GPU Showdown

GeForce GTX 1060 3 GBvsGeForce RTX 4090

The GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is an older, entry-level card for budget 1080p gaming, while the GeForce RTX 4090 is a top-tier card for 4K and creative professionals.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB
3 GB · 120W
VS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
24 GB · 450W
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB

Pascal · TSMC 16 nm · 2016

24score
4/ 5
0 votes
VRAM
3 GB
TDP
120W
CUDA Cores
1,152
Boost Clock
1708 MHz

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NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4090

Ada Lovelace · TSMC 5 nm · 2022

92score
3.8/ 5
0 votes
VRAM
24 GB
TDP
450W
Shaders
16,384
Boost Clock
2520 MHz

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Aggregate Performance

Overall Performance Score

A unified score from combined synthetic and real-world benchmarks. 100 represents the fastest consumer GPU available.

GTX 1060 3 GB
24
RTX 4090Winner
92
RTX 4090 leads by 283.3% in aggregate performance.
Where they rank overall
#2RTX 509094
#3RTX 409092
#4RTX 508086
#99GTX 1060 6 GB24
#100GTX 1060 3 GB24
#101RX 6500 XT23
Technical Specifications

Side-by-Side Specs

Every detail compared. Highlighted cells indicate the leading value for that metric.

SpecsGTX 1060 3 GBRTX 4090
General
ArchitecturePascalAda Lovelace
Process Node16 nm5 nm
Memory
VRAM3 GB24 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR6X
Memory Bus192-bit384-bit
Bandwidth192.2 GB/s1010 GB/s
Compute
CUDA Cores1,15216,384
TMUs72512
ROPs48176
Boost Clock1708 MHz2520 MHz
FP323.935 TF82.58 TF
Power
TDP120450
Power Connectors1x 6-pin1x 16-pin
Display
Max Resolution7680×43207680×4320
Display Outputs1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
Verdict

Which should you buy?

Winner overall

The GeForce RTX 4090 is the clear winner overall for anyone needing top-tier gaming or creative performance.

Best value

For budget buyers, the GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is the smarter pick if you only play older or less demanding games.

When the other wins

The GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is the right choice for a low-power office PC where the RTX 4090 would be overkill.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is the GTX 1060 3 GB better than the RTX 4090?

Overall the RTX 4090 is the stronger graphics card: it ranks higher in our aggregate performance score (92 vs 24 out of 100), so it leads the GTX 1060 3 GB in most workloads.

How much faster is the RTX 4090 than the GTX 1060 3 GB?

Based on our aggregated benchmark scores the RTX 4090 is roughly 283% faster than the GTX 1060 3 GB overall. The real-world gap varies by game, resolution and settings.

Which should you buy, the GTX 1060 3 GB or the RTX 4090?

If you want the most performance, pick the RTX 4090. If the GTX 1060 3 GB is meaningfully cheaper where you shop, it can be the better value for similar real-world results — check current prices and the full spec comparison above before deciding.