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 970

2014

Why buy it

✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 3 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 3GB across 37 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
65.3% HIGHER MSRP
$329 MSRPvs$199 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 29.3 vs 49.3 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌25% higher power demand at 150W vs 120W.

GeForce GTX 1060 3GB

2016

Why buy it

✅0.4% more average FPS across 37 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $130 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Delivers 68.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 49.3 vs 29.3 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Draws 120W instead of 150W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 4 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 970

2014

GeForce GTX 1060 3GB

2016

Why buy it

✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 3 GB).

Why buy it

✅0.4% more average FPS across 37 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $130 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Delivers 68.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 49.3 vs 29.3 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Draws 120W instead of 150W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 3GB across 37 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
65.3% HIGHER MSRP
$329 MSRPvs$199 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 29.3 vs 49.3 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌25% higher power demand at 150W vs 120W.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 4 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.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1060 3GB better than GeForce GTX 970?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. GeForce GTX 1060 3GB averages 0.4% more FPS across 37 tracked games in our benchmark data. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 9,640 vs 9,815 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GeForce GTX 1060 3GB is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (120W vs 150W).

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

GeForce GTX 970 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting more VRAM at 4 GB instead of 3 GB. 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?

GeForce GTX 1060 3GB can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $199 MSRP. GeForce GTX 1060 3GB is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. GeForce GTX 1060 3GB is about $130 cheaper on MSRP at $199 MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and you are getting 0.4% more estimated average FPS across 37 tracked games in our benchmark data and 1.8% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 970 is the more forward-looking alternative, so it still has a real case if you care more about future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does GeForce GTX 970 make more sense than GeForce GTX 1060 3GB?

Yes. GeForce GTX 970 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 $329 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of GeForce GTX 1060 3GB. The trade-off is that GeForce GTX 1060 3GB currently gives you 1.8% higher G3D Mark and 0.4% more estimated average FPS across 37 tracked games in our benchmark data. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 68.3%.

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 970 Benchmark Check

GeForce GTX 1060 3GB Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1060 3GB
1080p
low	81 FPS	95 FPS
medium	69 FPS	83 FPS
high	58 FPS	70 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	58 FPS
1440p
low	70 FPS	84 FPS
medium	62 FPS	70 FPS
high	46 FPS	58 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	49 FPS
4K
low	26 FPS	41 FPS
medium	24 FPS	38 FPS
high	17 FPS	27 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	24 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970 Open GeForce GTX 1060 3GB

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1060 3GB
1080p
low	185 FPS	191 FPS
medium	152 FPS	161 FPS
high	122 FPS	132 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	94 FPS
1440p
low	132 FPS	127 FPS
medium	102 FPS	101 FPS
high	81 FPS	80 FPS
ultra	60 FPS	61 FPS
4K
low	63 FPS	54 FPS
medium	50 FPS	45 FPS
high	46 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	35 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970 Open GeForce GTX 1060 3GB

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1060 3GB
1080p
low	405 FPS	379 FPS
medium	347 FPS	332 FPS
high	289 FPS	246 FPS
ultra	217 FPS	204 FPS
1440p
low	325 FPS	308 FPS
medium	260 FPS	265 FPS
high	217 FPS	207 FPS
ultra	163 FPS	166 FPS
4K
low	210 FPS	187 FPS
medium	174 FPS	160 FPS
high	129 FPS	108 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	76 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970 Open GeForce GTX 1060 3GB

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1060 3GB
1080p
low	179 FPS	257 FPS
medium	138 FPS	206 FPS
high	120 FPS	186 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	162 FPS
1440p
low	138 FPS	196 FPS
medium	107 FPS	154 FPS
high	94 FPS	136 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	113 FPS
4K
low	80 FPS	97 FPS
medium	59 FPS	73 FPS
high	46 FPS	65 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	51 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970 Open GeForce GTX 1060 3GB

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 970 and GeForce GTX 1060 3GB

GeForce GTX 970

The GeForce GTX 970 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 19 2014. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1050 MHz to 1178 MHz. It has 1664 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,640 points. Launch price was $329.

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.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 970 scores 9,640 and the GeForce GTX 1060 3GB reaches 9,815 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 970 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce GTX 1060 3GB uses Pascal, both on 28 nm vs 16 nm. Shader units: 1,664 (GeForce GTX 970) vs 1,152 (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB). Raw compute: 3.92 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 970) vs 3.935 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB). Boost clocks: 1178 MHz vs 1708 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1060 3GB
G3D Mark Score	9,640	9,815+2%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Pascal
Process Node	28 nm	16 nm
Shading Units	1664+44%	1152
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.92 TFLOPS	3.935 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1178 MHz	1708 MHz+45%
ROPs	56+17%	48
TMUs	104+44%	72
L1 Cache	624 KB+44%	432 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+33%	1.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1060 3GB
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 970 comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GTX 1060 3GB has 3 GB. The GeForce GTX 970 offers 33.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 224 GB/s (GeForce GTX 970) vs 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) — a 16.7% advantage for the GeForce GTX 970. Bus width: 256-bit vs 192-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 970) vs 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) — the GeForce GTX 970 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1060 3GB
VRAM Capacity	4 GB+33%	3 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	224 GB/s+17%	192 GB/s
Bus Width	256-bit+33%	192-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+33%	1.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FL 12_1) (GeForce GTX 970) vs 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.5. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1060 3GB
DirectX	12 (FL 12_1)	12.1
Vulkan	1.3+18%	1.1
OpenGL	4.6+2%	4.5
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 2nd gen (GeForce GTX 970) vs NVENC 4.0 (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB). Decoder: PureVideo VP6 vs PureVideo HD VP6. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 970) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB).

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1060 3GB
Encoder	NVENC 2nd gen	NVENC 4.0
Decoder	PureVideo VP6	PureVideo HD VP6
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 970 draws 150W versus the GeForce GTX 1060 3GB's 120W — a 22.2% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 970) vs 400W (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 6-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 250mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970	GeForce GTX 1060 3GB
TDP	150W	120W-20%
Recommended PSU	500W	400W-20%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	6-pin
Length	267mm	250mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	80°C	75°C-6%
Perf/Watt	64.3	81.8+27%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 970 launched at $329 MSRP, while the GeForce GTX 1060 3GB launched at $199. The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB costs 39.5% less ($130 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 29.3 (GeForce GTX 970) vs 49.3 (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) — the GeForce GTX 1060 3GB offers 68.3% better value. The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB is the newer GPU (2016 vs 2014).