GeForce GTX 1060 vs GRID K2

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

✅+267.7% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $4,950 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $5,199 MSRP).
✅Delivers 7577.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 0.5 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $5,199 MSRP).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than GRID K2: it remains the more sensible modern option while GRID K2 is already obsolete for modern gaming.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

GRID K2

2013

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (2,737 vs 10,064).
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
1988% HIGHER MSRP
$5,199 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.5 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($5,199 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

GRID K2

2013

Why buy it

✅+267.7% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $4,950 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $5,199 MSRP).
✅Delivers 7577.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 0.5 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $5,199 MSRP).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than GRID K2: it remains the more sensible modern option while GRID K2 is already obsolete for modern gaming.

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (2,737 vs 10,064).
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
1988% HIGHER MSRP
$5,199 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.5 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($5,199 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1060 better than GRID K2?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 10,064 vs 2,737 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce GTX 1060 is a 2016 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while GRID K2 is a 2013 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 GTX 1060 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2016 generation instead of 2013, 267.7% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 6 GB instead of 2 GB, and a 16nm process instead of 28nm. 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 GTX 1060 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce GTX 1060 is about $4,950 cheaper on MSRP at $249 MSRP versus $5,199 MSRP, and you are getting 267.7% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 7577.4%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is GRID K2 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. GRID K2 is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $5,199 MSRP, even if GeForce GTX 1060 is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

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

GRID K2 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	GRID K2
1080p
low	117 FPS	102 FPS
medium	105 FPS	83 FPS
high	91 FPS	65 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	38 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	85 FPS
medium	87 FPS	71 FPS
high	76 FPS	50 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	28 FPS
4K
low	55 FPS	28 FPS
medium	49 FPS	26 FPS
high	41 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	15 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open GRID K2

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	GRID K2
1080p
low	216 FPS	88 FPS
medium	181 FPS	62 FPS
high	148 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	32 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	48 FPS
medium	107 FPS	31 FPS
high	87 FPS	23 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	17 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	18 FPS
medium	51 FPS	12 FPS
high	49 FPS	9 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	7 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open GRID K2

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	GRID K2
1080p
low	453 FPS	123 FPS
medium	362 FPS	99 FPS
high	302 FPS	82 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	62 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	92 FPS
medium	272 FPS	74 FPS
high	226 FPS	62 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	46 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	62 FPS
medium	181 FPS	49 FPS
high	151 FPS	41 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	31 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open GRID K2

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	GRID K2
1080p
low	358 FPS	123 FPS
medium	302 FPS	99 FPS
high	260 FPS	82 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	62 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	92 FPS
medium	254 FPS	74 FPS
high	208 FPS	62 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	46 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	62 FPS
medium	133 FPS	49 FPS
high	123 FPS	41 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	29 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open GRID K2

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and GRID K2

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.

GRID K2

The GRID K2 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 11 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 745 MHz. It has 1536 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,737 points. Launch price was $5,199.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the GRID K2's 2,737 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 267.7%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the GRID K2 uses Kepler, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1,536 (GRID K2). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2.289 TFLOPS ×2 (GRID K2).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	GRID K2
G3D Mark Score	10,064+268%	2,737
Architecture	Pascal	Kepler
Process Node	16 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2560+67%	1536 ×2
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS+288%	2.289 TFLOPS ×2
ROPs	64+100%	32 ×2
TMUs	160+25%	128 ×2
L1 Cache	960 KB+650%	128 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1060 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The GRID K2 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	GRID K2
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	Standard

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 1060 comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the GRID K2 has 2 GB. The GeForce GTX 1060 offers 200% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 192-bit vs 64-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0.5 MB (GRID K2) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	GRID K2
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+200%	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	192-bit+200%	64-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the GRID K2's 225W — a 22.2% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 350W (GRID K2). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	GRID K2
TDP	180W-20%	225W
Recommended PSU	400W	350W-13%
Power Connector	6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	173mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Perf/Watt	55.9+358%	12.2

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the GRID K2 launched at $5199. The GeForce GTX 1060 costs 95.2% less ($4950 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0.5 (GRID K2) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 7980% better value. The GeForce GTX 1060 is the newer GPU (2016 vs 2013).