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

✅18.9% more average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $30 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).
✅Measures 173mm instead of 267mm, a 94mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (10,064 vs 13,453).
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 40.4 vs 48.2 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).
❌20% higher power demand at 180W vs 150W.

Radeon RX 5600 XT

2020

Why buy it

✅+33.7% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 19.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 48.2 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 150W instead of 180W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌54.3% longer card at 267mm vs 173mm.

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Radeon RX 5600 XT

2020

Why buy it

✅18.9% more average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $30 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).
✅Measures 173mm instead of 267mm, a 94mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Why buy it

✅+33.7% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 19.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 48.2 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 150W instead of 180W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (10,064 vs 13,453).
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 40.4 vs 48.2 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).
❌20% higher power demand at 180W vs 150W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌54.3% longer card at 267mm vs 173mm.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon RX 5600 XT better than GeForce GTX 1060?

Yes. Radeon RX 5600 XT is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce GTX 1060 averages 18.9% more FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 13,453 vs 10,064 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon RX 5600 XT is a 2020 card with FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation, while GeForce GTX 1060 is a 2016 model from an older generation with no meaningful modern upscaling stack. 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?

Radeon RX 5600 XT is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2016, 33.7% more raw performance headroom, better upscaling support with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack and better frame-generation support with FSR Frame Generation (2023) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 7nm process instead of 16nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

Radeon RX 5600 XT is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon RX 5600 XT is about 12.0% more expensive on MSRP at $279 MSRP versus $249 MSRP, and you are getting lower estimated average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data and 33.7% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 1060 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is GeForce GTX 1060 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. GeForce GTX 1060 is 2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM, 10,064 in G3D Mark, and no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

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 RX 5600 XT Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 5600 XT
1080p
low	117 FPS	93 FPS
medium	105 FPS	82 FPS
high	91 FPS	68 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	46 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	80 FPS
medium	87 FPS	69 FPS
high	76 FPS	53 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	36 FPS
4K
low	55 FPS	32 FPS
medium	49 FPS	29 FPS
high	41 FPS	22 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	19 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon RX 5600 XT

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 5600 XT
1080p
low	216 FPS	225 FPS
medium	181 FPS	194 FPS
high	148 FPS	140 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	104 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	149 FPS
medium	107 FPS	124 FPS
high	87 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	68 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	81 FPS
medium	51 FPS	69 FPS
high	49 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	39 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon RX 5600 XT

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 5600 XT
1080p
low	453 FPS	605 FPS
medium	362 FPS	484 FPS
high	302 FPS	404 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	303 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	454 FPS
medium	272 FPS	363 FPS
high	226 FPS	303 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	227 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	303 FPS
medium	181 FPS	242 FPS
high	151 FPS	202 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	151 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon RX 5600 XT

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 5600 XT
1080p
low	358 FPS	247 FPS
medium	302 FPS	210 FPS
high	260 FPS	173 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	145 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	192 FPS
medium	254 FPS	170 FPS
high	208 FPS	135 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	111 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	105 FPS
medium	133 FPS	88 FPS
high	123 FPS	71 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	56 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Radeon RX 5600 XT

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon RX 5600 XT

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 5600 XT

The Radeon RX 5600 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 21 2020. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1130 MHz to 1560 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 13,453 points. Launch price was $279.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon RX 5600 XT's 13,453 — the Radeon RX 5600 XT leads by 33.7%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon RX 5600 XT uses RDNA 1.0, both on 16 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX 5600 XT). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 7.188 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 5600 XT). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1560 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 5600 XT
G3D Mark Score	10,064	13,453+34%
Architecture	Pascal	RDNA 1.0
Process Node	16 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	2560+11%	2304
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS+23%	7.188 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1733 MHz+11%	1560 MHz
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	160+11%	144
L2 Cache	2 MB	3 MB+50%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 5600 XT is support for FSR Frame Generation. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The GeForce GTX 1060 lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.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 RX 5600 XT relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 5600 XT
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)

Both cards feature 6 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 336 GB/s (Radeon RX 5600 XT) — a 75% advantage for the Radeon RX 5600 XT. Bus width: 192-bit vs 192-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 3 MB (Radeon RX 5600 XT) — the Radeon RX 5600 XT has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 5600 XT
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	6 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s	336 GB/s+75%
Bus Width	192-bit	192-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	3 MB+50%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12 (Radeon RX 5600 XT). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 5600 XT
DirectX	12	12
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 VCN 2.0 (Radeon RX 5600 XT). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs VCN 2.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 5600 XT).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 5600 XT
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	VCN 2.0
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	VCN 2.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon RX 5600 XT's 150W — a 18.2% difference. The Radeon RX 5600 XT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 450W (Radeon RX 5600 XT). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 173mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 5600 XT
TDP	180W	150W-17%
Recommended PSU	400W-11%	450W
Power Connector	6-pin	8-pin
Length	173mm	267mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	—	75°C
Perf/Watt	55.9	89.7+60%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 5600 XT launched at $279. The GeForce GTX 1060 costs 10.8% less ($30 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 48.2 (Radeon RX 5600 XT) — the Radeon RX 5600 XT offers 19.3% better value. The Radeon RX 5600 XT is the newer GPU (2020 vs 2016).