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

✅41.3% more average FPS across 45 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 97.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Draws 180W instead of 275W, a 95W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Radeon R9 290

2013

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 across 45 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
60.2% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 20.5 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Radeon R9 290

2013

Why buy it

✅41.3% more average FPS across 45 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 97.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Draws 180W instead of 275W, a 95W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 across 45 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
60.2% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 20.5 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1060 better than Radeon R9 290?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 41.3% more average FPS across 45 tracked games in our benchmark data, 23% higher PassMark G3D performance, and 6 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM. It also comes from 2016 instead of 2013, which helps its case as the more complete modern gaming card.

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 2013, 23.0% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 6 GB instead of 4 GB, 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 today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce GTX 1060 is about $150 cheaper on MSRP at $249 MSRP versus $399 MSRP, and you are getting 41.3% more estimated average FPS across 45 tracked games in our benchmark data and 23.0% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 97.1%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon R9 290 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon R9 290 is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $399 MSRP, even if GeForce GTX 1060 is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

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 R9 290 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	117 FPS	83 FPS
medium	105 FPS	71 FPS
high	91 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	39 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	72 FPS
medium	87 FPS	64 FPS
high	76 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	30 FPS
4K
low	55 FPS	26 FPS
medium	49 FPS	25 FPS
high	41 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon R9 290

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	216 FPS	185 FPS
medium	181 FPS	156 FPS
high	148 FPS	129 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	100 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	132 FPS
medium	107 FPS	103 FPS
high	87 FPS	83 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	64 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	60 FPS
medium	51 FPS	49 FPS
high	49 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	36 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon R9 290

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	453 FPS	368 FPS
medium	362 FPS	295 FPS
high	302 FPS	246 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	184 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	276 FPS
medium	272 FPS	221 FPS
high	226 FPS	184 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	138 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	184 FPS
medium	181 FPS	147 FPS
high	151 FPS	123 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	92 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon R9 290

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	358 FPS	152 FPS
medium	302 FPS	123 FPS
high	260 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	87 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	110 FPS
medium	254 FPS	90 FPS
high	208 FPS	78 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	62 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	64 FPS
medium	133 FPS	49 FPS
high	123 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	28 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon R9 290

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon R9 290

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 R9 290

The Radeon R9 290 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 5 2013. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 947 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 275W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,184 points. Launch price was $399.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon R9 290's 8,184 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 23%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon R9 290 uses GCN 2.0, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 290). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 290
G3D Mark Score	10,064+23%	8,184
Architecture	Pascal	GCN 2.0
Process Node	16 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2560	2560
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS+83%	4.849 TFLOPS
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	160	160
L1 Cache	960 KB+50%	640 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 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 R9 290 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 290
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 R9 290 has 4 GB. The GeForce GTX 1060 offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 290) — a 66.7% advantage for the Radeon R9 290. Bus width: 192-bit vs 512-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 290
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+50%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s	320 GB/s+67%
Bus Width	192-bit	512-bit+167%
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 290). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 290
DirectX	12	12.0
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 290
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	VCE 2.0
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	UVD 4.2
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon R9 290's 275W — a 41.8% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 173mm vs 275mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 290
TDP	180W-35%	275W
Recommended PSU	400W-47%	750W
Power Connector	6-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	173mm	275mm
Height	111mm	109mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	—	95°C
Perf/Watt	55.9+88%	29.8

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 290 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 20.5 (Radeon R9 290) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 97.1% better value. The GeForce GTX 1060 is the newer GPU (2016 vs 2013).