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 3GB

2016

Why buy it

✅Costs $2,301 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1106.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 49.3 vs 4.1 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).
✅Draws 120W instead of 250W, a 130W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Tesla M40

2015

Why buy it

✅166.7% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 3 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
1156.3% HIGHER MSRP
$2,500 MSRPvs$199 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.1 vs 49.3 G3D/$ ($2,500 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌108.3% higher power demand at 250W vs 120W.

GeForce GTX 1060 3GB

2016

Tesla M40

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $2,301 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1106.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 49.3 vs 4.1 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).
✅Draws 120W instead of 250W, a 130W reduction.

Why buy it

✅166.7% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 3 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
1156.3% HIGHER MSRP
$2,500 MSRPvs$199 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.1 vs 49.3 G3D/$ ($2,500 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌108.3% higher power demand at 250W vs 120W.

Quick Answers

So, is Tesla M40 better than GeForce GTX 1060 3GB?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 9,815 vs 10,220 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Tesla M40 is the overall package: you are getting no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 1060 3GB is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2016 generation instead of 2015 and a 16nm process instead of 28nm. That makes it the safer long-run choice for modern games.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

Tesla M40 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Tesla M40 is about 1156.3% more expensive on MSRP at $2,500 MSRP versus $199 MSRP, and you are getting 4.1% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 1060 3GB really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

When does GeForce GTX 1060 3GB make more sense than Tesla M40?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 3GB is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, lower power draw (120W vs 250W), future-proofing, and staying closer to $199 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Tesla M40. The trade-off is that Tesla M40 currently gives you 4.1% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 1060 3GB still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium.

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 3GB Benchmark Check

Tesla M40 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 3GB	Tesla M40
1080p
low	95 FPS	151 FPS
medium	83 FPS	130 FPS
high	70 FPS	106 FPS
ultra	58 FPS	65 FPS
1440p
low	84 FPS	121 FPS
medium	70 FPS	103 FPS
high	58 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	47 FPS
4K
low	41 FPS	42 FPS
medium	38 FPS	38 FPS
high	27 FPS	24 FPS
ultra	24 FPS	20 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 3GB Open Tesla M40

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 3GB	Tesla M40
1080p
low	191 FPS	248 FPS
medium	161 FPS	214 FPS
high	132 FPS	163 FPS
ultra	94 FPS	128 FPS
1440p
low	127 FPS	173 FPS
medium	101 FPS	142 FPS
high	80 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	61 FPS	89 FPS
4K
low	54 FPS	96 FPS
medium	45 FPS	78 FPS
high	43 FPS	65 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	49 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 3GB Open Tesla M40

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 3GB	Tesla M40
1080p
low	379 FPS	460 FPS
medium	332 FPS	368 FPS
high	246 FPS	307 FPS
ultra	204 FPS	230 FPS
1440p
low	308 FPS	345 FPS
medium	265 FPS	276 FPS
high	207 FPS	230 FPS
ultra	166 FPS	172 FPS
4K
low	187 FPS	230 FPS
medium	160 FPS	184 FPS
high	108 FPS	153 FPS
ultra	76 FPS	115 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 3GB Open Tesla M40

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 3GB	Tesla M40
1080p
low	257 FPS	293 FPS
medium	206 FPS	252 FPS
high	186 FPS	210 FPS
ultra	162 FPS	163 FPS
1440p
low	196 FPS	217 FPS
medium	154 FPS	192 FPS
high	136 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	118 FPS
4K
low	97 FPS	120 FPS
medium	73 FPS	96 FPS
high	65 FPS	80 FPS
ultra	51 FPS	61 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 3GB Open Tesla M40

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 3GB and Tesla M40

GeForce GTX 1060 3GB

The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 18 2016. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1506 MHz to 1708 MHz. It has 1152 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 120W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,815 points. Launch price was $199.

Tesla M40

The Tesla M40 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in November 10 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 948 MHz to 1112 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,220 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB scores 9,815 and the Tesla M40 reaches 10,220 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB is built on Pascal while the Tesla M40 uses Maxwell 2.0, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,152 (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs 3,072 (Tesla M40). Raw compute: 3.935 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs 6.832 TFLOPS (Tesla M40). Boost clocks: 1708 MHz vs 1112 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 3GB	Tesla M40
G3D Mark Score	9,815	10,220+4%
Architecture	Pascal	Maxwell 2.0
Process Node	16 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1152	3072+167%
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.935 TFLOPS	6.832 TFLOPS+74%
Boost Clock	1708 MHz+54%	1112 MHz
ROPs	48	96+100%
TMUs	72	192+167%
L1 Cache	0.42 MB	1.1 MB+162%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB	3 MB+100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Tesla M40 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 3GB	Tesla M40
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 3GB comes with 3 GB of VRAM, while the Tesla M40 has 8 GB. The Tesla M40 offers 166.7% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 192-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs 3 MB (Tesla M40) — the Tesla M40 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 3GB	Tesla M40
VRAM Capacity	3 GB	8 GB+167%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	192-bit	256-bit+33%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB	3 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs 12.0 (Tesla M40). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.5. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 3GB	Tesla M40
DirectX	12.1	12.0
Vulkan	1.1	1.1
OpenGL	4.5	4.5
Max Displays	4	0

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 4.0 (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs NVENC 2.0 (2x) (Tesla M40). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs PureVideo HD VP6. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Tesla M40).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 3GB	Tesla M40
Encoder	NVENC 4.0	NVENC 2.0 (2x)
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	PureVideo HD VP6
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB draws 120W versus the Tesla M40's 250W — a 70.3% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs 500W (Tesla M40). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 250mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 85°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 3GB	Tesla M40
TDP	120W-52%	250W
Recommended PSU	400W-20%	500W
Power Connector	6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	250mm	267mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	75°C-12%	85°C
Perf/Watt	81.8+100%	40.9

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB launched at $199 MSRP, while the Tesla M40 launched at $2500. The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB costs 92% less ($2301 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 49.3 (GeForce GTX 1060 3GB) vs 4.1 (Tesla M40) — the GeForce GTX 1060 3GB offers 1102.4% better value. The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB is the newer GPU (2016 vs 2015).