GeForce GTX 1060 vs RTX A6000

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

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

RTX A6000

2021Core: 1170 MHzBoost: 1695 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce GTX 1060 vs RTX A6000 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 RTX A6000 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 RTX A6000: 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 $4,400 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $4,649 MSRP).
  • Delivers 723.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 4.9 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $4,649 MSRP).
  • Draws 180W instead of 230W, a 50W reduction.
  • Measures 173mm instead of 267mm, a 94mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than RTX A6000 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 48 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

RTX A6000

2021

Why buy it

  • 96.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 700% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (48 GB vs 6 GB).
  • Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 1767.1% HIGHER MSRP
    $4,649 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.9 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($4,649 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • 27.8% higher power demand at 230W vs 180W.
  • 54.3% longer card at 267mm vs 173mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
RTX A6000 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 96.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 126.7% in PassMark G3D (22,815 vs 10,064), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
RTX A6000 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 48 GB vs 6 GB of VRAM, a 8nm process instead of 16nm, 64 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2021 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 $4,400 cheaper on MSRP at $249 vs $4,649, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 723.6% (40.4 vs 4.9), 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 strong 1440p headroom, RTX A6000 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs RTX A6000 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.

NVIDIA

RTX A6000

The RTX A6000 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 12 2021. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1170 MHz to 1695 MHz. It has 8192 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 230W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 64 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 22,815 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the RTX A6000's 22,815 — the RTX A6000 leads by 126.7%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the RTX A6000 uses Ampere, both on 16 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 8,192 (RTX A6000). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 27.77 TFLOPS (RTX A6000). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1695 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RTX A6000
G3D Mark Score
10,064
22,815+127%
Architecture
Pascal
Ampere
Process Node
16 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
2560
8192+220%
Compute (TFLOPS)
8.873 TFLOPS
27.77 TFLOPS+213%
Boost Clock
1733 MHz+2%
1695 MHz
ROPs
64
96+50%
TMUs
160
256+60%
L1 Cache
0.94 MB
8 MB+751%
L2 Cache
2 MB
6 MB+200%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RTX A6000
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 has 6 GB of VRAM, while the RTX A6000 carries 48 GB. RTX A6000 gives you 700% 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 768 GB/s (RTX A6000) — a 300% advantage for the RTX A6000. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 and 384-bit on the RTX A6000. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 6 MB (RTX A6000) — the RTX A6000 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RTX A6000
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
48 GB+700%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
192 GB/s
768 GB/s+300%
Bus Width
192-bit
384-bit+100%
L2 Cache
2 MB
6 MB+200%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12.1 (RTX A6000). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RTX A6000
DirectX
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 7th Gen NVENC (2x) (RTX A6000). 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 A6000).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RTX A6000
Encoder
NVENC (Pascal)
7th Gen NVENC (2x)
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 A6000's 230W — a 24.4% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 500W (RTX A6000). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 8-pin EPS. Card length: 173mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RTX A6000
TDP
180W-22%
230W
Recommended PSU
400W-20%
500W
Power Connector
6-pin
8-pin EPS
Length
173mm
267mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
80°C
Perf/Watt
55.9
99.2+77%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 came in at $249, while the RTX A6000 launched at $4649. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 1060 was 94.6% cheaper ($4400 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 4.9 (RTX A6000) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 724.5% better value. The newer card here is RTX A6000 (2021 vs 2016).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RTX A6000
MSRP
$249-95%
$4649
Performance per Dollar
40.4+724%
4.9
Codename
GP104
GA102
Release
May 27 2016
April 12 2021
Ranking
#137
#53

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