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 $201 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $450 MSRP).
✅Delivers 61.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 25.0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $450 MSRP).
✅100+% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs Unknown).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon Pro Vega 48: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon Pro Vega 48 is already obsolete for modern gaming.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (10,064 vs 11,270).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌500% higher power demand at 180W vs 30W.

Radeon Pro Vega 48

2019

Why buy it

✅+12% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Draws 30W instead of 180W, a 150W reduction.
✅More future proof: GCN 5.0 (2017−2020) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with Unknown vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2019-era hardware with Unknown of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
80.7% HIGHER MSRP
$450 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 25.0 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($450 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Radeon Pro Vega 48

2019

Why buy it

✅Costs $201 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $450 MSRP).
✅Delivers 61.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 25.0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $450 MSRP).
✅100+% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs Unknown).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon Pro Vega 48: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon Pro Vega 48 is already obsolete for modern gaming.

Why buy it

✅+12% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Draws 30W instead of 180W, a 150W reduction.
✅More future proof: GCN 5.0 (2017−2020) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (10,064 vs 11,270).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌500% higher power demand at 180W vs 30W.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with Unknown vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2019-era hardware with Unknown of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
80.7% HIGHER MSRP
$450 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 25.0 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($450 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon Pro Vega 48 better than GeForce GTX 1060?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 10,064 vs 11,270 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Radeon Pro Vega 48 is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, FSR upscaling, plus much lower power draw (30W vs 180W).

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

GeForce GTX 1060 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting more VRAM at 6 GB instead of Unknown and the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling. 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?

Radeon Pro Vega 48 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon Pro Vega 48 is about 80.7% more expensive on MSRP at $450 MSRP versus $249 MSRP, and you are getting 12.0% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 1060 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

When does GeForce GTX 1060 make more sense than Radeon Pro Vega 48?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 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 $249 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon Pro Vega 48. The trade-off is that Radeon Pro Vega 48 currently gives you 12.0% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 1060 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.

GeForce GTX 1060 Benchmark Check

Radeon Pro Vega 48 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro Vega 48
1080p
low	117 FPS	121 FPS
medium	105 FPS	107 FPS
high	91 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	55 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	101 FPS
medium	87 FPS	88 FPS
high	76 FPS	67 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	41 FPS
4K
low	55 FPS	35 FPS
medium	49 FPS	32 FPS
high	41 FPS	24 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	21 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon Pro Vega 48

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro Vega 48
1080p
low	216 FPS	237 FPS
medium	181 FPS	200 FPS
high	148 FPS	158 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	126 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	168 FPS
medium	107 FPS	140 FPS
high	87 FPS	114 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	90 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	97 FPS
medium	51 FPS	78 FPS
high	49 FPS	66 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	50 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon Pro Vega 48

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro Vega 48
1080p
low	453 FPS	507 FPS
medium	362 FPS	406 FPS
high	302 FPS	338 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	254 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	380 FPS
medium	272 FPS	304 FPS
high	226 FPS	254 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	190 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	254 FPS
medium	181 FPS	203 FPS
high	151 FPS	169 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	127 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon Pro Vega 48

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro Vega 48
1080p
low	358 FPS	205 FPS
medium	302 FPS	168 FPS
high	260 FPS	148 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	116 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	142 FPS
medium	254 FPS	121 FPS
high	208 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	83 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	83 FPS
medium	133 FPS	69 FPS
high	123 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	42 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon Pro Vega 48

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon Pro Vega 48

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 Pro Vega 48

The Radeon Pro Vega 48 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 19 2019. It features the GCN 5.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1200 MHz to 1300 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 11,270 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon Pro Vega 48's 11,270 — the Radeon Pro Vega 48 leads by 12%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon Pro Vega 48 uses GCN 5.0, both on 16 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 3,072 (Radeon Pro Vega 48). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 7.987 TFLOPS (Radeon Pro Vega 48). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1300 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro Vega 48
G3D Mark Score	10,064	11,270+12%
Architecture	Pascal	GCN 5.0
Process Node	16 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	2560	3072+20%
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS+11%	7.987 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1733 MHz+33%	1300 MHz
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	160	192+20%
L1 Cache	960 KB+25%	768 KB
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 Pro Vega 48 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro Vega 48
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 Pro Vega 48 has 0 MB. The GeForce GTX 1060 offers 100+% 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 Pro Vega 48) — the Radeon Pro Vega 48 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro Vega 48
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	Shared System RAM
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 Pro Vega 48). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro Vega 48
DirectX	12	12.1
Vulkan	1.3	1.3
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs VCE 4.0 (Radeon Pro Vega 48). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 7.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon Pro Vega 48).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro Vega 48
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	VCE 4.0
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	UVD 7.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon Pro Vega 48's 30W — a 142.9% difference. The Radeon Pro Vega 48 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1W (Radeon Pro Vega 48). Power connectors: 6-pin vs Integrated. Card length: 173mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro Vega 48
TDP	180W	30W-83%
Recommended PSU	400W	1W-100%
Power Connector	6-pin	Integrated
Length	173mm	0mm
Height	111mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	—	85°C
Perf/Watt	55.9	375.7+572%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon Pro Vega 48 launched at $450. The GeForce GTX 1060 costs 44.7% less ($201 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 25.0 (Radeon Pro Vega 48) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 61.6% better value. The Radeon Pro Vega 48 is the newer GPU (2019 vs 2016).