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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)

NVIDIA
VS
NVIDIA
Performance
GeForce RTX 306063% better
28,37527% of 104,937
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
17,40117% of 104,937

The GeForce RTX 3060 has 63% better performance than the GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Performance per dollar
GeForce RTX 306048% better
86.2553% of 161.45
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
58.236% of 161.45

The GeForce RTX 3060 has 48% better value for the money than the GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

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Summary

#

About the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 GPU

The GeForce RTX 3060 is a desktop graphics card by NVIDIA. It launched in Q1 2021 with a suggested retail price of $329. Its GA106 chip that powers the GPU uses the Ampere architecture and is fabricated on the 8 nm process.

Memory

This GPU is paired with 12 GB of GDDR6 VRAM. Its 1,875 MHz memory clock and 192 bit interface gives it a bandwidth of 360 Gb/s. This impacts how much data it can store, and how fast it transfers the data to and from memory.

Compatibility

The RTX 3060 is a dual slot graphics card, taking up 2 PCIe slots. It supports HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a display ports. This desktop card has a TDP of 170 W. NVIDIA recommends using a power supply of at least 450 W with this card. A power supply lower than this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The GeForce RTX 3060 has the 83rd highest 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 540 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 27.04% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 28,375 score and $329 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 86.25. This is the 29th best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

About the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) GPU

The GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) is an end-of-life desktop graphics card by NVIDIA. It launched in Q3 2016 with a suggested retail price of $299. Its GP106 chip that powers the GPU uses the Pascal architecture and is fabricated on the 16 nm process.

Memory

This GPU is paired with 6 GB of GDDR5 VRAM. Its 2,002 MHz memory clock and 192 bit interface gives it a bandwidth of 192.2 Gb/s. This impacts how much data it can store, and how fast it transfers the data to and from memory.

Compatibility

The GTX 1060 (6 GB) is a dual slot graphics card, taking up 2 PCIe slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4a display ports. This desktop card has a TDP of 120 W. NVIDIA recommends using a power supply of at least 300 W with this card. A power supply lower than this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) has the 130th highest 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 540 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 16.58% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 17,401 score and $299 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 58.2. This is the 57th best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

General Info

General overview of the GPU, including details like its manufacturer, release date, launch price, and current production status.

InfoGeForce RTX 3060GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
ManufacturerNVIDIANVIDIA
ArchitectureAmperePascal
Market SegmentDesktopDesktop
Release DateQ1 2021Q3 2016
Launch Price (MSRP)$329$299
Production StatusActiveEnd-of-life
ShopCheck PriceCheck Price

Gaming Performance

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Select a game to compare FPS metrics

Display FPS for Riders Republic
Riders Republic
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Far Cry 6
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Cyberpunk 2077 (1.6)
Display FPS for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt
Vampire Bloodhunt
Display FPS for Tiny Tina's Wonderlands
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands
Display FPS for Ghostwire: Tokyo
Ghostwire: Tokyo
Display FPS for ELEX 2
ELEX 2

FPS Benchmarks

This table showcases the average frame rate (FPS) achieved both GPUs in at various resolutions. Frame rate is a crucial indicator of how smoothly the GPU can run the game. A higher FPS generally translates to a smoother gameplay experience.

  • Frames Per Second
FPS data for Riders Republic
Riders Republic
GeForce RTX 3060GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
Low - 720p
198 FPS
--
Medium - 1080p
124 FPS
--
High - 1080p
102 FPS
--
Ultra - 1080p
79 FPS
--
QHD - 1440p
64 FPS
--
4K UHD - 2160p
36 FPS
--
FPS Source: Notebookcheck

Compare Frames Per Second (FPS)

The average frame rate (FPS) in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, higher FPS results in a smoother gameplay experience.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce RTX 3060 orGeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)

Compare Cost Per Frame

The average cost per frame in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. Generally, a lower cost per frame implies better value for your money.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce RTX 3060 orGeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)

Benchmark Performance

#
Performance
GeForce RTX 306063% better
28,37527% of 104,937
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
17,40117% of 104,937

The GeForce RTX 3060 has 63% better performance than the GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The GeForce RTX 3060 is ranked 83rd with a score of 28,375, and the GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) is ranked 130th with a score of 17,401.

