GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R9 270 / R7 370

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

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

Radeon R9 270 / R7 370

2015Core: 925 MHzBoost: 975 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 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 R9 270 / R7 370 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 R9 270 / R7 370: 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

  • 131.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 41.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 28.6 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
  • 200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 2 GB).
  • Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so GeForce GTX 1060 is the less risky modern option long term.
  • Measures 173mm instead of 220mm, a 47mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • 2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 63.6% higher power demand at 180W vs 110W.

Radeon R9 270 / R7 370

2015

Why buy it

  • Costs $100 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • Draws 110W instead of 180W, a 70W reduction.

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.
  • 2015 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 28.6 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • 27.2% longer card at 220mm vs 173mm.

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 131.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 136.2% in PassMark G3D (10,064 vs 4,260), 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, a 16nm process instead of 28nm, and a newer 2016 generation instead of 2015. 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 41.4% (40.4 vs 28.6), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 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 R9 270 / R7 370

The Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 5 2015. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 925 MHz to 975 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 110W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,260 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370's 4,260 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 136.2%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 uses GCN 1.0, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1,280 (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2.496 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 975 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 270 / R7 370
G3D Mark Score
10,064+136%
4,260
Architecture
Pascal
GCN 1.0
Process Node
16 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
2560+100%
1280
Compute (TFLOPS)
8.873 TFLOPS+255%
2.496 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1733 MHz+78%
975 MHz
ROPs
64+100%
32
TMUs
160+100%
80
L1 Cache
960 KB+150%
384 KB
L2 Cache
2 MB+300%
0.5 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 270 / R7 370
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 R9 270 / R7 370 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 bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 179.2 GB/s (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370) — a 7.1% advantage for the GeForce GTX 1060. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 and 256-bit on the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 270 / R7 370
VRAM Capacity
6 GB+200%
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
192 GB/s+7%
179.2 GB/s
Bus Width
192-bit
256-bit+33%
L2 Cache
2 MB+300%
0.5 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 270 / R7 370
DirectX
12
12 (11_1)
Vulkan
1.3+8%
1.2
OpenGL
4.5
4.6+2%
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370). 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 R9 270 / R7 370).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 270 / R7 370
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 R9 270 / R7 370's 110W — a 48.3% difference. The Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 450W (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 173mm vs 220mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 270 / R7 370
TDP
180W
110W-39%
Recommended PSU
400W-11%
450W
Power Connector
6-pin
1x 6-pin
Length
173mm
220mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
70
Perf/Watt
55.9+44%
38.7
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 came in at $249, while the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 launched at $149. On MSRP, Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 was 40.2% cheaper ($100 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 28.6 (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 41.3% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1060 (2016 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 270 / R7 370
MSRP
$249
$149-40%
Performance per Dollar
40.4+41%
28.6
Codename
GP104
Trinidad
Release
May 27 2016
May 5 2015
Ranking
#137
#456

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