Page Index

GeForce GTX 1060 3GB vs GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design

CPUCPUGPUGPU
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060 3GB

2016Core: 1506 MHzBoost: 1708 MHz

Popular choices:

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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design

2017Core: 1215 MHzBoost: 1379 MHz

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 1060 3GB

2016

Why buy it

  • ✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 49.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design across 41 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • ❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design

2017

Why buy it

  • ✅29.6% more average FPS across 41 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • ✅166.7% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 3 GB).
  • ✅More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 16nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Poor future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 49.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $199 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design better than GeForce GTX 1060 3GB?
Yes. GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 29.6% more average FPS across 41 tracked games in our benchmark data, 0.3% higher PassMark G3D performance, and 8 GB vs 3 GB of VRAM. It also comes from 2017 instead of 2016, which helps its case as the more complete modern gaming card.
Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce GTX 1060 3GB is the safer long-term GPU choice because it gives you the stronger overall hardware and feature outlook for modern games.
Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?
GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $199 MSRP, and you are getting 29.6% more estimated average FPS across 41 tracked games in our benchmark data and 0.3% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 1060 3GB really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.
When does GeForce GTX 1060 3GB make more sense than GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design?
Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 3GB is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is future-proofing and staying closer to $199 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design. The trade-off is that GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design currently gives you 0.3% higher G3D Mark and 29.6% more estimated average FPS across 41 tracked games in our benchmark data. GeForce GTX 1060 3GB still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce GTX 1060 3GBGeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low95 FPS108 FPS
medium83 FPS91 FPS
high70 FPS78 FPS
ultra58 FPS52 FPS
1440p
low84 FPS92 FPS
medium70 FPS77 FPS
high58 FPS59 FPS
ultra49 FPS39 FPS
4K
low41 FPS36 FPS
medium38 FPS33 FPS
high27 FPS21 FPS
ultra24 FPS18 FPS
Open GeForce GTX 1060 3GBOpen GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce GTX 1060 3GBGeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low191 FPS184 FPS
medium161 FPS157 FPS
high132 FPS131 FPS
ultra94 FPS100 FPS
1440p
low127 FPS125 FPS
medium101 FPS101 FPS
high80 FPS82 FPS
ultra61 FPS64 FPS
4K
low54 FPS59 FPS
medium45 FPS50 FPS
high43 FPS47 FPS
ultra35 FPS39 FPS
Open GeForce GTX 1060 3GBOpen GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce GTX 1060 3GBGeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low379 FPS443 FPS
medium332 FPS354 FPS
high246 FPS295 FPS
ultra204 FPS221 FPS
1440p
low308 FPS332 FPS
medium265 FPS266 FPS
high207 FPS221 FPS
ultra166 FPS166 FPS
4K
low187 FPS221 FPS
medium160 FPS177 FPS
high108 FPS148 FPS
ultra76 FPS111 FPS
Open GeForce GTX 1060 3GBOpen GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce GTX 1060 3GBGeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low257 FPS251 FPS
medium206 FPS221 FPS
high186 FPS181 FPS
ultra162 FPS151 FPS
1440p
low196 FPS188 FPS
medium154 FPS165 FPS
high136 FPS131 FPS
ultra113 FPS107 FPS
4K
low97 FPS105 FPS
medium73 FPS86 FPS
high65 FPS68 FPS
ultra51 FPS54 FPS
Open GeForce GTX 1060 3GBOpen GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design
Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 3GB and GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060 3GB

The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 18 2016. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1506 MHz to 1708 MHz. It has 1152 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 120W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,815 points. Launch price was $199.

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design

The GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 27 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1215 MHz to 1379 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 115W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,842 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB scores 9,815 and the GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design reaches 9,842 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB is built on Pascal while the GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design uses Pascal, both on a 16 nm process. Shader units: 1,152 (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs 2,048 (GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design). Raw compute: 3.935 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs 5.648 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design). Boost clocks: 1708 MHz vs 1379 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060 3GBGeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design
G3D Mark Score
9,815
9,842
Architecture
Pascal
Pascal
Process Node
16 nm
16 nm
Shading Units
1152
2048+78%
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.935 TFLOPS
5.648 TFLOPS+44%
Boost Clock
1708 MHz+24%
1379 MHz
ROPs
48
64+33%
TMUs
72
128+78%
L1 Cache
432 KB
768 KB+78%
L2 Cache
1.5 MB
2 MB+33%
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060 3GBGeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB comes with 3 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design has 8 GB. The GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design offers 166.7% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs 256 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design) — a 33.3% advantage for the GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design. Bus width: 192-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design) — the GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060 3GBGeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design
VRAM Capacity
3 GB
8 GB+167%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
192 GB/s
256 GB/s+33%
Bus Width
192-bit
256-bit+33%
L2 Cache
1.5 MB
2 MB+33%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.5. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060 3GBGeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design
DirectX
12.1
12.1
Vulkan
1.1
1.1
OpenGL
4.5
4.5
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 4.0 (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs NVENC 4.0 (GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs PureVideo HD VP6. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060 3GBGeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design
Encoder
NVENC 4.0
NVENC 4.0
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP6
PureVideo HD VP6
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB draws 120W versus the GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design's 115W — a 4.3% difference. The GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs 500W (GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 250mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 85°C.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060 3GBGeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design
TDP
120W
115W-4%
Recommended PSU
400W-20%
500W
Power Connector
6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
250mm
0mm
Height
111mm
0mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
75°C-12%
85°C
Perf/Watt
81.8
85.6+5%
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design is the newer GPU (2017 vs 2016).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060 3GBGeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design
MSRP
$199
—
Codename
GP106
GP104
Release
August 18 2016
June 27 2017
Ranking
#272
#358