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

✅255.2% more average FPS across 42 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $50 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Delivers 518.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 6.5 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon HD 5850: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon HD 5850 is already obsolete for modern gaming.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌19.2% higher power demand at 180W vs 151W.

Radeon HD 5850

2009

Why buy it

✅Draws 151W instead of 180W, a 29W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 across 42 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2009-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
20.1% HIGHER MSRP
$299 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 6.5 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Radeon HD 5850

2009

Why buy it

✅255.2% more average FPS across 42 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $50 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Delivers 518.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 6.5 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon HD 5850: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon HD 5850 is already obsolete for modern gaming.

Why buy it

✅Draws 151W instead of 180W, a 29W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌19.2% higher power demand at 180W vs 151W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 across 42 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2009-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
20.1% HIGHER MSRP
$299 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 6.5 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1060 better than Radeon HD 5850?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce GTX 1060 averages 255.2% more FPS across 42 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 10,064 vs 1,955 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce GTX 1060 is a 2016 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while Radeon HD 5850 is a 2009 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. 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?

GeForce GTX 1060 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2016 generation instead of 2009, 414.8% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 6 GB instead of 2 GB, and the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling. 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?

GeForce GTX 1060 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce GTX 1060 is about $50 cheaper on MSRP at $249 MSRP versus $299 MSRP, and you are getting 255.2% more estimated average FPS across 42 tracked games in our benchmark data and 414.8% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 518.2%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon HD 5850 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon HD 5850 is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $299 MSRP, even if GeForce GTX 1060 is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

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 HD 5850 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 5850
1080p
low	117 FPS	88 FPS
medium	105 FPS	70 FPS
high	91 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	38 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	66 FPS
medium	87 FPS	53 FPS
high	76 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	28 FPS
4K
low	55 FPS	27 FPS
medium	49 FPS	26 FPS
high	41 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon HD 5850

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 5850
1080p
low	216 FPS	82 FPS
medium	181 FPS	58 FPS
high	148 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	28 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	46 FPS
medium	107 FPS	30 FPS
high	87 FPS	22 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	15 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	17 FPS
medium	51 FPS	11 FPS
high	49 FPS	9 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	6 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon HD 5850

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 5850
1080p
low	453 FPS	88 FPS
medium	362 FPS	70 FPS
high	302 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	44 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	66 FPS
medium	272 FPS	53 FPS
high	226 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	33 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	44 FPS
medium	181 FPS	35 FPS
high	151 FPS	29 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	22 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon HD 5850

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 5850
1080p
low	358 FPS	88 FPS
medium	302 FPS	70 FPS
high	260 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	44 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	66 FPS
medium	254 FPS	53 FPS
high	208 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	33 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	44 FPS
medium	133 FPS	35 FPS
high	123 FPS	29 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	22 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon HD 5850

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon HD 5850

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 5850

The Radeon HD 5850 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 30 2009. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 1440 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 151W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,955 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon HD 5850's 1,955 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 414.8%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 5850 uses TeraScale 2, both on 16 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1,440 (Radeon HD 5850). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2.088 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 5850).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 5850
G3D Mark Score	10,064+415%	1,955
Architecture	Pascal	TeraScale 2
Process Node	16 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	2560+78%	1440
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS+325%	2.088 TFLOPS
ROPs	64+100%	32
TMUs	160+122%	72
L1 Cache	960 KB+567%	144 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

✨

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 HD 5850 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 5850
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 HD 5850 has 2 GB. The GeForce GTX 1060 offers 200% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 128 GB/s (Radeon HD 5850) — a 50% advantage for the GeForce GTX 1060. Bus width: 192-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 5850) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 5850
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+200%	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s+50%	128 GB/s
Bus Width	192-bit	256-bit+33%
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

🎬

Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs H.264 (Radeon HD 5850).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 5850
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	—
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	—
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	H.264

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon HD 5850's 151W — a 17.5% difference. The Radeon HD 5850 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 500W (Radeon HD 5850). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 5850
TDP	180W	151W-16%
Recommended PSU	400W-20%	500W
Power Connector	6-pin	2x 6-pin
Length	173mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Perf/Watt	55.9+333%	12.9

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon HD 5850 launched at $299. The GeForce GTX 1060 costs 16.7% less ($50 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 6.5 (Radeon HD 5850) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 521.5% better value. The GeForce GTX 1060 is the newer GPU (2016 vs 2009).