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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce RTX 3060

2021

Why buy it

✅46.6% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 8 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Weaker long-term outlook: RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.
❌385.7% higher power demand at 170W vs 35W.

RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile

2025

Why buy it

✅More future proof: Blackwell 2.0 (2025−2026) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 35W instead of 170W, a 135W reduction.
✅More future proof: Blackwell 2.0 (2025−2026) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 8 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 51.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3060

2021

RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile

2025

Why buy it

✅46.6% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 8 GB).

Why buy it

✅More future proof: Blackwell 2.0 (2025−2026) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 35W instead of 170W, a 135W reduction.
✅More future proof: Blackwell 2.0 (2025−2026) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Weaker long-term outlook: RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.
❌385.7% higher power demand at 170W vs 35W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 8 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 51.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 better than RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 46.6% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data, 28.7% higher PassMark G3D performance, DLSS 2 Super Resolution, and 112 vs 56 Tensor cores. It also comes from 2021 instead of 2025, which helps its case as the more complete modern gaming card.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2025 generation instead of 2021, the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of DLSS Super Resolution, and a 5nm process instead of 8nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce RTX 3060 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3060 is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $329 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 46.6% more estimated average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data and 28.7% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%. RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile is the newer 2025 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture, lower power draw (35W vs 170W), and future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile make more sense than GeForce RTX 3060?

Yes. RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is very strong for 1080p, good for 1440p, and more limited at 4K. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, lower power draw (35W vs 170W), future-proofing, and staying closer to an unclear MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of GeForce RTX 3060. The trade-off is that GeForce RTX 3060 currently gives you 28.7% higher G3D Mark and 46.6% more estimated average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce RTX 3060 Benchmark Check

RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile
1080p
low	149 FPS	69 FPS
medium	131 FPS	46 FPS
high	118 FPS	37 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	25 FPS
1440p
low	126 FPS	49 FPS
medium	104 FPS	29 FPS
high	92 FPS	19 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	14 FPS
4K
low	67 FPS	27 FPS
medium	58 FPS	17 FPS
high	39 FPS	12 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	9 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile
1080p
low	354 FPS	219 FPS
medium	310 FPS	188 FPS
high	249 FPS	140 FPS
ultra	195 FPS	112 FPS
1440p
low	222 FPS	151 FPS
medium	196 FPS	123 FPS
high	160 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	128 FPS	79 FPS
4K
low	110 FPS	81 FPS
medium	94 FPS	68 FPS
high	77 FPS	54 FPS
ultra	60 FPS	39 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile
1080p
low	765 FPS	545 FPS
medium	612 FPS	434 FPS
high	510 FPS	352 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	297 FPS
1440p
low	535 FPS	368 FPS
medium	432 FPS	309 FPS
high	366 FPS	246 FPS
ultra	287 FPS	207 FPS
4K
low	367 FPS	245 FPS
medium	298 FPS	210 FPS
high	221 FPS	159 FPS
ultra	176 FPS	117 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile
1080p
low	523 FPS	554 FPS
medium	452 FPS	463 FPS
high	383 FPS	384 FPS
ultra	319 FPS	297 FPS
1440p
low	428 FPS	423 FPS
medium	371 FPS	343 FPS
high	298 FPS	260 FPS
ultra	245 FPS	213 FPS
4K
low	279 FPS	218 FPS
medium	259 FPS	177 FPS
high	225 FPS	158 FPS
ultra	186 FPS	132 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 and RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile

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.

RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile

The RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 19 2025. It features the Blackwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 2235 MHz to 2520 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 35W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 14 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 13,209 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile's 13,209 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 28.7%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile uses Blackwell 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 1,792 (RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 9.032 TFLOPS (RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 2520 MHz. Ray tracing: 28 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 14 (RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile) with 112 Tensor cores vs 56.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile
G3D Mark Score	16,995+29%	13,209
Architecture	Ampere	Blackwell 2.0
Process Node	8 nm	5 nm
Shading Units	3584+100%	1792
Compute (TFLOPS)	12.74 TFLOPS+41%	9.032 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1777 MHz	2520 MHz+42%
ROPs	48+100%	24
TMUs	112+100%	56
L1 Cache	3.5 MB+94%	1.8 MB
L2 Cache	3 MB	24 MB+700%
Ray Tracing Cores	28+100%	14
Tensor Cores	112+100%	56

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile supports the newer Upscaling support, whereas the GeForce RTX 3060 is capped at DLSS 2 Super Resolution.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile
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 comes with 12 GB of VRAM, while the RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile has 8 GB. The GeForce RTX 3060 offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 192-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 24 MB (RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile) — the RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile
VRAM Capacity	12 GB+50%	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Bus Width	192-bit	256-bit+33%
L2 Cache	3 MB	24 MB+700%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12.0 (RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 1.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12.0
Vulkan	1.3	1.4+8%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4+300%	1

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 9th Gen NVENC (RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs 6th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile
Encoder	NVENC 7th Gen	9th Gen NVENC
Decoder	NVDEC 5th Gen	6th Gen NVDEC
Codecs	AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile's 35W — a 131.7% difference. The RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 500W (RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile). Power connectors: 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 242mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 80°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	RTX PRO 500 Blackwell Mobile
TDP	170W	35W-79%
Recommended PSU	550W	500W-9%
Power Connector	8-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	242mm	0mm
Height	112mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	75-6%	80°C
Perf/Watt	100.0	377.4+277%