GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX 5600 XT

CPU

GPU

GeForce GTX 1060

2016Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1733 MHz

GTX family

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Radeon RX 5600 XT

2020Core: 1130 MHzBoost: 1560 MHz

RX family

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GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX 5600 XT Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 1060

6 GB 180

10,064

0.0%

GeForce GTX 680

GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE

GeForce RTX 2050 Mobile

GeForce GTX TITAN Z

GeForce GTX 980 Ti

GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile

GeForce RTX 2080 Ti

GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile

Radeon RX 5600 XT

6 GB 150

13,453

+33.7%

Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB

Radeon RX 7800 XT

Radeon RX 6900 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 5600 XT 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.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX 5600 XT: 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

✅17.3% more average FPS across 50 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).
❌2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory 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).
✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
✅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.
❌54.3% longer card at 267mm 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 17.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon RX 5600 XT instead at 13,453 vs 10,064, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon RX 5600 XT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer feature stack, with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) and FSR Frame Generation (2023), while GeForce GTX 1060 is limited to no meaningful modern upscaling stack and no comparable frame-generation support, a 7nm process instead of 16nm, and a newer 2020 generation instead of 2016. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon RX 5600 XT makes the most sense to buy today. It is $30 more expensive on MSRP at $279 vs $249, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 19.3% (48.2 vs 40.4), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. GeForce GTX 1060 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX 5600 XT 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 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.

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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)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 5600 XT 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 5600 XT leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

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 ship with 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. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 and 192-bit on the Radeon RX 5600 XT. 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

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 came in at $249, while the Radeon RX 5600 XT launched at $279. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 1060 was 10.8% cheaper ($30 less). 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 newer card here is Radeon RX 5600 XT (2020 vs 2016).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 5600 XT
MSRP	$249-11%	$279
Performance per Dollar	40.4	48.2+19%
Codename	GP104	Navi 10
Release	May 27 2016	January 21 2020
Ranking	#137	#187

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