Radeon RX 6850M XT vs GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB

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GTX 1060 3 GB GTX 1060 3 GB GP104 GTX 1060 5 GB GTX 1060 6 GB
VS
Radeon RX 6300M Radeon RX 6500 Radeon RX 6500M Radeon RX 6550M Radeon RX 6600M Radeon RX 6600S Radeon RX 6650M Radeon RX 6650M XT Radeon RX 6700M Radeon RX 6700S Radeon RX 6800M Radeon RX 6800S Radeon RX 6850M XT

Aggregate performance score

We've compared GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB with Radeon RX 6850M XT, including specs and performance data.

GTX 1060 3 GB
2016
3 GB GDDR5, 120 Watt
24.94

RX 6850M XT outperforms GTX 1060 3 GB by an impressive 81% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Contents

GTX 1060 3 GB GTX 1060 3 GB
RX 6850M XT RX 6850M XT

Primary details

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

Place in the ranking22077
Place by popularity23not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation22.35no data
Power efficiency14.3118.85
ArchitecturePascal (2016−2021)RDNA 2.0 (2020−2024)
GPU code nameGP106Navi 22
Market segmentDesktopLaptop
Release date18 August 2016 (8 years ago)4 January 2022 (3 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$199 no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

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 cores11522560
Core clock speed1506 MHz2321 MHz
Boost clock speed1708 MHz2581 MHz
Number of transistors4,400 million17,200 million
Manufacturing process technology16 nm7 nm
Power consumption (TDP)120 Watt165 Watt
Texture fill rate123.0413.0
Floating-point processing power3.935 TFLOPS13.21 TFLOPS
ROPs4864
TMUs72160
Ray Tracing Coresno data40

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).

Laptop sizeno datalarge
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 4.0 x16
Length250 mmno data
Width2-slotno data
Supplementary power connectors1x 6-pinNone

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 GB12 GB
Memory bus width192 Bit192 Bit
Memory clock speed2002 MHz2000 MHz
Memory bandwidth192.2 GB/s384.0 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 DisplayPortNo outputs
HDMI+-

API compatibility

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

DirectX12 (12_1)12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model6.46.5
OpenGL4.64.6
OpenCL1.22.1
Vulkan+1.3
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 24.94
RX 6850M XT 45.18
+81.2%

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
RX 6850M XT 17369
+81.2%

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 HD75−80
−85.3%
139
+85.3%
1440p45−50
−93.3%
87
+93.3%
4K35−40
−91.4%
67
+91.4%

Cost per frame, $

1080p2.65no data
1440p4.42no data
4K5.69no data

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2 95−100
+0%
95−100
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 160
+0%
160
+0%
Elden Ring 89
+0%
89
+0%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5 110−120
+0%
110−120
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 95−100
+0%
95−100
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 68
+0%
68
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 297
+0%
297
+0%
Metro Exodus 100−110
+0%
100−110
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 85−90
+0%
85−90
+0%
Valorant 180−190
+0%
180−190
+0%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5 110−120
+0%
110−120
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 95−100
+0%
95−100
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 53
+0%
53
+0%
Dota 2 122
+0%
122
+0%
Elden Ring 160−170
+0%
160−170
+0%
Far Cry 5 44
+0%
44
+0%
Fortnite 180−190
+0%
180−190
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 259
+0%
259
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 126
+0%
126
+0%
Metro Exodus 43
+0%
43
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 210−220
+0%
210−220
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 85−90
+0%
85−90
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 160−170
+0%
160−170
+0%
Valorant 180−190
+0%
180−190
+0%
World of Tanks 270−280
+0%
270−280
+0%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 110−120
+0%
110−120
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 95−100
+0%
95−100
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 44
+0%
44
+0%
Dota 2 95
+0%
95
+0%
Far Cry 5 100−110
+0%
100−110
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 227
+0%
227
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 210−220
+0%
210−220
+0%
Valorant 180−190
+0%
180−190
+0%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2 89
+0%
89
+0%
Elden Ring 95−100
+0%
95−100
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 89
+0%
89
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 170−180
+0%
170−180
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
World of Tanks 280−290
+0%
280−290
+0%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 75−80
+0%
75−80
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 28
+0%
28
+0%
Far Cry 5 140−150
+0%
140−150
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 166
+0%
166
+0%
Metro Exodus 95−100
+0%
95−100
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 80−85
+0%
80−85
+0%
Valorant 150−160
+0%
150−160
+0%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
Dota 2 99
+0%
99
+0%
Elden Ring 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 99
+0%
99
+0%
Metro Exodus 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 150−160
+0%
150−160
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 30−33
+0%
30−33
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 99
+0%
99
+0%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 13
+0%
13
+0%
Dota 2 78
+0%
78
+0%
Far Cry 5 70−75
+0%
70−75
+0%
Fortnite 65−70
+0%
65−70
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 92
+0%
92
+0%
Valorant 80−85
+0%
80−85
+0%

This is how GTX 1060 3 GB and RX 6850M XT compete in popular games:

  • RX 6850M XT is 85% faster in 1080p
  • RX 6850M XT is 93% faster in 1440p
  • RX 6850M XT is 91% faster in 4K

All in all, in popular games:

  • there's a draw in 63 tests (100%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score 24.94 45.18
Recency 18 August 2016 4 January 2022
Maximum RAM amount 3 GB 12 GB
Chip lithography 16 nm 7 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 120 Watt 165 Watt

GTX 1060 3 GB has 37.5% lower power consumption.

RX 6850M XT, on the other hand, has a 81.2% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 5 years, a 300% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 128.6% more advanced lithography process.

The Radeon RX 6850M XT is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is a desktop card while Radeon RX 6850M XT is a notebook one.

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

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
AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
Radeon RX 6850M XT
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Community ratings

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

4.1 8988 votes

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

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4.6 230 votes

Rate Radeon RX 6850M XT on a scale of 1 to 5:

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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.