Chipversus Index
Jump to Section

FirePro M5950 vs GeForce GTX 1060

CPUCPUGPUGPU

FirePro M5950

2011Core: 725 MHz
Similar parts
·······
Buy on Amazon
VS
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

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

FirePro M5950 vs GeForce GTX 1060 Performance Spectrum

FirePro M5950
1 GB 35
1,314
0.0%
brand logoRadeon HD 7550M/7650M
brand logoRadeon R7 G
brand logoRadeon R9 A375
brand logoRadeon HD 5750
brand logoRadeon RX 5500M
brand logoRadeon RX 7600M
brand logoRadeon RX 6700S
brand logoRadeon RX 6700 XT
GeForce GTX 1060
6 GB 180
10,064
+665.9%
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 M5950 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 M5950

2011

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $49 less on MSRP ($200 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • ✅Draws 35W instead of 180W, a 145W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (1,314 vs 10,064).
  • ❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌2011 hardware with 1 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 6.6 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($200 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Why buy it

  • ✅+665.9% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • ✅Delivers 515.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 6.6 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $200 MSRP).
  • ✅500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 1 GB).
  • ✅FirePro M5950 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.
  • ❌414.3% higher power demand at 180W vs 35W.

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 665.9% in PassMark G3D (10,064 vs 1,314), 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 1 GB of VRAM, a 16nm process instead of 40nm, and a newer 2016 generation instead of 2011. 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 $49 more expensive on MSRP at $249 vs $200, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 515.2% (40.4 vs 6.6), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

FirePro M5950 vs GeForce GTX 1060 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

FirePro M5950

The FirePro M5950 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 4 2011. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 480 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 35W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,314 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 M5950 scores 1,314 versus the GeForce GTX 1060's 10,064 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 665.9%. The FirePro M5950 is built on TeraScale 2 while the GeForce GTX 1060 uses Pascal, both on 40 nm vs 16 nm. Shader units: 480 (FirePro M5950) vs 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060). Raw compute: 0.696 TFLOPS (FirePro M5950) vs 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060).

FeatureFirePro M5950GeForce GTX 1060
G3D Mark Score
1,314
10,064+666%
Architecture
TeraScale 2
Pascal
Process Node
40 nm
16 nm
Shading Units
480
2560+433%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.696 TFLOPS
8.873 TFLOPS+1175%
ROPs
8
64+700%
TMUs
24
160+567%
L1 Cache
48 KB
960 KB+1900%
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 M5950 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureFirePro M5950GeForce 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 M5950 has 1 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GTX 1060 carries 6 GB. GeForce GTX 1060 gives you 500% 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 M5950 and 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060. L2 Cache: 0.25 MB (FirePro M5950) vs 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro M5950GeForce GTX 1060
VRAM Capacity
1 GB
6 GB+500%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
192-bit+200%
L2 Cache
0.25 MB
2 MB+700%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.2 (FirePro M5950) vs 12 (GeForce GTX 1060). Vulkan: None vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.1 vs 4.5. Maximum simultaneous displays: 5 vs 4.

FeatureFirePro M5950GeForce GTX 1060
DirectX
11.2
12+7%
Vulkan
None
1.3
OpenGL
4.1
4.5+10%
Max Displays
5+25%
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (FirePro M5950) vs NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060). Decoder: UVD 3 vs NVDEC (Pascal). Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 Part 2 (FirePro M5950) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060).

FeatureFirePro M5950GeForce GTX 1060
Encoder
None
NVENC (Pascal)
Decoder
UVD 3
NVDEC (Pascal)
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 Part 2
H.264,H.265/HEVC
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro M5950 draws 35W versus the GeForce GTX 1060's 180W — a 134.9% difference. The FirePro M5950 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro M5950) vs 400W (GeForce GTX 1060). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 6-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 173mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots.

FeatureFirePro M5950GeForce GTX 1060
TDP
35W-81%
180W
Recommended PSU
350W-13%
400W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
6-pin
Length
0mm
173mm
Height
0mm
111mm
Slots
1-50%
2
Temp (Load)
75°C
—
Perf/Watt
37.5
55.9+49%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro M5950 came in at $200, while the GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249. On MSRP, FirePro M5950 was 19.7% cheaper ($49 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 6.6 (FirePro M5950) vs 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 512.1% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1060 (2016 vs 2011).

FeatureFirePro M5950GeForce GTX 1060
MSRP
$200-20%
$249
Performance per Dollar
6.6
40.4+512%
Codename
Whistler
GP104
Release
January 4 2011
May 27 2016
Ranking
#795
#137
Search FirePro M5950 on AmazonSearch GeForce GTX 1060 on Amazon

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.