GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon 8050S

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

2016Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1733 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon 8050S

2025Core: 1295 MHzBoost: 2800 MHz

Popular choices:

Performance Spectrum - GPU

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.

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 $151 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
  • 100+% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs Unknown).

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (10,064 vs 16,259).
  • Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
  • 227.3% higher power demand at 180W vs 55W.

Radeon 8050S

2025

Why buy it

  • +61.6% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • More future proof: RDNA 3.5 on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
  • Draws 55W instead of 180W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with Unknown vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon 8050S better than GeForce GTX 1060?
Yes. Radeon 8050S is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 16,259 vs 10,064 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon 8050S is a 2025 card with FSR upscaling, 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?
Radeon 8050S is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2025 generation instead of 2016, 61.6% more raw performance headroom, better upscaling support with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 4nm process instead of 16nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.
Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?
Radeon 8050S is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon 8050S is about 60.6% more expensive on MSRP at $400 MSRP versus $249 MSRP, and you are getting 61.6% 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.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce GTX 1060Radeon 8050S
1080p
low117 FPS162 FPS
medium105 FPS153 FPS
high91 FPS128 FPS
ultra77 FPS99 FPS
1440p
low103 FPS138 FPS
medium87 FPS119 FPS
high76 FPS97 FPS
ultra67 FPS76 FPS
4K
low55 FPS66 FPS
medium49 FPS57 FPS
high41 FPS46 FPS
ultra37 FPS42 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce GTX 1060Radeon 8050S
1080p
low216 FPS306 FPS
medium181 FPS250 FPS
high148 FPS190 FPS
ultra113 FPS141 FPS
1440p
low134 FPS195 FPS
medium107 FPS159 FPS
high87 FPS119 FPS
ultra68 FPS84 FPS
4K
low62 FPS79 FPS
medium51 FPS63 FPS
high49 FPS53 FPS
ultra41 FPS37 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce GTX 1060Radeon 8050S
1080p
low453 FPS584 FPS
medium362 FPS518 FPS
high302 FPS438 FPS
ultra226 FPS366 FPS
1440p
low340 FPS418 FPS
medium272 FPS368 FPS
high226 FPS315 FPS
ultra170 FPS259 FPS
4K
low226 FPS267 FPS
medium181 FPS227 FPS
high151 FPS183 FPS
ultra113 FPS140 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce GTX 1060Radeon 8050S
1080p
low358 FPS358 FPS
medium302 FPS281 FPS
high260 FPS244 FPS
ultra226 FPS193 FPS
1440p
low299 FPS263 FPS
medium254 FPS213 FPS
high208 FPS180 FPS
ultra170 FPS143 FPS
4K
low170 FPS153 FPS
medium133 FPS131 FPS
high123 FPS115 FPS
ultra102 FPS90 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon 8050S

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.

AMD

Radeon 8050S

The Radeon 8050S is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 6 2025. It features the RDNA 3.5 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1295 MHz to 2800 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 55W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 32 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 16,259 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon 8050S's 16,259 — the Radeon 8050S leads by 61.6%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon 8050S uses RDNA 3.5, both on 16 nm vs 4 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2,048 (Radeon 8050S). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 11.47 TFLOPS (Radeon 8050S). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 2800 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon 8050S
G3D Mark Score
10,064
16,259+62%
Architecture
Pascal
RDNA 3.5
Process Node
16 nm
4 nm
Shading Units
2560+25%
2048
Compute (TFLOPS)
8.873 TFLOPS
11.47 TFLOPS+29%
Boost Clock
1733 MHz
2800 MHz+62%
ROPs
64
64
TMUs
160+25%
128
L2 Cache
2 MB
8 MB+300%

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 Radeon 8050S relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon 8050S
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 comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon 8050S has 0 MB. The GeForce GTX 1060 offers 100+% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 256 GB/s (Max) (Radeon 8050S) — a 33.3% advantage for the Radeon 8050S. Bus width: 192-bit vs System Shared. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 8 MB (Radeon 8050S) — the Radeon 8050S has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon 8050S
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
none
Memory Type
GDDR5
LPDDR5X (Shared)
Memory Bandwidth
192 GB/s
256 GB/s (Max)+33%
Bus Width
192-bit
System Shared
L2 Cache
2 MB
8 MB+300%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12.2 (Radeon 8050S). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon 8050S
DirectX
12
12.2+2%
Vulkan
1.3
1.4+8%
OpenGL
4.5
4.6+2%
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs VCN 4.5 (Radeon 8050S). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs VCN 4.5. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Radeon 8050S).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon 8050S
Encoder
NVENC (Pascal)
VCN 4.5
Decoder
NVDEC (Pascal)
VCN 4.5
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon 8050S's 55W — a 106.4% difference. The Radeon 8050S is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 650W (Radeon 8050S). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 173mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon 8050S
TDP
180W
55W-69%
Recommended PSU
400W-38%
650W
Power Connector
6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
173mm
0mm
Height
111mm
0mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
85°C
Perf/Watt
55.9
295.6+429%
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon 8050S launched at $400. The GeForce GTX 1060 costs 37.8% less ($151 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 40.6 (Radeon 8050S) — the Radeon 8050S offers 0.5% better value. The Radeon 8050S is the newer GPU (2025 vs 2016).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon 8050S
MSRP
$249-38%
$400
Performance per Dollar
40.4
40.6
Codename
GP104
Strix Halo
Release
May 27 2016
January 6 2025
Ranking
#137
#126