GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire

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

✅+83% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $51 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅Delivers 120.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 18.3 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire 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 8970M Crossfire

2012

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (5,500 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.
❌
20.5% HIGHER MSRP
$300 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 18.3 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire

2012

Why buy it

✅+83% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $51 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅Delivers 120.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 18.3 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire 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 PassMark G3D performance (5,500 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.
❌
20.5% HIGHER MSRP
$300 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 18.3 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1060 better than Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 83% higher PassMark G3D performance and 6 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM. It also comes from 2016 instead of 2012, which helps its case as the more complete modern gaming card.

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, 83.0% 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 about $51 cheaper on MSRP at $249 MSRP versus $300 MSRP, and you are getting 83.0% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 120.5%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire 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 $300 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 8970M Crossfire Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire
1080p
low	117 FPS	96 FPS
medium	105 FPS	84 FPS
high	91 FPS	65 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	39 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	87 FPS
medium	87 FPS	75 FPS
high	76 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	30 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 8970M Crossfire

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire
1080p
low	216 FPS	94 FPS
medium	181 FPS	65 FPS
high	148 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	31 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	53 FPS
medium	107 FPS	31 FPS
high	87 FPS	22 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	16 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	18 FPS
medium	51 FPS	11 FPS
high	49 FPS	9 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	7 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire
1080p
low	453 FPS	248 FPS
medium	362 FPS	198 FPS
high	302 FPS	165 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	124 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	186 FPS
medium	272 FPS	148 FPS
high	226 FPS	124 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	93 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	124 FPS
medium	181 FPS	99 FPS
high	151 FPS	82 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	62 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire
1080p
low	358 FPS	156 FPS
medium	302 FPS	128 FPS
high	260 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	89 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	114 FPS
medium	254 FPS	95 FPS
high	208 FPS	86 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	66 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	66 FPS
medium	133 FPS	52 FPS
high	123 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	31 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire

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 8970M Crossfire

The Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 1 2012. It features the GCN architecture. The core clock ranges from 850 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,500 points.

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Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire's 5,500 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 83%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire uses GCN, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2,560 (Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 900 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire
G3D Mark Score	10,064+83%	5,500
Architecture	Pascal	GCN
Process Node	16 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2560	2560
Boost Clock	1733 MHz+93%	900 MHz

✨

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 8970M Crossfire relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire
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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 1060 comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire has 4 GB. The GeForce GTX 1060 offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 153.6 GB/s x2 (Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire) — a 25% advantage for the GeForce GTX 1060. Bus width: 192-bit vs 256-bit x2.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+50%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s+25%	153.6 GB/s x2
Bus Width	192-bit	256-bit x2+33%

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire's 200W — a 10.5% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire
TDP	180W-10%	200W
Recommended PSU	400W	350W-13%
Power Connector	6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	173mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Perf/Watt	55.9+103%	27.5

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire launched at $300. The GeForce GTX 1060 costs 17% less ($51 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 18.3 (Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 120.8% better value. The GeForce GTX 1060 is the newer GPU (2016 vs 2012).