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Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop) Review

Pascal vs. Polaris. After Nvidia covered the high-end segment with the GeForce GTX 1080 and GTX 1070, we now get the much more affordable mainstream model. The GeForce GTX 1060 is the direct rival to AMD's price-performance champion Radeon RX 480. Which card will win the duel?
GeForce GTX 1060 (Picture: Nvidia)

For the original German review, see here.

The GeForce GTX 1060 is interesting for several reasons. For starters, the midrange model is based on Nvidia's brand-new Pascal architecture, which is supposed to be more power efficient than Maxwell thanks to the smaller manufacturing process (16 vs. 28 nm). AMD's recently launched Radeon RX 480 on the other hand has a more affordable price and is even better equipped in some cases. The so called Founders Edition of the GTX 1060 with 6 GB of GDDR5-VRAM costs 319 Euros (~$351). The custom versions, which are also being launched on July 19th, will start at 279 Euros (~$307), while the 8 GB version of AMD's GPU retails for 255 Euros (~$281; 215 Euros/~$237 @4 GB). We will analyze whether the Nvidia GPU is worth the additional price.

A comparison with the previous chip generation is just as interesting. Despite a lower power consumption, the GTX 1060 is roughly as fast as the old top model GTX 980 (later beaten by the GTX 980 Ti and the Titanium X) and according to Nvidia is roughly twice as fast as the direct predecessor GTX 960. We will also check this statement, but we start with some technical details before we head on to the benchmarks.

Technology

We have already mentioned that the new Nvidia GPUs are not based on the Maxwell, but the Pascal generation, which competes against AMD's Polaris. One of the biggest advantages of Pascal is the enormous clock rates. While the reference design of the GeForce GTX 980 ran with 1126 to 1216 MHz, the GTX 1060 reaches 1506 to 1708 MHz, which is an increase of 30%. The clock of the video memory has increased by 14% (4000 vs. 3500 MHz). Thanks to the new architecture, Nvidia has been able to save a lot of shaders (even though you cannot compare it directly). Instead of 2048 CUDA cores, the GTX 1060 is equipped with only 1280 shaders.

A small drawback is the memory interface: 192-bit is not really up to date in 2016, even for a midrange GPU. Thanks to better compression, however,  there should not be any disadvantage compared to the 256-bit interface of the GTX 980 and the Radeon RX 480. The latter is equipped with 2304 shaders and runs with 1120 to 1266 MHz while gaming. Only future will tell how much you will notice the 2 GB more VRAM of AMD's counterpart. Some games from the last few months (such as "Doom", "Hitman", "Assassin's Creed Syndicate", "Rise of the Tomb Raider" & "Call of Duty Black Ops 3"), however, already indicate that more VRAM does not hurt. We would definitely not recommend anything less than 4 GB for a mainstream GPU.

GeForce GTX 1060 (Picture: Nvidia)
GeForce GTX 1060 (Picture: Nvidia)
GeForce GTX 1060 (Picture: Nvidia)
GeForce GTX 1060 (Picture: Nvidia)
GeForce GTX 1060 (Picture: Nvidia)
GeForce GTX 1060 (Picture: Nvidia)

But back to the GTX 1060: Nvidia deserves respect for the dimensions and the power supply. While a standard GTX 980 still required two 6-pin connectors, the new model – similar to the GTX 960 and RX 480 –  needs only one 6-pin connector. The PCB is also a few centimeters shorter compared to the GTX 980, while the weight has dropped from 1036 to 838 grams (~2.3 to ~1.8 lb; -19 %). Nvidia specifies the TDP with 120 watts (GTX 1070: 150 watts, GTX 1080: 180 watts). The die size of the GTX 1060 is specified at 200 mm² with 1.5 MB L2-cache. You also get 4.4 billion transistors, 48 ROPs and 80 Texture Units on the chip. For a better comparison: The GTX 960 with a die size of 227 mm² has only 1 MB cache, 2.94 billion transistors, 32 ROPs and 64 TMUs. More information about the Pascal architecture is available in our dedicated article.

Nvidia will have to live with some criticism for the missing SLI bridge. Even though the author is not fond of SLI systems (micro stutters, driver dependency, etc.), it seems to be an unnecessary limitation to waive the SLI. Desktop users are used to a lot of freedom when they configure their own systems. In our opinion, there is no criticism for the connections. The GTX 1060 has three DisplayPorts (1.3/1.4 ready), one HDMI 2.0b ports as well as a dual-link DVI output. Except for DVI, all ports can drive UHD monitors at 60 Hz. The power adapter should provide at least 400 watts.

