Chipversus Index
Jump to Section

GeForce GTX 1060 vs RADEON 9600SE

CPUCPUGPUGPU
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

2016Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1733 MHz
GTX family
·······
Buy on Amazon
VS
AMD

RADEON 9600SE

2025Core: 1295 MHzBoost: 2900 MHz
Similar parts
·······
Buy on Amazon

GeForce GTX 1060 vs RADEON 9600SE Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 1060
6 GB 180
10,064
+37174.1%
brand logoGeForce GTX 680
brand logoGeForce GTX 970XM FORCE
brand logoGeForce RTX 2050 Mobile
brand logoGeForce GTX TITAN Z
brand logoGeForce GTX 980 Ti
brand logoGeForce RTX 5060 Mobile
brand logoGeForce RTX 2080 Ti
brand logoGeForce RTX 4080 Mobile
RADEON 9600SE
0.5 GB 55
27
0.0%
brand logoRADEON 7500
brand logoMOBILITY RADEON 9000
brand logoMOBILITY RADEON 7500
brand logoMOBILITY RADEON 7000 IGP
brand logoRadeon HD 7950 / R9 280
brand logoRadeon R9 Fury
brand logoRadeon RX 5700
brand logoRadeon RX 6700

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 RADEON 9600SE 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

Path of Exile 2

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low117 FPS
medium105 FPS
high91 FPS
ultra77 FPS
1080P
RADEON 9600SE
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low216 FPS
medium181 FPS
high148 FPS
ultra113 FPS
1080P
RADEON 9600SE
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low453 FPS
medium362 FPS
high302 FPS
ultra226 FPS
1080P
RADEON 9600SE
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low358 FPS
medium302 FPS
high260 FPS
ultra226 FPS
1080P
RADEON 9600SE
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
Among Us

Among Us

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low60 FPS
medium60 FPS
high60 FPS
ultra60 FPS
1080P
RADEON 9600SE
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
Apex Legends

Apex Legends

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low237 FPS
medium218 FPS
high193 FPS
ultra177 FPS
1080P
RADEON 9600SE
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
ARC Raiders

ARC Raiders

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low92 FPS
medium73 FPS
high59 FPS
ultra41 FPS
1080P
RADEON 9600SE
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low128 FPS
medium104 FPS
high94 FPS
ultra70 FPS
1080P
RADEON 9600SE
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low107 FPS
medium91 FPS
high69 FPS
ultra60 FPS
1080P
RADEON 9600SE
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
Call of Duty: Warzone

Call of Duty: Warzone

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low122 FPS
medium101 FPS
high85 FPS
ultra72 FPS
1080P
RADEON 9600SE
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
Check FPS with Custom Builds

GeForce GTX 1060 vs RADEON 9600SE: 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

  • ✅10724.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • ✅Delivers 9630.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 0.4 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $65 MSRP).
  • ✅1100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

  • ❌2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • ❌227.3% higher power demand at 180W vs 55W.

RADEON 9600SE

2025

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $184 less on MSRP ($65 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • ✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) on 4nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • ✅Draws 55W instead of 180W, a 125W reduction.
  • ✅Measures 168mm instead of 173mm, a 5mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • ❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.4 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($65 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GTX 1060 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 10724.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 37174.1% in PassMark G3D (10,064 vs 27), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
RADEON 9600SE is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 4nm process instead of 16nm, 40 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2025 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 $184 more expensive on MSRP at $249 vs $65, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 9630.2% (40.4 vs 0.4), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. 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, RADEON 9600SE has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs RADEON 9600SE 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.

AMD

RADEON 9600SE

The RADEON 9600SE 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 2900 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 55W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 40 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 27 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the RADEON 9600SE's 27 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 37174.1%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the RADEON 9600SE uses RDNA 3.5, both on 16 nm vs 4 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2,560 (RADEON 9600SE). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 14.85 TFLOPS (RADEON 9600SE). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 2900 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RADEON 9600SE
G3D Mark Score
10,064+37174%
27
Architecture
Pascal
RDNA 3.5
Process Node
16 nm
4 nm
Shading Units
2560
2560
Compute (TFLOPS)
8.873 TFLOPS
14.85 TFLOPS+67%
Boost Clock
1733 MHz
2900 MHz+67%
ROPs
64
64
TMUs
160
160
L2 Cache
2 MB
8 MB+300%
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The RADEON 9600SE leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RADEON 9600SE
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 RADEON 9600SE carries 512 MB. GeForce GTX 1060 gives you 1100% 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 RADEON 9600SE. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 8 MB (RADEON 9600SE) — the RADEON 9600SE has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RADEON 9600SE
VRAM Capacity
6 GB+1100%
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
192-bit+200%
64-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB
8 MB+300%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 9.0 (RADEON 9600SE). Vulkan: 1.3 vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 2.0. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RADEON 9600SE
DirectX
12+33%
9.0
Vulkan
1.3
N/A
OpenGL
4.5+125%
2.0
Max Displays
4+100%
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs None (RADEON 9600SE). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs None. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs MPEG-2 (RADEON 9600SE).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RADEON 9600SE
Encoder
NVENC (Pascal)
None
Decoder
NVDEC (Pascal)
None
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC
MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the RADEON 9600SE's 55W — a 106.4% difference. The RADEON 9600SE is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 350W (RADEON 9600SE). Power connectors: 6-pin vs Legacy. Card length: 173mm vs 168mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RADEON 9600SE
TDP
180W
55W-69%
Recommended PSU
400W
350W-13%
Power Connector
6-pin
Legacy
Length
173mm
168mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
2
1-50%
Temp (Load)
—
60
Perf/Watt
55.9+11080%
0.5
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 came in at $249, while the RADEON 9600SE launched at $65. On MSRP, RADEON 9600SE was 73.9% cheaper ($184 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0.4 (RADEON 9600SE) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 10000% better value. The newer card here is RADEON 9600SE (2025 vs 2016).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RADEON 9600SE
MSRP
$249
$65-74%
Performance per Dollar
40.4+10000%
0.4
Codename
GP104
Strix Halo
Release
May 27 2016
January 6 2025
Ranking
#137
#98
Search GeForce GTX 1060 on AmazonSearch RADEON 9600SE on Amazon

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.