GeForce RTX 3070 vs Radeon R7 250

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3070

2020Core: 1500 MHzBoost: 1725 MHz
RTX family
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VS
AMD

Radeon R7 250

2013Boost: 1050 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce RTX 3070 vs Radeon R7 250 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 3070 vs Radeon R7 250 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 3070 vs Radeon R7 250: 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 3070

2020

Why buy it

  • 1689.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 276.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 11.8 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $89 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 2 GB).
  • Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 238.5% higher power demand at 220W vs 65W.
  • 44% longer card at 242mm vs 168mm.

Radeon R7 250

2013

Why buy it

  • Costs $410 less on MSRP ($89 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
  • Draws 65W instead of 220W, a 155W reduction.
  • Measures 168mm instead of 242mm, a 74mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3070 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
  • 2013 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 11.8 vs 44.4 G3D/$ ($89 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 3070 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1689.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2009.6% in PassMark G3D (22,172 vs 1,051), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3070 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 8 GB vs 2 GB of VRAM, a 8nm process instead of 28nm, 46 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2020 generation instead of 2013. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 3070 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $410 more expensive on MSRP at $499 vs $89, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 276.3% (44.4 vs 11.8), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce RTX 3070 vs Radeon R7 250 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

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 R7 250

The Radeon R7 250 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 8 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1050 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 65W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,051 points. Launch price was $89.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3070 scores 22,172 versus the Radeon R7 250's 1,051 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 2009.6%. The GeForce RTX 3070 is built on Ampere while the Radeon R7 250 uses GCN 1.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 384 (Radeon R7 250). Raw compute: 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 0.8064 TFLOPS (Radeon R7 250). Boost clocks: 1725 MHz vs 1050 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R7 250
G3D Mark Score
22,172+2010%
1,051
Architecture
Ampere
GCN 1.0
Process Node
8 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
5888+1433%
384
Compute (TFLOPS)
20.31 TFLOPS+2419%
0.8064 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1725 MHz+64%
1050 MHz
ROPs
96+1100%
8
TMUs
184+667%
24
L1 Cache
5.8 MB+6344%
0.09 MB
L2 Cache
4 MB+1500%
0.25 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3070 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R7 250 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R7 250
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 has 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R7 250 carries 2 GB. GeForce RTX 3070 gives you 300% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3070 and 128-bit on the Radeon R7 250. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon R7 250) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R7 250
VRAM Capacity
8 GB+300%
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
448 GB/s
Unknown
Bus Width
256-bit+100%
128-bit
L2 Cache
4 MB+1500%
0.25 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 11.1 (Radeon R7 250). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R7 250
DirectX
12 Ultimate+8%
11.1
Vulkan
1.4+17%
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4+100%
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3070) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R7 250). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs UVD 4.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,MPEG-4 (Radeon R7 250).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R7 250
Encoder
NVENC 7th gen
VCE 1.0
Decoder
NVDEC 5th gen
UVD 4.0
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9
MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,MPEG-4
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3070 draws 220W versus the Radeon R7 250's 65W — a 108.8% difference. The Radeon R7 250 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 300W (Radeon R7 250). Power connectors: 8-pin vs None. Card length: 242mm vs 168mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 75.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R7 250
TDP
220W
65W-70%
Recommended PSU
650W
300W-54%
Power Connector
8-pin
None
Length
242mm
168mm
Height
112mm
111mm
Slots
2
1-50%
Temp (Load)
75°C
75
Perf/Watt
100.8+522%
16.2
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3070 came in at $499, while the Radeon R7 250 launched at $89. On MSRP, Radeon R7 250 was 82.2% cheaper ($410 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 11.8 (Radeon R7 250) — the GeForce RTX 3070 offers 276.3% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3070 (2020 vs 2013).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R7 250
MSRP
$499
$89-82%
Performance per Dollar
44.4+276%
11.8
Codename
GA104
Oland
Release
September 1 2020
October 8 2013
Ranking
#63
#871

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