GPU Comparison
Select up to 2 GPUs to analyze their pricing, performance, and specifications side-by-side.
The GeForce GTX 1060 is dramatically faster than the GeForce GTX 970, leading by roughly 40% in our performance index. It is also the stronger value pick here, so it's the easy recommendation if your budget allows.
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GeForce GTX 1060 vs GeForce GTX 970: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: GeForce GTX 1060 vs GeForce GTX 970
The GeForce GTX 1060 is dramatically faster, around 40% ahead of the GeForce GTX 970. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.
Price & Value
Right now the GeForce GTX 1060 starts at $309 EUR against $344 EUR for the GeForce GTX 970. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the GeForce GTX 1060 wins on performance-per-dollar by about 56%.
Power & Efficiency
The GeForce GTX 1060 draws just 120W versus 145W for the GeForce GTX 970, and it also delivers more performance per watt — so it runs cooler and quieter and needs less PSU headroom. Its more modern Pascal architecture on a TSMC 16nm process is part of why it does more with each watt.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
With 6GB against 4GB, the GeForce GTX 1060 has more headroom for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative/AI tasks where the GeForce GTX 970's 4GB can fall short. The GeForce GTX 970's memory is also faster — 224 GB/s versus 192 GB/s (256-bit vs 192-bit bus) — which helps feed the GPU at 4K and with heavy textures.
Generation & Longevity
The GeForce GTX 1060 is roughly 2 years newer than the GeForce GTX 970 (Pascal vs Maxwell), so it generally benefits from a more modern architecture and longer driver-support runway.
Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 1060 or GeForce GTX 970?
The GeForce GTX 1060 is the all-round winner here — it's faster and the better value, so buy it if it fits your budget. Only consider the GeForce GTX 970 if you find it at a steep discount.