GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX Vega 56

CPU

GPU

GeForce GTX 1060

2016Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1733 MHz

GTX family

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Radeon RX Vega 56

2017Core: 1156 MHzBoost: 1471 MHz

Similar parts

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GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX Vega 56 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 Vega 56

8 GB 210

13,026

+29.4%

Radeon RX 470 (móvel)

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 Vega 56 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 Vega 56: 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 $150 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 23.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 32.6 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Draws 180W instead of 210W, a 30W reduction.
✅Measures 173mm instead of 280mm, a 107mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX Vega 56 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Radeon RX Vega 56

2017

Why buy it

✅9.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
✅GeForce GTX 1060 is already legacy-tier future-proofing, so Radeon RX Vega 56 is the less risky modern option long term.

Trade-offs

❌2017 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌
60.2% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 32.6 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌16.7% higher power demand at 210W vs 180W.
❌61.8% longer card at 280mm vs 173mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon RX Vega 56 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 9.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 29.4% in PassMark G3D (13,026 vs 10,064), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon RX Vega 56 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 8 GB vs 6 GB of VRAM, the newer upscaling stack, FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 14nm process instead of 16nm, and a newer 2017 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 $150 cheaper on MSRP at $249 vs $399, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 23.8% (40.4 vs 32.6), 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 Vega 56 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon RX Vega 56 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 Vega 56

The Radeon RX Vega 56 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in August 14 2017. It features the GCN 5.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1156 MHz to 1471 MHz. It has 3584 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 210W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 13,026 points. Launch price was $399.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon RX Vega 56's 13,026 — the Radeon RX Vega 56 leads by 29.4%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon RX Vega 56 uses GCN 5.0, both on 16 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 3,584 (Radeon RX Vega 56). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 10.54 TFLOPS (Radeon RX Vega 56). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1471 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX Vega 56
G3D Mark Score	10,064	13,026+29%
Architecture	Pascal	GCN 5.0
Process Node	16 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	2560	3584+40%
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS	10.54 TFLOPS+19%
Boost Clock	1733 MHz+18%	1471 MHz
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	160	224+40%
L1 Cache	960 KB+7%	896 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon RX Vega 56 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX Vega 56
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
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 Vega 56 carries 8 GB. Radeon RX Vega 56 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 410 GB/s (Radeon RX Vega 56) — a 113.5% advantage for the Radeon RX Vega 56. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 and 2048-bit on the Radeon RX Vega 56. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 4 MB (Radeon RX Vega 56) — the Radeon RX Vega 56 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX Vega 56
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	8 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR5	HBM2
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s	410 GB/s+114%
Bus Width	192-bit	2048-bit+967%
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12 (12_1) (Radeon RX Vega 56). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX Vega 56
DirectX	12	12 (12_1)
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 VCE 4.0 (Radeon RX Vega 56). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 7.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs H.264,H.265,VP9 (Radeon RX Vega 56).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX Vega 56
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	VCE 4.0
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	UVD 7.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	H.264,H.265,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon RX Vega 56's 210W — a 15.4% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 650W (Radeon RX Vega 56). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 173mm vs 280mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX Vega 56
TDP	180W-14%	210W
Recommended PSU	400W-38%	650W
Power Connector	6-pin	2x 8-pin
Length	173mm	280mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	—	75
Perf/Watt	55.9	62.0+11%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 came in at $249, while the Radeon RX Vega 56 launched at $399. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 1060 was 37.6% cheaper ($150 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 32.6 (Radeon RX Vega 56) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 23.9% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX Vega 56 (2017 vs 2016).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon RX Vega 56
MSRP	$249-38%	$399
Performance per Dollar	40.4+24%	32.6
Codename	GP104	Vega 10
Release	May 27 2016	August 14 2017
Ranking	#137	#199

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