Chipversus Index
Jump to Section

FirePro W8000 vs GeForce GTX 1060

CPUCPUGPUGPU

FirePro W8000

2012Core: 900 MHz
Similar parts
·······
Buy on Amazon
VS
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

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

FirePro W8000 vs GeForce GTX 1060 Performance Spectrum

FirePro W8000
4 GB 225
4,259
0.0%
brand logoRadeon RX 550X
brand logoRadeon HD 6970
brand logoMobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire
brand logoRadeon RX 560
brand logoRadeon RX 480
brand logoRadeon RX 6600S
brand logoRadeon RX 6650M XT
brand logoRadeon RX 6800
GeForce GTX 1060
6 GB 180
10,064
+136.3%
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 W8000 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 W8000

2012

Why buy it

  • ✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (4,259 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.
  • ❌
    542.2% HIGHER MSRP
    $1,599 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.7 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($1,599 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Why buy it

  • ✅+136.3% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • ✅Costs $1,350 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $1,599 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 1417.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 2.7 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $1,599 MSRP).
  • ✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
  • ✅FirePro W8000 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.

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 136.3% in PassMark G3D (10,064 vs 4,259), 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 $1,350 cheaper on MSRP at $249 vs $1,599, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1417.4% (40.4 vs 2.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

FirePro W8000 vs GeForce GTX 1060 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

FirePro W8000

The FirePro W8000 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 14 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 900 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,259 points. Launch price was $1,599.

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 W8000 scores 4,259 versus the GeForce GTX 1060's 10,064 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 136.3%. The FirePro W8000 is built on GCN 1.0 while the GeForce GTX 1060 uses Pascal, both on 28 nm vs 16 nm. Shader units: 1,792 (FirePro W8000) vs 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060). Raw compute: 3.226 TFLOPS (FirePro W8000) vs 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060).

FeatureFirePro W8000GeForce GTX 1060
G3D Mark Score
4,259
10,064+136%
Architecture
GCN 1.0
Pascal
Process Node
28 nm
16 nm
Shading Units
1792
2560+43%
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.226 TFLOPS
8.873 TFLOPS+175%
ROPs
32
64+100%
TMUs
112
160+43%
L1 Cache
448 KB
960 KB+114%
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
2 MB+300%
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The FirePro W8000 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureFirePro W8000GeForce 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 W8000 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 W8000 and 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (FirePro W8000) vs 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro W8000GeForce GTX 1060
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
6 GB+50%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
192-bit+200%
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
2 MB+300%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FirePro W8000) vs 12 (GeForce GTX 1060). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.5. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

FeatureFirePro W8000GeForce 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 W8000) vs NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060). Decoder: UVD 3.2 vs NVDEC (Pascal). Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (FirePro W8000) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060).

FeatureFirePro W8000GeForce GTX 1060
Encoder
VCE 1.0
NVENC (Pascal)
Decoder
UVD 3.2
NVDEC (Pascal)
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
H.264,H.265/HEVC
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro W8000 draws 225W versus the GeForce GTX 1060's 180W — a 22.2% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro W8000) vs 400W (GeForce GTX 1060). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 6-pin. Card length: 279mm vs 173mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

FeatureFirePro W8000GeForce GTX 1060
TDP
225W
180W-20%
Recommended PSU
350W-13%
400W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
6-pin
Length
279mm
173mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
58°C
—
Perf/Watt
18.9
55.9+196%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro W8000 came in at $1599, while the GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 1060 was 84.4% cheaper ($1350 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.7 (FirePro W8000) vs 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 1396.3% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1060 (2016 vs 2012).

FeatureFirePro W8000GeForce GTX 1060
MSRP
$1599
$249-84%
Performance per Dollar
2.7
40.4+1396%
Codename
Tahiti
GP104
Release
June 14 2012
May 27 2016
Ranking
#481
#137
Search FirePro W8000 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.