GeForce RTX 3060 vs RTX 6000 Ada Generation

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060

2021Core: 1320 MHzBoost: 1777 MHz
VS
NVIDIA

RTX 6000 Ada Generation

2022Core: 915 MHzBoost: 2505 MHz

GeForce RTX 3060 vs RTX 6000 Ada Generation 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 RTX 6000 Ada Generation 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 RTX 6000 Ada Generation: 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 $6,470 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $6,799 MSRP).
  • Delivers 1134.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 4.2 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $6,799 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • Draws 170W instead of 300W, a 130W reduction.
  • Measures 242mm instead of 267mm, a 25mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than RTX 6000 Ada Generation across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 12 GB vs 48 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • Fewer Tensor Cores for AI-powered features like DLSS and frame generation (112 vs 568), which can reduce FPS gains in supported games.
  • RTX 6000 Ada Generation is the safer long-term pick here because the hardware is newer and the feature stack is stronger.

RTX 6000 Ada Generation

2022

Why buy it

  • 67.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 407.1% more Tensor Cores for AI-powered features like DLSS and frame generation, which can increase overall FPS in supported games (568 vs 112).
  • 300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (48 GB vs 12 GB).
  • Better long-term bet: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • 1966.6% HIGHER MSRP
    $6,799 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.2 vs 51.7 G3D/$ ($6,799 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
  • 76.5% higher power demand at 300W vs 170W.
  • 10.3% longer card at 267mm vs 242mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
RTX 6000 Ada Generation is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 67.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 67.4% in PassMark G3D (28,454 vs 16,995), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
RTX 6000 Ada Generation is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 48 GB vs 12 GB of VRAM, a 5nm process instead of 8nm, 142 vs 28 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2022 generation instead of 2021. 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 $6,470 cheaper on MSRP at $329 vs $6,799, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1134.3% (51.7 vs 4.2), 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 1440p and 4K headroom, RTX 6000 Ada Generation has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce RTX 3060 vs RTX 6000 Ada Generation 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.

NVIDIA

RTX 6000 Ada Generation

The RTX 6000 Ada Generation is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in December 3 2022. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 915 MHz to 2505 MHz. It has 18176 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 142 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 28,454 points. Launch price was $6,799.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the RTX 6000 Ada Generation's 28,454 — the RTX 6000 Ada Generation leads by 67.4%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the RTX 6000 Ada Generation uses Ada Lovelace, both on 8 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 18,176 (RTX 6000 Ada Generation). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 91.06 TFLOPS (RTX 6000 Ada Generation). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 2505 MHz. Ray tracing: 28 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 142 (RTX 6000 Ada Generation) with 112 Tensor cores vs 568.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060RTX 6000 Ada Generation
G3D Mark Score
16,995
28,454+67%
Architecture
Ampere
Ada Lovelace
Process Node
8 nm
5 nm
Shading Units
3584
18176+407%
Compute (TFLOPS)
12.74 TFLOPS
91.06 TFLOPS+615%
Boost Clock
1777 MHz
2505 MHz+41%
ROPs
48
192+300%
TMUs
112
568+407%
L1 Cache
3.5 MB
17.8 MB+409%
L2 Cache
3 MB
96 MB+3100%
Ray Tracing Cores
28
142+407%
Tensor Cores
112
568+407%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The RTX 6000 Ada Generation supports the newer Upscaling support, whereas the GeForce RTX 3060 is capped at DLSS 2 Super Resolution.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060RTX 6000 Ada Generation
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3060 has 12 GB of VRAM, while the RTX 6000 Ada Generation carries 48 GB. RTX 6000 Ada Generation gives you 300% 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 (RTX 6000 Ada Generation) — a 166.7% advantage for the RTX 6000 Ada Generation. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 and 384-bit on the RTX 6000 Ada Generation. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 96 MB (RTX 6000 Ada Generation) — the RTX 6000 Ada Generation has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060RTX 6000 Ada Generation
VRAM Capacity
12 GB
48 GB+300%
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
360 GB/s
960 GB/s+167%
Bus Width
192-bit
384-bit+100%
L2 Cache
3 MB
96 MB+3100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12.2 (RTX 6000 Ada Generation). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060RTX 6000 Ada Generation
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12.2+2%
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 NVENC 8th Gen (RTX 6000 Ada Generation). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs NVDEC 5th Gen. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs AV1,HEVC,H.264,VP9 (RTX 6000 Ada Generation).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060RTX 6000 Ada Generation
Encoder
NVENC 7th Gen
NVENC 8th Gen
Decoder
NVDEC 5th Gen
NVDEC 5th Gen
Codecs
AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9
AV1,HEVC,H.264,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the RTX 6000 Ada Generation's 300W — a 55.3% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 500W (RTX 6000 Ada Generation). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 16-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 80°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060RTX 6000 Ada Generation
TDP
170W-43%
300W
Recommended PSU
550W
500W-9%
Power Connector
8-pin
16-pin
Length
242mm
267mm
Height
112mm
112mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75-6%
80°C
Perf/Watt
100.0+5%
94.8
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 came in at $329, while the RTX 6000 Ada Generation launched at $6799. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3060 was 95.2% cheaper ($6470 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 4.2 (RTX 6000 Ada Generation) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 1131% better value. The newer card here is RTX 6000 Ada Generation (2022 vs 2021).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3060RTX 6000 Ada Generation
MSRP
$329-95%
$6799
Performance per Dollar
51.7+1131%
4.2
Codename
GA106
AD102
Release
January 12 2021
December 3 2022
Ranking
#114
#24

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