GeForce GTX 1060
Radeon R9 390X
GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R9 390X 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 390X 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 390X: 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
- ✅13.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Costs $180 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 86.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 21.6 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
- ✅Draws 180W instead of 275W, a 95W reduction.
- ✅Measures 173mm instead of 277mm, a 104mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
Trade-offs
- ❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
Radeon R9 390X
2015Why buy it
- ✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌2015 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
- ❌72.3% HIGHER MSRP$429 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.6 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($429 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
- ❌52.8% higher power demand at 275W vs 180W.
Quick Answers
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GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R9 390X 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 390X
The Radeon R9 390X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 18 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1050 MHz. It has 2816 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 275W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,278 points. Launch price was $429.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon R9 390X's 9,278 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 8.5%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon R9 390X uses GCN 2.0, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2,816 (Radeon R9 390X). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 5.914 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 390X). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1050 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 10,064+8% | 9,278 |
| Architecture | Pascal | GCN 2.0 |
| Process Node | 16 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 2560 | 2816+10% |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 8.873 TFLOPS+50% | 5.914 TFLOPS |
| Boost Clock | 1733 MHz+65% | 1050 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 390X leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| 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 390X carries 8 GB. Radeon R9 390X gives you 33.3% 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 384 GB/s (Radeon R9 390X) — a 100% advantage for the Radeon R9 390X. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 and 512-bit on the Radeon R9 390X. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 390X) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 6 GB | 8 GB+33% |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 192 GB/s | 384 GB/s+100% |
| 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 (12_0) (Radeon R9 390X). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 | 12 (12_0) |
| 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 2.0 (Radeon R9 390X). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon R9 390X).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC (Pascal) | VCE 2.0 |
| Decoder | NVDEC (Pascal) | UVD 4.2 |
| Codecs | H.264,H.265/HEVC | H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon R9 390X's 275W — a 41.8% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 750W (Radeon R9 390X). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 173mm vs 277mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 180W-35% | 275W |
| Recommended PSU | 400W-47% | 750W |
| Power Connector | 6-pin | 6-pin + 8-pin |
| Length | 173mm | 277mm |
| Height | 111mm | 129mm |
| Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | — | 80 |
| Perf/Watt | 55.9+66% | 33.7 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 came in at $249, while the Radeon R9 390X launched at $429. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 1060 was 42% cheaper ($180 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 21.6 (Radeon R9 390X) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 87% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1060 (2016 vs 2015).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $249-42% | $429 |
| Performance per Dollar | 40.4+87% | 21.6 |
| Codename | GP104 | Grenada |
| Release | May 27 2016 | June 18 2015 |
| Ranking | #137 | #287 |
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