Radeon RX 6500 XT vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

Aggregate performance score

We've compared GeForce RTX 3060 Ti and Radeon RX 6500 XT, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.

RTX 3060 Ti
2020
8 GB GDDR6, 200 Watt
51.13
+114%

RTX 3060 Ti outperforms RX 6500 XT by a whopping 114% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

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

Place in the ranking50225
Place by popularity2675
Cost-effectiveness evaluation68.3157.71
Power efficiency18.3016.00
ArchitectureAmpere (2020−2024)RDNA 2.0 (2020−2024)
GPU code nameGA104Navi 24
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Release date1 December 2020 (4 years ago)19 January 2022 (3 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$399 $199

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

RTX 3060 Ti has 18% better value for money than RX 6500 XT.

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 cores48641024
Core clock speed1410 MHz2610 MHz
Boost clock speed1665 MHz2815 MHz
Number of transistors17,400 million5,400 million
Manufacturing process technology8 nm6 nm
Power consumption (TDP)200 Watt107 Watt
Texture fill rate253.1180.2
Floating-point processing power16.2 TFLOPS5.765 TFLOPS
ROPs8032
TMUs15264
Tensor Cores152no data
Ray Tracing Cores3816

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).

InterfacePCIe 4.0 x16PCIe 4.0 x4
Length242 mmno data
Width2-slot2-slot
Supplementary power connectors1x 12-pin1x 6-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 typeGDDR6GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount8 GB8 GB
Memory bus width256 Bit64 Bit
Memory clock speed1750 MHz2248 MHz
Memory bandwidth448.0 GB/s143.9 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 Connectors1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort1x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4a
HDMI++

API compatibility

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

DirectX12 Ultimate (12_2)12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model6.56.6
OpenGL4.64.6
OpenCL2.02.2
Vulkan1.21.3
CUDA8.6-

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.

RTX 3060 Ti 51.13
+114%
RX 6500 XT 23.92

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.

RTX 3060 Ti 20431
+114%
RX 6500 XT 9558

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.

RTX 3060 Ti 37941
+65.3%
RX 6500 XT 22954

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.

RTX 3060 Ti 78597
+2.8%
RX 6500 XT 76445

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.

RTX 3060 Ti 28145
+79.1%
RX 6500 XT 15712

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.

RTX 3060 Ti 153968
+67.5%
RX 6500 XT 91909

3DMark Ice Storm GPU

Ice Storm Graphics is an obsolete benchmark, part of 3DMark suite. Ice Storm was used to measure entry level laptops and Windows-based tablets performance. It utilizes DirectX 11 feature level 9 to display a battle between two space fleets near a frozen planet in 1280x720 resolution. Discontinued in January 2020, it is now superseded by 3DMark Night Raid.

RTX 3060 Ti 615311
+72.8%
RX 6500 XT 356129

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 maya-04

RTX 3060 Ti 196
+77.4%
RX 6500 XT 111

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 sw-03

RTX 3060 Ti 70
RX 6500 XT 140
+101%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 snx-02

RTX 3060 Ti 10
RX 6500 XT 87
+792%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 catia-04

RTX 3060 Ti 110
RX 6500 XT 150
+36.4%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 creo-01

RTX 3060 Ti 57
RX 6500 XT 91
+58.7%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 mediacal-01

RTX 3060 Ti 68
+18.8%
RX 6500 XT 58

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 showcase-01

RTX 3060 Ti 147
+119%
RX 6500 XT 67

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 energy-01

RTX 3060 Ti 13
RX 6500 XT 60
+347%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 3dsmax-05

RTX 3060 Ti 129
RX 6500 XT 157
+21.3%

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:

Full HD142
+122%
64
−122%
1440p78
+160%
30
−160%
4K49
+206%
16
−206%

Cost per frame, $

1080p2.81
+10.7%
3.11
−10.7%
1440p5.12
+29.7%
6.63
−29.7%
4K8.14
+52.7%
12.44
−52.7%
  • RTX 3060 Ti has 11% lower cost per frame in 1080p
  • RTX 3060 Ti has 30% lower cost per frame in 1440p
  • RTX 3060 Ti has 53% lower cost per frame in 4K

