AMD Radeon Vega 11 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti and the AMD Radeon Vega 11 represent two entirely different approaches to graphics processing. The RTX 3060 Ti is a discrete, high-performance add-in card from the Ampere generation, while the Vega 11 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) built into AMD's Picasso APUs. The benchmark data reveals a massive performance gulf, but the analysis also highlights distinct use cases for each.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains two direct head-to-head comparisons between these processors, and the results are decisively lopsided. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scored 78,927 points while the AMD Radeon Vega 11 managed 13,392 points. This translates to a 489.4% advantage for the NVIDIA part, meaning it delivers nearly six times the raw compute throughput in this API. The Geekbench Vulkan test tells a similar story: the RTX 3060 Ti scored 47,784 against the Vega 11's 12,273, a 289.3% lead. Across these two recorded head-to-head benchmarks, the RTX 3060 Ti wins both, securing a 2-0 sweep.

These deltas are not incremental improvements; they represent a different performance class. The OpenCL result is particularly striking because it stresses general-purpose GPU compute, an area where the Vega 11's 704 shading units are simply outmatched by the RTX 3060 Ti's 4,864 shading units. The Vulkan result is equally telling, as it reflects modern graphics API efficiency. The RTX 3060 Ti's 16.20 TFLOPS FP32 throughput versus the Vega 11's 1.971 TFLOPS FP32 throughput directly explains the scale of the victory.

Looking at the broader average benchmark scores, the RTX 3060 Ti posts an average of 16,129 points across all recorded tests, while the Vega 11 averages 14,352 points. Interestingly, the RTX 3060 Ti's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (avg score 16,361, delta of -1.4%) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (avg score 16,351, delta of -1.4%), placing it in the same performance tier as those discrete cards. The Vega 11, by contrast, sits near the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (avg score 14,373, delta of -0.1%) and the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (avg score 14,315, delta of 0.3%). The RTX 3060 Ti's average score is roughly 12.4% higher than the Vega 11's, but the head-to-head tests show the gap is far wider in specific compute workloads.

The percentile rankings also separate the two. The RTX 3060 Ti sits at the 59th percentile among all GPUs, while the Vega 11 sits at the 56th percentile. This may seem close in rank, but the percentile is relative to all GPUs, including many far weaker integrated parts. The actual score delta in the head-to-head tests, ranging from 289% to 489%, is the more meaningful metric for direct comparison.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the superior processor for any workload requiring high frame rates, complex shading, or heavy compute. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, a figure that dwarfs the Vega 11's system-shared memory, which is described as "System Dependent." The RTX 3060 Ti also supports hardware ray tracing with 38 RT cores and AI acceleration with 152 tensor cores, features entirely absent from the Vega 11, which has no RT or tensor core hardware listed.

The AMD Radeon Vega 11 is not a competitor in the same arena; it is an integrated solution. Its 15 W TDP against the RTX 3060 Ti's 200 W TDP shows it is designed for efficiency and basic display output, not demanding rendering. The Vega 11's 1.971 TFLOPS FP32 and 11.20 GPixel/s pixel rate are sufficient for light, older games or desktop tasks, but they cannot sustain modern titles at high settings.

Who should pick which? A user building a compact, low-power system with no discrete graphics slot should consider the Vega 11, as it is an IGP with a 15 W power draw and no power connectors. A user with a PCIe 4.0 x16 slot, a 550 W suggested PSU, and a need for 1440p or 4K gaming, or content creation workloads, should pick the RTX 3060 Ti. The benchmark results indicate that choosing the Vega 11 for gaming would result in a 289% to 489% performance penalty in the tested APIs, which is a decisive factor. The RTX 3060 Ti's launch MSRP was 399 USD, but its end-of-life production status means availability is limited.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is stark. The RTX 3060 Ti uses the GA104 chip built on an 8 nm process at Samsung, with 17,400 million transistors packed into a 392 mm² die. This yields a transistor density of 44.4 million transistors per square millimeter. The Vega 11 uses the Picasso chip fabricated on a 12 nm process at GlobalFoundries, with 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die, for a density of 23.5 million per square millimeter. The newer, denser process gives the NVIDIA part a fundamental transistor budget advantage.

The RTX 3060 Ti is based on the Ampere architecture, which supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. It includes dedicated RT cores for ray tracing and tensor cores for deep learning workloads. The Vega 11 is based on GCN 5.0, a much older architecture that supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, but lacks any ray tracing or tensor core hardware.

The memory subsystems are completely different. The RTX 3060 Ti has dedicated 8 GB GDDR6 memory with a 256-bit bus and fixed bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The Vega 11 shares system memory, with a bus width, size, and bandwidth all listed as "System Shared" or "System Dependent." This means the Vega 11's performance scales with the host system's RAM speed, while the RTX 3060 Ti's performance is constant and isolated from the rest of the PC.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets differ on nearly every measurable field. The process nodes are 8 nm versus 12 nm. The transistor counts are 17,400 million versus 4,940 million. The die sizes are 392 mm² versus 210 mm². The shading units are 4,864 versus 704. The texture mapping units are 152 versus 44. The render output units are 80 versus 8. The RTX 3060 Ti has 38 RT cores and 152 tensor cores, while the Vega 11 has none listed.

Clock speeds show the RTX 3060 Ti running at 1410 MHz base and 1665 MHz boost, while the Vega 11 runs at a 300 MHz base and 1400 MHz boost. The memory clocks are 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) for the NVIDIA part versus "System Shared" for the AMD part. Pixel rates are 133.2 GPixel/s versus 11.20 GPixel/s. Texture rates are 253.1 GTexel/s versus 61.60 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 16.20 TFLOPS versus 1.971 TFLOPS. Even FP16 differs: the RTX 3060 Ti achieves 16.20 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio, while the Vega 11 achieves 3.942 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio.

Power and physical specifications also diverge. The RTX 3060 Ti is rated at 200 W TDP, requires a 1x 12-pin power connector, a 550 W suggested PSU, and is a dual-slot card measuring 242 mm in length and 112 mm in height. The Vega 11 is an IGP with a 15 W TDP, no power connectors, no suggested PSU, and its display outputs are "Motherboard Dependent." The RTX 3060 Ti uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface and offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The Vega 11 has no dedicated interface beyond the motherboard's integrated graphics path.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. Its FP32 throughput is 16.20 TFLOPS, which is over eight times the Vega 11's 1.971 TFLOPS. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 3060 Ti scored 78,927 versus 13,392 for the Vega 11.

Q: Can the AMD Radeon Vega 11 handle ray tracing?

A: No. The Vega 11 has no RT cores listed, and its DirectX support is 12 (12_1). The RTX 3060 Ti has 38 RT cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes ray tracing features.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 3060 Ti in Vulkan?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti scored 47,784 in the Geekbench Vulkan test, while the Vega 11 scored 12,273. This represents a 289.3% delta in favor of the NVIDIA card.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth of each card?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti has a fixed 448.0 GB/s bandwidth from its 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus. The Vega 11's memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent" because it uses shared system memory.

Q: Which GPU requires a power connector?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti requires a 1x 12-pin power connector and has a 200 W TDP. The Vega 11 is an IGP with a 15 W TDP and requires no power connectors.

Q: Are both GPUs still in production?

A: No. Both are listed as "End-of-life" in the database. The RTX 3060 Ti was released on 2020-11-30, and the Vega 11 was released on 2019-09-29.