GPU

GeForce GTX 980 Notebook

GeForce GTX 980 Desktop

GeForce GTX 1060 Desktop

GeForce GTX 1070 Desktop

GeForce GTX 1080 Desktop

Manufacturing Process

28 nm 28 nm 16 nm 16 nm 16 nm

Chip

GM204 GM204 GP106 GP104 GP104

Architecture

Maxwell Maxwell Pascal Pascal Pascal

Shaders

2048 2048 1280 1920 2560

Base core clock

1064 MHz 1126 MHz 1506 MHz 1506 MHz 1607 MHz

Turbo core clock

1190 MHz 1216 MHz 1708 MHz 1683 MHz 1733 MHz

Memory clock

3500 MHz 3500 MHz 4000 MHz 4000 MHz 5000 MHz

maximum VRAM

8192 MByte 4096 MByte 6144 MByte 8192 MByte 8192 MByte

Memory type

GDDR5 GDDR5 GDDR5 GDDR5 GDDR5X

Memory interface

256-bit 256-bit 192-bit 256-bit 256-bit

TDP

variable 165 Watts 120 Watts 150 Watts 180 Watts

Test System

The basis is a modern Skylake-PC that we have used for the last few months as the main platform for our Gaming articles. It is equipped with a Core i7-6700K (4.0 to 4.2 GHz), 16 GB of DDR4-RAM (2x 8 GB @2133 MHz) as well as four solid-state drives. Because of the different hardware and driver versions, the listed results are not always entirely comparable to the GTX 1060. However, because of the large number of benchmarks, the overall ranking should still be meaningful.

GPU-Z
Nvidia Control Panel
HWiNFO
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z

Nvidia sent us the ForceWare 368.64 for this review, which was very stable. If there were graphics errors or other bugs, they were usually caused by Windows or the applications (e. g. scaling and mouse problems when we did not use the native resolution of our 4K monitor).

Test system

Desktop PC

Case be quiet! Silent Base 600
PSU be quiet! Dark Power Pro 11 750 Watts
Mainboard Asus Z170-A
Processor Intel Core i7-6700K
CPU cooler be quiet! Dark Rock 3
GPU Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB GDDR5
Memory 2x 8 GB G.Skill Trident Z DDR4-3000
Storage 1 Crucial MX100 256 GB
Storage 2 Crucial M500 480 GB
Storage 3 OCZ Trion 100 480 GB
Storage 4 OCZ Trion 150 960 GB
Optical drive LG BH16NS40
Operating system Windows 10 Pro 64-bit

Turbo Behavior

We were particularly surprised by the fact that the core of the GTX 1060 managed much higher core clocks compared to the theoretical maximum Turbo. Both GPU-Z as well as HWiNFO showed up to 1900 instead of 1708 MHz in Unigine Heaven. The clock levelled off at 1823 MHz after 15 minutes, which is still 7% above the claimed value. However, this is not the result of a special BIOS version for the press, though. According to Nvidia, 1708 MHz is the guaranteed clock boost of the GTX 1060. Depending on the cooling potential of the system, there is still headroom – as in our case (there are already reports of more than 2 GHz with overclocking).

The Core i7-6700K ran with the standard clock of 4.0 to 4.2 GHz. Depending on the processor, the GTX 1060 can hit the CPU limit with moderate graphics settings. We therefore only compare the maximum settings in Full HD as well as high details in 4K (3840 x 2160). A table with all benchmark scores is available further down.

GPU load (Unigine Heaven 4.0)
Single CPU load (Cinebench R15)
Multi CPU load (Cinebench R15)

Synthetic Benchmarks

Even though synthetic benchmarks are not always representative of actual gaming loads, you can still get a good idea of the performance levels and the differences between GPUs. We start with the Fire Strike Test of 3DMark 13. With a GPU score of 12984 (normal) and 2893 points (ultra), respectively, the GTX 1060 is about 8% faster than the Radeon RX 480, which manages 12186 and 2678 points. The advantage over the old GTX 960 is between 64 and 118%. The GTX 980 – both the desktop and the notebook version – are roughly on par.

The new chip does not stand a chance against its Pascal siblings. While the GTX 1070 is around 40% faster, the GTX 1080 is more than 60% ahead. The situation is similar in 3DMark 11, although the GTX 1060 falls slightly behind the AMD Radeon RX 480 in this case.

