GeForce RTX 3060 8 GB vs Radeon HD 8970M
Aggregate performance score
We've compared Radeon HD 8970M with GeForce RTX 3060 8 GB, including specs and performance data.
RTX 3060 8 GB outperforms HD 8970M by a whopping 292% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Contents
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in the ranking | 505 | 147 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Power efficiency | 7.11 | 16.41 |
| Architecture | GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) | Ampere (2020−2025) |
| GPU code name | Neptune | GA106 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop |
| Release date | 14 May 2013 (12 years ago) | 12 October 2022 (3 years ago) |
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 cores | 1280 | 3584 |
| Core clock speed | 850 MHz | 1320 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | 900 MHz | 1777 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 2,800 million | 12,000 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 28 nm | 8 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 100 Watt | 170 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 72.00 | 199.0 |
| Floating-point processing power | 2.304 TFLOPS | 12.74 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 32 | 48 |
| TMUs | 80 | 112 |
| Tensor Cores | no data | 112 |
| Ray Tracing Cores | no data | 28 |
| L1 Cache | 320 KB | 3.5 MB |
| L2 Cache | 512 KB | 3 MB |
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 size | large | no data |
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| Length | no data | 242 mm |
| Width | no data | 2-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors | no data | 1x 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 type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 4 GB | 8 GB |
| Memory bus width | 256 Bit | 128 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 1200 MHz | 1875 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 153.6 GB/s | 240.0 GB/s |
| Shared memory | - | - |
| Resizable BAR | - | + |
Connectivity and outputs
This section shows the types and number of video connectors on each GPU. The data applies specifically to desktop reference models (for example, NVIDIA’s Founders Edition). OEM partners often modify both the number and types of ports. On notebook GPUs, video‐output options are determined by the laptop’s design rather than the graphics chip itself.
| Display Connectors | No outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |
| HDMI | - | + |
API and SDK support
List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 12 (11_1) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |
| Shader Model | 5.1 | 6.7 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| OpenCL | 1.2 | 3.0 |
| Vulkan | 1.2.131 | 1.3 |
| CUDA | - | 8.6 |
| DLSS | - | + |
Synthetic benchmarks
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.
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.
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 HD | 53
−277%
| 200−210
+277%
|
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low
| Counter-Strike 2 | 50−55
−280%
|
190−200
+280%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 18−20
−268%
|
70−75
+268%
|
Full HD
Medium
| Battlefield 5 | 40−45
−290%
|
160−170
+290%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 50−55
−280%
|
190−200
+280%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 18−20
−268%
|
70−75
+268%
|
| Escape from Tarkov | 35−40
−268%
|
140−150
+268%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 30−33
−267%
|
110−120
+267%
|
| Fortnite | 55−60
−286%
|
220−230
+286%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 40−45
−290%
|
160−170
+290%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 27−30
−257%
|
100−105
+257%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 30−35
−282%
|
130−140
+282%
|
| Valorant | 90−95
−285%
|
350−400
+285%
|
Full HD
High
| Battlefield 5 | 40−45
−290%
|
160−170
+290%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 50−55
−280%
|
190−200
+280%
|
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 148
−272%
|
550−600
+272%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 18−20
−268%
|
70−75
+268%
|
| Dota 2 | 65−70
−282%
|
260−270
+282%
|
| Escape from Tarkov | 35−40
−268%
|
140−150
+268%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 30−33
−267%
|
110−120
+267%
|
| Fortnite | 55−60
−286%
|
220−230
+286%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 40−45
−290%
|
160−170
+290%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 27−30
−257%
|
100−105
+257%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 39
−285%
|
150−160
+285%
|
| Metro Exodus | 18−20
−268%
|
70−75
+268%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 30−35
−282%
|
130−140
+282%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 31
−287%
|
120−130
+287%
|
| Valorant | 90−95
−285%
|
350−400
+285%
|
Full HD
Ultra
| Battlefield 5 | 40−45
−290%
|
160−170
+290%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 18−20
−268%
|
70−75
+268%
|
| Dota 2 | 65−70
−282%
|
260−270
+282%
|
| Escape from Tarkov | 35−40
−268%
|
140−150
+268%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 30−33
−267%
|
110−120
+267%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 40−45
−290%
|
160−170
+290%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 30−35
−282%
|
130−140
+282%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 18
−289%
|
70−75
+289%
|
| Valorant | 90−95
−285%
|
350−400
+285%
|
Full HD
Epic
| Fortnite | 55−60
−286%
|
220−230
+286%
|
1440p
High
| Counter-Strike 2 | 18−20
−289%
|
70−75
+289%
|
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 70−75
−289%
|
280−290
+289%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 12−14
−285%
|
50−55
+285%
|
| Metro Exodus | 10−11
−250%
|
35−40
+250%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 45−50
−288%
|
190−200
+288%
|
| Valorant | 100−110
−285%
|
400−450
+285%
|
1440p
Ultra
| Battlefield 5 | 21−24
−291%
|
90−95
+291%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 8−9
−275%
|
30−33
+275%
|
| Escape from Tarkov | 18−20
−289%
|
70−75
+289%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 20−22
−275%
|
75−80
+275%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 21−24
−286%
|
85−90
+286%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 12−14
−285%
|
50−55
+285%
|
1440p
Epic
| Fortnite | 20−22
−275%
|
75−80
+275%
|
4K
High
| Counter-Strike 2 | 4−5
−250%
|
14−16
+250%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 20−22
−275%
|
75−80
+275%
|
| Metro Exodus | 5−6
−260%
|
18−20
+260%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 10−11
−250%
|
35−40
+250%
|
| Valorant | 45−50
−288%
|
190−200
+288%
|
4K
Ultra
| Battlefield 5 | 10−12
−264%
|
40−45
+264%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 4−5
−250%
|
14−16
+250%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 3−4
−233%
|
10−11
+233%
|
| Dota 2 | 35−40
−271%
|
130−140
+271%
|
| Escape from Tarkov | 8−9
−275%
|
30−33
+275%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 9−10
−289%
|
35−40
+289%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 16−18
−275%
|
60−65
+275%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 9−10
−289%
|
35−40
+289%
|
4K
Epic
| Fortnite | 9−10
−289%
|
35−40
+289%
|
This is how HD 8970M and RTX 3060 8 GB compete in popular games:
- RTX 3060 8 GB is 277% faster in 1080p
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 9.26 | 36.33 |
| Recency | 14 May 2013 | 12 October 2022 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 4 GB | 8 GB |
| Chip lithography | 28 nm | 8 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 100 Watt | 170 Watt |
HD 8970M has 70% lower power consumption.
RTX 3060 8 GB, on the other hand, has a 292.3% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 9 years, a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 250% more advanced lithography process.
The GeForce RTX 3060 8 GB is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 8970M in performance tests.
Be aware that Radeon HD 8970M is a notebook graphics card while GeForce RTX 3060 8 GB is a desktop one.
Other comparisons
We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.
