GeForce GTX 1060 vs RTX A4000 Mobile

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

2016Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1733 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
NVIDIA

RTX A4000 Mobile

2021Core: 1140 MHzBoost: 1680 MHz

Popular choices:

Performance Spectrum - GPU

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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than RTX A4000 Mobile across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
  • 56.5% higher power demand at 180W vs 115W.

RTX A4000 Mobile

2021

Why buy it

  • 37.8% 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).
  • More future proof: Ampere on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
  • Draws 115W instead of 180W, a 65W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 40.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is RTX A4000 Mobile better than GeForce GTX 1060?
Yes. RTX A4000 Mobile is clearly the better overall GPU here. RTX A4000 Mobile averages 37.8% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 14,782 vs 10,064 in G3D Mark. On top of that, RTX A4000 Mobile is a 2021 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while GeForce GTX 1060 is a 2016 model from an older generation with no meaningful modern upscaling stack. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.
Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?
RTX A4000 Mobile is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2021 generation instead of 2016, 46.9% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 6 GB, and 100.0% more ray-tracing hardware. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.
Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?
RTX A4000 Mobile is the smarter buy by a wide margin. RTX A4000 Mobile is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $249 MSRP, and you are getting 37.8% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 46.9% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 1060 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.
Is GeForce GTX 1060 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
No, not for a fresh gaming build. GeForce GTX 1060 is 2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM, 10,064 in G3D Mark, and no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce GTX 1060RTX A4000 Mobile
1080p
low117 FPS132 FPS
medium105 FPS114 FPS
high91 FPS97 FPS
ultra77 FPS67 FPS
1440p
low103 FPS106 FPS
medium87 FPS88 FPS
high76 FPS70 FPS
ultra67 FPS48 FPS
4K
low55 FPS47 FPS
medium49 FPS41 FPS
high41 FPS30 FPS
ultra37 FPS25 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce GTX 1060RTX A4000 Mobile
1080p
low216 FPS351 FPS
medium181 FPS303 FPS
high148 FPS252 FPS
ultra113 FPS214 FPS
1440p
low134 FPS251 FPS
medium107 FPS210 FPS
high87 FPS180 FPS
ultra68 FPS150 FPS
4K
low62 FPS127 FPS
medium51 FPS108 FPS
high49 FPS93 FPS
ultra41 FPS71 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce GTX 1060RTX A4000 Mobile
1080p
low453 FPS665 FPS
medium362 FPS532 FPS
high302 FPS443 FPS
ultra226 FPS333 FPS
1440p
low340 FPS499 FPS
medium272 FPS399 FPS
high226 FPS333 FPS
ultra170 FPS249 FPS
4K
low226 FPS333 FPS
medium181 FPS266 FPS
high151 FPS222 FPS
ultra113 FPS166 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce GTX 1060RTX A4000 Mobile
1080p
low358 FPS292 FPS
medium302 FPS255 FPS
high260 FPS211 FPS
ultra226 FPS179 FPS
1440p
low299 FPS223 FPS
medium254 FPS201 FPS
high208 FPS166 FPS
ultra170 FPS138 FPS
4K
low170 FPS132 FPS
medium133 FPS113 FPS
high123 FPS90 FPS
ultra102 FPS71 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and RTX A4000 Mobile

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.

NVIDIA

RTX A4000 Mobile

The RTX A4000 Mobile is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 12 2021. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1140 MHz to 1680 MHz. It has 5120 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 115W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 40 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 14,782 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the RTX A4000 Mobile's 14,782 — the RTX A4000 Mobile leads by 46.9%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the RTX A4000 Mobile uses Ampere, both on 16 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 5,120 (RTX A4000 Mobile). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 17.2 TFLOPS (RTX A4000 Mobile). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1680 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RTX A4000 Mobile
G3D Mark Score
10,064
14,782+47%
Architecture
Pascal
Ampere
Process Node
16 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
2560
5120+100%
Compute (TFLOPS)
8.873 TFLOPS
17.2 TFLOPS+94%
Boost Clock
1733 MHz+3%
1680 MHz
ROPs
64
80+25%
TMUs
160
160
L1 Cache
0.94 MB
5 MB+432%
L2 Cache
2 MB
4 MB+100%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RTX A4000 Mobile
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 1060 comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the RTX A4000 Mobile has 8 GB. The RTX A4000 Mobile offers 33.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 192-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 4 MB (RTX A4000 Mobile) — the RTX A4000 Mobile has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RTX A4000 Mobile
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
8 GB+33%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Bus Width
192-bit+50%
128-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB
4 MB+100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12.2 (RTX A4000 Mobile). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RTX A4000 Mobile
DirectX
12
12.2+2%
Vulkan
1.3+8%
1.2
OpenGL
4.5
4.6+2%
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 7th Gen NVENC (RTX A4000 Mobile). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs 5th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode) (RTX A4000 Mobile).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RTX A4000 Mobile
Encoder
NVENC (Pascal)
7th Gen NVENC
Decoder
NVDEC (Pascal)
5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode)
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the RTX A4000 Mobile's 115W — a 44.1% difference. The RTX A4000 Mobile is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 500W (RTX A4000 Mobile). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 173mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RTX A4000 Mobile
TDP
180W
115W-36%
Recommended PSU
400W-20%
500W
Power Connector
6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
173mm
0mm
Height
111mm
0mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
80°C
Perf/Watt
55.9
128.5+130%
💰

Value Analysis

The RTX A4000 Mobile is the newer GPU (2021 vs 2016).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RTX A4000 Mobile
MSRP
$249
Codename
GP104
GA104
Release
May 27 2016
April 12 2021
Ranking
#137
#159