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

✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 33.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 30.3 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅100+% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs Unknown).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon Pro Vega 56: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon Pro Vega 56 is already obsolete for modern gaming.
✅Draws 180W instead of 210W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (10,064 vs 12,104).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Radeon Pro Vega 56

2017

Why buy it

✅+20.3% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅More future proof: GCN 5.0 (2017−2020) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with Unknown vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with Unknown of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
60.2% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 30.3 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌16.7% higher power demand at 210W vs 180W.

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Radeon Pro Vega 56

2017

Why buy it

✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 33.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 30.3 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅100+% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs Unknown).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon Pro Vega 56: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon Pro Vega 56 is already obsolete for modern gaming.
✅Draws 180W instead of 210W, a 30W reduction.

Why buy it

✅+20.3% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅More future proof: GCN 5.0 (2017−2020) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (10,064 vs 12,104).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with Unknown vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with Unknown of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
60.2% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 30.3 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌16.7% higher power demand at 210W vs 180W.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon Pro Vega 56 better than GeForce GTX 1060?

Yes. Radeon Pro Vega 56 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 12,104 vs 10,064 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon Pro Vega 56 is a 2017 card with FSR upscaling, while GeForce GTX 1060 is a 2016 model from an older generation with no meaningful modern upscaling stack. 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 more VRAM at 6 GB instead of Unknown and the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

Radeon Pro Vega 56 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon Pro Vega 56 is about 60.2% more expensive on MSRP at $399 MSRP versus $249 MSRP, and you are getting 20.3% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 1060 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

When does GeForce GTX 1060 make more sense than Radeon Pro Vega 56?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 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 lower power draw (180W vs 210W), future-proofing, and staying closer to $249 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon Pro Vega 56. The trade-off is that Radeon Pro Vega 56 currently gives you 20.3% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 1060 still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium.

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 Vega 56 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro Vega 56
1080p
low	117 FPS	95 FPS
medium	105 FPS	82 FPS
high	91 FPS	70 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	48 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	79 FPS
medium	87 FPS	68 FPS
high	76 FPS	53 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	36 FPS
4K
low	55 FPS	31 FPS
medium	49 FPS	28 FPS
high	41 FPS	22 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	19 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon Pro Vega 56

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro Vega 56
1080p
low	216 FPS	267 FPS
medium	181 FPS	227 FPS
high	148 FPS	178 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	144 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	189 FPS
medium	107 FPS	162 FPS
high	87 FPS	132 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	105 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	100 FPS
medium	51 FPS	83 FPS
high	49 FPS	71 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	55 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon Pro Vega 56

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro Vega 56
1080p
low	453 FPS	485 FPS
medium	362 FPS	417 FPS
high	302 FPS	363 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	272 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	386 FPS
medium	272 FPS	327 FPS
high	226 FPS	272 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	204 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	245 FPS
medium	181 FPS	202 FPS
high	151 FPS	160 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	123 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon Pro Vega 56

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro Vega 56
1080p
low	358 FPS	176 FPS
medium	302 FPS	144 FPS
high	260 FPS	123 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	104 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	127 FPS
medium	254 FPS	107 FPS
high	208 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	78 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	73 FPS
medium	133 FPS	61 FPS
high	123 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	37 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon Pro Vega 56

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon Pro Vega 56

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 Vega 56

The Radeon Pro Vega 56 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in August 14 2017. It features the GCN 5.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1138 MHz to 1250 MHz. It has 3584 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 210W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 12,104 points. Launch price was $399.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon Pro Vega 56's 12,104 — the Radeon Pro Vega 56 leads by 20.3%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon Pro Vega 56 uses GCN 5.0, both on 16 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 3,584 (Radeon Pro Vega 56). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 8.96 TFLOPS (Radeon Pro Vega 56). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1250 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro Vega 56
G3D Mark Score	10,064	12,104+20%
Architecture	Pascal	GCN 5.0
Process Node	16 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	2560	3584+40%
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS	8.96 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1733 MHz+39%	1250 MHz
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	160	224+40%
L1 Cache	960 KB+7%	896 KB
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 Vega 56 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro Vega 56
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 Vega 56 has 0 MB. The GeForce GTX 1060 offers 100+% 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 Vega 56) — the Radeon Pro Vega 56 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro Vega 56
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	Shared System RAM
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 Vega 56). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro Vega 56
DirectX	12	12.1
Vulkan	1.3+18%	1.1
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs VCE 4.0 (Radeon Pro Vega 56). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 7.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon Pro Vega 56).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro Vega 56
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	VCE 4.0
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	UVD 7.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon Pro Vega 56's 210W — a 15.4% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1W (Radeon Pro Vega 56). Power connectors: 6-pin vs Integrated. Card length: 173mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon Pro Vega 56
TDP	180W-14%	210W
Recommended PSU	400W	1W-100%
Power Connector	6-pin	Integrated
Length	173mm	267mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	—	85°C
Perf/Watt	55.9	57.6+3%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon Pro Vega 56 launched at $399. The GeForce GTX 1060 costs 37.6% less ($150 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 30.3 (Radeon Pro Vega 56) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 33.3% better value. The Radeon Pro Vega 56 is the newer GPU (2017 vs 2016).