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

✅+64.1% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 51% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 26.8 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Draws 180W instead of 250W, a 70W reduction.
✅Measures 173mm instead of 221mm, a 48mm 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.

Radeon R9 380X

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $20 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (6,131 vs 10,064).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 26.8 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌38.9% higher power demand at 250W vs 180W.

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Radeon R9 380X

2015

Why buy it

✅+64.1% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 51% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 26.8 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Draws 180W instead of 250W, a 70W reduction.
✅Measures 173mm instead of 221mm, a 48mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Why buy it

✅Costs $20 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (6,131 vs 10,064).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 26.8 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌38.9% higher power demand at 250W vs 180W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1060 better than Radeon R9 380X?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 64.1% higher PassMark G3D performance and 6 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM. It also comes from 2016 instead of 2015, which helps its case as the more complete modern gaming card.

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 2015, 64.1% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 6 GB instead of 4 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 8.7% more expensive on MSRP at $249 MSRP versus $229 MSRP, and you are getting 64.1% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 380X really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon R9 380X still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon R9 380X is 2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM, 6,131 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 R9 380X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 380X
1080p
low	117 FPS	78 FPS
medium	105 FPS	67 FPS
high	91 FPS	54 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	35 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	68 FPS
medium	87 FPS	60 FPS
high	76 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	27 FPS
4K
low	55 FPS	25 FPS
medium	49 FPS	23 FPS
high	41 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	13 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon R9 380X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 380X
1080p
low	216 FPS	133 FPS
medium	181 FPS	105 FPS
high	148 FPS	86 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	61 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	78 FPS
medium	107 FPS	58 FPS
high	87 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	31 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	31 FPS
medium	51 FPS	23 FPS
high	49 FPS	18 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	13 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon R9 380X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 380X
1080p
low	453 FPS	276 FPS
medium	362 FPS	221 FPS
high	302 FPS	184 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	138 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	207 FPS
medium	272 FPS	166 FPS
high	226 FPS	138 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	103 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	138 FPS
medium	181 FPS	110 FPS
high	151 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	69 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon R9 380X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 380X
1080p
low	358 FPS	135 FPS
medium	302 FPS	112 FPS
high	260 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	83 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	100 FPS
medium	254 FPS	83 FPS
high	208 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	58 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	60 FPS
medium	133 FPS	47 FPS
high	123 FPS	37 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	26 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon R9 380X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon R9 380X

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 R9 380X

The Radeon R9 380X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 19 2015. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 970 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,131 points. Launch price was $229.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon R9 380X's 6,131 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 64.1%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon R9 380X uses GCN 3.0, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2,048 (Radeon R9 380X). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 3.973 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 380X). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 970 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 380X
G3D Mark Score	10,064+64%	6,131
Architecture	Pascal	GCN 3.0
Process Node	16 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2560+25%	2048
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS+123%	3.973 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1733 MHz+79%	970 MHz
ROPs	64+100%	32
TMUs	160+25%	128
L1 Cache	960 KB+88%	512 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 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 R9 380X relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 380X
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 R9 380X has 4 GB. The GeForce GTX 1060 offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 106 GB/s (Radeon R9 380X) — a 81.1% advantage for the GeForce GTX 1060. Bus width: 192-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 380X) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 380X
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+50%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s+81%	106 GB/s
Bus Width	192-bit+50%	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R9 380X). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 380X
DirectX	12	12 (12_0)
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 3.0 (Radeon R9 380X). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 6.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs H.264,H.265,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,VC-1 (Radeon R9 380X).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 380X
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	VCE 3.0
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	UVD 6.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	H.264,H.265,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon R9 380X's 250W — a 32.6% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 500W (Radeon R9 380X). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 173mm vs 221mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 380X
TDP	180W-28%	250W
Recommended PSU	400W-20%	500W
Power Connector	6-pin	2x 6-pin
Length	173mm	221mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	—	75
Perf/Watt	55.9+128%	24.5

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 380X launched at $229. The Radeon R9 380X costs 8% less ($20 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 26.8 (Radeon R9 380X) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 50.7% better value. The GeForce GTX 1060 is the newer GPU (2016 vs 2015).