NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
vs
AMD Radeon RX 480

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
AMD Radeon RX 480
GTX 1060 6GB RX 480 Difference
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB AMD Radeon RX 480
Price $ 159.0 $ 399.0 240 (151%)
Year 2016 2016 0 (0%)
Maximum Recorded Temperature 76C 77C 1 (1%)
Max Fan Noise 47.1dB 51dB 3.9 (8%)
Recommended Power Supply 470W 500W 30 (6%)
Benchmark CPU Intel Core i7-6700K @ 4.00GHz ($334.99) Intel Core i7-6700K @ 4.00GHz ($334.99)
CPU Impact on FPS +0.0 FPS +0.0 FPS 0 (0%)
CPU Impact on FPS % 0.0% 0.0% 0 (0%)
Benchmark Quality Settings Ultra Quality Settings Ultra Quality Settings
Average 1080p Performance 67.0 FPS 59.8 FPS 7.2 (11%)
Average 1440p Performance 48.4 FPS 44.6 FPS 3.8 (8%)
(Ultrawide) Average 1440p Performance 41.3 FPS 38.5 FPS 2.8 (7%)
Average 4K Performance 28.8 FPS 27.4 FPS 1.4 (5%)
Memory 6 GB 8 GB 2 (33%)
1080p Cost Per Frame $ 3.8 $ 6.7 2.9 (76%)
1440p Cost Per Frame $ 5.3 $ 9.0 3.7 (70%)
(Ultrawide) 1440p Cost Per Frame $ 6.2 $ 10.4 4.2 (68%)
4K Cost Per Frame $ 8.8 $ 14.6 5.8 (66%)
Variant NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB AMD Radeon RX 480
Overall Combination Score 80/100 68/100 12 (15%)
Our Verdict: Upgrading from RX 480 to GTX 1060 6GB is not recommended as it is less than 30% of improvement in performance. In general, a reasonable upgrade is between 30% and 50% or more to justify the purchase of new hardware. The price/performance ratio is much better for GTX 1060 6GB .

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB

The GTX 1070 might be the mid-range flagship of the latest Pascal set of graphics cards, but their prices keep them out of the reach of most entry-level PC gamers. On the other hand, the GTX 1060 6GB is closer to being reasonably affordable at a price tag of $ 254. NVIDIA ’s xx60 cards have always been defined by entry-level prices with performance that knocks on the door of mid-range graphics cards – especially when overclocked. After taking the time to fully test the Pascal graphics card inside the GTX 1060 6GB, we can say without a doubt that it continues the trend.

The GTX 1060 6GB is much more expensive than the GTX 960 as it costs a whopping $ 254. Compare this to the GTX 960, which came originally at a price of $ 199. Meanwhile, the AMD closest equivalent card is the RX 580 which costs $ 229. Spec for spec, this GTX 1060 6GB leapfrogs its direct predecessor, the GTX 960, by boasting 76.3 % more fps.

The GTX 1060 6GB has 6 GB RAM compared to the GTX 960 's 2 GB video memory. In our synthetic benchmarks, the GTX 1060 6GB blows past the GTX 960 and, amazingly, even the GTX 970 as well.

Fortunately, gaming performance was quite impressive. The GTX 1060 6GB consistently delivers great frame rate increases over the GTX 960 and it really justifies an upgrade. Compared to its AMD 's closest rival, RX 580, the GTX 1060 6GB was -6.2 % slower.

For 1080p Full HD, we were able to play Hitman 2, Apex Legends, F1 2019, Overwatch 2, Spider-Man Remastered at 61 fps to 67 fps and kept frame rates hovering around 64 fps. For 1440p Quad HD, we were able to play Valorant at 105 fps to 105 fps and kept frame rates hovering around 105 fps.

For 2160p 4K, we were able to play Valorant at 91 fps to 91 fps and kept frame rates hovering around 91 fps.

