AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB

FPS benchmarks across 150 games (reference CPU: r9-9950x3D2), live prices, popularity and community builds.

AMD

RX 6500 XT

RDNA 2 · 4 GB GDDR6

#31 / 71▼

Overall score Relative gaming performance score, based on the average FPS measured across our benchmarked games. 100 = the fastest card in our catalog.9/100

Lowest price

223€

FPS / €

1.48

See the cheapest model See all 6 models

Nvidia

RTX 3060 12GB

Ampere · 12 GB GDDR6

#15 / 71▲

Overall score Relative gaming performance score, based on the average FPS measured across our benchmarked games. 100 = the fastest card in our catalog.29/100

Lowest price

436€

FPS / €

0.851

See the cheapest model See all 16 models

Our verdict

The RTX 3060 12GB is on average 9% faster than the RX 6500 XT at 1440p across our reference games.
The RX 6500 XT is currently 213€ cheaper (223€ vs 436€).
With 1.48 FPS/€, the RX 6500 XT offers the best price-to-performance ratio.
The RTX 3060 12GB packs more video memory (12 GB vs 4 GB), an advantage for 4K and heavy textures.

Gaming performance

Benchmarks measured with a r9-9950x3D2 to avoid bottlenecking the graphics cards.

RX 6500 XT

RTX 3060 12GB

Counter-Strike 2

+3%

342 FPS

1% low 187

351 FPS

1% low 201

Apex Legends

+13%

179 FPS

1% low 119

203 FPS

1% low 141

Grand Theft Auto V

+21%

56 FPS

1% low 43

68 FPS

1% low 54

Red Dead Redemption 2

+36%

78 FPS

1% low 59

106 FPS

1% low 77

Cyberpunk 2077

+43%

56 FPS

1% low 43

80 FPS

1% low 59

Rocket League

+5%

604 FPS

1% low 261

635 FPS

1% low 271

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

+28%

90 FPS

1% low 66

115 FPS

1% low 92

Crimson Desert

+35%

66 FPS

1% low 50

89 FPS

1% low 65

FPS / €

The higher the number, the better the performance you get for your money.

RX 6500 XT

1.48

RTX 3060 12GB

0.851

Want to see FPS in other games? Explore all our benchmarks

Specifications

	RX 6500 XT	RTX 3060 12GB
Architecture	RDNA 2	Ampere
Release date	2022-01	2021-02
Video memory	4 GB	12 GB
Memory type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Memory bus	64 bit	192 bit
Bandwidth	144 GB/s	360 GB/s
Shading units	1024	3584
Boost clock	2815 MHz	1777 MHz
Power draw (TDP)	107 W	170 W
Recommended PSU	400 W	550 W
Interface	PCIe 4.0 x4	PCIe 4.0 x16
Launch price	$199	$329

Popularity on DropReference

RX 6500 XT

#31 / 71

Popularity score3/100

Share of builds Percentage of builds created by the DropReference community that use this GPU.0.1%

Number of builds created with this GPU

Average build price

700€

Most paired CPUs

Most used power supply

MSI MAG A550BN 550W 80 Plus Bronze Black

550 W · 49€

Latest builds

Unnamed build

Unnamed build

Unnamed build

RTX 3060 12GB

#15 / 71

Popularity score7/100

Share of builds Percentage of builds created by the DropReference community that use this GPU.0.6%

Number of builds created with this GPU

134

Average build price

1,032€

Most paired CPUs

Most used power supply

MSI MAG A650BN 650W 80 Plus Bronze Black

650 W · 54€

Latest builds

Unnamed build

Unnamed build

1 test

All models

Real-time prices and stock in your region

Price indicator

Awesome deal

Good deal

Decent deal

Relatively poor deal

RX 6500 XT

6 models tracked

See all models in stock

RTX 3060 12GB

16 models tracked

See all models in stock

Frequently asked questions

Which is the better graphics card, the RX 6500 XT or the RTX 3060 12GB?

The RTX 3060 12GB is on average 9% faster than the RX 6500 XT at 1440p across our reference games. The RX 6500 XT is currently 213€ cheaper (223€ vs 436€). With 1.48 FPS/€, the RX 6500 XT offers the best price-to-performance ratio. The RTX 3060 12GB packs more video memory (12 GB vs 4 GB), an advantage for 4K and heavy textures.

Which card should you pick for 1440p gaming: RX 6500 XT or RTX 3060 12GB?

At 1440p, the RX 6500 XT averages 305 FPS versus 332 FPS for the RTX 3060 12GB across our reference games.

What power supply do you need for the RX 6500 XT?

A power supply of around 400 W is recommended for the RX 6500 XT. On DropReference, the most used PSU with this card is the MSI MAG A550BN 550W 80 Plus Bronze Black.

What power supply do you need for the RTX 3060 12GB?

A power supply of around 550 W is recommended for the RTX 3060 12GB. On DropReference, the most used PSU with this card is the MSI MAG A650BN 650W 80 Plus Bronze Black.

Which CPU should you pair with the RX 6500 XT?

In community builds, the CPU most often paired with the RX 6500 XT is the r5-5500 (17 builds).

Which CPU should you pair with the RTX 3060 12GB?

In community builds, the CPU most often paired with the RTX 3060 12GB is the r5-5500 (22 builds).

How much does the RX 6500 XT cost right now?

The RX 6500 XT is available from 223€. We track 6 models in real time.

How much does the RTX 3060 12GB cost right now?

The RTX 3060 12GB is available from 436€. We track 16 models in real time.

AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT

The AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT, based on RDNA 2 architecture, offers entry-level gaming performance with 4 GB of GDDR6 memory. Perfect for 1080p gaming, it supports ray tracing and provides excellent value for money for beginner gamers.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 delivers smooth gameplay at 1080p and 1440p thanks to the Ampere architecture. Featuring 12 GB of GDDR6 memory, it's ideal for gamers seeking great performance at a reasonable price. Supports ray tracing and DLSS for more realistic graphics and better frame rates.