3DMark
3840x2160 Fire Strike Ultra Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
4841 Points +67%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
4228 Points +46%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700K
3033 Points +5%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
2977 Points +3%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
2893 Points
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
2687 Points -7%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 353.62
Intel Core i5-4590
1329 Points -54%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
20268 Points +56%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
17806 Points +37%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700K
13286 Points +2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
12984 Points
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
12691 Points -2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i5-4460
12296 Points -5%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
12186 Points -6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
9558 Points -26%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 353.62
Intel Core i5-4590
7919 Points -39%
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
29443 Points +69%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
25030 Points +44%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
17919 Points +3%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700K
17697 Points +2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
17401 Points
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
17050 Points -2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i5-4460
16237 Points -7%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
12303 Points -29%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 353.62
Intel Core i5-4590
10852 Points -38%
Unigine Heaven 4.0 - Extreme Preset DX11
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
137.7 fps +67%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
82.7 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700K
80.5 fps -3%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
78.1 fps -6%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
66 fps -20%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 353.62
Intel Core i5-4590
45 fps -46%

Gaming Benchmarks FHD

If you only play in Full HD (1920x1080 pixels), the GTX 1060 delivers convincing results. We tested 26 games, and 23 of them ran smoothly with the highest details and activated anti-aliasing. Only  "Anno 2205", "Assassin's Creed Syndicate", and "XCOM 2", which are not perfectly optimized, dropped below 40 fps in our Ultra preset. The GTX 1060 is ahead in some games, while the RX 480 in others. Overall, we can see a slight tendency towards the GTX 1060. This supports the predictions ahead of the launch.

