GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design vs Radeon RX 6400

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

2017Core: 1063 MHzBoost: 1480 MHz
GTX family
·······
VS
AMD

Radeon RX 6400

2022Core: 1923 MHzBoost: 2321 MHz
RX family
·······

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design vs Radeon RX 6400 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 Radeon RX 6400 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 with Max-Q Design vs Radeon RX 6400: 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

2017

Why buy it

  • 39.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
  • 2017 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 48.6 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
  • 50.9% higher power demand at 80W vs 53W.

Radeon RX 6400

2022

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 48.6 vs 0 G3D/$ ($159 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
  • Better long-term bet: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 6nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • Draws 53W instead of 80W, a 27W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 39.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.6% in PassMark G3D (7,853 vs 7,728), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon RX 6400 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer feature stack, with FSR 3 (2023) and FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023), while GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design is limited to no meaningful modern upscaling stack and no comparable frame-generation support, a 6nm process instead of 16nm, 12 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2022 generation instead of 2017. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon RX 6400 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design vs Radeon RX 6400 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

NVIDIA

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.

AMD

Radeon RX 6400

The Radeon RX 6400 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 19 2022. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1923 MHz to 2321 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 53W. Manufactured using 6 nm process technology. It features 12 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,728 points. Launch price was $159.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design scores 7,853 and the Radeon RX 6400 reaches 7,728 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design is built on Pascal while the Radeon RX 6400 uses RDNA 2.0, both on 16 nm vs 6 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 768 (Radeon RX 6400). Raw compute: 3.789 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 3.565 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 6400). Boost clocks: 1480 MHz vs 2321 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q DesignRadeon RX 6400
G3D Mark Score
7,853+2%
7,728
Architecture
Pascal
RDNA 2.0
Process Node
16 nm
6 nm
Shading Units
1280+67%
768
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.789 TFLOPS+6%
3.565 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1480 MHz
2321 MHz+57%
ROPs
48+50%
32
TMUs
80+67%
48
L1 Cache
480 KB+88%
256 KB
L2 Cache
1.5 MB+50%
1 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 6400 is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon RX 6400 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q DesignRadeon RX 6400
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR 3
Frame Generation
Not Supported
FSR Frame Generation + AFMF
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 6400 carries 4 GB. GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design gives you 50% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design and 64-bit on the Radeon RX 6400. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 1 MB (Radeon RX 6400) — the GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q DesignRadeon RX 6400
VRAM Capacity
6 GB+50%
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
128 GB/s
128 GB/s
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
L2 Cache
1.5 MB+50%
1 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 12.2 (Radeon RX 6400). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q DesignRadeon RX 6400
DirectX
12.1
12.2
Vulkan
1.3
1.3
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4+100%
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 6.0 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs None (Radeon RX 6400). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP8 vs VCN 3.0 (Limited). Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs MPEG-2,H.264 (Decode),HEVC (Decode) (Radeon RX 6400).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q DesignRadeon RX 6400
Encoder
NVENC 6.0
None
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP8
VCN 3.0 (Limited)
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9
MPEG-2,H.264 (Decode),HEVC (Decode)
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design draws 80W versus the Radeon RX 6400's 53W — a 40.6% difference. The Radeon RX 6400 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 350W (Radeon RX 6400). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs None. Card length: 0mm vs 172mm, occupying 0 vs 1 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q DesignRadeon RX 6400
TDP
80W
53W-34%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
None
Length
0mm
172mm
Height
0mm
112mm
Slots
0-100%
1
Temp (Load)
75°C
Perf/Watt
98.2
145.8+48%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon RX 6400 (2022 vs 2017).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q DesignRadeon RX 6400
MSRP
$159
Codename
GP106
Navi 24
Release
June 27 2017
January 19 2022
Ranking
#401
#330

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