Chipversus Index
Jump to Section

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon HD 2900 XT

CPUCPUGPUGPU
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

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

Radeon HD 2900 XT

2013Core: 725 MHz
Buy on Amazon

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon HD 2900 XT Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 1060
6 GB 180
10,064
+1424.8%
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 HD 2900 XT
1 GB 25
660
0.0%
brand logoMobility Radeon HD 3850
brand logoMobility Radeon HD 5650
brand logoRadeon HD 8690A
brand logoRadeon HD 3870 X2
brand logoRadeon RX 6300
brand logoRadeon RX 7600M
brand logoRadeon RX 7600M XT
brand logoRadeon RX 6700 XT

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 HD 2900 XT 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 HD 2900 XT
low14 FPS
medium9 FPS
high6 FPS
ultra3 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low216 FPS
medium181 FPS
high148 FPS
ultra113 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 2900 XT
low23 FPS
medium10 FPS
high7 FPS
ultra5 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low453 FPS
medium362 FPS
high302 FPS
ultra226 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 2900 XT
low30 FPS
medium24 FPS
high20 FPS
ultra15 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low358 FPS
medium302 FPS
high260 FPS
ultra226 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 2900 XT
low30 FPS
medium24 FPS
high20 FPS
ultra14 FPS
Among Us

Among Us

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low60 FPS
medium60 FPS
high60 FPS
ultra60 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 2900 XT
low30 FPS
medium24 FPS
high20 FPS
ultra15 FPS
Apex Legends

Apex Legends

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low237 FPS
medium218 FPS
high193 FPS
ultra177 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 2900 XT
low6 FPS
medium3 FPS
high2 FPS
ultra2 FPS
ARC Raiders

ARC Raiders

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low92 FPS
medium73 FPS
high59 FPS
ultra41 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 2900 XT
low5 FPS
medium4 FPS
high3 FPS
ultra2 FPS
Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low128 FPS
medium104 FPS
high94 FPS
ultra70 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 2900 XT
low27 FPS
medium17 FPS
high12 FPS
ultra10 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 HD 2900 XT
low30 FPS
medium24 FPS
high20 FPS
ultra15 FPS
Call of Duty: Warzone

Call of Duty: Warzone

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low122 FPS
medium101 FPS
high85 FPS
ultra72 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 2900 XT
low5 FPS
medium4 FPS
high2 FPS
ultra2 FPS
Check FPS with Custom Builds

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon HD 2900 XT: 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

  • ✅1343.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • ✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 2343.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 1.7 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
  • ✅500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 1 GB).
  • ✅Radeon HD 2900 XT is already obsolete for modern gaming, so GeForce GTX 1060 is the less risky modern option long term.

Trade-offs

  • ❌2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • ❌620% higher power demand at 180W vs 25W.

Radeon HD 2900 XT

2013

Why buy it

  • ✅Draws 25W instead of 180W, a 155W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • ❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌2013 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌
    60.2% HIGHER MSRP
    $399 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.7 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($399 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 1343.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1424.8% in PassMark G3D (10,064 vs 660), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce GTX 1060 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 6 GB vs 1 GB of VRAM, a 16nm process instead of 40nm, and a newer 2016 generation instead of 2013. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 1060 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $150 cheaper on MSRP at $249 vs $399, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 2343.4% (40.4 vs 1.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon HD 2900 XT 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 HD 2900 XT

The Radeon HD 2900 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 7 2013. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 480 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 25W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 660 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon HD 2900 XT's 660 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 1424.8%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 2900 XT uses TeraScale 2, both on 16 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 480 (Radeon HD 2900 XT). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0.696 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 2900 XT).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon HD 2900 XT
G3D Mark Score
10,064+1425%
660
Architecture
Pascal
TeraScale 2
Process Node
16 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
2560+433%
480
Compute (TFLOPS)
8.873 TFLOPS+1175%
0.696 TFLOPS
ROPs
64+700%
8
TMUs
160+567%
24
L1 Cache
960 KB+1900%
48 KB
L2 Cache
2 MB+700%
0.25 MB
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 2900 XT leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon HD 2900 XT
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 HD 2900 XT carries 1 GB. GeForce GTX 1060 gives you 500% 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 128-bit on the Radeon HD 2900 XT. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 2900 XT) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon HD 2900 XT
VRAM Capacity
6 GB+500%
1 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
192 GB/s
Unknown
Bus Width
192-bit+50%
128-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB+700%
0.25 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 10.0 (Radeon HD 2900 XT). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon HD 2900 XT
DirectX
12+20%
10.0
Max Displays
4+100%
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs UVD+ (Radeon HD 2900 XT). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD+. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs H.264 (Radeon HD 2900 XT).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon HD 2900 XT
Encoder
NVENC (Pascal)
UVD+
Decoder
NVDEC (Pascal)
UVD+
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC
H.264
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon HD 2900 XT's 25W — a 151.2% difference. The Radeon HD 2900 XT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 350W (Radeon HD 2900 XT). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 173mm vs 241mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon HD 2900 XT
TDP
180W
25W-86%
Recommended PSU
400W
350W-13%
Power Connector
6-pin
1x 6-pin
Length
173mm
241mm
Height
111mm
—
Slots
2
2
Perf/Watt
55.9+112%
26.4
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 came in at $249, while the Radeon HD 2900 XT launched at $399. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 1060 was 37.6% cheaper ($150 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1.7 (Radeon HD 2900 XT) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 2276.5% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1060 (2016 vs 2013).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon HD 2900 XT
MSRP
$249-38%
$399
Performance per Dollar
40.4+2276%
1.7
Codename
GP104
Thames
Release
May 27 2016
January 7 2013
Ranking
#137
#883
Search GeForce GTX 1060 on AmazonSearch Radeon HD 2900 XT 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.