AMD Radeon RX 480

AMD ’s xx80 cards have always been defined by mid-range prices with performance that knocks on the door of high-end graphics cards – especially when overclocked. After taking the time to fully test the GCN 4.0 graphics card inside the RX 480, we can say without a doubt that it continues the trend. The RX 480 is much more expensive than the R9 380 as it costs a whopping $ 400. Compare this to the R9 380, AMD Radeon R9 380X, which came originally at a price of $ 199, $ 229. Meanwhile, the NVIDIA closest equivalent card is the GTX 970 which costs $ 329.

Spec for spec, this RX 480 leapfrogs its direct predecessor, the R9 380, by boasting 51.8 % more fps. The RX 480 has 8 GB RAM compared to the R9 380 's 2 GB video memory.

In our synthetic benchmarks, the RX 480 blows past the R9 380, AMD Radeon R9 380X and, amazingly, even the R9 390 as well. Fortunately, gaming performance was quite impressive. The RX 480 consistently delivers great frame rate increases over the R9 380, AMD Radeon R9 380X and it really justifies an upgrade.

Compared to its NVIDIA 's closest rival, GTX 970, the RX 480 was -3.9 % slower. For 1080p Full HD, we were able to play Spider-Man Remastered, F1 2019, Apex Legends, Overwatch 2, Battlefield V at 62 fps to 65 fps and kept frame rates hovering around 63 fps.

For 1440p Quad HD, we were able to play World War Z, Fallout 76, Valorant at 62 fps to 101 fps and kept frame rates hovering around 75 fps. For 2160p 4K, we were able to play Valorant at 88 fps to 88 fps and kept frame rates hovering around 88 fps.

Game Performance at selected quality settings

Change Quality Settings

1920x1080

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
AMD Radeon RX 480
Year Game Frames Per Second
2023 Resident Evil 4
47
52.9
43
48.3
2023 A Plague Tale: Requiem
32
36.1
29
33.0
2023 Hogwarts Legacy
28
31.2
25
28.6
2023 The Last of Us Part I
21
24.0
19
22.0
2023 Forspoken
25
27.9
22
25.5
2023 The Callisto Protocol
19
21.6
17
19.8
2023 Dead Space
32
36.1
29
33.0
2023 Baldur's Gate 3
38
42.8
35
39.1
2023 Armored Core VI
38
42.8
35
39.1
2023 Immortals of Aveum
17
19.2
15
17.6
2023 Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart
34
38.5
31
35.1
2023 Remnant II
19
21.6
17
19.8
2023 Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
25
28.8
23
26.4
2023 Atomic Heart
25
28.8
23
26.4
2023 Starfield
12
14.4
11
13.2
2022 Elden Ring
34
37.8
32
36.4
2022 God of War
32
35.9
31
34.5
2022 Overwatch 2
60
66.7
57
64.1
2022 F1 22
38
43.3
35
39.5
2022 Dying Light 2
36
40.9
33
37.3
2022 Total War: Warhammer III
36
40.9
33
37.3
2022 Spider-Man Remastered
60
67.3
55
61.5
2022 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
43
48.1
39
43.9
2021 Forza Horizon 5
32
36.3
31
34.9
2021 Halo Infinite
24
27.7
23
26.6
2021 Battlefield 2042
45
51.1
44
49.1
2021 Hitman 3
49
55.3
45
50.5
2021 Far Cry 6
46
51.4
42
47.0
2021 Guardians of the Galaxy
50
56.2
46
51.4
2020 Watch Dogs: Legion
51
56.7
46
51.8
2020 Assassin's Creed Valhalla
26
29.3
25
28.1
2020 Microsoft Flight Simulator
17
19.1
16
18.4
2020 Valorant
115
128.3
111
123.4
2020 Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
45
50.3
43
48.4
2020 Death Stranding
52
58.1
50
55.9
2020 Marvel's Avengers
34
37.8
32
36.4
2020 Godfall
50
56.6
48
54.4
2020 Cyberpunk 2077
26
29.3
25
28.1
2019 Apex Legends
56
63.0
56
63.0
2019 Anthem
36
40.6
36
40.6
2019 Far Cry New Dawn
53
59.5
53
59.5
2019 Resident Evil 2
70
78.8
68
75.8
2019 Metro Exodus
31
35.1
30
33.7
2019 World War Z
61
68.0
76
85.0
2019 Gears of War 5
45
51.1
44
49.1
2019 F1 2019
57
64.1
55
61.6
2019 GreedFall
51
57.7
49
55.5
2019 Borderlands 3
36
40.6
35
39.0
2019 Call of Duty Modern Warfare
70
78.0
67
75.0
2019 Red Dead Redemption 2
27
30.0
26
28.9
2019 Need For Speed: Heat
42
47.2
40
45.4
2018 Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
65
72.9
75
84.0
2018 Assassin's Creed Odyssey
30
34.0
29
33.0
2018 Final Fantasy XV
46
51.3
51
57.0
2018 Shadow of the Tomb Raider
42
46.8
48
54.0
2018 Just Cause 4
48
53.6
43
48.7
2018 Monster Hunter: World
51
57.7
47
52.5
2018 Strange Brigade
74
82.3
71
79.1
2018 Battlefield V
61
68.4
58
65.0
2017 Assassin's Creed Origins
44
49.5
42
47.0
2017 Destiny 2
73
81.9
81
91.0
2017 Need For Speed: Payback
66
74.2
60
67.5
2017 For Honor
89
98.9
81
90.0
2017 Project CARS 2
63
70.0
57
63.7
2017 Forza Motorsport 7
76
84.9
69
77.2
2016 Dishonored 2
45
51.1
41
46.5
2015 Rocket League
259
288.4
236
262.5
2015 Need For Speed
71
79.9
65
72.7
2015 Project CARS
68
76.6
62
69.7
2015 Rainbow Six Siege
119
132.6
114
127.5
2012 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
178
197.8
162
180.0
2009 League of Legends
333
370.8
303
337.5

