GeForce GTX 1060
Radeon R9 290X
GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R9 290X 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 290X 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.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R9 290X: 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
2016Why buy it
- ✅41.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Costs $300 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 163.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 15.3 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
- ✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
- ✅Draws 180W instead of 350W, a 170W reduction.
Trade-offs
- ❌2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
Radeon R9 290X
2013Why buy it
- ✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌2013 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
- ❌120.5% HIGHER MSRP$549 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 15.3 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
Quick Answers
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GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R9 290X Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
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 290X
The Radeon R9 290X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 24 2013. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 947 MHz. It has 2816 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 350W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,426 points. Launch price was $549.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon R9 290X's 8,426 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 19.4%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon R9 290X uses GCN 2.0, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2,816 (Radeon R9 290X). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 5.632 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290X). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 947 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon R9 290X |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 10,064+19% | 8,426 |
| Architecture | Pascal | GCN 2.0 |
| Process Node | 16 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 2560 | 2816+10% |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 8.873 TFLOPS+58% | 5.632 TFLOPS |
| Boost Clock | 1733 MHz+83% | 947 MHz |
| ROPs | 64 | 64 |
| TMUs | 160 | 176+10% |
| L1 Cache | 960 KB+36% | 704 KB |
| L2 Cache | 2 MB+100% | 1 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce GTX 1060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R9 290X leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon R9 290X |
|---|---|---|
| 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 290X carries 4 GB. GeForce GTX 1060 gives you 50% 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 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 290X) — a 66.7% advantage for the Radeon R9 290X. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 and 512-bit on the Radeon R9 290X. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290X) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon R9 290X |
|---|---|---|
| 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 290X). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon R9 290X |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 | 12.0 |
| Vulkan | 1.3+18% | 1.1 |
| 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 290X). 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 290X).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon R9 290X |
|---|---|---|
| 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 290X's 350W — a 64.2% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290X). 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 290X |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 180W-49% | 350W |
| 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+132% | 24.1 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 came in at $249, while the Radeon R9 290X launched at $549. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 1060 was 54.6% cheaper ($300 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 15.3 (Radeon R9 290X) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 164.1% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1060 (2016 vs 2013).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon R9 290X |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $249-55% | $549 |
| Performance per Dollar | 40.4+164% | 15.3 |
| Codename | GP104 | Hawaii |
| Release | May 27 2016 | October 24 2013 |
| Ranking | #137 | #342 |
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