GeForce GTX 1060 vs L4

CPU

GPU

GeForce GTX 1060

2016Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1733 MHz

Popular choices:

•••••••••

L4

2023Core: 795 MHzBoost: 2040 MHz

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Performance Spectrum - GPU

GeForce GTX 1060

6 GB 180

10,064

0.0%

GeForce GTX 680

GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE

GeForce RTX 2050 Mobile

GeForce GTX TITAN Z

GeForce GTX 980 Ti

GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile

GeForce RTX 2080 Ti

GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile

8 GB 72

10,153

+0.9%

GeForce GTX 680

GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE

GeForce GTX 1650

GeForce GTX TITAN Z

GeForce RTX 2060

GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop GPU

GeForce RTX 2080 Ti

GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

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

2016

Why buy it

✅Costs $2,096 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $2,345 MSRP).
✅Delivers 833.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 4.3 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $2,345 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌150% higher power demand at 180W vs 72W.

L4

2023

Why buy it

✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
✅More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 72W instead of 180W, a 108W reduction.
✅Measures 169mm instead of 173mm, a 4mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌
841.8% HIGHER MSRP
$2,345 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.3 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($2,345 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

L4

2023

Why buy it

✅Costs $2,096 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $2,345 MSRP).
✅Delivers 833.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 4.3 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $2,345 MSRP).

Why buy it

✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
✅More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 72W instead of 180W, a 108W reduction.
✅Measures 169mm instead of 173mm, a 4mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌150% higher power demand at 180W vs 72W.

Trade-offs

❌
841.8% HIGHER MSRP
$2,345 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.3 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($2,345 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is L4 better than GeForce GTX 1060?

Yes. L4 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 10,153 vs 10,064 in G3D Mark. On top of that, L4 is a 2023 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while GeForce GTX 1060 is a 2016 model from an older generation with no meaningful modern upscaling stack. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

L4 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2016, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 6 GB, 100.0% more ray-tracing hardware, and a 5nm process instead of 16nm. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

L4 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. L4 is about 841.8% more expensive on MSRP at $2,345 MSRP versus $249 MSRP, and you are getting 0.9% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 1060 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is GeForce GTX 1060 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. GeForce GTX 1060 is 2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM, 10,064 in G3D Mark, and no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

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.

GeForce GTX 1060 Benchmark Check

L4 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	L4
1080p
low	117 FPS	184 FPS
medium	105 FPS	162 FPS
high	91 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	86 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	144 FPS
medium	87 FPS	121 FPS
high	76 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	58 FPS
4K
low	55 FPS	59 FPS
medium	49 FPS	51 FPS
high	41 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	33 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open L4

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	L4
1080p
low	216 FPS	287 FPS
medium	181 FPS	231 FPS
high	148 FPS	182 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	157 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	219 FPS
medium	107 FPS	169 FPS
high	87 FPS	139 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	114 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	119 FPS
medium	51 FPS	95 FPS
high	49 FPS	81 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	66 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open L4

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	L4
1080p
low	453 FPS	457 FPS
medium	362 FPS	366 FPS
high	302 FPS	305 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	228 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	343 FPS
medium	272 FPS	274 FPS
high	226 FPS	228 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	171 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	228 FPS
medium	181 FPS	183 FPS
high	151 FPS	152 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	114 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open L4

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	L4
1080p
low	358 FPS	375 FPS
medium	302 FPS	321 FPS
high	260 FPS	275 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	223 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	285 FPS
medium	254 FPS	249 FPS
high	208 FPS	216 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	170 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	171 FPS
medium	133 FPS	144 FPS
high	123 FPS	118 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	93 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open L4

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and L4

GeForce GTX 1060

The GeForce GTX 1060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 27 2016. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1607 MHz to 1733 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 180W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,064 points. Launch price was $599.

L4

The L4 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 21 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 795 MHz to 2040 MHz. It has 7424 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 72W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 60 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,153 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 and the L4 reaches 10,153 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the L4 uses Ada Lovelace, both on 16 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 7,424 (L4). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 30.29 TFLOPS (L4). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 2040 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	L4
G3D Mark Score	10,064	10,153
Architecture	Pascal	Ada Lovelace
Process Node	16 nm	5 nm
Shading Units	2560	7424+190%
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS	30.29 TFLOPS+241%
Boost Clock	1733 MHz	2040 MHz+18%
ROPs	64	80+25%
TMUs	160	240+50%
L1 Cache	0.94 MB	7.5 MB+698%
L2 Cache	2 MB	48 MB+2300%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1060 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The L4 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	L4
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	Standard

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 1060 comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the L4 has 8 GB. The L4 offers 33.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 192-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 48 MB (L4) — the L4 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	L4
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	8 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	192-bit+50%	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	48 MB+2300%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12.2 (L4). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	L4
DirectX	12	12.2+2%
Vulkan	1.3	1.3
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	4	0

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 8th Gen NVENC (2x) (L4). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs 5th Gen NVDEC (4x). Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (L4).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	L4
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	8th Gen NVENC (2x)
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	5th Gen NVDEC (4x)
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the L4's 72W — a 85.7% difference. The L4 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 500W (L4). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 173mm vs 169mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	L4
TDP	180W	72W-60%
Recommended PSU	400W-20%	500W
Power Connector	6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	173mm	169mm
Height	111mm	69mm
Slots	2	1-50%
Temp (Load)	—	75°C
Perf/Watt	55.9	141.0+152%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the L4 launched at $2345. The GeForce GTX 1060 costs 89.4% less ($2096 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 4.3 (L4) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 839.5% better value. The L4 is the newer GPU (2023 vs 2016).