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

✅+17.8% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Measures 173mm instead of 240mm, a 67mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌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.
❌20% higher power demand at 180W vs 150W.

Radeon RX 480

2016

Why buy it

✅Costs $20 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
✅Draws 150W instead of 180W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (8,546 vs 10,064).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌38.7% longer card at 240mm vs 173mm.

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Radeon RX 480

2016

Why buy it

✅+17.8% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Measures 173mm instead of 240mm, a 67mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Why buy it

✅Costs $20 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
✅Draws 150W instead of 180W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌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.
❌20% higher power demand at 180W vs 150W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (8,546 vs 10,064).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌38.7% longer card at 240mm vs 173mm.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1060 better than Radeon RX 480?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 17.8% higher PassMark G3D performance.

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 17.8% more raw performance headroom and the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

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 17.8% higher G3D Mark. Radeon RX 480 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon RX 480 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon RX 480 is 2016 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM, 8,546 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 RX 480 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 480
1080p
low	117 FPS	134 FPS
medium	105 FPS	113 FPS
high	91 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	58 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	114 FPS
medium	87 FPS	96 FPS
high	76 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	42 FPS
4K
low	55 FPS	39 FPS
medium	49 FPS	36 FPS
high	41 FPS	23 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	19 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon RX 480

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 480
1080p
low	216 FPS	156 FPS
medium	181 FPS	135 FPS
high	148 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	89 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	91 FPS
medium	107 FPS	71 FPS
high	87 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	44 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	37 FPS
medium	51 FPS	29 FPS
high	49 FPS	23 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	18 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon RX 480

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 480
1080p
low	453 FPS	385 FPS
medium	362 FPS	308 FPS
high	302 FPS	256 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	192 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	288 FPS
medium	272 FPS	231 FPS
high	226 FPS	192 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	144 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	192 FPS
medium	181 FPS	154 FPS
high	151 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	96 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon RX 480

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 480
1080p
low	358 FPS	290 FPS
medium	302 FPS	252 FPS
high	260 FPS	210 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	166 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	213 FPS
medium	254 FPS	190 FPS
high	208 FPS	153 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	118 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	120 FPS
medium	133 FPS	98 FPS
high	123 FPS	80 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	62 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon RX 480

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon RX 480

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 RX 480

The Radeon RX 480 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 29 2016. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1120 MHz to 1266 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,546 points. Launch price was $229.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon RX 480's 8,546 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 17.8%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon RX 480 uses GCN 4.0, both on 16 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX 480). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 5.834 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 480). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1266 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 480
G3D Mark Score	10,064+18%	8,546
Architecture	Pascal	GCN 4.0
Process Node	16 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	2560+11%	2304
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS+52%	5.834 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1733 MHz+37%	1266 MHz
ROPs	64+100%	32
TMUs	160+11%	144
L1 Cache	960 KB+67%	576 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 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 RX 480 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 480
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 RX 480 has 8 GB. The Radeon RX 480 offers 33.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 256 GB/s (Radeon RX 480) — a 33.3% advantage for the Radeon RX 480. Bus width: 192-bit vs 256-bit.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 480
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	8 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s	256 GB/s+33%
Bus Width	192-bit	256-bit+33%
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12.0 (Radeon RX 480). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 480
DirectX	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 3.4 (Radeon RX 480). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon RX 480).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 480
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	VCE 3.4
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	UVD 6.3
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon RX 480's 150W — a 18.2% difference. The Radeon RX 480 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 500W (Radeon RX 480). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 173mm vs 240mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 480
TDP	180W	150W-17%
Recommended PSU	400W-20%	500W
Power Connector	6-pin	8-pin
Length	173mm	240mm
Height	111mm	95mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	—	85°C
Perf/Watt	55.9	57.0+2%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 480 launched at $229. The Radeon RX 480 costs 8% less ($20 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 37.3 (Radeon RX 480) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 8.3% better value.