GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R9 M395

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

2016Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1733 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon R9 M395

2015Core: 834 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

  • +104% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Costs $51 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
  • Delivers 145.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 16.4 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
  • 200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 2 GB).
  • Less risky long-term buy than Radeon R9 M395: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R9 M395 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 M395

2015

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (4,934 vs 10,064).
  • Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
  • 20.5% HIGHER MSRP
    $300 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 16.4 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1060 better than Radeon R9 M395?
Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 10,064 vs 4,934 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce GTX 1060 is a 2016 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while Radeon R9 M395 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, 104.0% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 6 GB instead of 2 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 $51 cheaper on MSRP at $249 MSRP versus $300 MSRP, and you are getting 104.0% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 145.7%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.
Is Radeon R9 M395 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
Yes. Radeon R9 M395 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 M395
1080p
low117 FPS98 FPS
medium105 FPS81 FPS
high91 FPS62 FPS
ultra77 FPS37 FPS
1440p
low103 FPS84 FPS
medium87 FPS69 FPS
high76 FPS48 FPS
ultra67 FPS27 FPS
4K
low55 FPS27 FPS
medium49 FPS26 FPS
high41 FPS17 FPS
ultra37 FPS14 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 M395
1080p
low216 FPS89 FPS
medium181 FPS61 FPS
high148 FPS45 FPS
ultra113 FPS29 FPS
1440p
low134 FPS51 FPS
medium107 FPS29 FPS
high87 FPS21 FPS
ultra68 FPS15 FPS
4K
low62 FPS17 FPS
medium51 FPS11 FPS
high49 FPS8 FPS
ultra41 FPS6 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 M395
1080p
low453 FPS222 FPS
medium362 FPS178 FPS
high302 FPS148 FPS
ultra226 FPS111 FPS
1440p
low340 FPS167 FPS
medium272 FPS133 FPS
high226 FPS111 FPS
ultra170 FPS83 FPS
4K
low226 FPS111 FPS
medium181 FPS89 FPS
high151 FPS74 FPS
ultra113 FPS56 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 M395
1080p
low358 FPS129 FPS
medium302 FPS105 FPS
high260 FPS90 FPS
ultra226 FPS73 FPS
1440p
low299 FPS97 FPS
medium254 FPS80 FPS
high208 FPS69 FPS
ultra170 FPS55 FPS
4K
low170 FPS57 FPS
medium133 FPS44 FPS
high123 FPS35 FPS
ultra102 FPS26 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon R9 M395

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 M395

The Radeon R9 M395 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 9 2015. It features the GCN architecture. The core clock speed is 834 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,934 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon R9 M395's 4,934 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 104%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon R9 M395 uses GCN, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1,792 (Radeon R9 M395).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 M395
G3D Mark Score
10,064+104%
4,934
Architecture
Pascal
GCN
Process Node
16 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
2560+43%
1792

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 M395 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 M395
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 M395 has 2 GB. The GeForce GTX 1060 offers 200% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 176 GB/s (Radeon R9 M395) — a 9.1% advantage for the GeForce GTX 1060. Bus width: 192-bit vs 256-bit.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 M395
VRAM Capacity
6 GB+200%
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
192 GB/s+9%
176 GB/s
Bus Width
192-bit
256-bit+33%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12 (FL12_0) (Radeon R9 M395). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 M395
DirectX
12
12 (FL12_0)
Vulkan
1.3+8%
1.2
OpenGL
4.5
4.6+2%
Max Displays
4+33%
3
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs UVD (Radeon R9 M395). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs VCE. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4 (Radeon R9 M395).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 M395
Encoder
NVENC (Pascal)
UVD
Decoder
NVDEC (Pascal)
VCE
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon R9 M395's 75W — a 82.4% difference. The Radeon R9 M395 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M395). Power connectors: 6-pin vs Mobile. Card length: 173mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 M395
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)
75°C
Perf/Watt
55.9
65.8+18%
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 M395 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 16.4 (Radeon R9 M395) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 146.3% better value. The GeForce GTX 1060 is the newer GPU (2016 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 M395
MSRP
$249-17%
$300
Performance per Dollar
40.4+146%
16.4
Codename
GP104
Release
May 27 2016
June 9 2015
Ranking
#137
#445