GeForce GTX 1060 3GB
Radeon 8040S
GeForce GTX 1060 3GB vs Radeon 8040S Performance Spectrum
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.
GeForce GTX 1060 3GB vs Radeon 8040S FPS Benchmarks
Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.
Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce GTX 1060 3GB vs Radeon 8040S: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict
See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.
GeForce GTX 1060 3GB
2016Why buy it
- ✅21.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Costs $201 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 102.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 49.3 vs 24.4 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
Trade-offs
- ❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌2016 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
- ❌118.2% higher power demand at 120W vs 55W.
Radeon 8040S
2025Why buy it
- ✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 3 GB).
- ✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) on 4nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
- ✅Draws 55W instead of 120W, a 65W reduction.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 3GB across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌101% HIGHER MSRP$400 MSRPvs$199 MSRP
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 24.4 vs 49.3 G3D/$ ($400 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
Quick Answers
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Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 1060 3GB vs Radeon 8040S Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce GTX 1060 3GB
The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 18 2016. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1506 MHz to 1708 MHz. It has 1152 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 120W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,815 points. Launch price was $199.
Radeon 8040S
The Radeon 8040S is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 6 2025. It features the RDNA 3.5 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1295 MHz to 2800 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 55W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,756 points.
Graphics Performance
The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB scores 9,815 and the Radeon 8040S reaches 9,756 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB is built on Pascal while the Radeon 8040S uses RDNA 3.5, both on 16 nm vs 4 nm. Shader units: 1,152 (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs 1,024 (Radeon 8040S). Raw compute: 3.935 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs 5.734 TFLOPS (Radeon 8040S). Boost clocks: 1708 MHz vs 2800 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 3GB | Radeon 8040S |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 9,815 | 9,756 |
| Architecture | Pascal | RDNA 3.5 |
| Process Node | 16 nm | 4 nm |
| Shading Units | 1152+13% | 1024 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 3.935 TFLOPS | 5.734 TFLOPS+46% |
| Boost Clock | 1708 MHz | 2800 MHz+64% |
| ROPs | 48+50% | 32 |
| TMUs | 72+13% | 64 |
| L2 Cache | 1.5 MB | 8 MB+433% |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon 8040S leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 3GB | Radeon 8040S |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling Tech | Upscaling support | FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 |
| Frame Generation | Not Supported | Not Supported |
| Ray Reconstruction | No | No |
| Low Latency | NVIDIA Reflex | AMD Anti-Lag |
Video Memory (VRAM)
The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB has 3 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon 8040S carries 4 GB. Radeon 8040S gives you 33.3% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 3GB and System on the Radeon 8040S. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs 8 MB (Radeon 8040S) — the Radeon 8040S has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 3GB | Radeon 8040S |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 3 GB | 4 GB+33% |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | Shared |
| Memory Bandwidth | 192 GB/s | System |
| Bus Width | 192-bit | System |
| L2 Cache | 1.5 MB | 8 MB+433% |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs 12.2 (Radeon 8040S). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 3GB | Radeon 8040S |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12.1 | 12.2 |
| Vulkan | 1.1 | 1.4+27% |
| OpenGL | 4.5 | 4.6+2% |
| Max Displays | 4 | 4 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC 4.0 (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs VCN 4.5 (Radeon 8040S). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs VCN 4.5. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Radeon 8040S).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 3GB | Radeon 8040S |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 4.0 | VCN 4.5 |
| Decoder | PureVideo HD VP6 | VCN 4.5 |
| Codecs | MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC | MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB draws 120W versus the Radeon 8040S's 55W — a 74.3% difference. The Radeon 8040S is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs 500W (Radeon 8040S). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 250mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 85°C.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 3GB | Radeon 8040S |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 120W | 55W-54% |
| Recommended PSU | 400W-20% | 500W |
| Power Connector | 6-pin | PCIe-powered |
| Length | 250mm | 0mm |
| Height | 111mm | 0mm |
| Slots | 2 | 0-100% |
| Temp (Load) | 75°C-12% | 85°C |
| Perf/Watt | 81.8 | 177.4+117% |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 3GB came in at $199, while the Radeon 8040S launched at $400. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 1060 3GB was 50.2% cheaper ($201 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 49.3 (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs 24.4 (Radeon 8040S) — the GeForce GTX 1060 3GB offers 102% better value. The newer card here is Radeon 8040S (2025 vs 2016).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 3GB | Radeon 8040S |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $199-50% | $400 |
| Performance per Dollar | 49.3+102% | 24.4 |
| Codename | GP106 | Strix Halo |
| Release | August 18 2016 | January 6 2025 |
| Ranking | #272 | #265 |
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