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 $5,751 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $6,000 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1983.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 1.9 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $6,000 MSRP).
✅Draws 180W instead of 300W, a 120W reduction.
✅Measures 173mm instead of 267mm, a 94mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (10,064 vs 11,638).
❌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.

Radeon Instinct MI60

2018

Why buy it

✅+15.6% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than GeForce GTX 1060: it remains the more sensible modern option while GeForce GTX 1060 is already legacy-tier future-proofing.

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 8 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌
2309.6% HIGHER MSRP
$6,000 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.9 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($6,000 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌66.7% higher power demand at 300W vs 180W.
❌54.3% longer card at 267mm vs 173mm.

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Radeon Instinct MI60

2018

Why buy it

✅Costs $5,751 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $6,000 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1983.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 1.9 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $6,000 MSRP).
✅Draws 180W instead of 300W, a 120W reduction.
✅Measures 173mm instead of 267mm, a 94mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Why buy it

✅+15.6% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than GeForce GTX 1060: it remains the more sensible modern option while GeForce GTX 1060 is already legacy-tier future-proofing.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (10,064 vs 11,638).
❌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.

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 8 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌
2309.6% HIGHER MSRP
$6,000 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.9 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($6,000 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌66.7% higher power demand at 300W vs 180W.
❌54.3% longer card at 267mm vs 173mm.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon Instinct MI60 better than GeForce GTX 1060?

Yes. Radeon Instinct MI60 is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 15.6% higher PassMark G3D performance and 8 GB vs 6 GB of VRAM. It also comes from 2018 instead of 2016, which helps its case as the more complete modern gaming card.

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

Radeon Instinct MI60 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2018 generation instead of 2016, 15.6% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 6 GB, and better upscaling support with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.

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

Radeon Instinct MI60 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon Instinct MI60 is about 2309.6% more expensive on MSRP at $6,000 MSRP versus $249 MSRP, and you are getting 15.6% 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

Radeon Instinct MI60 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Instinct MI60
1080p
low	117 FPS	173 FPS
medium	105 FPS	150 FPS
high	91 FPS	129 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	81 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	136 FPS
medium	87 FPS	112 FPS
high	76 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	57 FPS
4K
low	55 FPS	55 FPS
medium	49 FPS	47 FPS
high	41 FPS	35 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	30 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon Instinct MI60

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Instinct MI60
1080p
low	216 FPS	316 FPS
medium	181 FPS	274 FPS
high	148 FPS	224 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	180 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	214 FPS
medium	107 FPS	185 FPS
high	87 FPS	159 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	126 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	101 FPS
medium	51 FPS	85 FPS
high	49 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	56 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon Instinct MI60

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Instinct MI60
1080p
low	453 FPS	524 FPS
medium	362 FPS	419 FPS
high	302 FPS	349 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	262 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	393 FPS
medium	272 FPS	314 FPS
high	226 FPS	262 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	196 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	262 FPS
medium	181 FPS	209 FPS
high	151 FPS	175 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	131 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon Instinct MI60

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Instinct MI60
1080p
low	358 FPS	276 FPS
medium	302 FPS	237 FPS
high	260 FPS	202 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	164 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	211 FPS
medium	254 FPS	186 FPS
high	208 FPS	158 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	126 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	125 FPS
medium	133 FPS	108 FPS
high	123 FPS	85 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	68 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon Instinct MI60

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon Instinct MI60

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.

Radeon Instinct MI60

The Radeon Instinct MI60 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 18 2018. It features the GCN 5.1 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1200 MHz to 1800 MHz. It has 4096 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 11,638 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon Instinct MI60's 11,638 — the Radeon Instinct MI60 leads by 15.6%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon Instinct MI60 uses GCN 5.1, both on 16 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 4,096 (Radeon Instinct MI60). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 14.75 TFLOPS (Radeon Instinct MI60). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1800 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Instinct MI60
G3D Mark Score	10,064	11,638+16%
Architecture	Pascal	GCN 5.1
Process Node	16 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	2560	4096+60%
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS	14.75 TFLOPS+66%
Boost Clock	1733 MHz	1800 MHz+4%
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	160	256+60%
L1 Cache	0.94 MB	1 MB+6%
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

✨

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 Radeon Instinct MI60 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Instinct MI60
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 1060 comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon Instinct MI60 has 8 GB. The Radeon Instinct MI60 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 4 MB (Radeon Instinct MI60) — the Radeon Instinct MI60 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Instinct MI60
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	8 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	192-bit+50%	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12.1 (Radeon Instinct MI60). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.5. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 1.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Instinct MI60
DirectX	12	12.1
Vulkan	1.3	1.3
OpenGL	4.5	4.5
Max Displays	4+300%	1

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs VCE 4.1 (Radeon Instinct MI60). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 7.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon Instinct MI60).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Instinct MI60
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	VCE 4.1
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	UVD 7.2
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon Instinct MI60's 300W — a 50% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 500W (Radeon Instinct MI60). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 173mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Instinct MI60
TDP	180W-40%	300W
Recommended PSU	400W-20%	500W
Power Connector	6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	173mm	267mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	—	85°C
Perf/Watt	55.9+44%	38.8

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon Instinct MI60 launched at $6000. The GeForce GTX 1060 costs 95.9% less ($5751 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1.9 (Radeon Instinct MI60) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 2026.3% better value. The Radeon Instinct MI60 is the newer GPU (2018 vs 2016).