GeForce RTX 3070 vs Radeon RX 6500 XT

CPU

GPU

GeForce RTX 3070

2020Core: 1500 MHzBoost: 1725 MHz

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Radeon RX 6500 XT

2022Core: 2610 MHzBoost: 2815 MHz

RX family

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GeForce RTX 3070 vs Radeon RX 6500 XT Performance Spectrum

GeForce RTX 3070

8 GB 220

22,172

+130.9%

GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile)

GeForce GTX 1070 Ti

RTX 2000 Ada Generation

GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU

GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile

GeForce RTX 3080 Ti

GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU

GeForce RTX 4070 Ti

Radeon RX 6500 XT

4 GB 107

9,603

0.0%

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 RX 6500 XT 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 RX 6500 XT: 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

✅158.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌
150.8% HIGHER MSRP
$499 MSRPvs$199 MSRP
❌105.6% higher power demand at 220W vs 107W.
❌40.7% longer card at 242mm vs 172mm.

Radeon RX 6500 XT

2022

Why buy it

✅Costs $300 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
✅Draws 107W instead of 220W, a 113W reduction.
✅Measures 172mm instead of 242mm, a 70mm 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 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR 3 (2023) instead.

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 158.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 130.9% in PassMark G3D (22,172 vs 9,603), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon RX 6500 XT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer feature stack, with FSR 3 (2023) and FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023), while GeForce RTX 3070 is limited to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) and no comparable frame-generation support, a 6nm process instead of 8nm, and a newer 2022 generation instead of 2020. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon RX 6500 XT makes the most sense to buy today. It is $300 cheaper on MSRP at $199 vs $499, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 8.6% (48.3 vs 44.4), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. GeForce RTX 3070 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce RTX 3070 vs Radeon RX 6500 XT Technical Specifications

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

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.

Radeon RX 6500 XT

The Radeon RX 6500 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 19 2022. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 2610 MHz to 2815 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 107W. Manufactured using 6 nm process technology. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,603 points. Launch price was $199.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3070 scores 22,172 versus the Radeon RX 6500 XT's 9,603 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 130.9%. The GeForce RTX 3070 is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 6500 XT uses RDNA 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 6 nm. Shader units: 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 1,024 (Radeon RX 6500 XT). Raw compute: 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 5.765 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 6500 XT). Boost clocks: 1725 MHz vs 2815 MHz. Ray tracing: 46 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 16 (Radeon RX 6500 XT) with 184 Tensor cores.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon RX 6500 XT
G3D Mark Score	22,172+131%	9,603
Architecture	Ampere	RDNA 2.0
Process Node	8 nm	6 nm
Shading Units	5888+475%	1024
Compute (TFLOPS)	20.31 TFLOPS+252%	5.765 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1725 MHz	2815 MHz+63%
ROPs	96+200%	32
TMUs	184+188%	64
L1 Cache	5.8 MB+2220%	0.25 MB
L2 Cache	4 MB+300%	1 MB
Ray Tracing Cores	46+188%	16

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 6500 XT is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The GeForce RTX 3070 does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce RTX 3070 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon RX 6500 XT leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon RX 6500 XT
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 2 Super Resolution	FSR 3
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation + AFMF
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 RX 6500 XT carries 4 GB. GeForce RTX 3070 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 448 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 144 GB/s (Radeon RX 6500 XT) — a 211.1% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3070. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3070 and 64-bit on the Radeon RX 6500 XT. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 1 MB (Radeon RX 6500 XT) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon RX 6500 XT
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+100%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	448 GB/s+211%	144 GB/s
Bus Width	256-bit+300%	64-bit
L2 Cache	4 MB+300%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 12.2 (Radeon RX 6500 XT). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon RX 6500 XT
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12.2+2%
Vulkan	1.4+8%	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4+100%	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3070) vs None (Radeon RX 6500 XT). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs VCN 3.0 (Limited). Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs MPEG-2,H.264 (Decode),HEVC (Decode) (Radeon RX 6500 XT).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon RX 6500 XT
Encoder	NVENC 7th gen	None
Decoder	NVDEC 5th gen	VCN 3.0 (Limited)
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9	MPEG-2,H.264 (Decode),HEVC (Decode)

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3070 draws 220W versus the Radeon RX 6500 XT's 107W — a 69.1% difference. The Radeon RX 6500 XT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 400W (Radeon RX 6500 XT). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 172mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 70°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon RX 6500 XT
TDP	220W	107W-51%
Recommended PSU	650W	400W-38%
Power Connector	8-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	242mm	172mm
Height	112mm	112mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	75°C	70°C-7%
Perf/Watt	100.8+12%	89.7

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3070 came in at $499, while the Radeon RX 6500 XT launched at $199. On MSRP, Radeon RX 6500 XT was 60.1% cheaper ($300 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 48.3 (Radeon RX 6500 XT) — the Radeon RX 6500 XT offers 8.8% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 6500 XT (2022 vs 2020).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon RX 6500 XT
MSRP	$499	$199-60%
Performance per Dollar	44.4	48.3+9%
Codename	GA104	Navi 24
Release	September 1 2020	January 19 2022
Ranking	#63	#270

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