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 with Max-Q Design

2017

Why buy it

✅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 + AFMF (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 48.6 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
❌50.9% higher power demand at 80W vs 53W.

Radeon RX 6400

2022

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 48.6 vs 0 G3D/$ ($159 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 6nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 53W instead of 80W, a 27W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

2017

Radeon RX 6400

2022

Why buy it

✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 48.6 vs 0 G3D/$ ($159 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 6nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 53W instead of 80W, a 27W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 48.6 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
❌50.9% higher power demand at 80W vs 53W.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design better than Radeon RX 6400?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 7,853 vs 7,728 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design is a 2017 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while Radeon RX 6400 is a 2022 model from an older generation with FSR 3 + AFMF. 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?

Radeon RX 6400 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2017, better upscaling support with FSR 3 (2023) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack and better frame-generation support with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 6nm process instead of 16nm. 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 with Max-Q Design is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $159 MSRP, and you are getting 1.6% higher G3D Mark. Radeon RX 6400 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

When does Radeon RX 6400 make more sense than GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design?

Yes. Radeon RX 6400 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 (53W vs 80W), future-proofing, and staying closer to $159 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design. The trade-off is that GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design currently gives you 1.6% higher G3D Mark. Radeon RX 6400 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 with Max-Q Design Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 6400 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	Radeon RX 6400
1080p
low	82 FPS	129 FPS
medium	70 FPS	115 FPS
high	59 FPS	98 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	73 FPS
1440p
low	72 FPS	118 FPS
medium	62 FPS	99 FPS
high	46 FPS	83 FPS
ultra	30 FPS	62 FPS
4K
low	26 FPS	49 FPS
medium	25 FPS	46 FPS
high	17 FPS	34 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	30 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design Open Radeon RX 6400

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	Radeon RX 6400
1080p
low	167 FPS	165 FPS
medium	142 FPS	129 FPS
high	118 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	62 FPS
1440p
low	115 FPS	107 FPS
medium	92 FPS	82 FPS
high	73 FPS	61 FPS
ultra	52 FPS	42 FPS
4K
low	50 FPS	54 FPS
medium	41 FPS	42 FPS
high	39 FPS	33 FPS
ultra	30 FPS	20 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design Open Radeon RX 6400

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	Radeon RX 6400
1080p
low	353 FPS	348 FPS
medium	283 FPS	278 FPS
high	236 FPS	232 FPS
ultra	177 FPS	174 FPS
1440p
low	265 FPS	261 FPS
medium	212 FPS	209 FPS
high	177 FPS	174 FPS
ultra	133 FPS	130 FPS
4K
low	177 FPS	154 FPS
medium	141 FPS	139 FPS
high	118 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	88 FPS	70 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design Open Radeon RX 6400

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	Radeon RX 6400
1080p
low	214 FPS	270 FPS
medium	182 FPS	203 FPS
high	147 FPS	182 FPS
ultra	125 FPS	151 FPS
1440p
low	164 FPS	204 FPS
medium	142 FPS	149 FPS
high	110 FPS	133 FPS
ultra	90 FPS	107 FPS
4K
low	90 FPS	107 FPS
medium	72 FPS	80 FPS
high	56 FPS	70 FPS
ultra	42 FPS	54 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design Open Radeon RX 6400

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design and Radeon RX 6400

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 27 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1063 MHz to 1480 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,853 points.

Radeon RX 6400

The Radeon RX 6400 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 19 2022. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1923 MHz to 2321 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 53W. Manufactured using 6 nm process technology. It features 12 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,728 points. Launch price was $159.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design scores 7,853 and the Radeon RX 6400 reaches 7,728 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design is built on Pascal while the Radeon RX 6400 uses RDNA 2.0, both on 16 nm vs 6 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 768 (Radeon RX 6400). Raw compute: 3.789 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 3.565 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 6400). Boost clocks: 1480 MHz vs 2321 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	Radeon RX 6400
G3D Mark Score	7,853+2%	7,728
Architecture	Pascal	RDNA 2.0
Process Node	16 nm	6 nm
Shading Units	1280+67%	768
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.789 TFLOPS+6%	3.565 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1480 MHz	2321 MHz+57%
ROPs	48+50%	32
TMUs	80+67%	48
L1 Cache	480 KB+88%	256 KB
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+50%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 6400 is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF. 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 with Max-Q Design lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon RX 6400 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	Radeon RX 6400
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR 3
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation + AFMF
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 6400 has 4 GB. The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 64-bit. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 1 MB (Radeon RX 6400) — the GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	Radeon RX 6400
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+50%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	128 GB/s	128 GB/s
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+50%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 12.2 (Radeon RX 6400). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	Radeon RX 6400
DirectX	12.1	12.2
Vulkan	1.3	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4+100%	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 6.0 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs None (Radeon RX 6400). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP8 vs VCN 3.0 (Limited). Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs MPEG-2,H.264 (Decode),HEVC (Decode) (Radeon RX 6400).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	Radeon RX 6400
Encoder	NVENC 6.0	None
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP8	VCN 3.0 (Limited)
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9	MPEG-2,H.264 (Decode),HEVC (Decode)

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design draws 80W versus the Radeon RX 6400's 53W — a 40.6% difference. The Radeon RX 6400 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 350W (Radeon RX 6400). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs None. Card length: 0mm vs 172mm, occupying 0 vs 1 slots.