Performance per dollar
GeForce RTX 306048% better
86.2553% of 161.45
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
58.236% of 161.45

The GeForce RTX 3060 has 48% better value for the money than the GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The GeForce RTX 3060 is ranked 29th with a performance per dollar of 86.25, and the GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) is ranked 57th with a performance per dollar of 58.2.

Relative Performance

The average score in the benchmark test can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce RTX 3060 or
GPUBenchmark Performance
GeForce GTX 108029,263+3%
Radeon RX Vega 5629,086+3%
GeForce RTX 306028,375
GeForce GTX 1070 Ti27,503-3%
GeForce RTX 206027,162.5-4%
GeForce GTX 98017,604.5-38%
Radeon R9 FURY17,543-38%
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)17,401-39%
Radeon R9 Nano17,282-39%
Radeon R9 290X16,167.5-43%

Relative Value For Money

The average performance per dollar in the benchmark test can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. A higher score implies a better value for your money.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce RTX 3060 or

Benchmark Scores

This table showcases the average performance scores achieved by both GPUs across industry-standard benchmark tests. These scores provide a valuable insight into overall performance. Powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.

  • Popular
BenchmarkGeForce RTX 3060GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
3DMark Time Spy Graphics
8,559
(+104.08%)
4,194
3DMark Time Spy Score
8,721
(+88.32%)
4,631
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
120,745
(+56.74%)
77,035
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
21,379
(+64.66%)
12,984
3DMark Night Raid Graphics
96,914
(+73.81%)
55,760
3DMark 11 Performance Score
25,149
(+59.15%)
15,802
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
246.6
(+65.84%)
148.7
PassMark G3D Mark
17,037
(+69.14%)
10,073
PassMark G2D Mark
965
(+27.31%)
758
Benchmarks Source: Notebookcheck

Technical Specs

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Graphics Processor

General information about the graphics processing unit like their architecture, manufacturing process size, and transistor count. Newer GPU architectures generally bring efficiency improvements and may introduce technologies that enhance graphical capabilities.

SpecGeForce RTX 3060GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
CodenameGA106GP106
ArchitectureAmperePascal
Process Size8 nm16 nm
Transistors12,000 million4,400 million

Memory Details

Memory specifications like their capacity, bandwidth, and clock speeds. GPU memory stores graphics data like frames, textures, and shadows which helps display rendered images. These specs are crucial for graphics-intense applications like gaming and 3D modeling.

SpecGeForce RTX 3060GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
Memory Size12 GB6 GB
Memory TypeGDDR6GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth360 Gb/s192.2 Gb/s
Memory Clock1,875 MHz2,002 MHz
Memory Interface192 bit192 bit
L1 Cache128 KB48 KB
L2 Cache3 MB1,536 KB

Board Compatibility

Compatibility information like their slot size, bus interface, power consumption, and display support. These specs are useful for verifying compatibility with your motherboard, power supply, and monitor.

SpecGeForce RTX 3060GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
Slots2 slots2 slots
Bus InterfacePCIe 4.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)170 W120 W
Suggested PSU450 W300 W
Power Connectors1x 12-pin1x 6-pin
OutputsHDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4aDVI, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4a

Cores & Clock Speeds

Processing power information like its cores and clock speed. These specs impact how fast they can process graphics. Each type of core or component serves a specific computational purpose.

SpecGeForce RTX 3060GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
CUDA Cores3,5841,280
Stream Multiprocessors (SM)2810
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)11280
Render Output Units (ROP)4848
Tensor Cores112--
Ray Tracing Cores28--
Core Clock Speed1,320 MHz1,506 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Boost)1,777 MHz1,709 MHz

Theoretical Performance

Theoretical performance numbers derived from the raw specifications of the different components like core count and clock speeds. While these provide a glimpse into peak processing power, they do not represent real-world performance.

SpecGeForce RTX 3060GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
Pixel Fill Rate85.3 GPixel/s82.03 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate199 GTexel/s136.7 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance12.74 TFLOPS4.38 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance199 GFLOPS136.7 GFLOPS

API Support

Graphics API versions supported by these graphics cards. APIs evolve over time, introducing new features and functionalities. Older GPUs may not support recent versions.

SpecGeForce RTX 3060GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
DirectX12 Ultimate (12_2)12 (12_1)
OpenCL3.03.0
OpenGL4.64.6
Shader Model6.76.7

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* Performance rating, performance per dollar, and rankings are based on the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark and MSRP.