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GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R9 380X

Quick Verdict

The GeForce GTX 1060 pulls ahead here β€” in a different league, about 133% ahead of the Radeon R9 380X.

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VS
NVIDIA GeForce
GTX 1060
Price
€305βœ“
Performance
7/100βœ“
VRAM
6 GB GDDR5βœ“
Key Specs Advantage
+76% Boost Clock (1,708 MHz vs 970 MHz)
+5% Bandwidth (192 GB/s vs 182.4 GB/s)
AMD Radeon
R9 380X
Price
Reference GPU
Performance
3/100
VRAM
4 GB GDDR5
Key Specs Advantage
+60% Stream Processors (2,048 vs 1,280)
+33% Memory Bus (256-bit vs 192-bit)

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R9 380X: In-Depth Breakdown

Performance: GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R9 380X

The GeForce GTX 1060 is dramatically faster, around 133% ahead of the Radeon R9 380X. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.

Power & Efficiency

Power draw favors the GeForce GTX 1060 (120W vs 190W), and it's the more efficient card too, so it's the easy pick if thermals or a smaller PSU matter. Its more modern Pascal architecture on a TSMC 16nm process is part of why it does more with each watt.

VRAM & Future-Proofing

The GeForce GTX 1060 carries 6GB versus 4GB on the Radeon R9 380X. The extra 2GB helps at 4K, with high-resolution texture packs, and for content-creation or local-AI workloads that exhaust smaller buffers.

Features & Ecosystem

Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce GTX 1060 brings NVIDIA DLSS upscaling/frame generation and stronger ray tracing, while the Radeon R9 380X offers AMD FSR upscaling and strong rasterization value. If you lean on upscaling or ray tracing, that ecosystem difference can matter as much as the frame-rate gap.

Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 1060 or Radeon R9 380X?

The GeForce GTX 1060 is the faster card by about 133%. With live pricing limited for this pair, base your decision on the spec differences above β€” particularly VRAM and power draw β€” and check current stock before buying.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the GeForce GTX 1060 better than the Radeon R9 380X?

The GeForce GTX 1060 is dramatically faster, roughly 133% ahead. If your budget allows, it's the stronger pick.

Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 1060 or the Radeon R9 380X?

Neither is a dedicated 4K card; both are best at entry-level 1080p. For 4K you'd want a faster GPU, or lean on upscaling.

Does the GeForce GTX 1060 have enough VRAM advantage to matter?

Its 6GB (vs 4GB) gives real headroom for 4K, heavy texture mods, and creative/AI work. At 1080p the gap matters less.

Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 1060 or Radeon R9 380X?

The GeForce GTX 1060 is the faster card by about 133%. With live pricing limited for this pair, base your decision on the spec differences above β€” particularly VRAM and power draw β€” and check current stock before buying.

Technical Specifications Comparison

Architecture & Cores

Architecture & Cores specifications comparison between GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon R9 380X
SpecificationGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 380X
ArchitecturePascalGCN 3.0
Process NodeTSMC 16nmTSMC 28nm
CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors)1,2802,048βœ“

Clock Speeds

Clock Speeds specifications comparison between GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon R9 380X
SpecificationGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 380X
Base Clock1,506 MHzβœ“970 MHz
Boost Clock1,708 MHzβœ“970 MHz

Memory

Memory specifications comparison between GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon R9 380X
SpecificationGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 380X
VRAM Capacity6 GBβœ“4 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5
Memory Bus192-bit256-bitβœ“
Memory Speed8 Gbpsβœ“5.7 Gbps
Bandwidth192 GB/sβœ“182.4 GB/s

Connectivity & Power

Connectivity & Power specifications comparison between GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon R9 380X
SpecificationGeForce GTX 1060Radeon R9 380X
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
TDP120 Wβœ“190 W
Power Connectors1x 6-pin2x 6-pin
ReleasedJul 2016Nov 2015