GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R5 330

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

2016Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1733 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon R5 330

2017Core: 730 MHzBoost: 1024 MHz

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R5 330 Performance Spectrum

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 R5 330 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.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R5 330: 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

  • 1450.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 526% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 6.5 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $81 MSRP).
  • 200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 2 GB).
  • Radeon R5 330 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so GeForce GTX 1060 is the less risky modern option long term.

Trade-offs

  • 2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 260% higher power demand at 180W vs 50W.

Radeon R5 330

2017

Why buy it

  • Costs $168 less on MSRP ($81 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • Draws 50W instead of 180W, a 130W reduction.
  • Measures 168mm instead of 173mm, a 5mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2017 hardware with 2 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 6.5 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($81 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

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 1450.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1824.3% in PassMark G3D (10,064 vs 523), 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 2 GB of VRAM and a 16nm process instead of 28nm. 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 $168 more expensive on MSRP at $249 vs $81, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 526% (40.4 vs 6.5), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R5 330 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 R5 330

The Radeon R5 330 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 18 2017. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 730 MHz to 1024 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 523 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon R5 330's 523 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 1824.3%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon R5 330 uses GCN 3.0, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 384 (Radeon R5 330). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0.7864 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 330). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1024 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R5 330
G3D Mark Score
10,064+1824%
523
Architecture
Pascal
GCN 3.0
Process Node
16 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
2560+567%
384
Compute (TFLOPS)
8.873 TFLOPS+1028%
0.7864 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1733 MHz+69%
1024 MHz
ROPs
64+700%
8
TMUs
160+567%
24
L1 Cache
960 KB+900%
96 KB
L2 Cache
2 MB+1438%
0.13 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R5 330 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R5 330
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 R5 330 carries 2 GB. GeForce GTX 1060 gives you 200% 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 R5 330. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0.13 MB (Radeon R5 330) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R5 330
VRAM Capacity
6 GB+200%
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
192 GB/s
Unknown
Bus Width
192-bit+50%
128-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB+1438%
0.13 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12 (FL 11_1) (Radeon R5 330). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R5 330
DirectX
12
12 (FL 11_1)
Vulkan
1.3+8%
1.2
OpenGL
4.5
4.6+2%
Max Displays
4+100%
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 3.1. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon R5 330).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R5 330
Encoder
NVENC (Pascal)
Decoder
NVDEC (Pascal)
UVD 3.1
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon R5 330's 50W — a 113% difference. The Radeon R5 330 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 350W (Radeon R5 330). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 173mm vs 168mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R5 330
TDP
180W
50W-72%
Recommended PSU
400W
350W-13%
Power Connector
6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
173mm
168mm
Height
111mm
69mm
Slots
2
1-50%
Perf/Watt
55.9+432%
10.5
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 came in at $249, while the Radeon R5 330 launched at $81. On MSRP, Radeon R5 330 was 67.5% cheaper ($168 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 6.5 (Radeon R5 330) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 521.5% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R5 330 (2017 vs 2016).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R5 330
MSRP
$249
$81-67%
Performance per Dollar
40.4+522%
6.5
Codename
GP104
Weston
Release
May 27 2016
April 18 2017
Ranking
#137
#873

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