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GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon HD 6790

CPUCPUGPUGPU
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

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

Radeon HD 6790

2011Core: 840 MHz
Buy on Amazon

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon HD 6790 Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 1060
6 GB 180
10,064
+542.2%
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 6790
1 GB 150
1,567
0.0%
brand logoRadeon R7 G
brand logoRadeon HD 6750
brand logoRadeon HD 8670D + HD 6670 Dual
brand logoRadeon HD 4870
brand logoRadeon R9 380X
brand logoRadeon RX 7600M
brand logoRadeon RX 7700S
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 6790 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 6790
low23 FPS
medium13 FPS
high8 FPS
ultra4 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low216 FPS
medium181 FPS
high148 FPS
ultra113 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 6790
low66 FPS
medium38 FPS
high26 FPS
ultra17 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low453 FPS
medium362 FPS
high302 FPS
ultra226 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 6790
low71 FPS
medium56 FPS
high47 FPS
ultra35 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low358 FPS
medium302 FPS
high260 FPS
ultra226 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 6790
low71 FPS
medium56 FPS
high47 FPS
ultra35 FPS
Among Us

Among Us

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low60 FPS
medium60 FPS
high60 FPS
ultra60 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 6790
low60 FPS
medium56 FPS
high47 FPS
ultra35 FPS
Apex Legends

Apex Legends

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low237 FPS
medium218 FPS
high193 FPS
ultra177 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 6790
low52 FPS
medium34 FPS
high22 FPS
ultra13 FPS
ARC Raiders

ARC Raiders

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low92 FPS
medium73 FPS
high59 FPS
ultra41 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 6790
low20 FPS
medium12 FPS
high5 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 6790
low28 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 6790
low54 FPS
medium45 FPS
high31 FPS
ultra19 FPS
Call of Duty: Warzone

Call of Duty: Warzone

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low122 FPS
medium101 FPS
high85 FPS
ultra72 FPS
1080P
Radeon HD 6790
low28 FPS
medium23 FPS
high12 FPS
ultra5 FPS
Check FPS with Custom Builds

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon HD 6790: 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

  • ✅445.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • ✅Delivers 284.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 10.5 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
  • ✅500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 1 GB).
  • ✅Radeon HD 6790 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so GeForce GTX 1060 is the less risky modern option long term.
  • ✅Measures 173mm instead of 240mm, a 67mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • ❌2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • ❌20% higher power demand at 180W vs 150W.

Radeon HD 6790

2011

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $100 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • ✅Draws 150W instead of 180W, a 30W 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.
  • ❌2011 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 10.5 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • ❌38.7% longer card at 240mm 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 445.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 542.2% in PassMark G3D (10,064 vs 1,567), 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 2011. 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 $100 more expensive on MSRP at $249 vs $149, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 284.3% (40.4 vs 10.5), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon HD 6790 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 6790

The Radeon HD 6790 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 4 2011. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 840 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,567 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon HD 6790's 1,567 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 542.2%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 6790 uses TeraScale 2, both on 16 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 800 (Radeon HD 6790). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1.344 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6790).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon HD 6790
G3D Mark Score
10,064+542%
1,567
Architecture
Pascal
TeraScale 2
Process Node
16 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
2560+220%
800
Compute (TFLOPS)
8.873 TFLOPS+560%
1.344 TFLOPS
ROPs
64+300%
16
TMUs
160+300%
40
L1 Cache
960 KB+500%
160 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 6790 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon HD 6790
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 6790 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 6790. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 6790) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon HD 6790
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 11.2 (11_0) (Radeon HD 6790). Vulkan: 1.3 vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon HD 6790
DirectX
12+7%
11.2 (11_0)
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 6790). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 6790).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon HD 6790
Encoder
NVENC (Pascal)
None
Decoder
NVDEC (Pascal)
UVD 3.0
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon HD 6790's 150W — a 18.2% difference. The Radeon HD 6790 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 450W (Radeon HD 6790). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 173mm vs 240mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon HD 6790
TDP
180W
150W-17%
Recommended PSU
400W-11%
450W
Power Connector
6-pin
2x 6-pin
Length
173mm
240mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
—
80
Perf/Watt
55.9+438%
10.4
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 came in at $249, while the Radeon HD 6790 launched at $149. On MSRP, Radeon HD 6790 was 40.2% cheaper ($100 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 10.5 (Radeon HD 6790) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 284.8% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1060 (2016 vs 2011).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon HD 6790
MSRP
$249
$149-40%
Performance per Dollar
40.4+285%
10.5
Codename
GP104
Barts
Release
May 27 2016
April 4 2011
Ranking
#137
#759
Search GeForce GTX 1060 on AmazonSearch Radeon HD 6790 on Amazon

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