GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon HD 7970M

VS

Aggregate performance score

We've compared Radeon HD 7970M with GeForce RTX 3060, including specs and performance data.

HD 7970M
2012
2 GB GDDR5, 100 Watt
9.26

RTX 3060 outperforms HD 7970M by a whopping 379% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in the ranking47583
Place by popularitynot in top-1004
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data70.80
Power efficiency6.3517.88
ArchitectureGCN 1.0 (2011−2020)Ampere (2020−2024)
GPU code nameWimbledonGA106
Market segmentLaptopDesktop
Release date24 April 2012 (12 years ago)12 January 2021 (3 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$329

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores12803584
Core clock speed850 MHz1320 MHz
Boost clock speedno data1777 MHz
Number of transistors2,800 million12,000 million
Manufacturing process technology28 nm8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)100 Watt170 Watt
Texture fill rate68.00199.0
Floating-point processing power2.176 TFLOPS12.74 TFLOPS
ROPs3248
TMUs80112
Tensor Coresno data112
Ray Tracing Coresno data28

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Laptop sizelargeno data
InterfaceMXM-B (3.0)PCIe 4.0 x16
Lengthno data242 mm
Widthno data2-slot
Supplementary power connectorsNone1x 12-pin

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeGDDR5GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount2 GB12 GB
Memory bus width256 Bit192 Bit
Memory clock speed1200 MHz1875 MHz
Memory bandwidth153.6 GB/s360.0 GB/s
Shared memory--

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display ConnectorsNo outputs1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
HDMI-+

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX12 (11_1)12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model5.16.7
OpenGL4.64.6
OpenCL1.23.0
Vulkan1.2.1311.3
CUDA-8.6

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

HD 7970M 9.26
RTX 3060 44.35
+379%

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

HD 7970M 3568
RTX 3060 17085
+379%

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

HD 7970M 5645
RTX 3060 28375
+403%

3DMark Vantage Performance

3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.

HD 7970M 21938
RTX 3060 79706
+263%

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

HD 7970M 4694
RTX 3060 21379
+355%

3DMark Cloud Gate GPU

Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid.

HD 7970M 31869
RTX 3060 120745
+279%

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

900p84
−376%
400−450
+376%
Full HD60
−108%
125
+108%
1440p16−18
−388%
78
+388%
4K10−12
−400%
50
+400%

Cost per frame, $

1080pno data2.63
1440pno data4.22
4Kno data6.58

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
−464%
79
+464%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 21−24
−323%
90−95
+323%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 12−14
−685%
102
+685%
Battlefield 5 27−30
−407%
140−150
+407%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 18−20
−368%
85−90
+368%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
−457%
78
+457%
Far Cry 5 21−24
−343%
90−95
+343%
Far Cry New Dawn 24−27
−315%
100−110
+315%
Forza Horizon 4 60−65
−233%
200−210
+233%
Hitman 3 16−18
−606%
120
+606%
Horizon Zero Dawn 50−55
−251%
170−180
+251%
Metro Exodus 27−30
−386%
130−140
+386%
Red Dead Redemption 2 24−27
−296%
95−100
+296%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 30−33
−453%
160−170
+453%
Watch Dogs: Legion 60−65
−125%
130−140
+125%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 21−24
−323%
90−95
+323%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 12−14
−554%
85
+554%
Battlefield 5 27−30
−407%
140−150
+407%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 18−20
−368%
85−90
+368%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
−436%
75
+436%
Far Cry 5 21−24
−343%
90−95
+343%
Far Cry New Dawn 24−27
−315%
100−110
+315%
Forza Horizon 4 60−65
−233%
200−210
+233%
Hitman 3 16−18
−582%
116
+582%
Horizon Zero Dawn 50−55
−251%
170−180
+251%
Metro Exodus 27−30
−386%
130−140
+386%
Red Dead Redemption 2 24−27
−296%
95−100
+296%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 30−33
−500%
180
+500%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 24−27
−264%
90−95
+264%
Watch Dogs: Legion 60−65
−125%
130−140
+125%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 21−24
−323%
90−95
+323%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 12−14
−477%
75
+477%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 18−20
−368%
85−90
+368%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
−357%
64
+357%
Far Cry 5 21−24
−343%
90−95
+343%
Forza Horizon 4 60−65
−233%
200−210
+233%
Hitman 3 16−18
−494%
101
+494%
Horizon Zero Dawn 50−55
−178%
142
+178%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 30−33
−413%
154
+413%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 24−27
−192%
73
+192%
Watch Dogs: Legion 60−65
+1.7%
59
−1.7%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 24−27
−296%
95−100
+296%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5 18−20
−383%
85−90
+383%
Far Cry New Dawn 14−16
−386%
65−70
+386%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 9−10
−444%
45−50
+444%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 5−6
−1100%
60
+1100%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 9−10
−478%
50−55
+478%
Cyberpunk 2077 4−5
−875%
39
+875%
Far Cry 5 10−12
−364%
50−55
+364%
Forza Horizon 4 35−40
−518%
240−250
+518%
Hitman 3 12−14
−467%
68
+467%
Horizon Zero Dawn 18−20
−458%
106
+458%
Metro Exodus 12−14
−585%
89
+585%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 10−11
−1050%
115
+1050%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 8−9
−738%
65−70
+738%
Watch Dogs: Legion 55−60
−253%
200−210
+253%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 14−16
−407%
75−80
+407%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5 8−9
−463%
45−50
+463%
Far Cry New Dawn 6−7
−533%
35−40
+533%
Hitman 3 5−6
−800%
45
+800%
Horizon Zero Dawn 35−40
−427%
190−200
+427%
Metro Exodus 7−8
−743%
55−60
+743%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 6−7
−950%
63
+950%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 5−6
−520%
30−35
+520%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 4−5
−850%
38
+850%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4−5
−625%
27−30
+625%
Cyberpunk 2077 1−2
−1700%
18
+1700%
Far Cry 5 5−6
−440%
27−30
+440%
Forza Horizon 4 10−12
−473%
60−65
+473%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 5−6
−1240%
67
+1240%
Watch Dogs: Legion 3−4
−800%
27
+800%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 9−10
−344%
40−45
+344%

This is how HD 7970M and RTX 3060 compete in popular games:

  • RTX 3060 is 376% faster in 900p
  • RTX 3060 is 108% faster in 1080p
  • RTX 3060 is 388% faster in 1440p
  • RTX 3060 is 400% faster in 4K

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

  • in Watch Dogs: Legion, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the HD 7970M is 2% faster.
  • in Cyberpunk 2077, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the RTX 3060 is 1700% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

  • HD 7970M is ahead in 1 test (1%)
  • RTX 3060 is ahead in 71 test (99%)

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 9.26 44.35
Recency 24 April 2012 12 January 2021
Maximum RAM amount 2 GB 12 GB
Chip lithography 28 nm 8 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 100 Watt 170 Watt

HD 7970M has 70% lower power consumption.

RTX 3060, on the other hand, has a 378.9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 8 years, a 500% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 250% more advanced lithography process.

The GeForce RTX 3060 is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 7970M in performance tests.

Be aware that Radeon HD 7970M is a notebook card while GeForce RTX 3060 is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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AMD Radeon HD 7970M
Radeon HD 7970M
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
GeForce RTX 3060

Comparisons with similar GPUs

We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.

Community ratings

Here you can see the user ratings of the compared graphics cards, as well as rate them yourself.


4.2 43 votes

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4.1 28877 votes

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Questions & comments

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