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 $1,050 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $1,299 MSRP).
✅Delivers 83.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 22.0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $1,299 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 Radeon AI PRO R9700 across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 32 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.

Radeon AI PRO R9700

2025

Why buy it

✅65.3% more average FPS across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅433.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (32 GB vs 6 GB).
✅More future proof: RDNA 4.0 (2025) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌
421.7% HIGHER MSRP
$1,299 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 22.0 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($1,299 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

Radeon AI PRO R9700

2025

Why buy it

✅Costs $1,050 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $1,299 MSRP).
✅Delivers 83.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 22.0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $1,299 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

✅65.3% more average FPS across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅433.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (32 GB vs 6 GB).
✅More future proof: RDNA 4.0 (2025) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon AI PRO R9700 across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 32 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

❌
421.7% HIGHER MSRP
$1,299 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 22.0 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($1,299 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 Radeon AI PRO R9700 better than GeForce GTX 1060?

Yes. Radeon AI PRO R9700 is clearly the better overall GPU here. Radeon AI PRO R9700 averages 65.3% more FPS across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 28,589 vs 10,064 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon AI PRO R9700 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 AI PRO R9700 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2025 generation instead of 2016, 184.1% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 32 GB instead of 6 GB, and better upscaling support with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack. 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?

Radeon AI PRO R9700 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon AI PRO R9700 is about 421.7% more expensive on MSRP at $1,299 MSRP versus $249 MSRP, and you are getting 65.3% more estimated average FPS across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data and 184.1% 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

Radeon AI PRO R9700 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon AI PRO R9700
1080p
low	117 FPS	222 FPS
medium	105 FPS	206 FPS
high	91 FPS	179 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	163 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	201 FPS
medium	87 FPS	170 FPS
high	76 FPS	139 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	131 FPS
4K
low	55 FPS	136 FPS
medium	49 FPS	115 FPS
high	41 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	86 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon AI PRO R9700

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon AI PRO R9700
1080p
low	216 FPS	572 FPS
medium	181 FPS	452 FPS
high	148 FPS	351 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	281 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	405 FPS
medium	107 FPS	324 FPS
high	87 FPS	267 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	207 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	205 FPS
medium	51 FPS	170 FPS
high	49 FPS	153 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	121 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon AI PRO R9700

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon AI PRO R9700
1080p
low	453 FPS	911 FPS
medium	362 FPS	755 FPS
high	302 FPS	672 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	574 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	701 FPS
medium	272 FPS	576 FPS
high	226 FPS	501 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	421 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	492 FPS
medium	181 FPS	406 FPS
high	151 FPS	348 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	284 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon AI PRO R9700

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon AI PRO R9700
1080p
low	358 FPS	812 FPS
medium	302 FPS	706 FPS
high	260 FPS	636 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	558 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	639 FPS
medium	254 FPS	555 FPS
high	208 FPS	486 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	426 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	424 FPS
medium	133 FPS	376 FPS
high	123 FPS	341 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	297 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon AI PRO R9700

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon AI PRO R9700

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.

Radeon AI PRO R9700

The Radeon AI PRO R9700 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 23 2025. It features the RDNA 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1660 MHz to 2920 MHz. It has 4096 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 64 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 28,589 points. Launch price was $1,299.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon AI PRO R9700's 28,589 — the Radeon AI PRO R9700 leads by 184.1%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon AI PRO R9700 uses RDNA 4.0, both on 16 nm vs 4 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 4,096 (Radeon AI PRO R9700). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 47.84 TFLOPS (Radeon AI PRO R9700). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 2920 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon AI PRO R9700
G3D Mark Score	10,064	28,589+184%
Architecture	Pascal	RDNA 4.0
Process Node	16 nm	4 nm
Shading Units	2560	4096+60%
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS	47.84 TFLOPS+439%
Boost Clock	1733 MHz	2920 MHz+68%
ROPs	64	128+100%
TMUs	160	256+60%
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 AI PRO R9700 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon AI PRO R9700
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 AI PRO R9700 has 32 GB. The Radeon AI PRO R9700 offers 433.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 192-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 8 MB (Radeon AI PRO R9700) — the Radeon AI PRO R9700 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon AI PRO R9700
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	32 GB+433%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	192-bit	256-bit+33%
L2 Cache	2 MB	8 MB+300%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12.2 (Radeon AI PRO R9700). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon AI PRO R9700
DirectX	12	12.2+2%
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 VCN 5.0 (Radeon AI PRO R9700). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs VCN 5.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Radeon AI PRO R9700).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon AI PRO R9700
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	VCN 5.0
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	VCN 5.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon AI PRO R9700's 300W — a 50% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 650W (Radeon AI PRO R9700). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 173mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon AI PRO R9700
TDP	180W-40%	300W
Recommended PSU	400W-38%	650W
Power Connector	6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	173mm	267mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	—	75°C
Perf/Watt	55.9	95.3+70%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon AI PRO R9700 launched at $1299. The GeForce GTX 1060 costs 80.8% less ($1050 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 22.0 (Radeon AI PRO R9700) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 83.6% better value. The Radeon AI PRO R9700 is the newer GPU (2025 vs 2016).