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

✅+174.7% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon HD 7970M: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon HD 7970M 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.
❌80% higher power demand at 180W vs 100W.

Radeon HD 7970M

2012

Why buy it

✅Draws 100W instead of 180W, a 80W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (3,663 vs 10,064).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 40.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Radeon HD 7970M

2012

Why buy it

✅+174.7% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon HD 7970M: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon HD 7970M is already obsolete for modern gaming.

Why buy it

✅Draws 100W instead of 180W, a 80W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌80% higher power demand at 180W vs 100W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (3,663 vs 10,064).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 40.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1060 better than Radeon HD 7970M?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 10,064 vs 3,663 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce GTX 1060 is a 2016 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while Radeon HD 7970M is a 2012 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 2012, 174.7% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 6 GB instead of 4 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 priced in an unclear MSRP range at $249 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 174.7% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon HD 7970M still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon HD 7970M 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 an unclear 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 7970M Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 7970M
1080p
low	117 FPS	103 FPS
medium	105 FPS	88 FPS
high	91 FPS	71 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	42 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	90 FPS
medium	87 FPS	77 FPS
high	76 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	32 FPS
4K
low	55 FPS	28 FPS
medium	49 FPS	27 FPS
high	41 FPS	18 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	15 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon HD 7970M

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 7970M
1080p
low	216 FPS	150 FPS
medium	181 FPS	112 FPS
high	148 FPS	81 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	54 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	102 FPS
medium	107 FPS	71 FPS
high	87 FPS	54 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	39 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	51 FPS
medium	51 FPS	37 FPS
high	49 FPS	29 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	20 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon HD 7970M

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 7970M
1080p
low	453 FPS	165 FPS
medium	362 FPS	132 FPS
high	302 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	82 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	124 FPS
medium	272 FPS	99 FPS
high	226 FPS	82 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	62 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	82 FPS
medium	181 FPS	66 FPS
high	151 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	41 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon HD 7970M

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 7970M
1080p
low	358 FPS	144 FPS
medium	302 FPS	114 FPS
high	260 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	80 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	104 FPS
medium	254 FPS	85 FPS
high	208 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	56 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	61 FPS
medium	133 FPS	46 FPS
high	123 FPS	36 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	25 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon HD 7970M

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon HD 7970M

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 7970M

The Radeon HD 7970M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 24 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,663 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon HD 7970M's 3,663 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 174.7%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 7970M uses GCN 1.0, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 7970M). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2.176 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7970M).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 7970M
G3D Mark Score	10,064+175%	3,663
Architecture	Pascal	GCN 1.0
Process Node	16 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2560+100%	1280
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS+308%	2.176 TFLOPS
ROPs	64+100%	32
TMUs	160+100%	80
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 7970M relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 7970M
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 7970M has 4 GB. The GeForce GTX 1060 offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 192-bit vs System. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 7970M) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 7970M
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+50%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	Shared
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s	System
Bus Width	192-bit	System
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 7970M). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 7970M
DirectX	12	12 (11_1)
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7970M). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 3. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 7970M).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 7970M
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	VCE 1.0
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	UVD 3
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 7970M's 100W — a 57.1% difference. The Radeon HD 7970M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7970M). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 7970M
TDP	180W	100W-44%
Recommended PSU	400W	350W-13%
Power Connector	6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	173mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	—	85°C
Perf/Watt	55.9+53%	36.6