GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R7 A265

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

2016Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1733 MHz
GTX family
·······
VS
AMD

Radeon R7 A265

2014Core: 725 MHzBoost: 825 MHz

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R7 A265 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 R7 A265 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 R7 A265: 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

  • 1066.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 505.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 6.7 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
  • 1100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 512 MB).
  • Radeon R7 A265 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.
  • 500% higher power demand at 180W vs 30W.

Radeon R7 A265

2014

Why buy it

  • Costs $100 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • Draws 30W instead of 180W, a 150W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2014 hardware with 512 MB 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 6.7 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($149 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 1066.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 912.5% in PassMark G3D (10,064 vs 994), 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 512 MB of VRAM, a 16nm process instead of 28nm, and a newer 2016 generation instead of 2014. 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 $100 more expensive on MSRP at $249 vs $149, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 505.9% (40.4 vs 6.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R7 A265 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 R7 A265

The Radeon R7 A265 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 9 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 725 MHz to 825 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 994 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon R7 A265's 994 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 912.5%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon R7 A265 uses GCN 1.0, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 384 (Radeon R7 A265). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0.6336 TFLOPS (Radeon R7 A265). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 825 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R7 A265
G3D Mark Score
10,064+912%
994
Architecture
Pascal
GCN 1.0
Process Node
16 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
2560+567%
384
Compute (TFLOPS)
8.873 TFLOPS+1300%
0.6336 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1733 MHz+110%
825 MHz
ROPs
64+700%
8
TMUs
160+567%
24
L1 Cache
960 KB+900%
96 KB
L2 Cache
2 MB+700%
0.25 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R7 A265 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R7 A265
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 R7 A265 carries 512 MB. GeForce GTX 1060 gives you 1100% 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 R7 A265. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon R7 A265) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R7 A265
VRAM Capacity
6 GB+1100%
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
192 GB/s
Unknown
Bus Width
192-bit+50%
128-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB+700%
0.25 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon R7 A265). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.5. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R7 A265
DirectX
12
12 (11_1)
Vulkan
1.3+18%
1.1
OpenGL
4.5
4.5
Max Displays
4+100%
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R7 A265). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 4.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon R7 A265).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R7 A265
Encoder
NVENC (Pascal)
VCE 1.0
Decoder
NVDEC (Pascal)
UVD 4.0
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon R7 A265's 30W — a 142.9% difference. The Radeon R7 A265 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 350W (Radeon R7 A265). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R7 A265
TDP
180W
30W-83%
Recommended PSU
400W
350W-13%
Power Connector
6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
173mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
75
Perf/Watt
55.9+69%
33.1
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 came in at $249, while the Radeon R7 A265 launched at $149. On MSRP, Radeon R7 A265 was 40.2% cheaper ($100 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 6.7 (Radeon R7 A265) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 503% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1060 (2016 vs 2014).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R7 A265
MSRP
$249
$149-40%
Performance per Dollar
40.4+503%
6.7
Codename
GP104
Opal
Release
May 27 2016
January 9 2014
Ranking
#137
#890

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