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

✅65.7% more average FPS across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $551 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅Delivers 304.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 10.0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Draws 180W instead of 225W, a 45W reduction.

Trade-offs

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

Radeon Pro V520

2020

Why buy it

✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌
221.3% HIGHER MSRP
$800 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 10.0 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌25% higher power demand at 225W vs 180W.

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Radeon Pro V520

2020

Why buy it

✅65.7% more average FPS across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $551 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅Delivers 304.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 10.0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Draws 180W instead of 225W, a 45W reduction.

Why buy it

✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

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 47 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌
221.3% HIGHER MSRP
$800 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 10.0 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌25% higher power demand at 225W vs 180W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1060 better than Radeon Pro V520?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce GTX 1060 averages 65.7% more FPS across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 10,064 vs 8,000 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce GTX 1060 is a 2016 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while Radeon Pro V520 is a 2020 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?

Radeon Pro V520 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2016, better upscaling support with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 7nm process instead of 16nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

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 $551 cheaper on MSRP at $249 MSRP versus $800 MSRP, and you are getting 65.7% more estimated average FPS across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data and 25.8% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 304.2%. Radeon Pro V520 is the newer 2020 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture and future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does Radeon Pro V520 make more sense than GeForce GTX 1060?

Yes. Radeon Pro V520 is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, future-proofing, and staying closer to $800 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of GeForce GTX 1060. The trade-off is that GeForce GTX 1060 currently gives you 25.8% higher G3D Mark and 65.7% more estimated average FPS across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 304.2%.

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 Pro V520 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro V520
1080p
low	117 FPS	91 FPS
medium	105 FPS	81 FPS
high	91 FPS	65 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	44 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	79 FPS
medium	87 FPS	68 FPS
high	76 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	34 FPS
4K
low	55 FPS	31 FPS
medium	49 FPS	29 FPS
high	41 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	19 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon Pro V520

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro V520
1080p
low	216 FPS	195 FPS
medium	181 FPS	153 FPS
high	148 FPS	106 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	79 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	128 FPS
medium	107 FPS	97 FPS
high	87 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	53 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	69 FPS
medium	51 FPS	54 FPS
high	49 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	31 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon Pro V520

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro V520
1080p
low	453 FPS	360 FPS
medium	362 FPS	288 FPS
high	302 FPS	240 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	180 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	270 FPS
medium	272 FPS	216 FPS
high	226 FPS	180 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	135 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	180 FPS
medium	181 FPS	144 FPS
high	151 FPS	120 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	90 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon Pro V520

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro V520
1080p
low	358 FPS	143 FPS
medium	302 FPS	115 FPS
high	260 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	84 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	108 FPS
medium	254 FPS	88 FPS
high	208 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	64 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	63 FPS
medium	133 FPS	51 FPS
high	123 FPS	40 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	31 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon Pro V520

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon Pro V520

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 Pro V520

The Radeon Pro V520 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 1 2020. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1000 MHz to 1600 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,000 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon Pro V520's 8,000 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 25.8%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon Pro V520 uses RDNA 1.0, both on 16 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2,304 (Radeon Pro V520). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 7.373 TFLOPS (Radeon Pro V520). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1600 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro V520
G3D Mark Score	10,064+26%	8,000
Architecture	Pascal	RDNA 1.0
Process Node	16 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	2560+11%	2304
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS+20%	7.373 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1733 MHz+8%	1600 MHz
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	160+11%	144
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

✨

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 Pro V520 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro V520
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 Pro V520 has 4 GB. The GeForce GTX 1060 offers 50% 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 4 MB (Radeon Pro V520) — the Radeon Pro V520 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro V520
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+50%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	192-bit+50%	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12.1 (Radeon Pro V520). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro V520
DirectX	12	12.1
Vulkan	1.3+18%	1.1
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	4	0

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs VCN 2.0 (Radeon Pro V520). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs VCN 2.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs H.264,H.265,VP9 (Radeon Pro V520).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro V520
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	VCN 2.0
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	VCN 2.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	H.264,H.265,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon Pro V520's 225W — a 22.2% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 350W (Radeon Pro V520). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 173mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro V520
TDP	180W-20%	225W
Recommended PSU	400W	350W-13%
Power Connector	6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	173mm	267mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	—	85°C
Perf/Watt	55.9+57%	35.6

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon Pro V520 launched at $800. The GeForce GTX 1060 costs 68.9% less ($551 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 10.0 (Radeon Pro V520) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 304% better value. The Radeon Pro V520 is the newer GPU (2020 vs 2016).