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

✅187.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $450 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1130% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 3.3 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon HD 5970: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon HD 5970 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.

Radeon HD 5970

2009

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 across 50 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.
❌
180.7% HIGHER MSRP
$699 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 3.3 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Radeon HD 5970

2009

Why buy it

✅187.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $450 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1130% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 3.3 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon HD 5970: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon HD 5970 is already obsolete for modern gaming.

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 across 50 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.
❌
180.7% HIGHER MSRP
$699 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 3.3 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1060 better than Radeon HD 5970?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce GTX 1060 averages 187.7% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 10,064 vs 2,297 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce GTX 1060 is a 2016 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while Radeon HD 5970 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, 338.1% 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 $450 cheaper on MSRP at $249 MSRP versus $699 MSRP, and you are getting 187.7% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 338.1% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 1130%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon HD 5970 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon HD 5970 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 $699 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 5970 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 5970
1080p
low	117 FPS	80 FPS
medium	105 FPS	65 FPS
high	91 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	33 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	67 FPS
medium	87 FPS	55 FPS
high	76 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	25 FPS
4K
low	55 FPS	24 FPS
medium	49 FPS	23 FPS
high	41 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	13 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon HD 5970

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 5970
1080p
low	216 FPS	85 FPS
medium	181 FPS	62 FPS
high	148 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	32 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	49 FPS
medium	107 FPS	32 FPS
high	87 FPS	24 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	17 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	18 FPS
medium	51 FPS	12 FPS
high	49 FPS	9 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	7 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon HD 5970

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 5970
1080p
low	453 FPS	103 FPS
medium	362 FPS	83 FPS
high	302 FPS	69 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	52 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	78 FPS
medium	272 FPS	62 FPS
high	226 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	39 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	52 FPS
medium	181 FPS	41 FPS
high	151 FPS	34 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	26 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon HD 5970

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 5970
1080p
low	358 FPS	103 FPS
medium	302 FPS	83 FPS
high	260 FPS	69 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	52 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	78 FPS
medium	254 FPS	62 FPS
high	208 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	39 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	52 FPS
medium	133 FPS	41 FPS
high	123 FPS	34 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	25 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon HD 5970

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon HD 5970

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 5970

The Radeon HD 5970 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 18 2009. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 1600 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 294W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,297 points. Launch price was $699.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon HD 5970's 2,297 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 338.1%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 5970 uses TeraScale 2, both on 16 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1,600 (Radeon HD 5970). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2.32 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 5970).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 5970
G3D Mark Score	10,064+338%	2,297
Architecture	Pascal	TeraScale 2
Process Node	16 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	2560+60%	1600 ×2
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS+282%	2.32 TFLOPS ×2
ROPs	64+100%	32 ×2
TMUs	160+100%	80 ×2
L1 Cache	960 KB+200%	320 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 5970 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 5970
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 5970 has 2 GB. The GeForce GTX 1060 offers 200% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 192-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 5970) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 5970
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+200%	2 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 11.2 (Radeon HD 5970). Vulkan: 1.3 vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 5970
DirectX	12+7%	11.2
Vulkan	1.3	N/A
OpenGL	4.5+2%	4.4
Max Displays	4+33%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs None (Radeon HD 5970). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 2.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 5970).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 5970
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	None
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	UVD 2.2
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon HD 5970's 294W — a 48.1% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 650W (Radeon HD 5970). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 173mm vs 305mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 5970
TDP	180W-39%	294W
Recommended PSU	400W-38%	650W
Power Connector	6-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	173mm	305mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	—	90
Perf/Watt	55.9+617%	7.8

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon HD 5970 launched at $699. The GeForce GTX 1060 costs 64.4% less ($450 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 3.3 (Radeon HD 5970) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 1124.2% better value. The GeForce GTX 1060 is the newer GPU (2016 vs 2009).