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 with Max-Q Design

2017

Why buy it

✅11.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 52.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $149 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 1650

2019

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 52.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Less risky long-term buy than GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design: it remains the more sensible modern option while GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅More future proof: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

2017

GeForce GTX 1650

2019

Why buy it

✅11.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 52.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Less risky long-term buy than GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design: it remains the more sensible modern option while GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅More future proof: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 52.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $149 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1650 better than GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1650 is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 0.2% higher PassMark G3D performance. It also comes from 2019 instead of 2017, which helps its case as the more complete modern gaming card.

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

GeForce GTX 1650 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2019 generation instead of 2017 and a 12nm process instead of 16nm. That makes it the safer long-run choice for modern games.

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

GeForce GTX 1650 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce GTX 1650 is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $149 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting lower estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 0.2% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around an unclear MSRP, even if GeForce GTX 1650 is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

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 with Max-Q Design Benchmark Check

GeForce GTX 1650 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	GeForce GTX 1650
1080p
low	82 FPS	94 FPS
medium	70 FPS	83 FPS
high	59 FPS	70 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	58 FPS
1440p
low	72 FPS	87 FPS
medium	62 FPS	74 FPS
high	46 FPS	60 FPS
ultra	30 FPS	50 FPS
4K
low	26 FPS	41 FPS
medium	25 FPS	39 FPS
high	17 FPS	27 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	24 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design Open GeForce GTX 1650

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	GeForce GTX 1650
1080p
low	167 FPS	136 FPS
medium	142 FPS	113 FPS
high	118 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	71 FPS
1440p
low	115 FPS	79 FPS
medium	92 FPS	62 FPS
high	73 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	52 FPS	35 FPS
4K
low	50 FPS	36 FPS
medium	41 FPS	27 FPS
high	39 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	30 FPS	15 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design Open GeForce GTX 1650

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	GeForce GTX 1650
1080p
low	353 FPS	323 FPS
medium	283 FPS	283 FPS
high	236 FPS	205 FPS
ultra	177 FPS	169 FPS
1440p
low	265 FPS	225 FPS
medium	212 FPS	202 FPS
high	177 FPS	151 FPS
ultra	133 FPS	117 FPS
4K
low	177 FPS	130 FPS
medium	141 FPS	117 FPS
high	118 FPS	79 FPS
ultra	88 FPS	50 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design Open GeForce GTX 1650

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	GeForce GTX 1650
1080p
low	214 FPS	261 FPS
medium	182 FPS	211 FPS
high	147 FPS	191 FPS
ultra	125 FPS	166 FPS
1440p
low	164 FPS	201 FPS
medium	142 FPS	158 FPS
high	110 FPS	135 FPS
ultra	90 FPS	113 FPS
4K
low	90 FPS	99 FPS
medium	72 FPS	74 FPS
high	56 FPS	65 FPS
ultra	42 FPS	51 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design Open GeForce GTX 1650

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design and GeForce GTX 1650

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

The GeForce GTX 1060 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 1063 MHz to 1480 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,853 points.

GeForce GTX 1650

The GeForce GTX 1650 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 23 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1485 MHz to 1665 MHz. It has 896 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,869 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design scores 7,853 and the GeForce GTX 1650 reaches 7,869 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design is built on Pascal while the GeForce GTX 1650 uses Turing, both on 16 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 896 (GeForce GTX 1650). Raw compute: 3.789 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 2.984 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1650). Boost clocks: 1480 MHz vs 1665 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	GeForce GTX 1650
G3D Mark Score	7,853	7,869
Architecture	Pascal	Turing
Process Node	16 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	1280+43%	896
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.789 TFLOPS+27%	2.984 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1480 MHz	1665 MHz+13%
ROPs	48+50%	32
TMUs	80+43%	56
L1 Cache	480 KB	896 KB+87%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+50%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	GeForce GTX 1650
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 with Max-Q Design comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GTX 1650 has 4 GB. The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 1 MB (GeForce GTX 1650) — the GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	GeForce GTX 1650
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+50%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	128 GB/s	128 GB/s
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+50%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 12 (GeForce GTX 1650). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	GeForce GTX 1650
DirectX	12.1	12
Vulkan	1.3	1.4+8%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4+33%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 6.0 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs NVENC 5th gen (Volta) (GeForce GTX 1650). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP8 vs NVDEC 4th gen. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9 (GeForce GTX 1650).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	GeForce GTX 1650
Encoder	NVENC 6.0	NVENC 5th gen (Volta)
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP8	NVDEC 4th gen
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9	H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design draws 80W versus the GeForce GTX 1650's 75W — a 6.5% difference. The GeForce GTX 1650 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 300W (GeForce GTX 1650). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs None. Card length: 0mm vs 229mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	GeForce GTX 1650
TDP	80W	75W-6%
Recommended PSU	350W	300W-14%
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	None
Length	0mm	229mm
Height	0mm	111mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	—	70°C
Perf/Watt	98.2	104.9+7%