GeForce GTX 1060 vs RTXA5000-8Q

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

✅+104.7% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $2,251 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1955.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 2.0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 180W instead of 230W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

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

RTXA5000-8Q

2021

Why buy it

✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (4,916 vs 10,064).
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌
904% HIGHER MSRP
$2,500 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.0 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($2,500 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌27.8% higher power demand at 230W vs 180W.

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

RTXA5000-8Q

2021

Why buy it

✅+104.7% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $2,251 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1955.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 2.0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 180W instead of 230W, a 50W reduction.

Why buy it

✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

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 (4,916 vs 10,064).
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌
904% HIGHER MSRP
$2,500 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.0 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($2,500 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌27.8% higher power demand at 230W vs 180W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1060 better than RTXA5000-8Q?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 10,064 vs 4,916 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce GTX 1060 is a 2016 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while RTXA5000-8Q is a 2021 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?

RTXA5000-8Q is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2021 generation instead of 2016, 100.0% more ray-tracing hardware, and a 8nm process instead of 16nm. That makes it the safer long-run choice for modern games.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce GTX 1060 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce GTX 1060 is about $2,251 cheaper on MSRP at $249 MSRP versus $2,500 MSRP, and you are getting 104.7% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 1955.4%. RTXA5000-8Q is the newer 2021 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture and future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does RTXA5000-8Q make more sense than GeForce GTX 1060?

Yes. RTXA5000-8Q 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, future-proofing, and staying closer to $2,500 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of GeForce GTX 1060. The trade-off is that GeForce GTX 1060 currently gives you 104.7% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 1955.4%.

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

RTXA5000-8Q Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	RTXA5000-8Q
1080p
low	117 FPS	136 FPS
medium	105 FPS	116 FPS
high	91 FPS	98 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	61 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	107 FPS
medium	87 FPS	89 FPS
high	76 FPS	68 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	41 FPS
4K
low	55 FPS	39 FPS
medium	49 FPS	35 FPS
high	41 FPS	26 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	23 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open RTXA5000-8Q

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	RTXA5000-8Q
1080p
low	216 FPS	221 FPS
medium	181 FPS	177 FPS
high	148 FPS	147 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	111 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	161 FPS
medium	107 FPS	125 FPS
high	87 FPS	104 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	83 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	77 FPS
medium	51 FPS	63 FPS
high	49 FPS	58 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	51 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open RTXA5000-8Q

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	RTXA5000-8Q
1080p
low	453 FPS	221 FPS
medium	362 FPS	177 FPS
high	302 FPS	147 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	111 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	166 FPS
medium	272 FPS	133 FPS
high	226 FPS	111 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	83 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	111 FPS
medium	181 FPS	88 FPS
high	151 FPS	74 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	55 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open RTXA5000-8Q

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	RTXA5000-8Q
1080p
low	358 FPS	214 FPS
medium	302 FPS	175 FPS
high	260 FPS	147 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	111 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	151 FPS
medium	254 FPS	128 FPS
high	208 FPS	111 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	83 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	87 FPS
medium	133 FPS	72 FPS
high	123 FPS	58 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	44 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open RTXA5000-8Q

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and RTXA5000-8Q

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.

RTXA5000-8Q

The RTXA5000-8Q is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 12 2021. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1170 MHz to 1695 MHz. It has 8192 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 230W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 64 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,916 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the RTXA5000-8Q's 4,916 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 104.7%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the RTXA5000-8Q uses Ampere, both on 16 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 8,192 (RTXA5000-8Q). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 27.77 TFLOPS (RTXA5000-8Q). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1695 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	RTXA5000-8Q
G3D Mark Score	10,064+105%	4,916
Architecture	Pascal	Ampere
Process Node	16 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	2560	8192+220%
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS	27.77 TFLOPS+213%
Boost Clock	1733 MHz+2%	1695 MHz
ROPs	64	96+50%
TMUs	160	256+60%
L1 Cache	0.94 MB	8 MB+751%
L2 Cache	2 MB	6 MB+200%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	RTXA5000-8Q
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 1060 comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the RTXA5000-8Q has 2 GB. The GeForce GTX 1060 offers 200% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 192-bit vs 64-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 6 MB (RTXA5000-8Q) — the RTXA5000-8Q has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	RTXA5000-8Q
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+200%	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	192-bit+200%	64-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	6 MB+200%

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the RTXA5000-8Q's 230W — a 24.4% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 350W (RTXA5000-8Q). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	RTXA5000-8Q
TDP	180W-22%	230W
Recommended PSU	400W	350W-13%
Power Connector	6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	173mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Perf/Watt	55.9+161%	21.4

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the RTXA5000-8Q launched at $2500. The GeForce GTX 1060 costs 90% less ($2251 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2.0 (RTXA5000-8Q) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 1920% better value. The RTXA5000-8Q is the newer GPU (2021 vs 2016).