GeForce RTX 3070 vs Radeon 530

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3070

2020Core: 1500 MHzBoost: 1725 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon 530

2017Core: 730 MHzBoost: 1024 MHz

Popular choices:

RTX 3070

Performance Spectrum - GPU

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.

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 3070

2020

Why buy it

  • 1747.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 1500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 512 MB).
  • More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 340% higher power demand at 220W vs 50W.

Radeon 530

2017

Why buy it

  • Draws 50W instead of 220W, a 170W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3070 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
  • Very weak future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 44.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3070 better than Radeon 530?
Yes. GeForce RTX 3070 is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3070 averages 1747.0% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 22,172 vs 1,037 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3070 is a 2020 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon 530 is a 2017 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.
Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3070 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2017, 2038.1% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 512 MB, and the stronger feature stack with DLSS Super Resolution instead of FSR upscaling. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.
Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?
GeForce RTX 3070 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3070 is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $499 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 1747.0% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 2038.1% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.
Is Radeon 530 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
Yes. Radeon 530 is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around an unclear MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 3070 is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

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.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3070Radeon 530
1080p
low158 FPS13 FPS
medium140 FPS8 FPS
high123 FPS4 FPS
ultra104 FPS3 FPS
1440p
low134 FPS7 FPS
medium109 FPS4 FPS
high96 FPS2 FPS
ultra86 FPS1 FPS
4K
low80 FPS3 FPS
medium67 FPS2 FPS
high52 FPS1 FPS
ultra45 FPS1 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3070Radeon 530
1080p
low470 FPS36 FPS
medium405 FPS19 FPS
high327 FPS13 FPS
ultra277 FPS9 FPS
1440p
low294 FPS11 FPS
medium246 FPS6 FPS
high213 FPS4 FPS
ultra179 FPS3 FPS
4K
low141 FPS3 FPS
medium120 FPS2 FPS
high105 FPS2 FPS
ultra83 FPS1 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce RTX 3070Radeon 530
1080p
low885 FPS47 FPS
medium712 FPS37 FPS
high619 FPS31 FPS
ultra499 FPS23 FPS
1440p
low692 FPS35 FPS
medium557 FPS28 FPS
high473 FPS23 FPS
ultra374 FPS17 FPS
4K
low479 FPS23 FPS
medium388 FPS19 FPS
high330 FPS16 FPS
ultra249 FPS12 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce RTX 3070Radeon 530
1080p
low600 FPS42 FPS
medium527 FPS33 FPS
high433 FPS24 FPS
ultra385 FPS19 FPS
1440p
low489 FPS6 FPS
medium433 FPS5 FPS
high339 FPS4 FPS
ultra297 FPS3 FPS
4K
low292 FPS4 FPS
medium270 FPS3 FPS
high238 FPS3 FPS
ultra200 FPS2 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3070 and Radeon 530

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3070

The GeForce RTX 3070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1500 MHz to 1725 MHz. It has 5888 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 22,172 points. Launch price was $499.

AMD

Radeon 530

The Radeon 530 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 18 2017. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 730 MHz to 1024 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,037 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3070 scores 22,172 versus the Radeon 530's 1,037 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 2038.1%. The GeForce RTX 3070 is built on Ampere while the Radeon 530 uses GCN 3.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 384 (Radeon 530). Raw compute: 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 0.7864 TFLOPS (Radeon 530). Boost clocks: 1725 MHz vs 1024 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon 530
G3D Mark Score
22,172+2038%
1,037
Architecture
Ampere
GCN 3.0
Process Node
8 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
5888+1433%
384
Compute (TFLOPS)
20.31 TFLOPS+2483%
0.7864 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1725 MHz+68%
1024 MHz
ROPs
96+1100%
8
TMUs
184+667%
24
L1 Cache
5.8 MB+6344%
0.09 MB
L2 Cache
4 MB+2977%
0.13 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3070 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon 530 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon 530
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 3070 comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon 530 has 512 MB. The GeForce RTX 3070 offers 1500% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 256-bit vs 64-bit. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 0.13 MB (Radeon 530) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon 530
VRAM Capacity
8 GB+1500%
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Bus Width
256-bit+300%
64-bit
L2 Cache
4 MB+2977%
0.13 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon 530). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon 530
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12 (12_0)
Vulkan
1.4+17%
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4+33%
3
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3070) vs VCE 3.0 (Radeon 530). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs UVD 6.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs H.264,H.265 (Decode),VC-1,MPEG-4 (Radeon 530).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon 530
Encoder
NVENC 7th gen
VCE 3.0
Decoder
NVDEC 5th gen
UVD 6.0
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9
H.264,H.265 (Decode),VC-1,MPEG-4
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3070 draws 220W versus the Radeon 530's 50W — a 125.9% difference. The Radeon 530 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 350W (Radeon 530). Power connectors: 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 242mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 75.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon 530
TDP
220W
50W-77%
Recommended PSU
650W
350W-46%
Power Connector
8-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
242mm
0mm
Height
112mm
0mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
75°C
75
Perf/Watt
100.8+387%
20.7
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3070 launched at $499 MSRP, while the Radeon 530 launched at $0. The Radeon 530 costs 100+% less ($499 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs Infinity (Radeon 530) — the Radeon 530 offers Infinity% better value. The GeForce RTX 3070 is the newer GPU (2020 vs 2017).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon 530
MSRP
$499
$0-100%
Performance per Dollar
44.4
Infinity
Codename
GA104
Weston
Release
September 1 2020
April 18 2017
Ranking
#63
#873