GeForce RTX 2080 vs GTX 1060 3 GB

#ad 
Buy on Amazon
VS

Aggregate performance score

We've compared GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB and GeForce RTX 2080, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.

GTX 1060 3 GB
2016
3 GB GDDR5, 120 Watt
21.46

RTX 2080 outperforms GTX 1060 3 GB by an impressive 96% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

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

Place in the ranking23071
Place by popularity23not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation19.5726.58
Power efficiency14.1315.42
ArchitecturePascal (2016−2021)Turing (2018−2022)
GPU code nameGP106TU104
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Release date18 August 2016 (8 years ago)20 September 2018 (6 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$199 $699

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

The higher the performance-to-price ratio, the better. We use the manufacturer's recommended prices for comparison.

RTX 2080 has 36% better value for money than GTX 1060 3 GB.

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 cores11522944
Core clock speed1506 MHz1515 MHz
Boost clock speed1708 MHz1710 MHz
Number of transistors4,400 million13,600 million
Manufacturing process technology16 nm12 nm
Power consumption (TDP)120 Watt215 Watt
Texture fill rate123.0314.6
Floating-point processing power3.935 TFLOPS10.07 TFLOPS
ROPs4864
TMUs72184
Tensor Coresno data368
Ray Tracing Coresno data46

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 3.0 x16
Length250 mm267 mm
Width2-slot2-slot
Supplementary power connectors1x 6-pin1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin

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 typeGDDR5GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount3 GB8 GB
Memory bus width192 Bit256 Bit
Memory clock speed2002 MHz1750 MHz
Memory bandwidth192.2 GB/s448.0 GB/s
Shared memory--

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 DisplayPort1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort, 1x USB Type-C
HDMI++
G-SYNC support-+

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

VR Readyno data+

API and SDK compatibility

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

DirectX12 (12_1)12 Ultimate (12_1)
Shader Model6.46.5
OpenGL4.64.6
OpenCL1.21.2
Vulkan+1.2.131
CUDA6.17.5
DLSS-+

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.

GTX 1060 3 GB 21.46
RTX 2080 41.98
+95.6%

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
RTX 2080 18762
+95.7%

Gaming performance

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

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD70−75
−104%
143
+104%
1440p50−55
−102%
101
+102%
4K35−40
−106%
72
+106%

Cost per frame, $

1080p2.84
+71.9%
4.89
−71.9%
1440p3.98
+73.9%
6.92
−73.9%
4K5.69
+70.7%
9.71
−70.7%
  • GTX 1060 3 GB has 72% lower cost per frame in 1080p
  • GTX 1060 3 GB has 74% lower cost per frame in 1440p
  • GTX 1060 3 GB has 71% lower cost per frame in 4K

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Atomic Heart 130−140
+0%
130−140
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 240−250
+0%
240−250
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 100−110
+0%
100−110
+0%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Atomic Heart 130−140
+0%
130−140
+0%
Battlefield 5 163
+0%
163
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 240−250
+0%
240−250
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 100−110
+0%
100−110
+0%
Far Cry 5 117
+0%
117
+0%
Fortnite 199
+0%
199
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 156
+0%
156
+0%
Forza Horizon 5 130−140
+0%
130−140
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 209
+0%
209
+0%
Valorant 263
+0%
263
+0%

Full HD
High Preset

Atomic Heart 130−140
+0%
130−140
+0%
Battlefield 5 155
+0%
155
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 240−250
+0%
240−250
+0%
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 270−280
+0%
270−280
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 100−110
+0%
100−110
+0%
Dota 2 140−150
+0%
140−150
+0%
Far Cry 5 112
+0%
112
+0%
Fortnite 173
+0%
173
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 153
+0%
153
+0%
Forza Horizon 5 130−140
+0%
130−140
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 131
+0%
131
+0%
Metro Exodus 90
+0%
90
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 188
+0%
188
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 181
+0%
181
+0%
Valorant 254
+0%
254
+0%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 145
+0%
145
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 100−110
+0%
100−110
+0%
Dota 2 140−150
+0%
140−150
+0%
Far Cry 5 106
+0%
106
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 132
+0%
132
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 169
+0%
169
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 106
+0%
106
+0%
Valorant 223
+0%
223
+0%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Fortnite 156
+0%
156
+0%

1440p
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2 120−130
+0%
120−130
+0%
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 300−350
+0%
300−350
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 90−95
+0%
90−95
+0%
Metro Exodus 60
+0%
60
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 170−180
+0%
170−180
+0%
Valorant 247
+0%
247
+0%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 125
+0%
125
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%
Far Cry 5 99
+0%
99
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 118
+0%
118
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 85−90
+0%
85−90
+0%

1440p
Epic Preset

Fortnite 128
+0%
128
+0%

4K
High Preset

Atomic Heart 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 107
+0%
107
+0%
Metro Exodus 39
+0%
39
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 76
+0%
76
+0%
Valorant 234
+0%
234
+0%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 76
+0%
76
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Dota 2 120−130
+0%
120−130
+0%
Far Cry 5 59
+0%
59
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 81
+0%
81
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 69
+0%
69
+0%

4K
Epic Preset

Fortnite 65
+0%
65
+0%

This is how GTX 1060 3 GB and RTX 2080 compete in popular games:

  • RTX 2080 is 104% faster in 1080p
  • RTX 2080 is 102% faster in 1440p
  • RTX 2080 is 106% faster in 4K

All in all, in popular games:

  • there's a draw in 63 tests (100%)

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 21.46 41.98
Recency 18 August 2016 20 September 2018
Maximum RAM amount 3 GB 8 GB
Chip lithography 16 nm 12 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 120 Watt 215 Watt

GTX 1060 3 GB has 79.2% lower power consumption.

RTX 2080, on the other hand, has a 95.6% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 years, a 166.7% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 33.3% more advanced lithography process.

The GeForce RTX 2080 is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB in performance tests.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite graphics card.


NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB
GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080
GeForce RTX 2080

Other comparisons

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.


4.1 9238 votes

Rate GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
3.9 2322 votes

Rate GeForce RTX 2080 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can give us your opinion about GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB or GeForce RTX 2080, agree or disagree with our ratings, or report errors or inaccuracies on the site.