GeForce GTX 280 vs GTX 1060 3 GB

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Aggregate performance score

We've compared GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB and GeForce GTX 280, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.

GTX 1060 3 GB
2016
3 GB GDDR5, 120 Watt
24.85
+637%

GTX 1060 3 GB outperforms GTX 280 by a whopping 637% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in the ranking214729
Place by popularity25not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation22.300.11
Power efficiency14.941.03
ArchitecturePascal (2016−2021)Tesla 2.0 (2007−2013)
GPU code nameGP106GT200
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Release date18 August 2016 (8 years ago)16 June 2008 (16 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$199 $649

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

GTX 1060 3 GB has 20173% better value for money than GTX 280.

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores1152240
Core clock speed1506 MHz602 MHz
Boost clock speed1708 MHzno data
Number of transistors4,400 million1,400 million
Manufacturing process technology16 nm65 nm
Power consumption (TDP)120 Watt236 Watt
Maximum GPU temperatureno data105 °C
Texture fill rate123.048.16
Floating-point processing power3.935 TFLOPS0.6221 TFLOPS
ROPs4832
TMUs7280

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 2.0 x16
Length250 mm267 mm
Heightno data4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm)
Width2-slot2-slot
Supplementary power connectors1x 6-pin1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
SLI options-+

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeGDDR5GDDR3
Maximum RAM amount3 GB1 GB
Memory bus width192 Bit512 Bit
Memory clock speed2002 MHz1107 MHz
Memory bandwidth192.2 GB/s141.7 GB/s

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPortHDTVDual Link DVI
Multi monitor supportno data+
HDMI+-
Maximum VGA resolutionno data2048x1536
Audio input for HDMIno dataS/PDIF

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX12 (12_1)11.1 (10_0)
Shader Model6.44.0
OpenGL4.62.1
OpenCL1.21.1
Vulkan+N/A
CUDA6.1+

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

GTX 1060 3 GB 24.85
+637%
GTX 280 3.37

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

GTX 1060 3 GB 9588
+638%
GTX 280 1299

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 24.85 3.37
Recency 18 August 2016 16 June 2008
Maximum RAM amount 3 GB 1 GB
Chip lithography 16 nm 65 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 120 Watt 236 Watt

GTX 1060 3 GB has a 637.4% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 8 years, a 200% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 306.3% more advanced lithography process, and 96.7% lower power consumption.

The GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 280 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB
GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280
GeForce GTX 280

Comparisons with similar GPUs

We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.

Community ratings

Here you can see the user ratings of the compared graphics cards, as well as rate them yourself.


4.2 8487 votes

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about this comparison, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.