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2 161
+152%
64
−152%
Cyberpunk 2077 83
+15.3%
72
−15.3%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5 110−120
+52.6%
75−80
−52.6%
Counter-Strike 2 124
+210%
40
−210%
Cyberpunk 2077 91
+237%
27
−237%
Forza Horizon 4 220
+71.9%
128
−71.9%
Forza Horizon 5 155
+135%
66
−135%
Metro Exodus 113
+16.5%
97
−16.5%
Red Dead Redemption 2 95−100
+81.5%
50−55
−81.5%
Valorant 320
+220%
100−105
−220%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5 110−120
+52.6%
75−80
−52.6%
Counter-Strike 2 106
+279%
28
−279%
Cyberpunk 2077 81
+376%
17
−376%
Dota 2 142
+34%
106
−34%
Far Cry 5 103
+140%
43
−140%
Fortnite 210−220
+70.4%
120−130
−70.4%
Forza Horizon 4 192
+79.4%
107
−79.4%
Forza Horizon 5 136
+289%
35
−289%
Grand Theft Auto V 141
+64%
86
−64%
Metro Exodus 97
+56.5%
62
−56.5%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 210−220
+37.8%
150−160
−37.8%
Red Dead Redemption 2 89
+64.8%
50−55
−64.8%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 170−180
+115%
80−85
−115%
Valorant 220−230
+127%
100−105
−127%
World of Tanks 270−280
+8.6%
250−260
−8.6%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 110−120
+52.6%
75−80
−52.6%
Counter-Strike 2 97
+304%
24
−304%
Cyberpunk 2077 75
+400%
15
−400%
Dota 2 135
+22.7%
110
−22.7%
Far Cry 5 110−120
+45.5%
75−80
−45.5%
Forza Horizon 4 174
+110%
83
−110%
Forza Horizon 5 115
+145%
47
−145%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 210−220
+37.8%
150−160
−37.8%
Valorant 274
+174%
100−105
−174%

1440p
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2 30−35
+129%
14−16
−129%
Dota 2 97
+162%
37
−162%
Grand Theft Auto V 97
+162%
37
−162%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 170−180
+0%
170−180
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 57
+148%
21−24
−148%
World of Tanks 300−350
+107%
160−170
−107%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 85−90
+70%
50−55
−70%
Cyberpunk 2077 50
+456%
9
−456%
Far Cry 5 160−170
+119%
70−75
−119%
Forza Horizon 4 139
+148%
56
−148%
Forza Horizon 5 99
+330%
23
−330%
Metro Exodus 93
+63.2%
57
−63.2%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 100−110
+184%
35−40
−184%
Valorant 219
+227%
65−70
−227%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2 30−33
+329%
7
−329%
Dota 2 107
+215%
34
−215%
Grand Theft Auto V 107
+215%
34
−215%
Metro Exodus 43
+291%
11
−291%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 180−190
+142%
75−80
−142%
Red Dead Redemption 2 38
+138%
16−18
−138%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 107
+215%
34
−215%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 65−70
+154%
24−27
−154%
Counter-Strike 2 15
−33.3%
20−22
+33.3%
Cyberpunk 2077 24
+1100%
2
−1100%
Dota 2 109
+62.7%
67
−62.7%
Far Cry 5 90−95
+176%
30−35
−176%
Fortnite 85−90
+181%
30−35
−181%
Forza Horizon 4 84
+236%
25
−236%
Forza Horizon 5 81
+2600%
3
−2600%
Valorant 122
+281%
30−35
−281%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Counter-Strike 2 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%

This is how RTX 3060 Ti and RX 6500 XT compete in popular games:

  • RTX 3060 Ti is 122% faster in 1080p
  • RTX 3060 Ti is 160% faster in 1440p
  • RTX 3060 Ti is 206% faster in 4K

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

  • in Forza Horizon 5, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the RTX 3060 Ti is 2600% faster.
  • in Counter-Strike 2, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the RX 6500 XT is 33% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

  • RTX 3060 Ti is ahead in 61 test (95%)
  • RX 6500 XT is ahead in 1 test (2%)
  • there's a draw in 2 tests (3%)

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 51.13 23.92
Recency 1 December 2020 19 January 2022
Chip lithography 8 nm 6 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 200 Watt 107 Watt

RTX 3060 Ti has a 113.8% higher aggregate performance score.

RX 6500 XT, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 1 year, a 33.3% more advanced lithography process, and 86.9% lower power consumption.

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon RX 6500 XT in performance tests.


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

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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT
Radeon RX 6500 XT

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Community ratings

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