GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R7 A8-7690K

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

2016Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1733 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon R7 A8-7690K

2015Boost: 975 MHz

Popular choices:

Performance Spectrum - GPU

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.

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

  • 383.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 183.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 14.3 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $80 MSRP).
  • 1100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 512 MB).
  • Less risky long-term buy than Radeon R7 A8-7690K: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R7 A8-7690K 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.
  • 80% higher power demand at 180W vs 100W.
  • 17200% longer card at 173mm vs 1mm.

Radeon R7 A8-7690K

2015

Why buy it

  • Costs $169 less on MSRP ($80 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • Draws 100W instead of 180W, a 80W reduction.
  • Measures 1mm instead of 173mm, a 172mm 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 512 MB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 14.3 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($80 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1060 better than Radeon R7 A8-7690K?
Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce GTX 1060 averages 383.2% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 10,064 vs 1,141 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce GTX 1060 is a 2016 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while Radeon R7 A8-7690K is a 2015 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?
GeForce GTX 1060 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2016 generation instead of 2015, 782.0% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 6 GB instead of 512 MB, 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 by a wide margin. GeForce GTX 1060 is about 211.2% more expensive on MSRP at $249 MSRP versus $80 MSRP, and you are getting 383.2% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 782.0% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R7 A8-7690K really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.
Is Radeon R7 A8-7690K still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon R7 A8-7690K is 2015 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM, 1,141 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

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.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R7 A8-7690K
1080p
low117 FPS51 FPS
medium105 FPS41 FPS
high91 FPS34 FPS
ultra77 FPS26 FPS
1440p
low103 FPS39 FPS
medium87 FPS31 FPS
high76 FPS26 FPS
ultra67 FPS19 FPS
4K
low55 FPS23 FPS
medium49 FPS21 FPS
high41 FPS14 FPS
ultra37 FPS12 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R7 A8-7690K
1080p
low216 FPS51 FPS
medium181 FPS41 FPS
high148 FPS34 FPS
ultra113 FPS26 FPS
1440p
low134 FPS39 FPS
medium107 FPS31 FPS
high87 FPS26 FPS
ultra68 FPS19 FPS
4K
low62 FPS23 FPS
medium51 FPS16 FPS
high49 FPS12 FPS
ultra41 FPS9 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R7 A8-7690K
1080p
low453 FPS51 FPS
medium362 FPS41 FPS
high302 FPS34 FPS
ultra226 FPS26 FPS
1440p
low340 FPS39 FPS
medium272 FPS31 FPS
high226 FPS26 FPS
ultra170 FPS19 FPS
4K
low226 FPS26 FPS
medium181 FPS21 FPS
high151 FPS17 FPS
ultra113 FPS13 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R7 A8-7690K
1080p
low358 FPS51 FPS
medium302 FPS41 FPS
high260 FPS34 FPS
ultra226 FPS26 FPS
1440p
low299 FPS39 FPS
medium254 FPS31 FPS
high208 FPS26 FPS
ultra170 FPS19 FPS
4K
low170 FPS26 FPS
medium133 FPS21 FPS
high123 FPS17 FPS
ultra102 FPS13 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon R7 A8-7690K

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 A8-7690K

The Radeon R7 A8-7690K is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 18 2015. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 975 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,141 points. Launch price was $149.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon R7 A8-7690K's 1,141 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 782%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon R7 A8-7690K uses GCN 1.0, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1,024 (Radeon R7 A8-7690K). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1.997 TFLOPS (Radeon R7 A8-7690K). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 975 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R7 A8-7690K
G3D Mark Score
10,064+782%
1,141
Architecture
Pascal
GCN 1.0
Process Node
16 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
2560+150%
1024
Compute (TFLOPS)
8.873 TFLOPS+344%
1.997 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1733 MHz+78%
975 MHz
ROPs
64+100%
32
TMUs
160+150%
64
L1 Cache
960 KB+275%
256 KB
L2 Cache
2 MB+300%
0.5 MB

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 R7 A8-7690K relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R7 A8-7690K
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 R7 A8-7690K has 512 MB. The GeForce GTX 1060 offers 1100% 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 0.5 MB (Radeon R7 A8-7690K) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R7 A8-7690K
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+300%
0.5 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12 (Radeon R7 A8-7690K). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R7 A8-7690K
DirectX
12
12
Max Displays
4
0
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R7 A8-7690K). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 4.2.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R7 A8-7690K
Encoder
NVENC (Pascal)
VCE 2.0
Decoder
NVDEC (Pascal)
UVD 4.2
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon R7 A8-7690K's 100W — a 57.1% difference. The Radeon R7 A8-7690K is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 350W (Radeon R7 A8-7690K). Power connectors: 6-pin vs None. Card length: 173mm vs 1mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R7 A8-7690K
TDP
180W
100W-44%
Recommended PSU
400W
350W-13%
Power Connector
6-pin
None
Length
173mm
1mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Perf/Watt
55.9+390%
11.4
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon R7 A8-7690K launched at $80. The Radeon R7 A8-7690K costs 67.9% less ($169 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 14.3 (Radeon R7 A8-7690K) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 182.5% better value. The GeForce GTX 1060 is the newer GPU (2016 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R7 A8-7690K
MSRP
$249
$80-68%
Performance per Dollar
40.4+183%
14.3
Codename
GP104
Trinidad
Release
May 27 2016
June 18 2015
Ranking
#137
#467