GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB vs L4

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB

2016Core: 1506 MHzBoost: 1709 MHz
GTX family
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VS

L4

2023Core: 795 MHzBoost: 2040 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB vs L4 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 6 GB vs L4: 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 6 GB

2016

Why buy it

  • Costs $2,096 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $2,345 MSRP).
  • Delivers 833.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 4.3 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $2,345 MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • 2016 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 66.7% higher power demand at 120W vs 72W.
  • 47.9% longer card at 250mm vs 169mm.

L4

2023

Why buy it

  • Better long-term bet: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • Draws 72W instead of 120W, a 48W reduction.
  • Measures 169mm instead of 250mm, a 81mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • 841.8% HIGHER MSRP
    $2,345 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.3 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($2,345 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
L4 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.9% in PassMark G3D (10,153 vs 10,063), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
L4 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 5nm process instead of 16nm, 60 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2023 generation instead of 2016. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB makes the most sense to buy today. It is $2,096 cheaper on MSRP at $249 vs $2,345, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 833.4% (40.4 vs 4.3), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, L4 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB vs L4 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB

The GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in July 19 2016. 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: 10,063 points. Launch price was $299.

NVIDIA

L4

The L4 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 21 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 795 MHz to 2040 MHz. It has 7424 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 72W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 60 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,153 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB scores 10,063 and the L4 reaches 10,153 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB is built on Pascal while the L4 uses Ada Lovelace, both on 16 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB) vs 7,424 (L4). Raw compute: 4.375 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB) vs 30.29 TFLOPS (L4). Boost clocks: 1709 MHz vs 2040 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060 6 GBL4
G3D Mark Score
10,063
10,153
Architecture
Pascal
Ada Lovelace
Process Node
16 nm
5 nm
Shading Units
1280
7424+480%
Compute (TFLOPS)
4.375 TFLOPS
30.29 TFLOPS+592%
Boost Clock
1709 MHz
2040 MHz+19%
ROPs
48
80+67%
TMUs
80
240+200%
L1 Cache
0.47 MB
7.5 MB+1496%
L2 Cache
1.5 MB
48 MB+3100%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The L4 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060 6 GBL4
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 8 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB and 128-bit on the L4. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB) vs 48 MB (L4) — the L4 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060 6 GBL4
VRAM Capacity
8 GB
8 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Bus Width
192-bit+50%
128-bit
L2 Cache
1.5 MB
48 MB+3100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FL 12_1) (GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB) vs 12.2 (L4). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060 6 GBL4
DirectX
12 (FL 12_1)
12.2+2%
Vulkan
1.3
1.3
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
0
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 4th gen (GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB) vs 8th Gen NVENC (2x) (L4). Decoder: PureVideo VP7 vs 5th Gen NVDEC (4x). Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (L4).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060 6 GBL4
Encoder
NVENC 4th gen
8th Gen NVENC (2x)
Decoder
PureVideo VP7
5th Gen NVDEC (4x)
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB draws 120W versus the L4's 72W — a 50% difference. The L4 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB) vs 500W (L4). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 250mm vs 169mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 70°C vs 75°C.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060 6 GBL4
TDP
120W
72W-40%
Recommended PSU
400W-20%
500W
Power Connector
6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
250mm
169mm
Height
111mm
69mm
Slots
2
1-50%
Temp (Load)
70°C-7%
75°C
Perf/Watt
83.9
141.0+68%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB came in at $249, while the L4 launched at $2345. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB was 89.4% cheaper ($2096 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB) vs 4.3 (L4) — the GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB offers 839.5% better value. The newer card here is L4 (2023 vs 2016).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060 6 GBL4
MSRP
$249-89%
$2345
Performance per Dollar
40.4+840%
4.3
Codename
GP106
AD104
Release
July 19 2016
March 21 2023
Ranking
#255
#259

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