Mirror's Edge Catalyst - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
121 (108min - 131max) fps +55%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
103 (93min - 110max) fps +32%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i7-6820HK
81.9 fps +5%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
78.3 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-6700K
76.4 (69min) fps -2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i5-4460
73 fps -7%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
70.3 (66min - 75max) fps -10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
53.8 (48min) fps -31%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
50 fps -36%
Overwatch - 1920x1080 Epic (Render Scale 100 %) AA:SM AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
196 (164min - 231max) fps +69%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
171 (144min - 202max) fps +47%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
139 fps +20%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i7-6820HK
125.9 fps +9%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-6700K
117 (97min) fps +1%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
116 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i5-4460
109.9 fps -5%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
75.1 (57min) fps -35%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
66.9 fps -42%
Doom - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:SM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
137 (112min - 191max) fps +37%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
130 (108min - 188max) fps +30%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i7-6820HK
116 fps +16%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i5-4460
102.5 fps +3%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
99.7 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-6700K
97.5 (82min) fps -2%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
80 (68min - 109max) fps -20%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
68 fps -32%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
51.2 (38min) fps -49%
Need for Speed 2016 - 1920x1080 Ultra / On AA:T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
104 (64min - 148max) fps +34%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
98 fps +27%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
77.4 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i7-6820HK
77.3 fps 0%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-6700K
74.6 (55min) fps -4%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
68.4 (48min - 84max) fps -12%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
51.8 (36min) fps -33%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
51.6 fps -33%
The Division - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
95 (55min - 125max) fps +59%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
86 fps +44%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i7-6820HK
64.6 fps +8%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
59.6 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-6700K
57.7 (32min) fps -3%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
57.5 (39min - 77max) fps -4%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i5-4460
55.5 fps -7%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
42.1 (23min) fps -29%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
33.9 fps -43%
Far Cry Primal - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:SM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
106 (80min - 125max) fps +58%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
94 (75min - 109max) fps +40%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i7-6820HK
68 fps +1%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
67 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-6700K
63 (49min) fps -6%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
59 (47min - 76max) fps -12%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i5-4460
52 fps -22%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
46 (36min) fps -31%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
37 fps -45%
XCOM 2 - 1920x1080 Maximum Preset (8xMSAA instead of FXAA) AA:8xMS AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
48 (43min - 52max) fps +55%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
45 fps +46%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i7-6820HK
33.4 fps +8%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-6700K
31.3 (28min) fps +1%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
30.9 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i5-4460
27.9 fps -10%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
26.9 (25min - 29max) fps -13%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
23 (20min) fps -26%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
16.7 fps -46%
Just Cause 3 - 1920x1080 Very High / On AA:SM AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
122 (104min - 139max) fps +43%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
118 (108min - 131max) fps +38%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
85.6 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-6700K
84.2 (75min) fps -2%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
82 (72min - 96max) fps -4%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i5-4460
77.4 fps -10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
59.7 (50min) fps -30%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
52.6 fps -39%
Rainbow Six Siege - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
208 fps +60%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
185 (121min) fps +42%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
130 fps
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
127 (86min - 188max) fps -2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i5-4460
121.6 fps -6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-6700K
107.6 (67min) fps -17%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
80.3 (26min) fps -38%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
64.5 fps -50%
Assassin's Creed Syndicate - 1920x1080 Ultra High Preset AA:4x MSAA + FX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
57 (47min - 66max) fps +61%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
51.9 (43min - 61max) fps +47%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
35.3 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-6700K
33.5 (27min) fps -5%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
32.3 fps -8%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i5-4460
31.9 fps -10%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
29.1 (23min - 34max) fps -18%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
24.2 (19min) fps -31%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
18.9 fps -46%
Star Wars Battlefront - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:FX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
171 (155min - 198max) fps +68%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
146 (124min - 174max) fps +43%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-6700K
104.1 (89min) fps +2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
102.1 fps 0%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
102 fps
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
100 (90min - 119max) fps -2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i5-4460
97.7 fps -4%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
73.1 (61min) fps -28%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
60.8 fps -40%
Fallout 4 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
129 (104min - 176max) fps +67%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
113 (92min - 145max) fps +47%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-3770K
80.6 (65min) fps +5%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
78 fps +1%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
77.1 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i5-4460
74 fps -4%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
67.6 (52min - 86max) fps -12%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
55 (42min) fps -29%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
44.8 fps -42%
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 - 1920x1080 Extra / On AA:T2x SM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
150 (126min - 177max) fps +75%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
130 (109min - 159max) fps +51%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
94 (82min - 111max) fps +9%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
88.3 fps +3%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
85.9 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-3770K
77.4 (58min) fps -10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
66.7 (52min) fps -22%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
55.8 fps -35%
Anno 2205 - 1920x1080 Ultra High Preset AA:8x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
59 (56min - 63max) fps +85%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
49 fps +54%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
31.9 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-3770K
31.6 (29min) fps -1%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
30.7 fps -4%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
28.7 (25min - 31max) fps -10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i5-4460
26.8 fps -16%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
22.7 (19min) fps -29%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
20.6 fps -35%
FIFA 16 - 1920x1080 High Preset AA:4x MS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
298 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
287.1 fps -4%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-3770K
243.5 (221min) fps -18%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i5-4460
243 fps -18%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
225 fps -24%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
192.2 (101min) fps -36%
Mad Max - 1920x1080 Very High Preset AF:12x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
215 (196min - 232max) fps +63%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
193 (175min - 211max) fps +46%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-3770K
138.3 (122min) fps +5%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
136.6 fps +3%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
132 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i5-4460
127.1 fps -4%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
119 (106min - 130max) fps -10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
97.9 (75min) fps -26%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
80.5 fps -39%
Batman: Arkham Knight - 1920x1080 High / On AA:SM AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
67 fps 0%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
67 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-3770K
59 (38min) fps -12%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
44 (28min) fps -34%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
37 (23min - 55max) fps -45%
The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
76.4 (64min - 85max) fps +72%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-3770K
44.4 (36min) fps 0%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
44.4 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
44.3 fps 0%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
43.9 (40min - 49max) fps -1%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i5-4460
42.8 fps -4%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
32.6 (25min) fps -27%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
27.7 (21min) fps -38%
Dirt Rally - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4x MS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
135 (98min - 177max) fps +27%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
132 fps +25%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
106 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
97 fps -8%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-3770K
96.4 (85min) fps -9%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i5-4460
90.3 fps -15%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
82 (68min - 116max) fps -23%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
72 (54min) fps -32%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
61.3 (51.9min - 84max) fps -42%
Dragon Age: Inquisition - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics Quality AA:2x MS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
118 (97min) fps +76%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
107 (81min) fps +60%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
66.9 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
65.4 fps -2%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
64.1 (48.5min) fps -4%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
53.9 (44.4min) fps -19%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, ForceWare 344.11
Intel Core i7-4870HQ
54.2 fps -19%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-3770K
54.1 (43min) fps -19%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, ForceWare 344.91
Intel Core i7-4790K
47.2 fps -29%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 353.62
Intel Core i5-4590
38.6 fps -42%
Alien: Isolation - 1920x1080 Ultra, On, Shadow Map 2048, HDAO AA:2x SM AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
221 fps +66%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
195 fps +47%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
134.4 fps +1%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
133 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, ForceWare 344.16
Intel Core i7-3770K
125.7 fps -5%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
122 fps -8%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, ForceWare 344.11
Intel Core i7-4870HQ
112.9 fps -15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, ForceWare 344.91
Intel Core i7-4790K
94.6 fps -29%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
80.9 fps -39%
Sims 4 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
148 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, ForceWare 344.11
Intel Core i7-4870HQ
127.3 fps -14%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, ForceWare 344.16
Intel Core i7-3770K
117.7 fps -20%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
117.2 fps -21%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, ForceWare 344.91
Intel Core i7-4790K
112.4 fps -24%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
98.3 fps -34%
GRID: Autosport - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4x MS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
150 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
128.1 fps -15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, ForceWare 344.11
Intel Core i7-4870HQ
126.8 fps -15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, ForceWare 344.16
Intel Core i7-3770K
121.4 fps -19%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
85.5 fps -43%
Watch Dogs - 1920x1080 Ultra Overall Quality, Ultra Textures AA:4x MS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
65.5 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
59.4 fps -9%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, ForceWare 344.11
Intel Core i7-4870HQ
53.9 fps -18%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, ForceWare 344.16
Intel Core i7-3770K
53.6 fps -18%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, ForceWare 344.91
Intel Core i7-4790K
46.8 fps -29%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 353.62
Intel Core i5-4590
34.4 fps -47%

