GeForce GTX 1060
Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2
GeForce GTX 1060 vs Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 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 Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 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
GeForce GTX 1060 vs Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2: 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
2016Why buy it
- ✅+2005.4% higher PassMark G3D performance.
- ✅Costs $200 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $449 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 3696.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 1.1 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $449 MSRP).
- ✅299900% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 2 MB).
- ✅Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so GeForce GTX 1060 is the less risky modern option long term.
Trade-offs
- ❌2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
- ❌63.6% higher power demand at 180W vs 110W.
- ❌17200% longer card at 173mm vs 1mm.
Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2
2008Why buy it
- ✅Draws 110W instead of 180W, a 70W reduction.
- ✅Measures 1mm instead of 173mm, a 172mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (478 vs 10,064).
- ❌Less VRAM, with 2 MB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌2008 hardware with 2 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌80.3% HIGHER MSRP$449 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.1 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($449 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
Quick Answers
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GeForce GTX 1060 vs Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
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.
Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2
The Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 1 2008. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 660 MHz. It has 320 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 110W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 478 points.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2's 478 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 2005.4%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 uses TeraScale, both on 16 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 320 (Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0.4224 TFLOPS ×2 (Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 10,064+2005% | 478 |
| Architecture | Pascal | TeraScale |
| Process Node | 16 nm | 55 nm |
| Shading Units | 2560+700% | 320 ×2 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 8.873 TFLOPS+2001% | 0.4224 TFLOPS ×2 |
| ROPs | 64+300% | 16 ×2 |
| TMUs | 160+900% | 16 ×2 |
| L2 Cache | 2 MB+700% | 0.25 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce GTX 1060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 carries 2 MB. GeForce GTX 1060 gives you 299900% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 and 64-bit on the Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0.25 MB (Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 6 GB+299900% | 0.002 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 192 GB/s | Unknown |
| Bus Width | 192-bit+200% | 64-bit |
| L2 Cache | 2 MB+700% | 0.25 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 10.1 (Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12+19% | 10.1 |
| Max Displays | 4 | 0 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs UVD (Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC (Pascal) | UVD |
| Decoder | NVDEC (Pascal) | UVD |
| Codecs | H.264,H.265/HEVC | — |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2's 110W — a 48.3% difference. The Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 350W (Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 173mm vs 1mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 180W | 110W-39% |
| Recommended PSU | 400W | 350W-13% |
| Power Connector | 6-pin | PCIe-powered |
| Length | 173mm | 1mm |
| Height | 111mm | — |
| Slots | 2 | 0-100% |
| Perf/Watt | 55.9+1200% | 4.3 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 came in at $249, while the Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 launched at $449. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 1060 was 44.5% cheaper ($200 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1.1 (Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 3572.7% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1060 (2016 vs 2008).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $249-45% | $449 |
| Performance per Dollar | 40.4+3573% | 1.1 |
| Codename | GP104 | M88 |
| Release | May 27 2016 | September 1 2008 |
| Ranking | #137 | #919 |
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