAM, the newer feature stack, with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) and FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1 (2025), 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 56 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 $220 cheaper on MSRP at $329 vs $549, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 11.7% (51.7 vs 46.2), 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 strong 1440p headroom, Radeon RX 9070 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon RX 9070 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 9070

The Radeon RX 9070 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 6 2025. It features the RDNA 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1330 MHz to 2520 MHz. It has 3584 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 56 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 25,380 points. Launch price was $549.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon RX 9070's 25,380 — the Radeon RX 9070 leads by 49.3%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 9070 uses RDNA 4.0, both on 8 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 3,584 (Radeon RX 9070). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 36.13 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 9070). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 2520 MHz. Ray tracing: 28 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 56 (Radeon RX 9070) with 112 Tensor cores vs 112.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 9070
G3D Mark Score
16,995
25,380+49%
Architecture
Ampere
RDNA 4.0
Process Node
8 nm
5 nm
Shading Units
3584
3584
Compute (TFLOPS)
12.74 TFLOPS
36.13 TFLOPS+184%
Boost Clock
1777 MHz
2520 MHz+42%
ROPs
48
128+167%
TMUs
112
224+100%
L2 Cache
3 MB
8 MB+167%
Ray Tracing Cores
28
56+100%
Tensor Cores
112
112

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 9070 is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1. 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 9070 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 9070
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1
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 9070 carries 16 GB. Radeon RX 9070 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 640 GB/s (Radeon RX 9070) — a 77.8% advantage for the Radeon RX 9070. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 and 256-bit on the Radeon RX 9070. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 8 MB (Radeon RX 9070) — the Radeon RX 9070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 9070
VRAM Capacity
12 GB
16 GB+33%
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
360 GB/s
640 GB/s+78%
Bus Width
192-bit
256-bit+33%
L2 Cache
3 MB
8 MB+167%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12 Ultimate (Radeon RX 9070). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 9070
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 Dual Media Engine (Radeon RX 9070). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs Dual Media Engine. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs H.264,H.265,AV1 (Radeon RX 9070).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 9070
Encoder
NVENC 7th Gen
Dual Media Engine
Decoder
NVDEC 5th Gen
Dual Media Engine
Codecs
AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9
H.264,H.265,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Radeon RX 9070's 220W — a 25.6% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 650W (Radeon RX 9070). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 85.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 9070
TDP
170W-23%
220W
Recommended PSU
550W-15%
650W
Power Connector
8-pin
2x 8-pin
Length
242mm
267mm
Height
112mm
110mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75-12%
85
Perf/Watt
100.0
115.4+15%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 came in at $329, while the Radeon RX 9070 launched at $549. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3060 was 40.1% cheaper ($220 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 46.2 (Radeon RX 9070) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 11.9% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 9070 (2025 vs 2021).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon RX 9070
MSRP
$329-40%
$549
Performance per Dollar
51.7+12%
46.2
Codename
GA106
Navi 48
Release
January 12 2021
March 6 2025
Ranking
#114
#39

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