Gaming Benchmarks UHD

Fans of the 4K resolution should get a more powerful GPU. Hardly any modern game ran smoothly with high details. Only "Dirt Rally", "Mad Max", "FIFA 16", "Rainbow Six Siege" and "Overwatch", which are not the most gorgeous titles, are playable in our opinion. 4K would require an SLI system with two high-end GPUs, a GTX 1070 or even better, a GTX 1080. AMD's Radeon RX 480 also has problems with 3840x2160 pixels – even with more VRAM and a wider memory interface.

The 192-bit interface of the GTX 1060 does not seem to be a big problem, which is also a result of the improved compression. At least we could  not notice any problems with our extreme settings. The performance is more limited by the number of shaders (1920 @GTX 1070, 2560 @GTX 1080).

Mirror's Edge Catalyst - 3840x2160 High Preset AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
47 (44min - 50max) fps +70%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
39.8 (37min - 42max) fps +44%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i7-6820HK
31 fps +12%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-6700K
28.3 (26min) fps +3%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
27.6 fps
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
25.4 (23min - 27max) fps -8%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
20.6 (17min) fps -25%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
17.1 fps -38%
Overwatch - 3840x2160 High (Render Scale 100 %) AA:SM AF:4x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
104 (88min - 121max) fps +70%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
91 (78min - 104max) fps +49%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i7-6820HK
69.4 fps +14%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-6700K
62.3 (53min) fps +2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
61.1 fps
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
57 fps -7%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
47.3 (39min) fps -23%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
38.6 fps -37%
Doom - 3840x2160 High Preset AA:FX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
56.5 fps +65%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
52.6 (46min - 66max) fps +54%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i7-6820HK
41.4 fps +21%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-6700K
34.4 (30min) fps +1%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
34.2 fps
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
30 (25min - 39max) fps -12%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
22.6 (19min) fps -34%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
21.6 fps -37%
Need for Speed 2016 - 3840x2160 High / On AA:FX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
61 (47min - 75max) fps +80%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
55 (43min - 66max) fps +62%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i7-6820HK
40.5 fps +19%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-6700K
34 (27min) fps 0%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
33.9 fps
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
31.6 (26min - 38max) fps -7%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
26 (20min) fps -23%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
21.4 fps -37%
The Division - 3840x2160 High Preset AF:8x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
48.5 (19min - 65max) fps +72%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
43 fps +52%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i7-6820HK
33.3 fps +18%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
28.4 (12min - 38max) fps +1%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
28.2 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-6700K
27.7 (10min) fps -2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
16.6 fps -41%
Far Cry Primal - 3840x2160 High Preset AA:SM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
49 (46min - 53max) fps +75%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
41 (38min - 44max) fps +46%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i7-6820HK
32 fps +14%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-6700K
29 (27min) fps +4%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
28 (26min - 31max) fps 0%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
28 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
20 (18min) fps -29%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
16 fps -43%
XCOM 2 - 3840x2160 High Preset AA:FX AF:8x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
30.4 (27min - 34max) fps +71%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
27 fps +52%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 368.39
Intel Core i7-6820HK
20.1 fps +13%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-6700K
18.7 (17min) fps +5%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
17.8 fps
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
16.3 (15min - 18max) fps -8%
Just Cause 3 - 3840x2160 High / On AA:FX AF:8x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
62 (56min - 67max) fps +72%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
53.3 (46min - 58max) fps +48%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-6700K
36.6 (33min) fps +1%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
36.1 fps
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
32.6 (26min - 37max) fps -10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
23.6 (20min) fps -35%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
21.6 fps -40%
Rainbow Six Siege - 3840x2160 High Preset AA:T AF:4x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
82 fps +72%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
71.4 (54min) fps +50%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-6700K
50.1 (35min) fps +5%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
48.4 (38min - 59max) fps +1%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
47.7 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
35.9 (28min) fps -25%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
27.2 fps -43%
Assassin's Creed Syndicate - 3840x2160 High Preset AA:FX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
47.3 (44min - 51max) fps +70%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
41 (37min - 44max) fps +47%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
28.2 fps +1%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
27.8 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-6700K
27.6 (26min) fps -1%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
25.6 (23min - 29max) fps -8%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
20.7 (18min) fps -26%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
16.5 fps -41%
Star Wars Battlefront - 3840x2160 High Preset AA:FX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
67 (58min - 79max) fps +77%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
57 (49min - 68max) fps +50%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-6700K
40.4 (35min) fps +7%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
39.6 fps +4%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
38.5 (34min - 46max) fps +2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
37.9 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
27.9 (23min) fps -26%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
21.2 fps -44%
Fallout 4 - 3840x2160 High Preset AA:T AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
54 (42min - 66max) fps +68%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
47.1 (37min - 58max) fps +46%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-3770K
33.8 (27min) fps +5%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
33.7 fps +5%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
32.2 fps
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
28.4 (21min - 36max) fps -12%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
24 (18min) fps -25%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
18.5 fps -43%
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 - 3840x2160 High / On AA:FX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
58 (50min - 67max) fps +80%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
50 (41min - 57max) fps +55%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
35.2 (31min - 41max) fps +9%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
34.2 fps +6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
32.2 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-3770K
30.3 (25min) fps -6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
24.8 (10min) fps -23%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
20.4 fps -37%
Anno 2205 - 3840x2160 High Preset AA:4x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
67 (64min - 70max) fps +75%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
61 fps +60%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
38.2 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-3770K
34.2 (32min) fps -10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
34.1 fps -11%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
26.1 (23min - 28max) fps -32%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
23.8 (20min) fps -38%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
20.9 fps -45%
FIFA 16 - 3840x2160 High Preset AA:2x MS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
208 (194min - 218max) fps +64%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
127 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
124.4 fps -2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-3770K
123.5 (117min) fps -3%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
120 (110min - 126max) fps -6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
88.2 (35min) fps -31%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
72 fps -43%
Mad Max - 3840x2160 High Preset AF:6x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
77 (72min - 88max) fps +65%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
70.5 (65min - 78max) fps +51%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
48.1 fps +3%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
46.8 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-3770K
46.6 (43min) fps 0%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
41.1 (37min - 47max) fps -12%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
33 (28min) fps -29%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
27.6 fps -41%
Batman: Arkham Knight - 3840x2160 High / On (Interactive Smoke & Paper Debris Off) AA:SM AF:8x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
34 fps +6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-3770K
33 (25min) fps +3%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
32 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
22 (15min) fps -31%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
18 (13min - 26max) fps -44%
The Witcher 3 - 3840x2160 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
55 fps +90%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
45 (40min - 49max) fps +55%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-3770K
32.1 (27min) fps +11%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
30.1 fps +4%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
29 fps
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
27.2 (25min - 30max) fps -6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
22.8 (19min) fps -21%
Dirt Rally - 3840x2160 High Preset
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), 368.39
Intel Core i7-4790K
155 (117min - 236max) fps +77%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
126 (99min - 154max) fps +44%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
87.7 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
84.2 fps -4%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
Intel Core i7-3770K
84 (68min) fps -4%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
64 (53min - 78max) fps -27%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M,
Intel Core i7-4700MQ
58.6 (45min) fps -33%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 350.12
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
47.1 fps -46%