2560x1440

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
AMD Radeon RX 480
Year Game Frames Per Second
2023 Resident Evil 4
30
38.5
28
35.1
2023 A Plague Tale: Requiem
21
26.4
19
24.2
2023 Hogwarts Legacy
19
24.0
17
22.0
2023 The Last of Us Part I
14
18.3
13
16.7
2023 Forspoken
14
18.3
13
16.7
2023 The Callisto Protocol
12
15.4
11
14.1
2023 Dead Space
19
24.0
17
22.0
2023 Baldur's Gate 3
27
34.6
25
31.6
2023 Armored Core VI
27
34.6
25
31.6
2023 Immortals of Aveum
10
13.5
9
12.3
2023 Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart
21
26.4
19
24.2
2023 Remnant II
11
14.4
10
13.2
2023 Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
17
21.6
15
19.8
2023 Atomic Heart
16
20.7
15
18.9
2023 Starfield
10
13.0
9
11.9
2022 Elden Ring
23
29.9
22
28.7
2022 God of War
24
30.8
23
29.6
2022 Overwatch 2
45
57.3
44
55.1
2022 F1 22
21
26.4
19
24.2
2022 Dying Light 2
21
26.4
19
24.2
2022 Total War: Warhammer III
23
28.8
21
26.4
2022 Spider-Man Remastered
38
48.1
35
43.9
2022 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
24
31.2
22
28.6
2021 Forza Horizon 5
24
31.2
24
30.0
2021 Halo Infinite
20
25.0
19
24.0
2021 Battlefield 2042
27
33.9
26
32.6
2021 Hitman 3
31
39.4
28
36.0
2021 Far Cry 6
30
38.5
28
35.1
2021 Guardians of the Galaxy
31
39.9
29
36.5
2020 Watch Dogs: Legion
29
37.0
27
33.8
2020 Assassin's Creed Valhalla
20
25.4
19
24.4
2020 Microsoft Flight Simulator
13
16.8
12
16.1
2020 Valorant
83
104.9
80
100.9
2020 Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
31
39.4
30
37.9
2020 Death Stranding
36
45.1
34
43.4
2020 Marvel's Avengers
21
26.9
20
25.9
2020 Godfall
30
37.8
29
36.4
2020 Cyberpunk 2077
21
27.3
21
26.3
2019 Apex Legends
37
46.9
37
46.9
2019 Anthem
25
32.2
25
32.2
2019 Far Cry New Dawn
36
46.2
36
46.2
2019 Resident Evil 2
42
53.0
40
51.0
2019 Metro Exodus
21
27.3
20
26.2
2019 World War Z
39
49.6
49
62.0
2019 Gears of War 5
29
37.0
28
35.6
2019 F1 2019
36
45.4
34
43.6
2019 GreedFall
33
41.7
32
40.1
2019 Borderlands 3
22
28.5
21
27.4
2019 Call of Duty Modern Warfare
44
56.2
43
54.0
2019 Red Dead Redemption 2
19
24.6
18
23.6
2019 Need For Speed: Heat
29
37.0
28
35.6
2018 Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
33
42.3
42
53.0
2018 Assassin's Creed Odyssey
20
25.6
20
26.0
2018 Final Fantasy XV
28
36.0
32
40.0
2018 Shadow of the Tomb Raider
24
30.6
28
35.0
2018 Fallout 76
41
52.2
50
63.0
2018 Just Cause 4
31
39.6
28
36.0
2018 Monster Hunter: World
32
40.4
29
36.7
2018 Strange Brigade
45
57.3
44
55.1
2018 Battlefield V
39
49.5
36
46.0
2017 Assassin's Creed Origins
29
36.9
24
31.0
2017 Destiny 2
56
70.2
62
78.0
2017 Need For Speed: Payback
42
53.6
38
48.7
2017 For Honor
46
57.7
42
52.5
2017 Project CARS 2
39
49.4
36
45.0
2017 Forza Motorsport 7
61
76.6
55
69.7
2016 Dishonored 2
34
43.7
31
39.7
2015 Rocket League
98
123.6
90
112.5
2015 Need For Speed
49
61.8
44
56.2
2015 Project CARS
46
58.5
42
53.3
2015 Rainbow Six Siege
68
85.8
66
82.5
2012 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
131
164.8
120
150.0
2009 League of Legends
164
206.0
150
187.5

