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

✅+343.5% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 76.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 22.9 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon R7 250X: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R7 250X is already obsolete for modern gaming.
✅Measures 173mm instead of 210mm, a 37mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌125% higher power demand at 180W vs 80W.

Radeon R7 250X

2014

Why buy it

✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
✅Draws 80W instead of 180W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (2,269 vs 10,064).
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 22.9 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌21.4% longer card at 210mm vs 173mm.

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Radeon R7 250X

2014

Why buy it

✅+343.5% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 76.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 22.9 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon R7 250X: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R7 250X is already obsolete for modern gaming.
✅Measures 173mm instead of 210mm, a 37mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Why buy it

✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
✅Draws 80W instead of 180W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌125% higher power demand at 180W vs 80W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (2,269 vs 10,064).
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 22.9 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌21.4% longer card at 210mm vs 173mm.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1060 better than Radeon R7 250X?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 10,064 vs 2,269 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce GTX 1060 is a 2016 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while Radeon R7 250X is a 2014 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. 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?

GeForce GTX 1060 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2016 generation instead of 2014, 343.5% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 6 GB instead of 2 GB, and the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling. 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?

GeForce GTX 1060 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce GTX 1060 is about 151.5% more expensive on MSRP at $249 MSRP versus $99 MSRP, and you are getting 343.5% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R7 250X really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon R7 250X still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon R7 250X is 2014 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM, 2,269 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. 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 R7 250X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R7 250X
1080p
low	117 FPS	22 FPS
medium	105 FPS	13 FPS
high	91 FPS	8 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	4 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	10 FPS
medium	87 FPS	5 FPS
high	76 FPS	3 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	1 FPS
4K
low	55 FPS	4 FPS
medium	49 FPS	2 FPS
high	41 FPS	1 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	1 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon R7 250X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R7 250X
1080p
low	216 FPS	51 FPS
medium	181 FPS	27 FPS
high	148 FPS	19 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	13 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	23 FPS
medium	107 FPS	13 FPS
high	87 FPS	8 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	6 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	7 FPS
medium	51 FPS	4 FPS
high	49 FPS	3 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	2 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon R7 250X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R7 250X
1080p
low	453 FPS	102 FPS
medium	362 FPS	82 FPS
high	302 FPS	68 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	51 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	77 FPS
medium	272 FPS	61 FPS
high	226 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	38 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	51 FPS
medium	181 FPS	41 FPS
high	151 FPS	34 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	26 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon R7 250X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R7 250X
1080p
low	358 FPS	102 FPS
medium	302 FPS	82 FPS
high	260 FPS	64 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	50 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	60 FPS
medium	254 FPS	47 FPS
high	208 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	28 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	34 FPS
medium	133 FPS	25 FPS
high	123 FPS	20 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon R7 250X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon R7 250X

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 R7 250X

The Radeon R7 250X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in February 13 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,269 points. Launch price was $99.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon R7 250X's 2,269 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 343.5%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon R7 250X uses GCN 1.0, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 640 (Radeon R7 250X). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1.216 TFLOPS (Radeon R7 250X). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R7 250X
G3D Mark Score	10,064+344%	2,269
Architecture	Pascal	GCN 1.0
Process Node	16 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2560+300%	640
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS+630%	1.216 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1733 MHz+73%	1000 MHz
ROPs	64+300%	16
TMUs	160+300%	40
L1 Cache	960 KB+500%	160 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+700%	0.25 MB

✨

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 R7 250X relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R7 250X
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 R7 250X has 2 GB. The GeForce GTX 1060 offers 200% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 72 GB/s (Radeon R7 250X) — a 166.7% advantage for the GeForce GTX 1060. Bus width: 192-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon R7 250X) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R7 250X
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+200%	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s+167%	72 GB/s
Bus Width	192-bit+50%	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+700%	0.25 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12 (FL 11_1) (Radeon R7 250X). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R7 250X
DirectX	12	12 (FL 11_1)
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	4+100%	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R7 250X). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 Part 2 (Radeon R7 250X).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R7 250X
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	VCE 1.0
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	UVD 4.2
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 Part 2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon R7 250X's 80W — a 76.9% difference. The Radeon R7 250X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 400W (Radeon R7 250X). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 173mm vs 210mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R7 250X
TDP	180W	80W-56%
Recommended PSU	400W	400W
Power Connector	6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	173mm	210mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	—	70°C
Perf/Watt	55.9+97%	28.4

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon R7 250X launched at $99. The Radeon R7 250X costs 60.2% less ($150 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 22.9 (Radeon R7 250X) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 76.4% better value. The GeForce GTX 1060 is the newer GPU (2016 vs 2014).