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

✅Costs $2,150 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $2,399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 173.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 14.8 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $2,399 MSRP).
✅Measures 173mm instead of 267mm, a 94mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (10,064 vs 35,431).
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 32 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.

RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell

2025

Why buy it

✅+252.1% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅433.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (32 GB vs 6 GB).
✅More future proof: Blackwell 2.0 (2025−2026) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌
863.5% HIGHER MSRP
$2,399 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 14.8 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($2,399 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌54.3% longer card at 267mm vs 173mm.

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell

2025

Why buy it

✅Costs $2,150 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $2,399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 173.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 14.8 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $2,399 MSRP).
✅Measures 173mm instead of 267mm, a 94mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Why buy it

✅+252.1% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅433.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (32 GB vs 6 GB).
✅More future proof: Blackwell 2.0 (2025−2026) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (10,064 vs 35,431).
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 32 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.

Trade-offs

❌
863.5% HIGHER MSRP
$2,399 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 14.8 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($2,399 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌54.3% longer card at 267mm vs 173mm.

Quick Answers

So, is RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell better than GeForce GTX 1060?

Yes. RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 35,431 vs 10,064 in G3D Mark. On top of that, RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell is a 2025 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 PRO 4500 Blackwell is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2025 generation instead of 2016, 252.1% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 32 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 PRO 4500 Blackwell is the smarter buy by a wide margin. RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell is about 863.5% more expensive on MSRP at $2,399 MSRP versus $249 MSRP, and you are getting 252.1% 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.

GeForce GTX 1060 Benchmark Check

RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell
1080p
low	117 FPS	275 FPS
medium	105 FPS	255 FPS
high	91 FPS	216 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	189 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	260 FPS
medium	87 FPS	216 FPS
high	76 FPS	172 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	155 FPS
4K
low	55 FPS	179 FPS
medium	49 FPS	149 FPS
high	41 FPS	112 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	100 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell
1080p
low	216 FPS	771 FPS
medium	181 FPS	624 FPS
high	148 FPS	452 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	385 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	581 FPS
medium	107 FPS	484 FPS
high	87 FPS	369 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	293 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	321 FPS
medium	51 FPS	265 FPS
high	49 FPS	232 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	190 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell
1080p
low	453 FPS	999 FPS
medium	362 FPS	999 FPS
high	302 FPS	999 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	797 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	971 FPS
medium	272 FPS	887 FPS
high	226 FPS	797 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	598 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	572 FPS
medium	181 FPS	497 FPS
high	151 FPS	440 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	371 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell
1080p
low	358 FPS	932 FPS
medium	302 FPS	858 FPS
high	260 FPS	752 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	688 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	714 FPS
medium	254 FPS	645 FPS
high	208 FPS	564 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	504 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	525 FPS
medium	133 FPS	476 FPS
high	123 FPS	425 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	378 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell

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.

RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell

The RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 18 2025. It features the Blackwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1635 MHz to 2407 MHz. It has 10496 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 82 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 35,431 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell's 35,431 — the RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell leads by 252.1%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell uses Blackwell 2.0, both on 16 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 10,496 (RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 50.53 TFLOPS (RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 2407 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell
G3D Mark Score	10,064	35,431+252%
Architecture	Pascal	Blackwell 2.0
Process Node	16 nm	5 nm
Shading Units	2560	10496+310%
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS	50.53 TFLOPS+469%
Boost Clock	1733 MHz	2407 MHz+39%
ROPs	64	112+75%
TMUs	160	328+105%
L1 Cache	0.94 MB	10.3 MB+996%
L2 Cache	2 MB	64 MB+3100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell
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 PRO 4500 Blackwell has 32 GB. The RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell offers 433.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1024 GB/s (RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell) — a 433.3% advantage for the RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell. Bus width: 192-bit vs 384-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 64 MB (RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell) — the RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	32 GB+433%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR7
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s	1024 GB/s+433%
Bus Width	192-bit	384-bit+100%
L2 Cache	2 MB	64 MB+3100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12.2 (RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell
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 9th Gen NVENC (2x) (RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs 6th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	9th Gen NVENC (2x)
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	6th Gen NVDEC
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell's 200W — a 10.5% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 650W (RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 173mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell
TDP	180W-10%	200W
Recommended PSU	400W-38%	650W
Power Connector	6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	173mm	267mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	—	80°C
Perf/Watt	55.9	177.2+217%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell launched at $2399. The GeForce GTX 1060 costs 89.6% less ($2150 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 14.8 (RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 173% better value. The RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell is the newer GPU (2025 vs 2016).