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 780 vs GeForce GTX 1060 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 780 vs GeForce GTX 1060: 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 780

2013

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2013 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌
100.4% HIGHER MSRP
$499 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 15.9 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌38.9% higher power demand at 250W vs 180W.

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Why buy it

✅33.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $250 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Delivers 153.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 15.9 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Draws 180W instead of 250W, a 70W reduction.
✅Measures 173mm instead of 267mm, a 94mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce GTX 1060 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 33.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 26.5% in PassMark G3D (10,064 vs 7,957), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 780 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTX 1060 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $250 cheaper on MSRP at $249 vs $499, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 153.5% (40.4 vs 15.9), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce GTX 1060 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 780 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 780 vs GeForce GTX 1060 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 780

The GeForce GTX 780 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 23 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 863 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,957 points. Launch price was $649.

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.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 780 scores 7,957 versus the GeForce GTX 1060's 10,064 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 26.5%. The GeForce GTX 780 is built on Kepler while the GeForce GTX 1060 uses Pascal, both on 28 nm vs 16 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (GeForce GTX 780) vs 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060). Raw compute: 4.156 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 780) vs 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060). Boost clocks: 900 MHz vs 1733 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 780	GeForce GTX 1060
G3D Mark Score	7,957	10,064+26%
Architecture	Kepler	Pascal
Process Node	28 nm	16 nm
Shading Units	2304	2560+11%
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.156 TFLOPS	8.873 TFLOPS+113%
Boost Clock	900 MHz	1733 MHz+93%
ROPs	48	64+33%
TMUs	192+20%	160
L1 Cache	192 KB	960 KB+400%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB	2 MB+33%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 780	GeForce GTX 1060
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)

Both cards ship with 6 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 288 GB/s (GeForce GTX 780) vs 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060) — a 50% advantage for the GeForce GTX 780. Memory bus width is 384-bit on the GeForce GTX 780 and 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 780) vs 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 780	GeForce GTX 1060
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	6 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	288 GB/s+50%	192 GB/s
Bus Width	384-bit+100%	192-bit
L2 Cache	1.5 MB	2 MB+33%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 780) vs 12 (GeForce GTX 1060). Vulkan: 1.0 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.5. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 780	GeForce GTX 1060
DirectX	12 (11_0)	12
Vulkan	1.0	1.3+30%
OpenGL	4.6+2%	4.5
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st Gen (GeForce GTX 780) vs NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060). Decoder: NVDEC 1st Gen vs NVDEC (Pascal). Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX 780) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060).

Feature	GeForce GTX 780	GeForce GTX 1060
Encoder	NVENC 1st Gen	NVENC (Pascal)
Decoder	NVDEC 1st Gen	NVDEC (Pascal)
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1	H.264,H.265/HEVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 780 draws 250W versus the GeForce GTX 1060's 180W — a 32.6% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 780) vs 400W (GeForce GTX 1060). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 6-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 173mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 780	GeForce GTX 1060
TDP	250W	180W-28%
Recommended PSU	600W	400W-33%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	6-pin
Length	267mm	173mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	80	—
Perf/Watt	31.8	55.9+76%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 780 came in at $499, while the GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 1060 was 50.1% cheaper ($250 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 15.9 (GeForce GTX 780) vs 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 154.1% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1060 (2016 vs 2013).

Feature	GeForce GTX 780	GeForce GTX 1060
MSRP	$499	$249-50%
Performance per Dollar	15.9	40.4+154%
Codename	GK110	GP104
Release	May 23 2013	May 27 2016
Ranking	#320	#137

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