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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (10,064 vs 12,766).
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌125% higher power demand at 180W vs 80W.

GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design

2019

Why buy it

✅+26.8% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
✅More future proof: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 80W instead of 180W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 40.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design

2019

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Why buy it

✅+26.8% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
✅More future proof: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 80W instead of 180W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (10,064 vs 12,766).
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌125% higher power demand at 180W vs 80W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 40.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design better than GeForce GTX 1060?

Yes. GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 12,766 vs 10,064 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design is a 2019 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while GeForce GTX 1060 is a 2016 model from an older generation with no meaningful modern upscaling stack. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2019 generation instead of 2016, 26.8% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 6 GB, and better upscaling support with DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $249 MSRP, and you are getting 26.8% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 1060 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is GeForce GTX 1060 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. GeForce GTX 1060 is 2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM, 10,064 in G3D Mark, and no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce GTX 1060 Benchmark Check

GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	117 FPS	156 FPS
medium	105 FPS	136 FPS
high	91 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	68 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	125 FPS
medium	87 FPS	106 FPS
high	76 FPS	78 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	49 FPS
4K
low	55 FPS	45 FPS
medium	49 FPS	40 FPS
high	41 FPS	25 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	21 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	216 FPS	195 FPS
medium	181 FPS	162 FPS
high	148 FPS	137 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	119 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	148 FPS
medium	107 FPS	120 FPS
high	87 FPS	103 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	84 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	81 FPS
medium	51 FPS	67 FPS
high	49 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	43 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	453 FPS	574 FPS
medium	362 FPS	460 FPS
high	302 FPS	383 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	287 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	431 FPS
medium	272 FPS	345 FPS
high	226 FPS	287 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	215 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	287 FPS
medium	181 FPS	230 FPS
high	151 FPS	191 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	144 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	358 FPS	245 FPS
medium	302 FPS	212 FPS
high	260 FPS	172 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	146 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	188 FPS
medium	254 FPS	166 FPS
high	208 FPS	131 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	108 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	112 FPS
medium	133 FPS	94 FPS
high	123 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	58 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design

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.

GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design

The GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 29 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 735 MHz to 1095 MHz. It has 2944 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 12,766 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design's 12,766 — the GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design leads by 26.8%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design uses Turing, both on 16 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2,944 (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 6.447 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1095 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design
G3D Mark Score	10,064	12,766+27%
Architecture	Pascal	Turing
Process Node	16 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	2560	2944+15%
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS+38%	6.447 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1733 MHz+58%	1095 MHz
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	160	184+15%
L1 Cache	0.94 MB	2.9 MB+209%
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 1060 is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 1060 comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design has 8 GB. The GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design offers 33.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 384 GB/s (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design) — a 100% advantage for the GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design. Bus width: 192-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design) — the GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	8 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s	384 GB/s+100%
Bus Width	192-bit	256-bit+33%
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12 (12_2) (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design
DirectX	12	12 (12_2)
Vulkan	1.3	1.3
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs NVENC 6 (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs NVDEC 4. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	NVENC 6
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	NVDEC 4
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design's 80W — a 76.9% difference. The GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0W (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design). Power connectors: 6-pin vs None. Card length: 173mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.