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GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX 480

CPUCPUGPUGPU
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

2016Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1733 MHz
GTX family
·······
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VS
AMD

Radeon RX 480

2016Core: 1120 MHzBoost: 1266 MHz
Similar parts
·······
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GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX 480 Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 1060
6 GB 180
10,064
+17.8%
brand logoGeForce GTX 680
brand logoGeForce GTX 970XM FORCE
brand logoGeForce RTX 2050 Mobile
brand logoGeForce GTX TITAN Z
brand logoGeForce GTX 980 Ti
brand logoGeForce RTX 5060 Mobile
brand logoGeForce RTX 2080 Ti
brand logoGeForce RTX 4080 Mobile
Radeon RX 480
8 GB 150
8,546
0.0%
brand logoRadeon HD 7950 / R9 280
brand logoRadeon HD 6970M Crossfire
brand logoRadeon RX Vega M GH
brand logoRadeon RX 580X
brand logoRadeon RX 5600 OEM
brand logoRadeon RX 8050S
brand logoRadeon RX 9060 XT 8GB
brand logoRadeon RX 7800 XT

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 RX 480 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

Path of Exile 2

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low117 FPS
medium105 FPS
high91 FPS
ultra77 FPS
1080P
Radeon RX 480
low104 FPS
medium88 FPS
high75 FPS
ultra50 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low216 FPS
medium181 FPS
high148 FPS
ultra113 FPS
1080P
Radeon RX 480
low149 FPS
medium129 FPS
high111 FPS
ultra86 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low453 FPS
medium362 FPS
high302 FPS
ultra226 FPS
1080P
Radeon RX 480
low385 FPS
medium308 FPS
high256 FPS
ultra192 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low358 FPS
medium302 FPS
high260 FPS
ultra226 FPS
1080P
Radeon RX 480
low247 FPS
medium214 FPS
high174 FPS
ultra148 FPS
Among Us

Among Us

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low60 FPS
medium60 FPS
high60 FPS
ultra60 FPS
1080P
Radeon RX 480
low60 FPS
medium60 FPS
high60 FPS
ultra60 FPS
Apex Legends

Apex Legends

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low237 FPS
medium218 FPS
high193 FPS
ultra177 FPS
1080P
Radeon RX 480
low145 FPS
medium127 FPS
high103 FPS
ultra82 FPS
ARC Raiders

ARC Raiders

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low92 FPS
medium73 FPS
high59 FPS
ultra41 FPS
1080P
Radeon RX 480
low69 FPS
medium53 FPS
high44 FPS
ultra31 FPS
Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low128 FPS
medium104 FPS
high94 FPS
ultra70 FPS
1080P
Radeon RX 480
low102 FPS
medium85 FPS
high71 FPS
ultra56 FPS
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low107 FPS
medium91 FPS
high69 FPS
ultra60 FPS
1080P
Radeon RX 480
low82 FPS
medium65 FPS
high53 FPS
ultra40 FPS
Call of Duty: Warzone

Call of Duty: Warzone

1080P
GeForce GTX 1060
low122 FPS
medium101 FPS
high85 FPS
ultra72 FPS
1080P
Radeon RX 480
low96 FPS
medium74 FPS
high59 FPS
ultra51 FPS
Check FPS with Custom Builds

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX 480: 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

2016

Why buy it

  • ✅20.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • ✅Measures 173mm instead of 240mm, a 67mm 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.
  • ❌20% higher power demand at 180W vs 150W.

Radeon RX 480

2016

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $20 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • ✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
  • ✅Draws 150W instead of 180W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • ❌2016 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • ❌38.7% longer card at 240mm vs 173mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GTX 1060 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 20.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 17.8% in PassMark G3D (10,064 vs 8,546), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce GTX 1060 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 1060 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $20 more expensive on MSRP at $249 vs $229, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 8.3% (40.4 vs 37.3), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX 480 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

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 RX 480

The Radeon RX 480 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 29 2016. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1120 MHz to 1266 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,546 points. Launch price was $229.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon RX 480's 8,546 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 17.8%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon RX 480 uses GCN 4.0, both on 16 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX 480). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 5.834 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 480). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1266 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 480
G3D Mark Score
10,064+18%
8,546
Architecture
Pascal
GCN 4.0
Process Node
16 nm
14 nm
Shading Units
2560+11%
2304
Compute (TFLOPS)
8.873 TFLOPS+52%
5.834 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1733 MHz+37%
1266 MHz
ROPs
64+100%
32
TMUs
160+11%
144
L1 Cache
960 KB+67%
576 KB
L2 Cache
2 MB
2 MB
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon RX 480 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 480
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 RX 480 carries 8 GB. Radeon RX 480 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 256 GB/s (Radeon RX 480) — a 33.3% advantage for the Radeon RX 480. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 and 256-bit on the Radeon RX 480.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 480
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
8 GB+33%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
192 GB/s
256 GB/s+33%
Bus Width
192-bit
256-bit+33%
L2 Cache
2 MB
2 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12.0 (Radeon RX 480). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 480
DirectX
12
12.0
Vulkan
1.3
1.3
OpenGL
4.5
4.6+2%
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 480). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon RX 480).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 480
Encoder
NVENC (Pascal)
VCE 3.4
Decoder
NVDEC (Pascal)
UVD 6.3
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon RX 480's 150W — a 18.2% difference. The Radeon RX 480 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 500W (Radeon RX 480). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 173mm vs 240mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 480
TDP
180W
150W-17%
Recommended PSU
400W-20%
500W
Power Connector
6-pin
8-pin
Length
173mm
240mm
Height
111mm
95mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
—
85°C
Perf/Watt
55.9
57.0+2%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 came in at $249, while the Radeon RX 480 launched at $229. On MSRP, Radeon RX 480 was 8% cheaper ($20 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 37.3 (Radeon RX 480) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 8.3% better value.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 480
MSRP
$249
$229-8%
Performance per Dollar
40.4+8%
37.3
Codename
GP104
Ellesmere
Release
May 27 2016
June 29 2016
Ranking
#137
#305
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