GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design vs GeForce RTX 3050 6GB 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 with Max-Q Design vs GeForce RTX 3050 6GB 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.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design vs GeForce RTX 3050 6GB: 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 with Max-Q Design
2017Why buy it
- ✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3050 6GB across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
- ❌2017 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 63.6 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $169 MSRP).
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
2024Why buy it
- ✅13.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 63.6 vs 0 G3D/$ ($169 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
- ✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
- ✅Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.
Quick Answers
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GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design vs GeForce RTX 3050 6GB Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design
The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 27 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1063 MHz to 1480 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,853 points.
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 2 2024. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1042 MHz to 1470 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 70W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 18 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,749 points. Launch price was $179.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design scores 7,853 versus the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB's 10,749 — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB leads by 36.9%. The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design is built on Pascal while the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB uses Ampere, both on 16 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 2,304 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB). Raw compute: 3.789 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 6.774 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB). Boost clocks: 1480 MHz vs 1470 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 7,853 | 10,749+37% |
| Architecture | Pascal | Ampere |
| Process Node | 16 nm | 8 nm |
| Shading Units | 1280 | 2304+80% |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 3.789 TFLOPS | 6.774 TFLOPS+79% |
| Boost Clock | 1480 MHz | 1470 MHz |
| ROPs | 48+50% | 32 |
| TMUs | 80+11% | 72 |
| L1 Cache | 0.47 MB | 2.3 MB+389% |
| L2 Cache | 1.5 MB | 2 MB+33% |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design is capped at Upscaling support.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling Tech | Upscaling support | DLSS 2 Super Resolution |
| Frame Generation | Not Supported | Not Supported |
| Ray Reconstruction | No | No |
| Low Latency | NVIDIA Reflex | NVIDIA Reflex |
Video Memory (VRAM)
Both cards ship with 6 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 128 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 168 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) — a 31.3% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design and 96-bit on the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 2 MB (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 6 GB | 6 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 128 GB/s | 168 GB/s+31% |
| Bus Width | 128-bit+33% | 96-bit |
| L2 Cache | 1.5 MB | 2 MB+33% |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12.1 | 12 Ultimate |
| Vulkan | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Max Displays | 4 | 4 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC 6.0 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs NVENC (5th Gen) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP8 vs NVDEC (7th Gen). Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 6.0 | NVENC (5th Gen) |
| Decoder | PureVideo HD VP8 | NVDEC (7th Gen) |
| Codecs | MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 | H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only) |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design draws 80W versus the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB's 70W — a 13.3% difference. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 300W (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs None. Card length: 0mm vs 160mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 80W | 70W-13% |
| Recommended PSU | 350W | 300W-14% |
| Power Connector | PCIe-powered | None |
| Length | 0mm | 160mm |
| Height | 0mm | — |
| Slots | 0-100% | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | — | 75°C |
| Perf/Watt | 98.2 | 153.6+56% |
Value Analysis
The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3050 6GB (2024 vs 2017).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | — | $169 |
| Codename | GP106 | GA107 |
| Release | June 27 2017 | February 2 2024 |
| Ranking | #401 | #252 |
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