GPU Showdown

GeForce GTX 1060 5 GBvsGeForce RTX 4090

The GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB is a budget-friendly card for 1080p gaming in older titles, while the GeForce RTX 4090 is a top-tier monster for 4K gaming and creative work.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB
5 GB · 120W
VS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
24 GB · 450W
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB

Pascal · TSMC 16 nm · 2017

22score
4/ 5
0 votes
VRAM
5 GB
TDP
120W
CUDA Cores
1,280
Boost Clock
1709 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 5 GB
22
RTX 4090Winner
92
RTX 4090 leads by 318.2% in aggregate performance.
Where they rank overall
#2RTX 509094
#3RTX 409092
#4RTX 508086
#102RX 59022
#103GTX 1060 5 GB22
#104RX 5500 XT22
Technical Specifications

Side-by-Side Specs

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

SpecsGTX 1060 5 GBRTX 4090
General
ArchitecturePascalAda Lovelace
Process Node16 nm5 nm
Memory
VRAM5 GB24 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR6X
Memory Bus160-bit384-bit
Bandwidth160.2 GB/s1010 GB/s
Compute
CUDA Cores1,28016,384
TMUs80512
ROPs40176
Boost Clock1709 MHz2520 MHz
FP324.375 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 wins decisively for anyone needing top-tier performance in modern gaming or creative work.

Best value

For budget buyers, the GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB is the smarter pick if you only play older titles or do light tasks.

When the other wins

The GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB is the right choice for a low-power secondary PC or a tight-budget build for esports games.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is the GTX 1060 5 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 22 out of 100), so it leads the GTX 1060 5 GB in most workloads.

How much faster is the RTX 4090 than the GTX 1060 5 GB?

Based on our aggregated benchmark scores the RTX 4090 is roughly 318% faster than the GTX 1060 5 GB overall. The real-world gap varies by game, resolution and settings.

Which should you buy, the GTX 1060 5 GB or the RTX 4090?

If you want the most performance, pick the RTX 4090. If the GTX 1060 5 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.