3440x1440

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
AMD Radeon RX 480
Year Game Frames Per Second
2019 Apex Legends
30
40.1
30
40.1
2019 Anthem
20
26.6
20
26.6
2019 Far Cry New Dawn
28
37.8
28
37.8
2019 Resident Evil 2
32
42.3
30
40.7
2019 Metro Exodus
18
23.8
17
22.8
2019 World War Z
31
41.8
39
52.3
2019 Gears of War 5
24
32.3
23
31.1
2019 F1 2019
30
39.8
29
38.2
2019 GreedFall
23
31.5
23
30.3
2019 Borderlands 3
17
23.2
16
22.3
2019 Call of Duty Modern Warfare
36
48.0
35
46.1
2019 Red Dead Redemption 2
16
21.5
15
20.7
2019 Need For Speed: Heat
24
32.3
23
31.1
2018 Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
28
37.1
33
44.4
2018 Assassin's Creed Odyssey
16
22.3
17
23.5
2018 Final Fantasy XV
23
30.8
25
34.2
2018 Shadow of the Tomb Raider
19
25.0
21
28.9
2018 Fallout 76
32
43.3
39
52.4
2018 Just Cause 4
24
32.2
22
29.3
2018 Monster Hunter: World
24
32.0
22
29.1
2018 Strange Brigade
35
47.3
34
45.5
2018 Battlefield V
30
40.4
30
40.1
2017 Assassin's Creed Origins
23
31.3
22
29.4
2017 Destiny 2
42
56.3
47
62.6
2017 Need For Speed: Payback
36
48.5
33
44.1
2017 For Honor
35
46.3
31
42.1
2017 Project CARS 2
36
48.5
33
44.1
2017 Forza Motorsport 7
57
75.4
52
68.6
2016 Dishonored 2
31
41.9
28
38.1
2015 Rocket League
73
97.0
67
88.3
2015 Need For Speed
41
55.1
38
50.1
2015 Project CARS
40
53.3
36
48.6
2015 Rainbow Six Siege
51
67.2
49
64.6
2012 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
127
167.5
115
152.5
2009 League of Legends
117
154.3
106
140.4

