GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

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

Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary

2019Core: 1680 MHzBoost: 1980 MHz
RX family
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GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary 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 5700 XT 50th Anniversary 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 5700 XT 50th Anniversary: 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

  • Costs $250 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
  • Delivers 21.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 33.2 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
  • Draws 180W instead of 225W, a 45W reduction.
  • Measures 173mm instead of 270mm, a 97mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 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.

Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary

2019

Why buy it

  • 9.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • 33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
  • Better long-term bet: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 100.4% HIGHER MSRP
    $499 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 33.2 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • 25% higher power demand at 225W vs 180W.
  • 56.1% longer card at 270mm vs 173mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 9.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 64.6% in PassMark G3D (16,562 vs 10,064), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 8 GB vs 6 GB of VRAM, 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 2019 generation instead of 2016. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 1060 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $250 cheaper on MSRP at $249 vs $499, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 21.8% (40.4 vs 33.2), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce GTX 1060 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and lighter 1440p headroom, Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary 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 5700 XT 50th Anniversary

The Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 7 2019. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1680 MHz to 1980 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 16,562 points. Launch price was $449.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary's 16,562 — the Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary leads by 64.6%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary uses RDNA 1.0, both on 16 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2,560 (Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 10.14 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1980 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary
G3D Mark Score
10,064
16,562+65%
Architecture
Pascal
RDNA 1.0
Process Node
16 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
2560
2560
Compute (TFLOPS)
8.873 TFLOPS
10.14 TFLOPS+14%
Boost Clock
1733 MHz
1980 MHz+14%
ROPs
64
64
TMUs
160
160
L2 Cache
2 MB
4 MB+100%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary 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 5700 XT 50th Anniversary leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary
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 5700 XT 50th Anniversary carries 8 GB. Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary 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 448 GB/s (Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary) — a 133.3% advantage for the Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 and 256-bit on the Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 4 MB (Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary) — the Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
8 GB+33%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
192 GB/s
448 GB/s+133%
Bus Width
192-bit
256-bit+33%
L2 Cache
2 MB
4 MB+100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12.0 (Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary
DirectX
12
12.0
Vulkan
1.3+18%
1.1
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 5700 XT 50th Anniversary). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs VCN 2.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary
Encoder
NVENC (Pascal)
VCN 2.0
Decoder
NVDEC (Pascal)
VCN 2.0
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary's 225W — a 22.2% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 650W (Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 173mm vs 270mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary
TDP
180W-20%
225W
Recommended PSU
400W-38%
650W
Power Connector
6-pin
6-pin + 8-pin
Length
173mm
270mm
Height
111mm
110mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
85°C
Perf/Watt
55.9
73.6+32%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 came in at $249, while the Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary launched at $499. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 1060 was 50.1% cheaper ($250 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 33.2 (Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 21.7% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (2019 vs 2016).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary
MSRP
$249-50%
$499
Performance per Dollar
40.4+22%
33.2
Codename
GP104
Navi 10
Release
May 27 2016
July 7 2019
Ranking
#137
#120

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