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FirePro M40003 vs GeForce GTX 1060

CPUCPUGPUGPU

FirePro M40003

2012Core: 675 MHz
Similar parts
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Buy on Amazon
VS
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

2016Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1733 MHz
GTX family
·······
Buy on Amazon

FirePro M40003 vs GeForce GTX 1060 Performance Spectrum

FirePro M40003
4 GB 33
1,364
0.0%
brand logoMobility Radeon HD 5850
brand logoRadeon 6750M
brand logoRadeon R7 M465
brand logoRadeon R9 M270X
brand logoRadeon RX 5500M
brand logoRadeon RX 7600M
brand logoRadeon RX 6600
brand logoRadeon RX 6700 XT
GeForce GTX 1060
6 GB 180
10,064
+637.8%
brand logoGeForce GTX 680
brand logoGeForce GTX 970XM FORCE
brand logoGeForce RTX 2050 Mobile
brand logoGeForce GTX TITAN Z
brand logoGeForce GTX 980 Ti
brand logoGeForce RTX 5060 Mobile
brand logoGeForce RTX 2080 Ti
brand logoGeForce RTX 4080 Mobile

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.

FirePro M40003 vs GeForce GTX 1060: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

FirePro M40003

2012

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $99 less on MSRP ($150 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • ✅Draws 33W instead of 180W, a 147W reduction.
  • ✅Measures 82mm instead of 173mm, a 91mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (1,364 vs 10,064).
  • ❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌2012 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 9.1 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Why buy it

  • ✅+637.8% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • ✅Delivers 344.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 9.1 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • ✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
  • ✅FirePro M40003 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so GeForce GTX 1060 is the less risky modern option long term.

Trade-offs

  • ❌2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • ❌445.5% higher power demand at 180W vs 33W.
  • ❌111% longer card at 173mm vs 82mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GTX 1060 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 637.8% in PassMark G3D (10,064 vs 1,364), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce GTX 1060 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 6 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM, a 16nm process instead of 28nm, and a newer 2016 generation instead of 2012. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 1060 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $99 more expensive on MSRP at $249 vs $150, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 344.5% (40.4 vs 9.1), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

FirePro M40003 vs GeForce GTX 1060 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

AMD

FirePro M40003

The FirePro M40003 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 27 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 675 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 33W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,364 points.

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.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the FirePro M40003 scores 1,364 versus the GeForce GTX 1060's 10,064 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 637.8%. The FirePro M40003 is built on GCN 1.0 while the GeForce GTX 1060 uses Pascal, both on 28 nm vs 16 nm. Shader units: 512 (FirePro M40003) vs 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060). Raw compute: 0.6912 TFLOPS (FirePro M40003) vs 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060).

FeatureFirePro M40003GeForce GTX 1060
G3D Mark Score
1,364
10,064+638%
Architecture
GCN 1.0
Pascal
Process Node
28 nm
16 nm
Shading Units
512
2560+400%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.6912 TFLOPS
8.873 TFLOPS+1184%
ROPs
16
64+300%
TMUs
32
160+400%
L1 Cache
128 KB
960 KB+650%
L2 Cache
0.25 MB
2 MB+700%
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The FirePro M40003 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureFirePro M40003GeForce GTX 1060
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The FirePro M40003 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GTX 1060 carries 6 GB. GeForce GTX 1060 gives you 50% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the FirePro M40003 and 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060. L2 Cache: 0.25 MB (FirePro M40003) vs 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro M40003GeForce GTX 1060
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
6 GB+50%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
192-bit+200%
L2 Cache
0.25 MB
2 MB+700%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FirePro M40003) vs 12 (GeForce GTX 1060). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.5. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

FeatureFirePro M40003GeForce GTX 1060
DirectX
12
12
Vulkan
1.2
1.3+8%
OpenGL
4.6+2%
4.5
Max Displays
6+50%
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 1.0 (FirePro M40003) vs NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060). Decoder: UVD 4.0 vs NVDEC (Pascal). Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (FirePro M40003) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060).

FeatureFirePro M40003GeForce GTX 1060
Encoder
VCE 1.0
NVENC (Pascal)
Decoder
UVD 4.0
NVDEC (Pascal)
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4
H.264,H.265/HEVC
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro M40003 draws 33W versus the GeForce GTX 1060's 180W — a 138% difference. The FirePro M40003 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro M40003) vs 400W (GeForce GTX 1060). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 6-pin. Card length: 82mm vs 173mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots.

FeatureFirePro M40003GeForce GTX 1060
TDP
33W-82%
180W
Recommended PSU
350W-13%
400W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
6-pin
Length
82mm
173mm
Height
0mm
111mm
Slots
1-50%
2
Temp (Load)
75°C
—
Perf/Watt
41.3
55.9+35%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro M40003 came in at $150, while the GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249. On MSRP, FirePro M40003 was 39.8% cheaper ($99 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 9.1 (FirePro M40003) vs 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 344% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1060 (2016 vs 2012).

FeatureFirePro M40003GeForce GTX 1060
MSRP
$150-40%
$249
Performance per Dollar
9.1
40.4+344%
Codename
Chelsea
GP104
Release
June 27 2012
May 27 2016
Ranking
#752
#137
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