GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R9 M390X

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

✅+158.4% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $301 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $550 MSRP).
✅Delivers 470.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 7.1 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $550 MSRP).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon R9 M390X: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R9 M390X 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 M390X

2015

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (3,895 vs 10,064).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
120.9% HIGHER MSRP
$550 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 7.1 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($550 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Radeon R9 M390X

2015

Why buy it

✅+158.4% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $301 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $550 MSRP).
✅Delivers 470.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 7.1 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $550 MSRP).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon R9 M390X: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R9 M390X 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 (3,895 vs 10,064).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
120.9% HIGHER MSRP
$550 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 7.1 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($550 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1060 better than Radeon R9 M390X?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 10,064 vs 3,895 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce GTX 1060 is a 2016 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while Radeon R9 M390X 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, 158.4% 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 $301 cheaper on MSRP at $249 MSRP versus $550 MSRP, and you are getting 158.4% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 470.7%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon R9 M390X still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon R9 M390X 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 $550 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 M390X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 M390X
1080p
low	117 FPS	81 FPS
medium	105 FPS	69 FPS
high	91 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	37 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	71 FPS
medium	87 FPS	62 FPS
high	76 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	29 FPS
4K
low	55 FPS	26 FPS
medium	49 FPS	24 FPS
high	41 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon R9 M390X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 M390X
1080p
low	216 FPS	91 FPS
medium	181 FPS	69 FPS
high	148 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	40 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	54 FPS
medium	107 FPS	38 FPS
high	87 FPS	29 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	21 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	22 FPS
medium	51 FPS	16 FPS
high	49 FPS	12 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	9 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon R9 M390X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 M390X
1080p
low	453 FPS	175 FPS
medium	362 FPS	140 FPS
high	302 FPS	117 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	88 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	131 FPS
medium	272 FPS	105 FPS
high	226 FPS	88 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	66 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	88 FPS
medium	181 FPS	70 FPS
high	151 FPS	58 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	44 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon R9 M390X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 M390X
1080p
low	358 FPS	139 FPS
medium	302 FPS	113 FPS
high	260 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	80 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	103 FPS
medium	254 FPS	85 FPS
high	208 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	56 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	61 FPS
medium	133 FPS	47 FPS
high	123 FPS	37 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	26 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon R9 M390X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon R9 M390X

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 M390X

The Radeon R9 M390X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 5 2015. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 723 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,895 points.

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Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon R9 M390X's 3,895 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 158.4%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon R9 M390X uses GCN 3.0, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2,048 (Radeon R9 M390X). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2.961 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M390X).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 M390X
G3D Mark Score	10,064+158%	3,895
Architecture	Pascal	GCN 3.0
Process Node	16 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2560+25%	2048
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS+200%	2.961 TFLOPS
ROPs	64+100%	32
TMUs	160+25%	128
L1 Cache	960 KB+88%	512 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 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 M390X relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 M390X
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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 1060 comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 M390X 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 160 GB/s (Radeon R9 M390X) — a 20% advantage for the GeForce GTX 1060. Bus width: 192-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 M390X) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 M390X
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+50%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s+20%	160 GB/s
Bus Width	192-bit	256-bit+33%
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon R9 M390X's 75W — a 82.4% difference. The Radeon R9 M390X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M390X). Power connectors: 6-pin vs Mobile.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 M390X
TDP	180W	75W-58%
Recommended PSU	400W	350W-13%
Power Connector	6-pin	Mobile
Length	173mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Perf/Watt	55.9+8%	51.9

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 M390X launched at $550. The GeForce GTX 1060 costs 54.7% less ($301 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 7.1 (Radeon R9 M390X) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 469% better value. The GeForce GTX 1060 is the newer GPU (2016 vs 2015).