GeForce RTX 3070 vs Radeon RX 6950 XT

CPU

GPU

GeForce RTX 3070

2020Core: 1500 MHzBoost: 1725 MHz

RTX family

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Radeon RX 6950 XT

2022Core: 1925 MHzBoost: 2324 MHz

RX family

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GeForce RTX 3070 vs Radeon RX 6950 XT Performance Spectrum

GeForce RTX 3070

8 GB 220

22,172

0.0%

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 6950 XT

16 GB 335

28,076

+26.6%

Radeon RX 6750 GRE 10GB

Radeon RX 6750 XT

Radeon RX 9070 GRE

Radeon RX 7900 XTX

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 6950 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 6950 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

✅Costs $600 less on MSRP ($499 MSRP vs $1,099 MSRP).
✅Delivers 73.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 25.5 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $1,099 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅Draws 220W instead of 335W, a 115W reduction.
✅Measures 242mm instead of 267mm, a 25mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 6950 XT across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 8 GB vs 16 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌Radeon RX 6950 XT is the safer long-term pick here because the hardware is newer and the feature stack is stronger.

Radeon RX 6950 XT

2022

Why buy it

✅13.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (16 GB vs 8 GB).
✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 7nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR 3 (2023) instead.
❌
120.2% HIGHER MSRP
$1,099 MSRPvs$499 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 25.5 vs 44.4 G3D/$ ($1,099 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
❌52.3% higher power demand at 335W vs 220W.
❌10.3% longer card at 267mm vs 242mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon RX 6950 XT is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 13.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 26.6% in PassMark G3D (28,076 vs 22,172), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon RX 6950 XT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 16 GB vs 8 GB of VRAM, 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 7nm process instead of 8nm, and 80 vs 46 ray-tracing units. 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 $600 cheaper on MSRP at $499 vs $1,099, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 73.9% (44.4 vs 25.5), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and strong 1440p, GeForce RTX 3070 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1440p and 4K headroom, Radeon RX 6950 XT has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce RTX 3070 vs Radeon RX 6950 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 6950 XT

The Radeon RX 6950 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 10 2022. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1925 MHz to 2324 MHz. It has 5120 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 335W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. It features 80 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 28,076 points. Launch price was $1,099.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3070 scores 22,172 versus the Radeon RX 6950 XT's 28,076 — the Radeon RX 6950 XT leads by 26.6%. The GeForce RTX 3070 is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 6950 XT uses RDNA 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 5,120 (Radeon RX 6950 XT). Raw compute: 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 23.8 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 6950 XT). Boost clocks: 1725 MHz vs 2324 MHz. Ray tracing: 46 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 80 (Radeon RX 6950 XT) with 184 Tensor cores.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon RX 6950 XT
G3D Mark Score	22,172	28,076+27%
Architecture	Ampere	RDNA 2.0
Process Node	8 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	5888+15%	5120
Compute (TFLOPS)	20.31 TFLOPS	23.8 TFLOPS+17%
Boost Clock	1725 MHz	2324 MHz+35%
ROPs	96	128+33%
TMUs	184	320+74%
L1 Cache	5.8 MB+480%	1 MB
L2 Cache	4 MB	4 MB
Ray Tracing Cores	46	80+74%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 6950 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 6950 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 6950 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 6950 XT carries 16 GB. Radeon RX 6950 XT 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 576 GB/s (Radeon RX 6950 XT) — a 28.6% advantage for the Radeon RX 6950 XT. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3070 and 256-bit on the Radeon RX 6950 XT.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon RX 6950 XT
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	16 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	448 GB/s	576 GB/s+29%
Bus Width	256-bit	256-bit
L2 Cache	4 MB	4 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 12 Ultimate (Radeon RX 6950 XT). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon RX 6950 XT
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12 Ultimate
Vulkan	1.4+8%	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3070) vs RDNA 2 (Radeon RX 6950 XT). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs RDNA 2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 decode (Radeon RX 6950 XT).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon RX 6950 XT
Encoder	NVENC 7th gen	RDNA 2
Decoder	NVDEC 5th gen	RDNA 2
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 decode

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3070 draws 220W versus the Radeon RX 6950 XT's 335W — a 41.4% difference. The GeForce RTX 3070 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 850W (Radeon RX 6950 XT). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 3 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 83°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon RX 6950 XT
TDP	220W-34%	335W
Recommended PSU	650W-24%	850W
Power Connector	8-pin	2x 8-pin
Length	242mm	267mm
Height	112mm	120mm
Slots	2-33%	3
Temp (Load)	75°C-10%	83°C
Perf/Watt	100.8+20%	83.8

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3070 came in at $499, while the Radeon RX 6950 XT launched at $1099. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3070 was 54.6% cheaper ($600 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 25.5 (Radeon RX 6950 XT) — the GeForce RTX 3070 offers 74.1% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 6950 XT (2022 vs 2020).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon RX 6950 XT
MSRP	$499-55%	$1099
Performance per Dollar	44.4+74%	25.5
Codename	GA104	Navi 21
Release	September 1 2020	May 10 2022
Ranking	#63	#25

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