GeForce GTX 1060
Radeon RX 6850M
GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX 6850M 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 6850M 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 6850M: 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
- ✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
- ✅Measures 173mm instead of 267mm, a 94mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 6850M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
- ❌2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
- ❌50% higher power demand at 180W vs 120W.
Radeon RX 6850M
2022Why buy it
- ✅18.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
- ✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
- ✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 7nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
- ✅Draws 120W instead of 180W, a 60W reduction.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 40.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
- ❌54.3% longer card at 267mm vs 173mm.
Quick Answers
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GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX 6850M 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 6850M
The Radeon RX 6850M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 4 2022. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 2068 MHz to 2416 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 120W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. It features 28 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 12,274 points.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon RX 6850M's 12,274 — the Radeon RX 6850M leads by 22%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon RX 6850M uses RDNA 2.0, both on 16 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1,792 (Radeon RX 6850M). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 8.659 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 6850M). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 2416 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon RX 6850M |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 10,064 | 12,274+22% |
| Architecture | Pascal | RDNA 2.0 |
| Process Node | 16 nm | 7 nm |
| Shading Units | 2560+43% | 1792 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 8.873 TFLOPS+2% | 8.659 TFLOPS |
| Boost Clock | 1733 MHz | 2416 MHz+39% |
| ROPs | 64 | 64 |
| TMUs | 160+43% | 112 |
| L1 Cache | 960 KB+88% | 512 KB |
| L2 Cache | 2 MB | 2 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 6850M is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF. 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 6850M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon RX 6850M |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling Tech | Upscaling support | FSR 3 |
| Frame Generation | Not Supported | FSR Frame Generation + AFMF |
| 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 6850M carries 8 GB. Radeon RX 6850M 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 432 GB/s (Radeon RX 6850M) — a 125% advantage for the Radeon RX 6850M. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 and 192-bit on the Radeon RX 6850M.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon RX 6850M |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 6 GB | 8 GB+33% |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 192 GB/s | 432 GB/s+125% |
| Bus Width | 192-bit | 192-bit |
| L2 Cache | 2 MB | 2 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12.2 (Radeon RX 6850M). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon RX 6850M |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 | 12.2+2% |
| Vulkan | 1.3 | 1.4+8% |
| OpenGL | 4.5 | 4.6+2% |
| Max Displays | 4 | 4 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs VCN 3.0 (Radeon RX 6850M). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs VCN 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 6850M).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon RX 6850M |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC (Pascal) | VCN 3.0 |
| Decoder | NVDEC (Pascal) | VCN 3.0 |
| Codecs | H.264,H.265/HEVC | MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon RX 6850M's 120W — a 40% difference. The Radeon RX 6850M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 500W (Radeon RX 6850M). Power connectors: 6-pin vs Mobile. Card length: 173mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon RX 6850M |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 180W | 120W-33% |
| Recommended PSU | 400W-20% | 500W |
| Power Connector | 6-pin | Mobile |
| Length | 173mm | 267mm |
| Height | 111mm | 111mm |
| Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | — | 85°C |
| Perf/Watt | 55.9 | 102.3+83% |
Value Analysis
The newer card here is Radeon RX 6850M (2022 vs 2016).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 | Radeon RX 6850M |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $249 | — |
| Codename | GP104 | Navi 23 |
| Release | May 27 2016 | January 4 2022 |
| Ranking | #137 | #148 |
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