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 Quadro RTX 3000 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.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Quadro RTX 3000: 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 $551 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅Delivers 197.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 13.6 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅Draws 180W instead of 260W, a 80W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Quadro RTX 3000 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Quadro RTX 3000

2018

Why buy it

✅38.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅GeForce GTX 1060 is already legacy-tier future-proofing, so Quadro RTX 3000 is the less risky modern option long term.

Trade-offs

❌Older hardware, 6 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
❌
221.3% HIGHER MSRP
$800 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 13.6 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌44.4% higher power demand at 260W vs 180W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Quadro RTX 3000 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 38.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 7.9% in PassMark G3D (10,858 vs 10,064), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

Quadro RTX 3000 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 12nm process instead of 16nm, 72 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2018 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 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $551 cheaper on MSRP at $249 vs $800, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 197.8% (40.4 vs 13.6), 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 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Quadro RTX 3000 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Quadro RTX 3000 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.

Quadro RTX 3000

The Quadro RTX 3000 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 13 2018. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1395 MHz to 1770 MHz. It has 4608 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 260W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 72 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,858 points. Launch price was $9,999.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Quadro RTX 3000's 10,858 — the Quadro RTX 3000 leads by 7.9%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Quadro RTX 3000 uses Turing, both on 16 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 4,608 (Quadro RTX 3000). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 16.31 TFLOPS (Quadro RTX 3000). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1770 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Quadro RTX 3000
G3D Mark Score	10,064	10,858+8%
Architecture	Pascal	Turing
Process Node	16 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	2560	4608+80%
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS	16.31 TFLOPS+84%
Boost Clock	1733 MHz	1770 MHz+2%
ROPs	64	96+50%
TMUs	160	288+80%
L1 Cache	0.94 MB	4.5 MB+379%
L2 Cache	2 MB	6 MB+200%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The Quadro RTX 3000 supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 1060 is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Quadro RTX 3000
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)

Both cards ship with 6 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 and 256-bit on the Quadro RTX 3000. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 6 MB (Quadro RTX 3000) — the Quadro RTX 3000 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Quadro RTX 3000
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	6 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	192-bit	256-bit+33%
L2 Cache	2 MB	6 MB+200%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12.1 (Quadro RTX 3000). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.0. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Quadro RTX 3000
DirectX	12	12.1
Vulkan	1.3+30%	1.0
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 7th Gen NVENC (Quadro RTX 3000). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs 5th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Quadro RTX 3000).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Quadro RTX 3000
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	7th Gen NVENC
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Quadro RTX 3000's 260W — a 36.4% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 500W (Quadro RTX 3000). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 173mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Quadro RTX 3000
TDP	180W-31%	260W
Recommended PSU	400W-20%	500W
Power Connector	6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	173mm	0mm
Height	111mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	—	85°C
Perf/Watt	55.9+34%	41.8

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 came in at $249, while the Quadro RTX 3000 launched at $800. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 1060 was 68.9% cheaper ($551 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 13.6 (Quadro RTX 3000) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 197.1% better value. The newer card here is Quadro RTX 3000 (2018 vs 2016).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Quadro RTX 3000
MSRP	$249-69%	$800
Performance per Dollar	40.4+197%	13.6
Codename	GP104	TU102
Release	May 27 2016	August 13 2018
Ranking	#137	#78

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