GeForce GTX 1060 5GB
Radeon R9 390X
GeForce GTX 1060 5GB vs Radeon R9 390X 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 5GB vs Radeon R9 390X 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 5GB vs Radeon R9 390X: 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 5GB
2017Why buy it
- ✅Costs $180 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 70.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 36.8 vs 21.6 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
- ✅Draws 120W instead of 275W, a 155W reduction.
- ✅Measures 250mm instead of 277mm, a 27mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 390X across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 5 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌2017 hardware with 5 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
Radeon R9 390X
2015Why buy it
- ✅32.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅60% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 5 GB).
Trade-offs
- ❌2015 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
- ❌72.3% HIGHER MSRP$429 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.6 vs 36.8 G3D/$ ($429 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
- ❌129.2% higher power demand at 275W vs 120W.
- ❌10.8% longer card at 277mm vs 250mm.
Quick Answers
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GeForce GTX 1060 5GB vs Radeon R9 390X Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce GTX 1060 5GB
The GeForce GTX 1060 5GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in December 26 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1506 MHz to 1709 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 120W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,175 points.
Radeon R9 390X
The Radeon R9 390X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 18 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1050 MHz. It has 2816 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 275W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,278 points. Launch price was $429.
Graphics Performance
The GeForce GTX 1060 5GB scores 9,175 and the Radeon R9 390X reaches 9,278 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1060 5GB is built on Pascal while the Radeon R9 390X uses GCN 2.0, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (GeForce GTX 1060 5GB) vs 2,816 (Radeon R9 390X). Raw compute: 4.375 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060 5GB) vs 5.914 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 390X). Boost clocks: 1709 MHz vs 1050 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 5GB | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 9,175 | 9,278+1% |
| Architecture | Pascal | GCN 2.0 |
| Process Node | 16 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 1280 | 2816+120% |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 4.375 TFLOPS | 5.914 TFLOPS+35% |
| Boost Clock | 1709 MHz+63% | 1050 MHz |
| ROPs | 40 | 64+60% |
| TMUs | 80 | 176+120% |
| L1 Cache | 480 KB | 704 KB+47% |
| L2 Cache | 1.25 MB+25% | 1 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce GTX 1060 5GB gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R9 390X leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 5GB | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| 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 5GB has 5 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 390X carries 8 GB. Radeon R9 390X gives you 60% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 160 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060 5GB) vs 384 GB/s (Radeon R9 390X) — a 140% advantage for the Radeon R9 390X. Memory bus width is 160-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 5GB and 512-bit on the Radeon R9 390X. L2 Cache: 1.25 MB (GeForce GTX 1060 5GB) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 390X) — the GeForce GTX 1060 5GB has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 5GB | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 5 GB | 8 GB+60% |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 160 GB/s | 384 GB/s+140% |
| Bus Width | 160-bit | 512-bit+220% |
| L2 Cache | 1.25 MB+25% | 1 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (GeForce GTX 1060 5GB) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R9 390X). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 5GB | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 (12_1) | 12 (12_0) |
| Vulkan | 1.3+8% | 1.2 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Max Displays | 4 | 4 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC (6th Gen) (GeForce GTX 1060 5GB) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 390X). Decoder: NVDEC (3rd Gen) vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9 (GeForce GTX 1060 5GB) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon R9 390X).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 5GB | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC (6th Gen) | VCE 2.0 |
| Decoder | NVDEC (3rd Gen) | UVD 4.2 |
| Codecs | H.264,H.265,VP9 | H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GTX 1060 5GB draws 120W versus the Radeon R9 390X's 275W — a 78.5% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 5GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060 5GB) vs 750W (Radeon R9 390X). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 250mm vs 277mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 80.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 5GB | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 120W-56% | 275W |
| Recommended PSU | 400W-47% | 750W |
| Power Connector | 6-pin | 6-pin + 8-pin |
| Length | 250mm | 277mm |
| Height | 111mm | 129mm |
| Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 75-6% | 80 |
| Perf/Watt | 76.5+127% | 33.7 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 5GB came in at $249, while the Radeon R9 390X launched at $429. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 1060 5GB was 42% cheaper ($180 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 36.8 (GeForce GTX 1060 5GB) vs 21.6 (Radeon R9 390X) — the GeForce GTX 1060 5GB offers 70.4% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1060 5GB (2017 vs 2015).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 5GB | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $249-42% | $429 |
| Performance per Dollar | 36.8+70% | 21.6 |
| Codename | GP106 | Grenada |
| Release | December 26 2017 | June 18 2015 |
| Ranking | #289 | #287 |
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