GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R9 M360

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

2016Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1733 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon R9 M360

2015Core: 900 MHzBoost: 925 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

  • +453.3% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Costs $51 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
  • Delivers 566.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 6.1 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
  • 1100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 512 MB).
  • Less risky long-term buy than Radeon R9 M360: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R9 M360 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.
  • 140% higher power demand at 180W vs 75W.
  • 17200% longer card at 173mm vs 1mm.

Radeon R9 M360

2015

Why buy it

  • Draws 75W instead of 180W, a 105W reduction.
  • Measures 1mm instead of 173mm, a 172mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (1,819 vs 10,064).
  • 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.
  • 20.5% HIGHER MSRP
    $300 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 6.1 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1060 better than Radeon R9 M360?
Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 10,064 vs 1,819 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce GTX 1060 is a 2016 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while Radeon R9 M360 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, 453.3% 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 today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce GTX 1060 is about $51 cheaper on MSRP at $249 MSRP versus $300 MSRP, and you are getting 453.3% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 566.6%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.
Is Radeon R9 M360 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
Yes. Radeon R9 M360 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 $300 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.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 M360
1080p
low117 FPS22 FPS
medium105 FPS13 FPS
high91 FPS8 FPS
ultra77 FPS4 FPS
1440p
low103 FPS13 FPS
medium87 FPS7 FPS
high76 FPS3 FPS
ultra67 FPS2 FPS
4K
low55 FPS5 FPS
medium49 FPS3 FPS
high41 FPS1 FPS
ultra37 FPS1 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 M360
1080p
low216 FPS51 FPS
medium181 FPS27 FPS
high148 FPS19 FPS
ultra113 FPS13 FPS
1440p
low134 FPS15 FPS
medium107 FPS9 FPS
high87 FPS6 FPS
ultra68 FPS5 FPS
4K
low62 FPS5 FPS
medium51 FPS3 FPS
high49 FPS2 FPS
ultra41 FPS2 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 M360
1080p
low453 FPS82 FPS
medium362 FPS65 FPS
high302 FPS55 FPS
ultra226 FPS41 FPS
1440p
low340 FPS61 FPS
medium272 FPS49 FPS
high226 FPS41 FPS
ultra170 FPS31 FPS
4K
low226 FPS41 FPS
medium181 FPS33 FPS
high151 FPS27 FPS
ultra113 FPS20 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 M360
1080p
low358 FPS59 FPS
medium302 FPS48 FPS
high260 FPS38 FPS
ultra226 FPS30 FPS
1440p
low299 FPS35 FPS
medium254 FPS29 FPS
high208 FPS25 FPS
ultra170 FPS19 FPS
4K
low170 FPS23 FPS
medium133 FPS18 FPS
high123 FPS15 FPS
ultra102 FPS11 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon R9 M360

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 M360

The Radeon R9 M360 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 5 2015. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 900 MHz to 925 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,819 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon R9 M360's 1,819 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 453.3%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon R9 M360 uses GCN 1.0, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 512 (Radeon R9 M360). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0.9472 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M360). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 925 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 M360
G3D Mark Score
10,064+453%
1,819
Architecture
Pascal
GCN 1.0
Process Node
16 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
2560+400%
512
Compute (TFLOPS)
8.873 TFLOPS+837%
0.9472 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1733 MHz+87%
925 MHz
ROPs
64+300%
16
TMUs
160+400%
32
L1 Cache
960 KB+650%
128 KB
L2 Cache
2 MB+700%
0.25 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 M360 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 M360
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 M360 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 0.25 MB (Radeon R9 M360) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 M360
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+700%
0.25 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12_0 (Radeon R9 M360). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 M360
DirectX
12
12_0
Max Displays
4
0
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R9 M360). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 3.1.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 M360
Encoder
NVENC (Pascal)
VCE 1.0
Decoder
NVDEC (Pascal)
UVD 3.1
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon R9 M360's 75W — a 82.4% difference. The Radeon R9 M360 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M360). Power connectors: 6-pin vs Mobile. Card length: 173mm vs 1mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 M360
TDP
180W
75W-58%
Recommended PSU
400W
350W-13%
Power Connector
6-pin
Mobile
Length
173mm
1mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Perf/Watt
55.9+130%
24.3
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 M360 launched at $300. The GeForce GTX 1060 costs 17% less ($51 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 6.1 (Radeon R9 M360) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 562.3% better value. The GeForce GTX 1060 is the newer GPU (2016 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 M360
MSRP
$249-17%
$300
Performance per Dollar
40.4+562%
6.1
Codename
GP104
Tropo
Release
May 27 2016
May 5 2015
Ranking
#137
#711