DirectX 12 Performance

One decisive factor over the next few years will be the DirectX 12 performance. There are some promising alternatives to reduce the CPU overhead with Mantle and Vulkan, but so far DirectX has always turned out to be the mainstream API. Looking at the previous GPU generation, AMD benefitted much more from DirectX 12 (Ashes of Singularity, for example). Currently, there are not enough suitable applications for a final verdict.

Our tests show two results (with reservations). 1) Pascal works slightly better with DirectX 12 than Maxwell. 2) AMD is still ahead. While the DirectX 12 mode in "Rise of the Tomb Raider" reduces the frame rate on all GPUs, the Radeon RX 480 manages a few percent more frames in the 2016 version of "Hitman". Once again, the frame rate of the GTX 1060  drops slightly. We will have to wait a couple of months for a comprehensive verdict. Whether the new API can justify its premature praise and repeat the success of DirectX 11 will also depend on time and the leisure of game developers.

Hitman 2016
1920x1080 Ultra / On AA:SM AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
78 (61min - 96max) fps +41%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
61.5 (35min - 77max) fps +11%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
58.7 (44min - 72max) fps +6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
55.3 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
54.4 fps -2%
3840x2160 High / On AA:FX AF:8x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
42 (34min - 53max) fps +64%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
29.1 (23min - 34max) fps +14%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
28.1 (22min - 33max) fps +10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
25.6 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
25.4 fps -1%
Rise of the Tomb Raider
3840x2160 High Preset AA:FX AF:4x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
50 fps +71%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
47.8 (43min - 54max) fps +63%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
29.3 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
27 fps -8%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
26.7 (22min - 30max) fps -9%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
24.5 (21min - 28max) fps -16%
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FX AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
112 (105min - 124max) fps +67%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
112 (105min) fps +67%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
112 fps +67%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
66.9 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
66.5 fps -1%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
57 (49min - 65max) fps -15%

