GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX 9070 GRE

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

2016Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1733 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon RX 9070 GRE

2025Core: 1420 MHzBoost: 2790 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

  • Costs $326 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $575 MSRP).
  • Draws 180W instead of 220W, a 40W reduction.
  • Measures 173mm instead of 280mm, a 107mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 9070 GRE across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1 (2025).
  • Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Radeon RX 9070 GRE

2025

Why buy it

  • 43.0% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1 (2025).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 6 GB).
  • More future proof: RDNA 4.0 on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 22.2% higher power demand at 220W vs 180W.
  • 61.8% longer card at 280mm vs 173mm.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon RX 9070 GRE better than GeForce GTX 1060?
Yes. Radeon RX 9070 GRE is clearly the better overall GPU here. Radeon RX 9070 GRE averages 43.0% more FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 24,418 vs 10,064 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon RX 9070 GRE is a 2025 card with FSR Upscaling + Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1, while GeForce GTX 1060 is a 2016 model from an older generation with no meaningful modern upscaling stack. 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 9070 GRE is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2025 generation instead of 2016, 142.6% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 12 GB instead of 6 GB, and better upscaling support with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack and better frame-generation support with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack. 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?
Radeon RX 9070 GRE is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon RX 9070 GRE is about 130.9% more expensive on MSRP at $575 MSRP versus $249 MSRP, and you are getting 43.0% more estimated average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data and 142.6% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 1060 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.
Is GeForce GTX 1060 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
No, not for a fresh gaming build. GeForce GTX 1060 is 2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM, 10,064 in G3D Mark, and no meaningful modern upscaling stack. 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.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 9070 GRE
1080p
low117 FPS179 FPS
medium105 FPS162 FPS
high91 FPS143 FPS
ultra77 FPS125 FPS
1440p
low103 FPS148 FPS
medium87 FPS123 FPS
high76 FPS106 FPS
ultra67 FPS97 FPS
4K
low55 FPS90 FPS
medium49 FPS76 FPS
high41 FPS61 FPS
ultra37 FPS54 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 9070 GRE
1080p
low216 FPS476 FPS
medium181 FPS399 FPS
high148 FPS299 FPS
ultra113 FPS232 FPS
1440p
low134 FPS299 FPS
medium107 FPS245 FPS
high87 FPS193 FPS
ultra68 FPS151 FPS
4K
low62 FPS132 FPS
medium51 FPS110 FPS
high49 FPS90 FPS
ultra41 FPS65 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 9070 GRE
1080p
low453 FPS892 FPS
medium362 FPS723 FPS
high302 FPS627 FPS
ultra226 FPS539 FPS
1440p
low340 FPS690 FPS
medium272 FPS554 FPS
high226 FPS469 FPS
ultra170 FPS395 FPS
4K
low226 FPS479 FPS
medium181 FPS384 FPS
high151 FPS316 FPS
ultra113 FPS257 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 9070 GRE
1080p
low358 FPS812 FPS
medium302 FPS705 FPS
high260 FPS636 FPS
ultra226 FPS549 FPS
1440p
low299 FPS644 FPS
medium254 FPS560 FPS
high208 FPS490 FPS
ultra170 FPS412 FPS
4K
low170 FPS430 FPS
medium133 FPS382 FPS
high123 FPS346 FPS
ultra102 FPS275 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon RX 9070 GRE

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 9070 GRE

The Radeon RX 9070 GRE is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 8 2025. It features the RDNA 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1420 MHz to 2790 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 48 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 24,418 points. Launch price was $549.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon RX 9070 GRE's 24,418 — the Radeon RX 9070 GRE leads by 142.6%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon RX 9070 GRE uses RDNA 4.0, both on 16 nm vs 4 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 3,072 (Radeon RX 9070 GRE). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 34.28 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 9070 GRE). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 2790 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 9070 GRE
G3D Mark Score
10,064
24,418+143%
Architecture
Pascal
RDNA 4.0
Process Node
16 nm
4 nm
Shading Units
2560
3072+20%
Compute (TFLOPS)
8.873 TFLOPS
34.28 TFLOPS+286%
Boost Clock
1733 MHz
2790 MHz+61%
ROPs
64
96+50%
TMUs
160
192+20%
L2 Cache
2 MB
8 MB+300%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 9070 GRE is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1. 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 9070 GRE relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 9070 GRE
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
FSR Frame Generation + AFMF 2.1
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 9070 GRE has 12 GB. The Radeon RX 9070 GRE offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 432 GB/s (Radeon RX 9070 GRE) — a 125% advantage for the Radeon RX 9070 GRE. Bus width: 192-bit vs 192-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 8 MB (Radeon RX 9070 GRE) — the Radeon RX 9070 GRE has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 9070 GRE
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
12 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
192 GB/s
432 GB/s+125%
Bus Width
192-bit
192-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB
8 MB+300%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12 Ultimate (12_2) (Radeon RX 9070 GRE). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 9070 GRE
DirectX
12
12 Ultimate (12_2)
Vulkan
1.3
1.4+8%
OpenGL
4.5
4.6+2%
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs VCN 4.0 (Radeon RX 9070 GRE). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs VCN 4.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs H.264,H.265,AV1 (Radeon RX 9070 GRE).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 9070 GRE
Encoder
NVENC (Pascal)
VCN 4.0
Decoder
NVDEC (Pascal)
VCN 4.0
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC
H.264,H.265,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon RX 9070 GRE's 220W — a 20% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 650W (Radeon RX 9070 GRE). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 173mm vs 280mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 9070 GRE
TDP
180W-18%
220W
Recommended PSU
400W-38%
650W
Power Connector
6-pin
2x 8-pin
Length
173mm
280mm
Height
111mm
127mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
80
Perf/Watt
55.9
111.0+99%
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 9070 GRE launched at $575. The GeForce GTX 1060 costs 56.7% less ($326 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 42.5 (Radeon RX 9070 GRE) — the Radeon RX 9070 GRE offers 5.2% better value. The Radeon RX 9070 GRE is the newer GPU (2025 vs 2016).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 9070 GRE
MSRP
$249-57%
$575
Performance per Dollar
40.4
42.5+5%
Codename
GP104
Navi 48
Release
May 27 2016
May 8 2025
Ranking
#137
#44