GeForce RTX 3060
Radeon Vega Frontier Edition
GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon Vega Frontier Edition 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 Vega Frontier Edition 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 Vega Frontier Edition: 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
- ✅40.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Costs $670 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 304.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 12.8 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
- ✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
- ✅100+% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs Unknown).
Trade-offs
- ❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.
Radeon Vega Frontier Edition
2017Why buy it
- ✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with Unknown vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
- ❌2017 hardware with Unknown of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌203.6% HIGHER MSRP$999 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
Quick Answers
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GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon Vega Frontier Edition 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 Vega Frontier Edition
The Radeon Vega Frontier Edition is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 27 2017. It features the GCN 5.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1382 MHz to 1600 MHz. It has 4096 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 12,753 points. Launch price was $999.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon Vega Frontier Edition's 12,753 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 33.3%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon Vega Frontier Edition uses GCN 5.0, both on 8 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 4,096 (Radeon Vega Frontier Edition). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 13.11 TFLOPS (Radeon Vega Frontier Edition). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 1600 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon Vega Frontier Edition |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 16,995+33% | 12,753 |
| Architecture | Ampere | GCN 5.0 |
| Process Node | 8 nm | 14 nm |
| Shading Units | 3584 | 4096+14% |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 12.74 TFLOPS | 13.11 TFLOPS+3% |
| Boost Clock | 1777 MHz+11% | 1600 MHz |
| ROPs | 48 | 64+33% |
| TMUs | 112 | 256+129% |
| L1 Cache | 3.5 MB+250% | 1 MB |
| L2 Cache | 3 MB | 4 MB+33% |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce RTX 3060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon Vega Frontier Edition leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon Vega Frontier Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling Tech | DLSS 2 Super Resolution | FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 |
| Frame Generation | Not Supported | Not Supported |
| 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 Vega Frontier Edition carries 0 MB. GeForce RTX 3060 gives you 100+% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 and System on the Radeon Vega Frontier Edition. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 4 MB (Radeon Vega Frontier Edition) — the Radeon Vega Frontier Edition has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon Vega Frontier Edition |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 12 GB | Shared System RAM |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | Shared |
| Memory Bandwidth | 360 GB/s | System |
| Bus Width | 192-bit | System |
| L2 Cache | 3 MB | 4 MB+33% |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12.1 (Radeon Vega Frontier Edition). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon Vega Frontier Edition |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate | 12.1 |
| Vulkan | 1.3+18% | 1.1 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Max Displays | 4 | 4 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060) vs VCE 4.0 (Radeon Vega Frontier Edition). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs UVD 7.0. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon Vega Frontier Edition).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon Vega Frontier Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 7th Gen | VCE 4.0 |
| Decoder | NVDEC 5th Gen | UVD 7.0 |
| Codecs | AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 | MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Radeon Vega Frontier Edition's 300W — a 55.3% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 1W (Radeon Vega Frontier Edition). Power connectors: 8-pin vs Integrated. Card length: 242mm vs 268mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 85°C.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon Vega Frontier Edition |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 170W-43% | 300W |
| Recommended PSU | 550W | 1W-100% |
| Power Connector | 8-pin | Integrated |
| Length | 242mm | 268mm |
| Height | 112mm | 105mm |
| Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 75-12% | 85°C |
| Perf/Watt | 100.0+135% | 42.5 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 came in at $329, while the Radeon Vega Frontier Edition 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 12.8 (Radeon Vega Frontier Edition) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 303.9% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 (2021 vs 2017).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon Vega Frontier Edition |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $329-67% | $999 |
| Performance per Dollar | 51.7+304% | 12.8 |
| Codename | GA106 | Vega 10 |
| Release | January 12 2021 | June 27 2017 |
| Ranking | #114 | #203 |
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