3840x2160

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
AMD Radeon RX 480
Year Game Frames Per Second
2023 Resident Evil 4
20
28.8
18
26.4
2023 A Plague Tale: Requiem
11
16.8
10
15.4
2023 Hogwarts Legacy
11
16.8
10
15.4
2023 The Last of Us Part I
6
9.6
6
8.8
2023 Forspoken
6
8.7
5
7.9
2023 The Callisto Protocol
5
7.7
4
7.0
2023 Dead Space
6
9.6
6
8.8
2023 Baldur's Gate 3
13
19.2
12
17.6
2023 Armored Core VI
13
19.2
12
17.6
2023 Immortals of Aveum
4
6.2
3
5.7
2023 Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart
10
14.4
9
13.2
2023 Remnant II
5
7.2
4
6.6
2023 Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
7
10.6
6
9.7
2023 Atomic Heart
9
13.0
8
11.9
2023 Starfield
6
8.7
5
7.9
2022 Elden Ring
11
17.0
11
16.4
2022 God of War
16
23.9
16
23.0
2022 Overwatch 2
30
43.3
29
41.6
2022 F1 22
13
19.2
12
17.6
2022 Dying Light 2
13
19.2
12
17.6
2022 Total War: Warhammer III
15
21.6
13
19.8
2022 Spider-Man Remastered
23
33.6
21
30.8
2022 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
13
19.2
12
17.6
2021 Forza Horizon 5
16
24.2
16
23.3
2021 Halo Infinite
12
17.2
11
16.5
2021 Battlefield 2042
15
21.8
14
21.0
2021 Hitman 3
16
24.0
15
22.0
2021 Far Cry 6
14
20.7
13
18.9
2021 Guardians of the Galaxy
15
21.6
13
19.8
2020 Watch Dogs: Legion
16
24.0
15
22.0
2020 Assassin's Creed Valhalla
12
17.2
11
16.5
2020 Microsoft Flight Simulator
9
13.3
8
12.8
2020 Valorant
63
91.3
61
87.8
2020 Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
14
21.1
14
20.3
2020 Death Stranding
19
27.4
18
26.3
2020 Marvel's Avengers
9
14.1
9
13.6
2020 Godfall
12
18.0
12
17.3
2020 Cyberpunk 2077
12
17.9
12
17.2
2019 Apex Legends
19
28.0
19
28.0
2019 Anthem
12
17.5
12
17.5
2019 Far Cry New Dawn
17
24.5
17
24.5
2019 Resident Evil 2
18
26.1
17
25.1
2019 Metro Exodus
12
17.2
11
16.5
2019 World War Z
20
28.6
24
35.7
2019 Gears of War 5
16
23.4
15
22.5
2019 F1 2019
20
28.9
19
27.8
2019 GreedFall
12
17.2
11
16.5
2019 Borderlands 3
10
14.8
10
14.3
2019 Call of Duty Modern Warfare
23
33.5
22
32.2
2019 Red Dead Redemption 2
10
15.6
10
15.0
2019 Need For Speed: Heat
16
23.4
15
22.5
2018 Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
18
27.0
21
30.0
2018 Assassin's Creed Odyssey
11
16.2
12
18.0
2018 Final Fantasy XV
15
21.6
16
24.0
2018 Shadow of the Tomb Raider
11
16.2
13
19.0
2018 Fallout 76
20
28.8
24
35.0
2018 Just Cause 4
14
20.6
13
18.8
2018 Monster Hunter: World
13
19.4
12
17.6
2018 Strange Brigade
21
31.2
21
30.0
2018 Battlefield V
18
26.1
20
29.0
2017 Assassin's Creed Origins
15
21.6
16
24.0
2017 Destiny 2
24
35.1
27
39.0
2017 Need For Speed: Payback
25
37.1
23
33.7
2017 For Honor
20
28.8
18
26.2
2017 Project CARS 2
28
41.2
26
37.5
2017 Forza Motorsport 7
45
64.3
40
58.5
2016 Dishonored 2
24
34.6
22
31.5
2015 Rocket League
40
57.7
36
52.5
2015 Need For Speed
28
41.2
26
37.5
2015 Project CARS
28
41.2
26
37.5
2015 Rainbow Six Siege
27
39.8
26
38.2
2012 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
103
148.3
94
135.0
2009 League of Legends
57
82.4
52
75.0
GTX 1060 6GB vs RX 480 with i7-6700K vs i7-6700K at 1080p and ultra vs ultra settings
GTX 1060 6GB vs RX 480 with i7-6700K vs i7-6700K at 1440p and ultra vs ultra settings
GTX 1060 6GB vs RX 480 with i7-6700K vs i7-6700K at 4K and ultra vs ultra settings

