GeForce GTX 1060 vs Tesla K80

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

✅+87.7% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $4,751 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $5,000 MSRP).
✅Delivers 3668.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 1.1 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $5,000 MSRP).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Tesla K80: it remains the more sensible modern option while Tesla K80 is already obsolete for modern gaming.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Tesla K80

2014

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (5,363 vs 10,064).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
1908% HIGHER MSRP
$5,000 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.1 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($5,000 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Tesla K80

2014

Why buy it

✅+87.7% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $4,751 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $5,000 MSRP).
✅Delivers 3668.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 1.1 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $5,000 MSRP).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Tesla K80: it remains the more sensible modern option while Tesla K80 is already obsolete for modern gaming.

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (5,363 vs 10,064).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
1908% HIGHER MSRP
$5,000 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.1 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($5,000 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1060 better than Tesla K80?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 10,064 vs 5,363 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce GTX 1060 is a 2016 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while Tesla K80 is a 2014 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?

GeForce GTX 1060 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2016 generation instead of 2014, 87.7% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 6 GB instead of 4 GB, and a 16nm process instead of 28nm. 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?

GeForce GTX 1060 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce GTX 1060 is about $4,751 cheaper on MSRP at $249 MSRP versus $5,000 MSRP, and you are getting 87.7% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 3668.2%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Tesla K80 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Tesla K80 is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $5,000 MSRP, even if GeForce GTX 1060 is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

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

Tesla K80 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Tesla K80
1080p
low	117 FPS	100 FPS
medium	105 FPS	87 FPS
high	91 FPS	69 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	41 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	87 FPS
medium	87 FPS	77 FPS
high	76 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	32 FPS
4K
low	55 FPS	28 FPS
medium	49 FPS	27 FPS
high	41 FPS	18 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	15 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Tesla K80

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Tesla K80
1080p
low	216 FPS	153 FPS
medium	181 FPS	116 FPS
high	148 FPS	89 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	69 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	109 FPS
medium	107 FPS	79 FPS
high	87 FPS	65 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	48 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	55 FPS
medium	51 FPS	41 FPS
high	49 FPS	34 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	25 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Tesla K80

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Tesla K80
1080p
low	453 FPS	241 FPS
medium	362 FPS	193 FPS
high	302 FPS	161 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	121 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	181 FPS
medium	272 FPS	145 FPS
high	226 FPS	121 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	91 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	121 FPS
medium	181 FPS	97 FPS
high	151 FPS	80 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	60 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Tesla K80

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	Tesla K80
1080p
low	358 FPS	180 FPS
medium	302 FPS	144 FPS
high	260 FPS	125 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	94 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	125 FPS
medium	254 FPS	102 FPS
high	208 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	66 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	74 FPS
medium	133 FPS	57 FPS
high	123 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	31 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open Tesla K80

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Tesla K80

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.

Tesla K80

The Tesla K80 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in November 17 2014. It features the Kepler 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 562 MHz to 824 MHz. It has 2496 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,363 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Tesla K80's 5,363 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 87.7%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Tesla K80 uses Kepler 2.0, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2,496 (Tesla K80). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 4.113 TFLOPS ×2 (Tesla K80). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 824 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Tesla K80
G3D Mark Score	10,064+88%	5,363
Architecture	Pascal	Kepler 2.0
Process Node	16 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2560+3%	2496 ×2
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS+116%	4.113 TFLOPS ×2
Boost Clock	1733 MHz+110%	824 MHz
ROPs	64+33%	48 ×2
TMUs	160	208 ×2+30%
L1 Cache	960 KB+362%	208 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+33%	1.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1060 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Tesla K80 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Tesla K80
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	Standard

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 1060 comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the Tesla K80 has 4 GB. The GeForce GTX 1060 offers 50% 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 1.5 MB (Tesla K80) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Tesla K80
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+50%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	192-bit+50%	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+33%	1.5 MB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Tesla K80's 300W — a 50% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 350W (Tesla K80). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Tesla K80
TDP	180W-40%	300W
Recommended PSU	400W	350W-13%
Power Connector	6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	173mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Perf/Watt	55.9+212%	17.9

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the Tesla K80 launched at $5000. The GeForce GTX 1060 costs 95% less ($4751 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1.1 (Tesla K80) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 3572.7% better value. The GeForce GTX 1060 is the newer GPU (2016 vs 2014).