GeForce RTX 3060 12GB vs Radeon RX 5700
On raw speed the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB comes out significantly faster — about 20% ahead of the Radeon RX 5700. It also wins on performance-per-dollar, making it the cleaner choice when you can afford it.
Market Value Leader
It's a tight race! Both the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB and the Radeon RX 5700 offer nearly identical market value.
Maximum Capacity Reached. Remove a model to add another. (2/2)
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB vs Radeon RX 5700: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: GeForce RTX 3060 12GB vs Radeon RX 5700
The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB is significantly faster, around 20% ahead of the Radeon RX 5700. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to 1080p.
Price & Value
The Radeon RX 5700 currently lists from $361 EUR, $54 EUR less than the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB at $415 EUR. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB wins on performance-per-dollar. The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB still sits about $86 EUR above its $329 EUR MSRP.
Power & Efficiency
At 170W against 180W, the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB is both the lower-power and the more efficient card, making it the easier build to cool and power. Its more modern Ampere architecture on a Samsung 8nm process is part of why it does more with each watt.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB carries 12GB versus 8GB on the Radeon RX 5700. The extra 4GB helps at 4K, with high-resolution texture packs, and for content-creation or local-AI workloads that exhaust smaller buffers.
Generation & Longevity
The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB is roughly 2 years newer than the Radeon RX 5700 (Ampere vs RDNA), so it generally benefits from a more modern architecture and longer driver-support runway.
Features & Ecosystem
Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB brings NVIDIA DLSS upscaling/frame generation and stronger ray tracing, while the Radeon RX 5700 offers AMD FSR upscaling and strong rasterization value. If you lean on upscaling or ray tracing, that ecosystem difference can matter as much as the frame-rate gap.
Which should you buy: GeForce RTX 3060 12GB or Radeon RX 5700?
The GeForce RTX 3060 12GB is the all-round winner here — it's faster and the better value, so buy it if it fits your budget. Only consider the Radeon RX 5700 if you find it at a steep discount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB better than the Radeon RX 5700?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB or the Radeon RX 5700?
Is the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB worth the extra $54 EUR over the Radeon RX 5700?
Does the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: GeForce RTX 3060 12GB or Radeon RX 5700?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce RTX 3060 12GB | Radeon RX 5700 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Ampere | RDNA |
| Process Node | Samsung 8nm | TSMC N7 |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 3,584✓ | 2,304 |
| Ray Tracing Cores | 28 | — |
| Tensor / AI Cores | 112 | — |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce RTX 3060 12GB | Radeon RX 5700 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,320 MHz | 1,465 MHz✓ |
| Boost Clock | 1,777 MHz✓ | 1,725 MHz |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce RTX 3060 12GB | Radeon RX 5700 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 12 GB✓ | 8 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | 192-bit | 256-bit✓ |
| Memory Speed | 15 Gbps✓ | 14 Gbps |
| Bandwidth | 360 GB/s | 448 GB/s✓ |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | GeForce RTX 3060 12GB | Radeon RX 5700 |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| TDP | 170 W✓ | 180 W |
| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |
| Released | Feb 2021 | Jul 2019 |
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