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB / i7-6700K

At 1440p, GTX 1060 6GB can hit 50-60 fps on pretty much everything at ultra, just without antialiasing, less ambient occlusion and turned down shadows. It is clear that the GTX 1060 6GB is a significantly more capable high-end card that can play AAA titles at 1080p/1440p with 50-60 frames per second. The price/performance ratio is excellent for GTX 1060 6GB against the competition in budget mid-range cards. In terms of memory, the GTX 1060 6GB 's 6144 MB RAM is more than enough for modern games and should not cause any bottlenecks.

AMD Radeon RX 480 / i7-6700K

For the most part, the RX 480 is still capable of playing modern games, but you would have to reduce settings to sustain those higher framerates. If keeping graphics quality settings closer to ultra or high is important, there are a few options for upgrades. In terms of memory, the RX 480 's 8192 MB RAM is more than enough for modern games and should not cause any bottlenecks.

GTX 1060 6GB vs RX 480 Specifications Comparison

Board Design

GTX 1060 6GB RX 480
Board NumberPG410C940, D009-01
Length9.823 inches 250 mm9.5 inches 241 mm
Outputs1x DVI1x HDMI3x DisplayPort1x HDMI3x DisplayPort
Power Connectors1x 6-pin1x 6-pin
Slot WidthDual-slotDual-slot
TDP120 W150 W

Clock Speeds

GTX 1060 6GB RX 480
Boost Clock1709 MHz1266 MHz
GPU Clock1506 MHz1120 MHz
Memory Clock2002 MHz 8008 MHz effective2000 MHz 8000 MHz effective

Graphics Card

GTX 1060 6GB RX 480
Bus InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
GenerationGeForce 1000Arctic Islands (RX 400)
Launch Price199 USD229 USD
ProductionActiveActive
Release DateMar 8th, 2018Jun 29th, 2016

Graphics Features

GTX 1060 6GB RX 480
DirectX12.0 (12_1)12.0 (12_0)
OpenCL1.22
OpenGL4.64.5
Shader Model6.16
Vulkan1.1.821.1.82

Graphics Processor

GTX 1060 6GB RX 480
ArchitecturePascalGCN 4.0
Die Size314 mm²244 mm²
GPU NameGP104Ellesmere
GPU VariantGP104-150-A1Polaris 10 XT (215-0876184)
Process Size16 nm14 nm
Transistors7,200 million5,700 million

Memory

GTX 1060 6GB RX 480
Bandwidth192.2 GB/s256.0 GB/s
Memory Bus192 bit256 bit
Memory Size6144 MB8192 MB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5

Render Config

GTX 1060 6GB RX 480
ROPs4832
Shading Units12802304
TMUs80144

Theoretical Performance

GTX 1060 6GB RX 480
FP16 (half) performance68.36 GFLOPS (1:64)5,834 GFLOPS (1:1)
FP32 (float) performance4,375 GFLOPS5,834 GFLOPS
FP64 (double) performance123.0 GFLOPS (1:32)364.6 GFLOPS (1:16)
Pixel Rate82.03 GPixel/s40.51 GPixel/s
Texture Rate136.7 GTexel/s182.3 GTexel/s

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