GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX 7900 XT

CPU

GPU

GeForce GTX 1060

2016Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1733 MHz

GTX family

·······

Buy on Amazon

Radeon RX 7900 XT

2022Core: 1387 MHzBoost: 2394 MHz

RX family

·······

Buy on Amazon

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX 7900 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 7900 XT

20 GB 300

28,996

+188.1%

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 7900 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 7900 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

✅Costs $650 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $899 MSRP).
✅Delivers 25.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 32.3 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $899 MSRP).
✅Draws 180W instead of 300W, a 120W reduction.
✅Measures 173mm instead of 276mm, a 103mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 7900 XT across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 20 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.

Radeon RX 7900 XT

2022

Why buy it

✅108.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
✅233.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (20 GB vs 6 GB).
✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌
261% HIGHER MSRP
$899 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 32.3 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($899 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌66.7% higher power demand at 300W vs 180W.
❌59.5% longer card at 276mm vs 173mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon RX 7900 XT is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 108.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 188.1% in PassMark G3D (28,996 vs 10,064), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon RX 7900 XT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 20 GB vs 6 GB of VRAM, the newer feature stack, with FSR 3 (2023) and FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023), while GeForce GTX 1060 is limited to no meaningful modern upscaling stack and no comparable frame-generation support, a 5nm process instead of 16nm, and 84 vs 0 ray-tracing units. 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 $650 cheaper on MSRP at $249 vs $899, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 25.3% (40.4 vs 32.3), 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 1440p and 4K headroom, Radeon RX 7900 XT has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX 7900 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 7900 XT

The Radeon RX 7900 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 3 2022. It features the RDNA 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1387 MHz to 2394 MHz. It has 5376 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 84 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 28,996 points. Launch price was $899.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon RX 7900 XT's 28,996 — the Radeon RX 7900 XT leads by 188.1%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon RX 7900 XT uses RDNA 3.0, both on 16 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 5,376 (Radeon RX 7900 XT). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 51.48 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 7900 XT). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 2394 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 7900 XT
G3D Mark Score	10,064	28,996+188%
Architecture	Pascal	RDNA 3.0
Process Node	16 nm	5 nm
Shading Units	2560	5376+110%
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS	51.48 TFLOPS+480%
Boost Clock	1733 MHz	2394 MHz+38%
ROPs	64	192+200%
TMUs	160	336+110%
L1 Cache	0.94 MB	3 MB+219%
L2 Cache	2 MB	6 MB+200%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 7900 XT 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 7900 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 7900 XT
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 7900 XT carries 20 GB. Radeon RX 7900 XT gives you 233.3% 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 800 GB/s (Radeon RX 7900 XT) — a 316.7% advantage for the Radeon RX 7900 XT. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 and 320-bit on the Radeon RX 7900 XT. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 6 MB (Radeon RX 7900 XT) — the Radeon RX 7900 XT has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 7900 XT
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	20 GB+233%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s	800 GB/s+317%
Bus Width	192-bit	320-bit+67%
L2 Cache	2 MB	6 MB+200%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12 Ultimate (Radeon RX 7900 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 7900 XT
DirectX	12	12 Ultimate
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 4.0 (Radeon RX 7900 XT). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs VCN 4.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs AV1,H.264,H.265,VP9 (Radeon RX 7900 XT).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 7900 XT
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	VCN 4.0
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	VCN 4.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	AV1,H.264,H.265,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon RX 7900 XT's 300W — a 50% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 750W (Radeon RX 7900 XT). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 173mm vs 276mm, occupying 2 vs 3 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 7900 XT
TDP	180W-40%	300W
Recommended PSU	400W-47%	750W
Power Connector	6-pin	2x 8-pin
Length	173mm	276mm
Height	111mm	110mm
Slots	2-33%	3
Temp (Load)	—	70°C
Perf/Watt	55.9	96.7+73%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 came in at $249, while the Radeon RX 7900 XT launched at $899. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 1060 was 72.3% cheaper ($650 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 32.3 (Radeon RX 7900 XT) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 25.1% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 7900 XT (2022 vs 2016).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX 7900 XT
MSRP	$249-72%	$899
Performance per Dollar	40.4+25%	32.3
Codename	GP104	Navi 31
Release	May 27 2016	November 3 2022
Ranking	#137	#21

Search GeForce GTX 1060 on Amazon

Search Radeon RX 7900 XT on Amazon

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.