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

✅Costs $4,400 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $4,649 MSRP).
✅Delivers 724.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 4.9 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $4,649 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 average FPS than Quadro RTX A6000 across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 48 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Quadro RTX A6000

2020

Why buy it

✅123.1% more average FPS across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅700% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (48 GB vs 6 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌
1767.1% HIGHER MSRP
$4,649 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.9 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($4,649 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌66.7% higher power demand at 300W vs 180W.
❌54.3% longer card at 267mm vs 173mm.

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Quadro RTX A6000

2020

Why buy it

✅Costs $4,400 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $4,649 MSRP).
✅Delivers 724.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 4.9 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $4,649 MSRP).
✅Draws 180W instead of 300W, a 120W reduction.
✅Measures 173mm instead of 267mm, a 94mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Why buy it

✅123.1% more average FPS across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅700% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (48 GB vs 6 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Quadro RTX A6000 across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 48 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Trade-offs

❌
1767.1% HIGHER MSRP
$4,649 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.9 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($4,649 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌66.7% higher power demand at 300W vs 180W.
❌54.3% longer card at 267mm vs 173mm.

Quick Answers

So, is Quadro RTX A6000 better than GeForce GTX 1060?

Yes. Quadro RTX A6000 is clearly the better overall GPU here. Quadro RTX A6000 averages 123.1% more FPS across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 22,798 vs 10,064 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Quadro RTX A6000 is a 2020 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, 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?

Quadro RTX A6000 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2016, 126.5% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 48 GB instead of 6 GB, and 100.0% more ray-tracing hardware. 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?

Quadro RTX A6000 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Quadro RTX A6000 is about 1767.1% more expensive on MSRP at $4,649 MSRP versus $249 MSRP, and you are getting 123.1% more estimated average FPS across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data and 126.5% 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

Quadro RTX A6000 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Quadro RTX A6000
1080p
low	117 FPS	270 FPS
medium	105 FPS	250 FPS
high	91 FPS	209 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	183 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	257 FPS
medium	87 FPS	214 FPS
high	76 FPS	167 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	150 FPS
4K
low	55 FPS	175 FPS
medium	49 FPS	144 FPS
high	41 FPS	104 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	93 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Quadro RTX A6000

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Quadro RTX A6000
1080p
low	216 FPS	661 FPS
medium	181 FPS	555 FPS
high	148 FPS	420 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	361 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	489 FPS
medium	107 FPS	417 FPS
high	87 FPS	331 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	261 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	255 FPS
medium	51 FPS	220 FPS
high	49 FPS	188 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	158 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Quadro RTX A6000

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Quadro RTX A6000
1080p
low	453 FPS	929 FPS
medium	362 FPS	759 FPS
high	302 FPS	675 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	513 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	716 FPS
medium	272 FPS	586 FPS
high	226 FPS	509 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	385 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	493 FPS
medium	181 FPS	408 FPS
high	151 FPS	342 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	256 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Quadro RTX A6000

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Quadro RTX A6000
1080p
low	358 FPS	855 FPS
medium	302 FPS	784 FPS
high	260 FPS	684 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	513 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	679 FPS
medium	254 FPS	616 FPS
high	208 FPS	513 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	385 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	489 FPS
medium	133 FPS	410 FPS
high	123 FPS	342 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	256 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Quadro RTX A6000

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Quadro RTX A6000

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 A6000

The Quadro RTX A6000 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 5 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1410 MHz to 1800 MHz. It has 10752 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 84 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 22,798 points. Launch price was $4,649.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Quadro RTX A6000's 22,798 — the Quadro RTX A6000 leads by 126.5%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Quadro RTX A6000 uses Ampere, both on 16 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 10,752 (Quadro RTX A6000). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 38.71 TFLOPS (Quadro RTX A6000). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1800 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Quadro RTX A6000
G3D Mark Score	10,064	22,798+127%
Architecture	Pascal	Ampere
Process Node	16 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	2560	10752+320%
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS	38.71 TFLOPS+336%
Boost Clock	1733 MHz	1800 MHz+4%
ROPs	64	112+75%
TMUs	160	336+110%
L1 Cache	0.94 MB	10.5 MB+1017%
L2 Cache	2 MB	6 MB+200%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Quadro RTX A6000
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
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 Quadro RTX A6000 has 48 GB. The Quadro RTX A6000 offers 700% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 768 GB/s (Quadro RTX A6000) — a 300% advantage for the Quadro RTX A6000. Bus width: 192-bit vs 384-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 6 MB (Quadro RTX A6000) — the Quadro RTX A6000 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Quadro RTX A6000
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	48 GB+700%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s	768 GB/s+300%
Bus Width	192-bit	384-bit+100%
L2 Cache	2 MB	6 MB+200%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12 Ultimate (Quadro RTX A6000). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Quadro RTX A6000
DirectX	12	12 Ultimate
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 (7th Gen) (Quadro RTX A6000). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs NVDEC (5th Gen). Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (Quadro RTX A6000).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Quadro RTX A6000
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	NVENC (7th Gen)
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	NVDEC (5th Gen)
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Quadro RTX A6000's 300W — a 50% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 500W (Quadro RTX A6000). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 8-pin EPS. Card length: 173mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Quadro RTX A6000
TDP	180W-40%	300W
Recommended PSU	400W-20%	500W
Power Connector	6-pin	8-pin EPS
Length	173mm	267mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	—	85
Perf/Watt	55.9	76.0+36%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the Quadro RTX A6000 launched at $4649. The GeForce GTX 1060 costs 94.6% less ($4400 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 4.9 (Quadro RTX A6000) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 724.5% better value. The Quadro RTX A6000 is the newer GPU (2020 vs 2016).