GeForce GTX 1060 vs RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

2016Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1733 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
NVIDIA

RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell

2025Core: 1740 MHzBoost: 2377 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

  • Costs $6,750 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $6,999 MSRP).
  • Delivers 813.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 4.4 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $6,999 MSRP).
  • Draws 180W instead of 300W, a 120W reduction.
  • Measures 173mm instead of 267mm, a 94mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 48 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 5000 Blackwell

2025

Why buy it

  • 145.4% more average FPS across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 700% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (48 GB vs 6 GB).
  • More future proof: Blackwell 2.0 (2025−2026) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 2710.8% HIGHER MSRP
    $6,999 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.4 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($6,999 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • 66.7% higher power demand at 300W vs 180W.
  • 54.3% longer card at 267mm vs 173mm.

Quick Answers

So, is RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell better than GeForce GTX 1060?
Yes. RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell is clearly the better overall GPU here. RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell averages 145.4% more FPS across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 30,968 vs 10,064 in G3D Mark. On top of that, RTX PRO 5000 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 5000 Blackwell is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2025 generation instead of 2016, 207.7% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 48 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 5000 Blackwell is the smarter buy by a wide margin. RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell is about 2710.8% more expensive on MSRP at $6,999 MSRP versus $249 MSRP, and you are getting 145.4% more estimated average FPS across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data and 207.7% 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 PRO 5000 Blackwell
1080p
low117 FPS275 FPS
medium105 FPS255 FPS
high91 FPS218 FPS
ultra77 FPS190 FPS
1440p
low103 FPS260 FPS
medium87 FPS216 FPS
high76 FPS172 FPS
ultra67 FPS155 FPS
4K
low55 FPS179 FPS
medium49 FPS149 FPS
high41 FPS112 FPS
ultra37 FPS100 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce GTX 1060RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell
1080p
low216 FPS774 FPS
medium181 FPS613 FPS
high148 FPS462 FPS
ultra113 FPS396 FPS
1440p
low134 FPS605 FPS
medium107 FPS496 FPS
high87 FPS390 FPS
ultra68 FPS309 FPS
4K
low62 FPS322 FPS
medium51 FPS266 FPS
high49 FPS238 FPS
ultra41 FPS199 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce GTX 1060RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell
1080p
low453 FPS931 FPS
medium362 FPS762 FPS
high302 FPS689 FPS
ultra226 FPS597 FPS
1440p
low340 FPS721 FPS
medium272 FPS590 FPS
high226 FPS522 FPS
ultra170 FPS446 FPS
4K
low226 FPS501 FPS
medium181 FPS415 FPS
high151 FPS367 FPS
ultra113 FPS305 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce GTX 1060RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell
1080p
low358 FPS963 FPS
medium302 FPS883 FPS
high260 FPS774 FPS
ultra226 FPS697 FPS
1440p
low299 FPS748 FPS
medium254 FPS669 FPS
high208 FPS588 FPS
ultra170 FPS520 FPS
4K
low170 FPS556 FPS
medium133 FPS499 FPS
high123 FPS445 FPS
ultra102 FPS348 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell

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 PRO 5000 Blackwell

The RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 18 2025. It features the Blackwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1740 MHz to 2377 MHz. It has 14080 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 110 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 30,968 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell's 30,968 — the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell leads by 207.7%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell uses Blackwell 2.0, both on 16 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 14,080 (RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 66.94 TFLOPS (RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 2377 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell
G3D Mark Score
10,064
30,968+208%
Architecture
Pascal
Blackwell 2.0
Process Node
16 nm
5 nm
Shading Units
2560
14080+450%
Compute (TFLOPS)
8.873 TFLOPS
66.94 TFLOPS+654%
Boost Clock
1733 MHz
2377 MHz+37%
ROPs
64
176+175%
TMUs
160
440+175%
L1 Cache
0.94 MB
13.8 MB+1368%
L2 Cache
2 MB
96 MB+4700%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RTX PRO 5000 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 5000 Blackwell has 48 GB. The RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell offers 700% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1024 GB/s (RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell) — a 433.3% advantage for the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell. Bus width: 192-bit vs 384-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 96 MB (RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell) — the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
48 GB+700%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR7
Memory Bandwidth
192 GB/s
1024 GB/s+433%
Bus Width
192-bit
384-bit+100%
L2 Cache
2 MB
96 MB+4700%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12 Ultimate (RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell
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 NVENC (9th Gen) (RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs NVDEC (6th Gen). Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell
Encoder
NVENC (Pascal)
NVENC (9th Gen)
Decoder
NVDEC (Pascal)
NVDEC (6th Gen)
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC
H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell's 300W — a 50% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 650W (RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 173mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell
TDP
180W-40%
300W
Recommended PSU
400W-38%
650W
Power Connector
6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
173mm
267mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75
Perf/Watt
55.9
103.2+85%
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell launched at $6999. The GeForce GTX 1060 costs 96.4% less ($6750 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 4.4 (RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 818.2% better value. The RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell is the newer GPU (2025 vs 2016).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell
MSRP
$249-96%
$6999
Performance per Dollar
40.4+818%
4.4
Codename
GP104
GB202
Release
May 27 2016
March 18 2025
Ranking
#137
#13