GeForce RTX 2060 12GB vs Radeon RX Vega 56
The GeForce RTX 2060 12GB pulls ahead here — clearly quicker, about 17% ahead of the Radeon RX Vega 56. It also wins on performance-per-dollar, making it the cleaner choice when you can afford it.
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GeForce RTX 2060 12GB vs Radeon RX Vega 56: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: GeForce RTX 2060 12GB vs Radeon RX Vega 56
The GeForce RTX 2060 12GB is noticeably faster, around 17% ahead of the Radeon RX Vega 56. That gap is enough to move it up a tier: the GeForce RTX 2060 12GB is comfortable at 1080p, while the Radeon RX Vega 56 is better matched to entry-level 1080p.
Price & Value
Pricing has the GeForce RTX 2060 12GB at $287 GBP, $170 GBP under the Radeon RX Vega 56's $457 GBP. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the GeForce RTX 2060 12GB wins on performance-per-dollar by about 86%.
Power & Efficiency
Power draw favors the GeForce RTX 2060 12GB (184W vs 210W), and it's the more efficient card too, so it's the easy pick if thermals or a smaller PSU matter. Its more modern Turing architecture on a TSMC 12nm process is part of why it does more with each watt.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
The GeForce RTX 2060 12GB carries 12GB versus 8GB on the Radeon RX Vega 56. 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 2060 12GB is roughly 4 years newer than the Radeon RX Vega 56 (Turing vs GCN 5.0 (Vega)), so it generally benefits from a more modern architecture and longer driver-support runway.
Features & Ecosystem
Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce RTX 2060 12GB brings NVIDIA DLSS upscaling/frame generation and stronger ray tracing, while the Radeon RX Vega 56 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 2060 12GB or Radeon RX Vega 56?
The GeForce RTX 2060 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 Vega 56 if you find it at a steep discount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the GeForce RTX 2060 12GB better than the Radeon RX Vega 56?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce RTX 2060 12GB or the Radeon RX Vega 56?
Is the Radeon RX Vega 56 worth the extra $170 GBP over the GeForce RTX 2060 12GB?
Does the GeForce RTX 2060 12GB have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: GeForce RTX 2060 12GB or Radeon RX Vega 56?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce RTX 2060 12GB | Radeon RX Vega 56 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Turing | GCN 5.0 (Vega) |
| Process Node | TSMC 12nm | GloFo 14nm |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 2,176 | 3,584✓ |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce RTX 2060 12GB | Radeon RX Vega 56 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,470 MHz✓ | 1,156 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1,650 MHz✓ | 1,471 MHz |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce RTX 2060 12GB | Radeon RX Vega 56 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 12 GB✓ | 8 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | HBM2 |
| Memory Bus | 192-bit | 2048-bit✓ |
| Memory Speed | 14 Gbps✓ | 1.6 Gbps |
| Bandwidth | 336 GB/s | 409.6 GB/s✓ |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | GeForce RTX 2060 12GB | Radeon RX Vega 56 |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| TDP | 184 W✓ | 210 W |
| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | 2x 8-pin |
| Released | Dec 2021 | Aug 2017 |