GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX 560

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

2016Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1733 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon RX 560

2017Core: 1175 MHzBoost: 1275 MHz

Popular choices:

Performance Spectrum - GPU

About G3D Mark

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

  • 162.0% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
  • 140% higher power demand at 180W vs 75W.

Radeon RX 560

2017

Why buy it

  • Costs $150 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • Draws 75W instead of 180W, a 105W reduction.
  • Measures 170mm instead of 173mm, a 3mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • Poor future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1060 better than Radeon RX 560?
Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce GTX 1060 averages 162.0% more FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 10,064 vs 3,682 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce GTX 1060 is a 2016 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while Radeon RX 560 is a 2017 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation. 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 173.3% 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 + limited Frame Generation. 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 162.0% more estimated average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data and 173.3% higher G3D Mark. Radeon RX 560 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.
When does Radeon RX 560 make more sense than GeForce GTX 1060?
Yes. Radeon RX 560 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 newer architecture, lower power draw (75W vs 180W), and staying closer to $99 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of GeForce GTX 1060. The trade-off is that GeForce GTX 1060 currently gives you 173.3% higher G3D Mark and 162.0% more estimated average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 8.7%.

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.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 560
1080p
low117 FPS41 FPS
medium105 FPS26 FPS
high91 FPS20 FPS
ultra77 FPS11 FPS
1440p
low103 FPS28 FPS
medium87 FPS17 FPS
high76 FPS10 FPS
ultra67 FPS5 FPS
4K
low55 FPS10 FPS
medium49 FPS7 FPS
high41 FPS4 FPS
ultra37 FPS3 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 560
1080p
low216 FPS88 FPS
medium181 FPS58 FPS
high148 FPS43 FPS
ultra113 FPS25 FPS
1440p
low134 FPS42 FPS
medium107 FPS31 FPS
high87 FPS22 FPS
ultra68 FPS15 FPS
4K
low62 FPS11 FPS
medium51 FPS9 FPS
high49 FPS8 FPS
ultra41 FPS5 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 560
1080p
low453 FPS166 FPS
medium362 FPS133 FPS
high302 FPS110 FPS
ultra226 FPS83 FPS
1440p
low340 FPS124 FPS
medium272 FPS99 FPS
high226 FPS83 FPS
ultra170 FPS62 FPS
4K
low226 FPS83 FPS
medium181 FPS66 FPS
high151 FPS55 FPS
ultra113 FPS41 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 560
1080p
low358 FPS154 FPS
medium302 FPS119 FPS
high260 FPS97 FPS
ultra226 FPS81 FPS
1440p
low299 FPS110 FPS
medium254 FPS87 FPS
high208 FPS72 FPS
ultra170 FPS58 FPS
4K
low170 FPS62 FPS
medium133 FPS47 FPS
high123 FPS36 FPS
ultra102 FPS27 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon RX 560

NVIDIA

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.

AMD

Radeon RX 560

The Radeon RX 560 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 18 2017. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1175 MHz to 1275 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,682 points. Launch price was $99.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon RX 560's 3,682 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 173.3%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon RX 560 uses GCN 4.0, both on 16 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1,024 (Radeon RX 560). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2.611 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 560). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1275 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 560
G3D Mark Score
10,064+173%
3,682
Architecture
Pascal
GCN 4.0
Process Node
16 nm
14 nm
Shading Units
2560+150%
1024
Compute (TFLOPS)
8.873 TFLOPS+240%
2.611 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1733 MHz+36%
1275 MHz
ROPs
64+300%
16
TMUs
160+150%
64
L1 Cache
960 KB+275%
256 KB
L2 Cache
2 MB+100%
1 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 560 is support for FSR Frame Generation. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The GeForce GTX 1060 lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.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 560 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 560
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
FSR Frame Generation
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 560 has 4 GB. The GeForce GTX 1060 offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 192-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1 MB (Radeon RX 560) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 560
VRAM Capacity
6 GB+50%
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
192 GB/s
Unknown
Bus Width
192-bit
256-bit+33%
L2 Cache
2 MB+100%
1 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon RX 560). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 560
DirectX
12
12 (12_0)
Vulkan
1.3
1.3
OpenGL
4.5
4.6+2%
Max Displays
4+33%
3
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 560). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs HEVC,H.264,VP9,MPEG-4 (Radeon RX 560).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 560
Encoder
NVENC (Pascal)
VCE 3.4
Decoder
NVDEC (Pascal)
UVD 6.3
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC
HEVC,H.264,VP9,MPEG-4
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon RX 560's 75W — a 82.4% difference. The Radeon RX 560 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 450W (Radeon RX 560). Power connectors: 6-pin vs None. Card length: 173mm vs 170mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 560
TDP
180W
75W-58%
Recommended PSU
400W-11%
450W
Power Connector
6-pin
None
Length
173mm
170mm
Height
111mm
112mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
70 C
Perf/Watt
55.9+14%
49.1
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 560 launched at $99. The Radeon RX 560 costs 60.2% less ($150 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 37.2 (Radeon RX 560) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 8.6% better value. The Radeon RX 560 is the newer GPU (2017 vs 2016).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 560
MSRP
$249
$99-60%
Performance per Dollar
40.4+9%
37.2
Codename
GP104
Polaris 21
Release
May 27 2016
April 18 2017
Ranking
#137
#527