Overview

lowmed.highultra4K
Watch Dogs (2014) 129 112 84.7 65.5
GRID: Autosport (2014) 366 215 183 150
Sims 4 (2014) 192 184 164 148
Alien: Isolation (2014) 331 310 195 133
Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014) 212 199 96.5 66.9
Dirt Rally (2015) 378 207 183 106 87.7
The Witcher 3 (2015) 223 149 81.4 44.4 29
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) 165 150 97 67 32
Mad Max (2015) 273 144 132 46.8
FIFA 16 (2015) 391 340 298 127
Anno 2205 (2015) 146 135 96.9 31.9 38.2
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (2015) 190 175 99.4 85.9 32.2
Fallout 4 (2015) 194 169 96 77.1 32.2
Star Wars Battlefront (2015) 200 200 120 102 37.9
Assassin's Creed Syndicate (2015) 121 117 83 35.3 27.8
Rainbow Six Siege (2015) 327 262 154 130 47.7
Just Cause 3 (2015) 164 153 99.4 85.6 36.1
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 215 131 79.9 66.5 27
XCOM 2 (2016) 132 89.1 65.6 30.9 17.8
Far Cry Primal (2016) 150 99 88 67 28
The Division (2016) 227 148 75.1 59.6 28.2
Hitman 2016 (2016) 94.8 89.1 58.4 54.4 25.4
Need for Speed 2016 (2016) 130 128 100 77.4 33.9
Doom (2016) 194 178 106 99.7 34.2
Overwatch (2016) 300 300 190 116 61.1
Mirror's Edge Catalyst (2016) 197 164 86.1 78.3 27.6

Compute Performance

There is no clear winner in the section compute performance, which used to be the strength of AMD chips. Let us have a look at LuxMark 2.0 based on OpenCL, for example. With 1773 vs. 1662 samples/s, the GTX 1060 is 7% faster than the Radeon RX 480 in the Room scene. However, AMD has the edge in the Sala scene, where the Polaris chip is 34% ahead (3468 vs. 2584 samples/s). For comparison: The GTX 1080 is between 30 and 60% faster than the GTX 1060. We also have a quick look at ComputeMark. Expect for one test, the DirectCompute application prefers the Radeon RX 480, which is again clearly beaten by the GTX 1080.

LuxMark v2.0 64Bit
Room GPUs-only
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
2327 Samples/s +31%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
1893 Samples/s +7%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
1773 Samples/s
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
1661 Samples/s -6%
Sala GPUs-only
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
4708 Samples/s +82%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
3468 Samples/s +34%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
3038 Samples/s +18%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
2584 Samples/s
ComputeMark v2.1
1024x600 Normal, QJuliaRayTrace
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
6191 Points +86%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
3322 Points
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
3238 Points -3%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
2746 Points -17%
1024x600 Normal, Mandel Scalar
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
3646 Points +82%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
2539 Points +27%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
2002 Points
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
1973 Points -1%
1024x600 Normal, Mandel Vector
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
3284 Points +65%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
2162 Points +8%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
1994 Points
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
1941 Points -3%
1024x600 Normal, Fluid 2DTexArr
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
1758 Points +83%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
1010 Points +5%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
991 Points +3%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
963 Points
1024x600 Normal, Fluid 3DTex
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
1730 Points +76%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
1220 Points +24%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
1038 Points +5%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
985 Points
1024x600 Normal, Score
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
16610 Points +79%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), 16.6.2
Intel Core i7-4790K
9659 Points +4%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
9266 Points
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
9200 Points -1%

