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

✅+404.7% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $51 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅Delivers 508.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 6.6 G3D/$ ($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 M385X: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R9 M385X 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.

Radeon R9 M385X

2015

Why buy it

✅Draws 75W instead of 180W, a 105W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (1,994 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$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 6.6 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Radeon R9 M385X

2015

Why buy it

✅+404.7% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $51 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅Delivers 508.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 6.6 G3D/$ ($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 M385X: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R9 M385X is already obsolete for modern gaming.

Why buy it

✅Draws 75W instead of 180W, a 105W reduction.

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.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (1,994 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$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 6.6 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1060 better than Radeon R9 M385X?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 10,064 vs 1,994 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce GTX 1060 is a 2016 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while Radeon R9 M385X 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, 404.7% 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 404.7% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 508.1%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon R9 M385X still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon R9 M385X 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.

GeForce GTX 1060 Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 M385X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 M385X
1080p
low	117 FPS	36 FPS
medium	105 FPS	22 FPS
high	91 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	8 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	24 FPS
medium	87 FPS	14 FPS
high	76 FPS	7 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	4 FPS
4K
low	55 FPS	9 FPS
medium	49 FPS	6 FPS
high	41 FPS	4 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	3 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon R9 M385X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 M385X
1080p
low	216 FPS	53 FPS
medium	181 FPS	29 FPS
high	148 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	14 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	26 FPS
medium	107 FPS	15 FPS
high	87 FPS	9 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	7 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	7 FPS
medium	51 FPS	4 FPS
high	49 FPS	4 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	3 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon R9 M385X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 M385X
1080p
low	453 FPS	90 FPS
medium	362 FPS	72 FPS
high	302 FPS	60 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	45 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	67 FPS
medium	272 FPS	54 FPS
high	226 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	34 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	45 FPS
medium	181 FPS	36 FPS
high	151 FPS	30 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	22 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon R9 M385X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 M385X
1080p
low	358 FPS	63 FPS
medium	302 FPS	52 FPS
high	260 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	32 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	37 FPS
medium	254 FPS	31 FPS
high	208 FPS	26 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	21 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	25 FPS
medium	133 FPS	20 FPS
high	123 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	12 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon R9 M385X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon R9 M385X

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 M385X

The Radeon R9 M385X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 5 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1000 MHz to 1100 MHz. It has 896 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,994 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon R9 M385X's 1,994 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 404.7%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon R9 M385X uses GCN 2.0, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 896 (Radeon R9 M385X). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1.971 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M385X). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1100 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 M385X
G3D Mark Score	10,064+405%	1,994
Architecture	Pascal	GCN 2.0
Process Node	16 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2560+186%	896
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS+350%	1.971 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1733 MHz+58%	1100 MHz
ROPs	64+300%	16
TMUs	160+186%	56
L1 Cache	960 KB+329%	224 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 M385X relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 M385X
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 M385X 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 M385X) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 M385X
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 (12_0) (Radeon R9 M385X). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 M385X
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 M385X). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs H.264,MPEG-4,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon R9 M385X).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 M385X
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	VCE 2.0
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	UVD 4.2
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	H.264,MPEG-4,VC-1,MPEG-2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon R9 M385X's 75W — a 82.4% difference. The Radeon R9 M385X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M385X). Power connectors: 6-pin vs Mobile. Card length: 173mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 M385X
TDP	180W	75W-58%
Recommended PSU	400W	350W-13%
Power Connector	6-pin	Mobile
Length	173mm	0mm
Height	111mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	—	85
Perf/Watt	55.9+110%	26.6

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 M385X 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 6.6 (Radeon R9 M385X) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 512.1% better value. The GeForce GTX 1060 is the newer GPU (2016 vs 2015).