GeForce GTX 1060 vs L40

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

2016Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1733 MHz
GTX family
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VS

L40

2022Core: 735 MHzBoost: 2490 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce GTX 1060 vs L40 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 vs L40: 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

2016

Why buy it

  • Costs $30,751 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $31,000 MSRP).
  • Delivers 3743.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 1.1 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $31,000 MSRP).
  • Draws 180W instead of 300W, a 120W reduction.
  • Measures 173mm instead of 267mm, a 94mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (10,064 vs 32,601).
  • Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 48 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

L40

2022

Why buy it

  • +223.9% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • 700% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (48 GB vs 6 GB).
  • Better long-term bet: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 4nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 12349.8% HIGHER MSRP
    $31,000 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.1 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($31,000 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • 66.7% higher power demand at 300W vs 180W.
  • 54.3% longer card at 267mm vs 173mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
L40 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 223.9% in PassMark G3D (32,601 vs 10,064), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
L40 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 48 GB vs 6 GB of VRAM, a 4nm process instead of 16nm, 142 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2022 generation instead of 2016. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 1060 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $30,751 cheaper on MSRP at $249 vs $31,000, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 3743.3% (40.4 vs 1.1), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce GTX 1060 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1440p and 4K headroom, L40 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs L40 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

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.

NVIDIA

L40

The L40 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 13 2022. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 735 MHz to 2490 MHz. It has 18176 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 142 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 32,601 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the L40's 32,601 — the L40 leads by 223.9%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the L40 uses Ada Lovelace, both on 16 nm vs 4 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 18,176 (L40). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 90.52 TFLOPS (L40). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 2490 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060L40
G3D Mark Score
10,064
32,601+224%
Architecture
Pascal
Ada Lovelace
Process Node
16 nm
4 nm
Shading Units
2560
18176+610%
Compute (TFLOPS)
8.873 TFLOPS
90.52 TFLOPS+920%
Boost Clock
1733 MHz
2490 MHz+44%
ROPs
64
192+200%
TMUs
160
568+255%
L1 Cache
0.94 MB
17.8 MB+1794%
L2 Cache
2 MB
96 MB+4700%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The L40 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060L40
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 has 6 GB of VRAM, while the L40 carries 48 GB. L40 gives you 700% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 960 GB/s (L40) — a 400% advantage for the L40. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 and 384-bit on the L40. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 96 MB (L40) — the L40 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060L40
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
48 GB+700%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
192 GB/s
960 GB/s+400%
Bus Width
192-bit
384-bit+100%
L2 Cache
2 MB
96 MB+4700%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12.2 (L40). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060L40
DirectX
12
12.2+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 8th Gen (L40). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs NVDEC 5th Gen. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs AV1,HEVC,H.264,VP9 (L40).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060L40
Encoder
NVENC (Pascal)
NVENC 8th Gen
Decoder
NVDEC (Pascal)
NVDEC 5th Gen
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC
AV1,HEVC,H.264,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the L40's 300W — a 50% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 750W (L40). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 16-pin. Card length: 173mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060L40
TDP
180W-40%
300W
Recommended PSU
400W-47%
750W
Power Connector
6-pin
16-pin
Length
173mm
267mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
80°C
Perf/Watt
55.9
108.7+94%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 came in at $249, while the L40 launched at $31000. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 1060 was 99.2% cheaper ($30751 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1.1 (L40) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 3572.7% better value. The newer card here is L40 (2022 vs 2016).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060L40
MSRP
$249-99%
$31000
Performance per Dollar
40.4+3573%
1.1
Codename
GP104
AD102
Release
May 27 2016
October 13 2022
Ranking
#137
#61

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