GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon VII

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060

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

Radeon VII

2019Core: 1400 MHzBoost: 1750 MHz
Similar parts
·······

GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon VII 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 VII 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 VII: 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 $370 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
  • Delivers 121.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 23.3 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • Better long-term bet: Ampere on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • Draws 170W instead of 295W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon VII across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 12 GB vs 16 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Radeon VII

2019

Why buy it

  • 3.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (16 GB vs 12 GB).
  • More future proof: GCN 5.1 (2018−2022) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
  • GeForce RTX 3060 is the safer long-term pick here because the hardware is newer and the feature stack is stronger.
  • 112.5% HIGHER MSRP
    $699 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 23.3 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
  • 73.5% higher power demand at 295W vs 170W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon VII is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 3.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce RTX 3060 instead at 16,995 vs 16,308, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3060 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 28 vs 0 ray-tracing units and a newer 2021 generation instead of 2019. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 3060 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $370 cheaper on MSRP at $329 vs $699, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 121.4% (51.7 vs 23.3), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon VII still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon VII 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 VII

The Radeon VII is manufactured by AMD. It was released in February 7 2019. It features the GCN 5.1 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1400 MHz to 1750 MHz. It has 3840 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 295W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 16,308 points. Launch price was $699.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 and the Radeon VII reaches 16,308 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon VII uses GCN 5.1, both on 8 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 3,840 (Radeon VII). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 13.44 TFLOPS (Radeon VII). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 1750 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon VII
G3D Mark Score
16,995+4%
16,308
Architecture
Ampere
GCN 5.1
Process Node
8 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
3584
3840+7%
Compute (TFLOPS)
12.74 TFLOPS
13.44 TFLOPS+5%
Boost Clock
1777 MHz+2%
1750 MHz
ROPs
48
64+33%
TMUs
112
240+114%
L1 Cache
3.5 MB+272%
0.94 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 VII leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon VII
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 VII carries 16 GB. Radeon VII 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 1024 GB/s (Radeon VII) — a 184.4% advantage for the Radeon VII. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 and 4096-bit on the Radeon VII. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 4 MB (Radeon VII) — the Radeon VII has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon VII
VRAM Capacity
12 GB
16 GB+33%
Memory Type
GDDR6
HBM2
Memory Bandwidth
360 GB/s
1024 GB/s+184%
Bus Width
192-bit
4096-bit+2033%
L2 Cache
3 MB
4 MB+33%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12.1 (Radeon VII). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon VII
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12.1
Vulkan
1.3
1.3
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060) vs VCE 4.1 (Radeon VII). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs UVD 7.2. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon VII).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon VII
Encoder
NVENC 7th Gen
VCE 4.1
Decoder
NVDEC 5th Gen
UVD 7.2
Codecs
AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Radeon VII's 295W — a 53.8% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 750W (Radeon VII). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 280mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 89°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon VII
TDP
170W-42%
295W
Recommended PSU
550W-27%
750W
Power Connector
8-pin
2x 8-pin
Length
242mm
280mm
Height
112mm
125mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75-16%
89°C
Perf/Watt
100.0+81%
55.3
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 came in at $329, while the Radeon VII launched at $699. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3060 was 52.9% cheaper ($370 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 23.3 (Radeon VII) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 121.9% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 (2021 vs 2019).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060Radeon VII
MSRP
$329-53%
$699
Performance per Dollar
51.7+122%
23.3
Codename
GA106
Vega 20
Release
January 12 2021
February 7 2019
Ranking
#114
#125

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.