GeForce GTX 1060
Radeon RX 540
GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX 540 Performance Spectrum
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 540 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
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX 540: 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
2016Why buy it
- ✅403.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Delivers 87.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 21.6 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
- ✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
- ✅Radeon RX 540 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so GeForce GTX 1060 is the less risky modern option long term.
Trade-offs
- ❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
- ❌2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
- ❌260% higher power demand at 180W vs 50W.
- ❌17200% longer card at 173mm vs 1mm.
Radeon RX 540
2017Why buy it
- ✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
- ✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
- ✅Draws 50W instead of 180W, a 130W reduction.
- ✅Measures 1mm instead of 173mm, a 172mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌2017 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.6 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
Quick Answers
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GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX 540 Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
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 RX 540
The Radeon RX 540 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 11 2017. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1124 MHz to 1219 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,134 points.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon RX 540's 2,134 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 371.6%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon RX 540 uses GCN 4.0, both on 16 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 512 (Radeon RX 540). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1.248 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 540). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1219 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon RX 540 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 10,064+372% | 2,134 |
| Architecture | Pascal | GCN 4.0 |
| Process Node | 16 nm | 14 nm |
| Shading Units | 2560+400% | 512 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 8.873 TFLOPS+611% | 1.248 TFLOPS |
| Boost Clock | 1733 MHz+42% | 1219 MHz |
| ROPs | 64+300% | 16 |
| TMUs | 160+400% | 32 |
| L1 Cache | 960 KB+650% | 128 KB |
| L2 Cache | 2 MB+300% | 0.5 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 540 is support for FSR Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The GeForce GTX 1060 does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce GTX 1060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon RX 540 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon RX 540 |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling Tech | Upscaling support | FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 |
| Frame Generation | Not Supported | FSR Frame Generation |
| 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 540 carries 4 GB. GeForce GTX 1060 gives you 50% 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 80 GB/s (Radeon RX 540) — a 140% advantage for the GeForce GTX 1060. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 and 128-bit on the Radeon RX 540. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon RX 540) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon RX 540 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 6 GB+50% | 4 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 192 GB/s+140% | 80 GB/s |
| Bus Width | 192-bit+50% | 128-bit |
| L2 Cache | 2 MB+300% | 0.5 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12_0 (Radeon RX 540). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon RX 540 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 | 12_0 |
| Max Displays | 4 | 0 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 540). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 6.3.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon RX 540 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC (Pascal) | VCE 3.4 |
| Decoder | NVDEC (Pascal) | UVD 6.3 |
| Codecs | H.264,H.265/HEVC | — |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon RX 540's 50W — a 113% difference. The Radeon RX 540 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 350W (Radeon RX 540). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 173mm vs 1mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon RX 540 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 180W | 50W-72% |
| Recommended PSU | 400W | 350W-13% |
| Power Connector | 6-pin | PCIe-powered |
| Length | 173mm | 1mm |
| Height | 111mm | — |
| Slots | 2 | 0-100% |
| Perf/Watt | 55.9+31% | 42.7 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 came in at $249, while the Radeon RX 540 launched at $99. On MSRP, Radeon RX 540 was 60.2% cheaper ($150 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 21.6 (Radeon RX 540) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 87% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 540 (2017 vs 2016).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon RX 540 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $249 | $99-60% |
| Performance per Dollar | 40.4+87% | 21.6 |
| Codename | GP104 | Lexa |
| Release | May 27 2016 | November 11 2017 |
| Ranking | #137 | #602 |
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