Professional Applications

CAD applications are not an important topic for gaming GPUs. There are special and very expensive professional graphics cards such as Nvidia's Quadro series or AMD's FirePro series with optimized drivers for this purpose. SPECviewperf 12 shows the GTX 1060 on par with the GTX 980. A GTX 1080 is almost 50% faster, a GTX 960 40% slower. The Maxwell Quadro GPUs in the table are difficult to compare due to very different results in the individual test sequences.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Desktop), ForceWare 368.64
Intel Core i7-6700K
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 368.13+
Intel Core i7-4790K
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), ForceWare 359.00
Intel Core i7-6700
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, ForceWare 353.62
Intel Core i5-4590
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M, Forceware 354.56
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, ForceWare 354.88
Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, 362.13
Intel Xeon E3-1535M v5
SPECviewperf 12
52%
-2%
-40%
11%
29%
127%
1900x1060 Solidworks (sw-03)
52.3
67.7
29%
49.23
-6%
39.21
-25%
62
19%
74.7
43%
84.8
62%
1900x1060 Siemens NX (snx-02)
6.11
8.67
42%
6.11
0%
4.58
-25%
31
407%
32.86
438%
65.8
977%
1900x1060 Showcase (showcase-01)
67.2
112
67%
59.3
-12%
37.21
-45%
20
-70%
20.58
-69%
43.81
-35%
1900x1060 Medical (medical-01)
31.53
45.6
45%
30.94
-2%
22.26
-29%
12
-62%
14.43
-54%
22.34
-29%
1900x1060 Maya (maya-04)
111.9
163
46%
107
-4%
66
-41%
30
-73%
37.15
-67%
50.4
-55%
1900x1060 Energy (energy-01)
6.1
10.4
70%
7.17
18%
0.92
-85%
0.69
-89%
3.13
-49%
4.85
-20%
1900x1060 Creo (creo-01)
40.07
60.9
52%
34.82
-13%
25.42
-37%
34
-15%
39.39
-2%
64.8
62%
1900x1060 Catia (catia-04)
51.3
86.3
68%
53.6
4%
34.97
-32%
37
-28%
44.98
-12%
77.9
52%

Emissions and Power Consumption

It is not only the frame rates that are important nowadays, but also the power efficiency. To check the improvements of the Pascal architecture, we compared the GTX 1060 and the GTX 980 in the same PC and under identical conditions. As expected, the new model is sometimes much more frugal, despite similar performance results. Instead of 45 watts, our measurement device shows a total consumption of only 39 watts after an idle period of 15 minutes (desktop, High-Performance power plan). The difference is even bigger with 3D loads. 184 vs. 246 watts after one hour stress test with FurMark equates to a saving of 25% (value is again for the whole system).

Stress test (GTX 1060)
Stress test (GTX 1060)
Stress test (GTX 980)
Stress test (GTX 980)

There is not a big difference between the GPUs when we look at the temperature and noise development. Up to 82 °C (~180 °F) in the stress test and 32 to 34 °C (~90 to 94 °F) while idling are neither very warm nor very cool. The GTX 1060 does reach up to 98 °C (~208 °F) at the bottom according to our thermal camera Optris PI 640, but unlike the GTX 980 (up to 77 °C/~171 °F), the GTX 1060 does not have a cooling plate at this spot. The PC was also optimized for a quiet operation. The higher surface temperature of the Pascal chip can also be explained with the different clock behavior. While the core of the GTX 980 dropped from the default 1126 MHz to 937 MHz (=throttling) under maximum load, the GTX 1060 always utilized the Turbo (~1582 MHz).

We also use FurMark to determine the maximum noise level. The GTX 1060 produced 38 dB(A) from a distance of 50 cm (~20 in) – a decent result (case closed), while we measured 40 dB(A) for the GTX 980. Note: All measurements only apply for the Founders Edition. Custom models from other partners (MSI, Gigabyte, Zotac, etc.) will be equipped with other coolers, which can control temperature and noise development better.

Verdict

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition

Even after our comprehensive reviews, it is not easy to find a clear winner between the Radeon RX 480 and the GeForce GTX 1060. Both graphics cards offer appealing FHD performance, which is usually sufficient for almost all games with maximum details. Nvidia's model is slightly faster in most games, but AMD seems to be able to counter with a better DirectX 12 performance.

One big advantage for the GTX 1060 is the power efficiency. Nvidia's Pascal architecture offers an excellent performance-per-watt ratio, which can clearly beat the old Maxwell generation. The Radeon RX 480 on the other hand is sold at a very fair price. Where can you get 8 GB of GDDR5-VRAM and a 256-bit interface for 260 Euros (~$286)? We will have to wait and see how GPU prices develop. You should wait for a custom model if you are interested in the GTX 1060. The reference cooler from Nvidia is most probably not as powerful, and the Founders Edition of the GTX 1060 is also unnecessarily expensive.

Overall, both the Polaris as well as the Pascal architecture convince in their own respective ways, so neither GPU is a bad choice. It is rare that the decision is so tough in the mainstream segment. Gaming enthusiasts with UHD monitors on the other hand should definitely get a GTX 1070 or GTX 1080.

We will most probably review the notebook version of the GTX 1060 as well when it is launched.

 

 

GPU

Overall gaming performance (4K High & FHD Ultra combined)

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Desktop

+65 %

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Desktop

+45 %

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Desktop

Base

Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 Desktop

~on par

Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 Notebook

~on par

AMD Radeon RX 480 Desktop

-8 %

Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 Desktop

-11 %

Nvidia GeForce GTX 980M Notebook

-30 %

Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 Desktop

-42 %
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Florian Glaser, 2016-07-19 (Update: 2024-11- 4)