GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon HD 3850 AGP

CPU

GPU

GeForce GTX 1060

2016Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1733 MHz

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Radeon HD 3850 AGP

2012Boost: 1000 MHz

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GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon HD 3850 AGP Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 1060

6 GB 180

10,064

+2229.6%

GeForce GTX 680

GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE

GeForce RTX 2050 Mobile

GeForce GTX TITAN Z

GeForce GTX 980 Ti

GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile

GeForce RTX 2080 Ti

GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile

Radeon HD 3850 AGP

1 GB 130

432

0.0%

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 3850 AGP 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.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon HD 3850 AGP: 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

✅1018.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 1116.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 3.3 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $130 MSRP).
✅500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 1 GB).
✅Radeon HD 3850 AGP is already obsolete for modern gaming, so GeForce GTX 1060 is the less risky modern option long term.
✅Measures 173mm instead of 230mm, a 57mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌38.5% higher power demand at 180W vs 130W.

Radeon HD 3850 AGP

2012

Why buy it

✅Costs $119 less on MSRP ($130 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
✅Draws 130W instead of 180W, a 50W 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.
❌2012 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 3.3 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($130 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌32.9% longer card at 230mm vs 173mm.

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 1018.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2229.6% in PassMark G3D (10,064 vs 432), 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 28nm, and a newer 2016 generation instead of 2012. 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 $119 more expensive on MSRP at $249 vs $130, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1116.3% (40.4 vs 3.3), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon HD 3850 AGP Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

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 HD 3850 AGP

The Radeon HD 3850 AGP is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 5 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 130W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 432 points. Launch price was $249.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon HD 3850 AGP's 432 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 2229.6%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 3850 AGP uses GCN 1.0, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1,024 (Radeon HD 3850 AGP). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1.761 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 3850 AGP). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
G3D Mark Score	10,064+2230%	432
Architecture	Pascal	GCN 1.0
Process Node	16 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2560+150%	1024
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS+404%	1.761 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1733 MHz+73%	1000 MHz
ROPs	64+100%	32
TMUs	160+150%	64
L1 Cache	960 KB+275%	256 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 3850 AGP leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
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 3850 AGP 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 3850 AGP. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 3850 AGP) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
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+300%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 3850 AGP). Vulkan: 1.3 vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
DirectX	12+19%	10.1
Vulkan	1.3	N/A
OpenGL	4.5+36%	3.3
Max Displays	4+100%	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs None (Radeon HD 3850 AGP). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 1.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 3850 AGP).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	None
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	UVD 1.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon HD 3850 AGP's 130W — a 32.3% difference. The Radeon HD 3850 AGP is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 450W (Radeon HD 3850 AGP). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 173mm vs 230mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
TDP	180W	130W-28%
Recommended PSU	400W-11%	450W
Power Connector	6-pin	8-pin
Length	173mm	230mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	1-50%
Temp (Load)	—	80
Perf/Watt	55.9+1594%	3.3

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 came in at $249, while the Radeon HD 3850 AGP launched at $130. On MSRP, Radeon HD 3850 AGP was 47.8% cheaper ($119 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 3.3 (Radeon HD 3850 AGP) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 1124.2% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1060 (2016 vs 2012).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
MSRP	$249	$130-48%
Performance per Dollar	40.4+1124%	3.3
Codename	GP104	Pitcairn
Release	May 27 2016	March 5 2012
Ranking	#137	#503

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