Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 vs Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060: What is the difference?
52points
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
58points
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
Comparison winner
vs
54 facts in comparison
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
Why is Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 better than Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060?
- 141MHz faster GPU clock speed?
1506MHzvs1365MHz - 40W lower TDP?
120Wvs160W - 252MHz faster memory clock speed?
2002MHzvs1750MHz - 1 more DisplayPort outputs?
3vs2 - Supports 3D?
Why is Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 better than Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060?
- 2.6 TFLOPS higher floating-point performance?
6.45 TFLOPSvs3.85 TFLOPS - 8.34 GPixel/s higher pixel rate?
80.64 GPixel/svs72.3 GPixel/s - 5992MHz higher effective memory clock speed?
14000MHzvs8008MHz - 81.
1 GTexels/s higher texture rate?
201.6 GTexels/svs120.5 GTexels/s - 143.8GB/s more memory bandwidth?
336GB/svs192.2GB/s - 640 more shading units?
1920vs1280 - 6400million more transistors?
10800 millionvs4400 million - 5°C lower load GPU temperature?
69°Cvs74°C
Which are the most popular comparisons?
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
vs
AMD Radeon RX 580
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
Nvidia Geforce GTX 1660 Super
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
vs
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
vs
AMD Radeon RX 570
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
vs
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
AMD Radeon RX 580
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
vs
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
vs
Manli GeForce GTX 1650
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
vs
AMD Radeon RX 550
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
vs
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
Manli GeForce GTX 1650
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
vs
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Laptop
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
Price comparison
User reviews
Overall Rating
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
5 User reviews
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
8. 4/10
5 User reviews
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
4 User reviews
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
9.8/10
4 User reviews
Features
Value for money
8.4/10
5 votes
8.8/10
4 votes
Gaming
8.2/10
5 votes
10.0/10
4 votes
Performance
8.0/10
5 votes
10.0/10
4 votes
Quiet operation
8.2/10
5 votes
9.0/10
4 votes
Reliability
7.8/10
5 votes
10.0/10
4 votes
Performance
GPU clock speed
1506MHz
1365MHz
The graphics processing unit (GPU) has a higher clock speed.
GPU turbo
1708MHz
1680MHz
When the GPU is running below its limitations, it can boost to a higher clock speed in order to give increased performance.
pixel rate
72. 3 GPixel/s
80.64 GPixel/s
The number of pixels that can be rendered to the screen every second.
floating-point performance
3.85 TFLOPS
6.45 TFLOPS
Floating-point performance is a measurement of the raw processing power of the GPU.
texture rate
120.5 GTexels/s
201.6 GTexels/s
The number of textured pixels that can be rendered to the screen every second.
GPU memory speed
2002MHz
1750MHz
The memory clock speed is one aspect that determines the memory bandwidth.
shading units
Shading units (or stream processors) are small processors within the graphics card that are responsible for processing different aspects of the image.
texture mapping units (TMUs)
TMUs take textures and map them to the geometry of a 3D scene. More TMUs will typically mean that texture information is processed faster.
render output units (ROPs)
The ROPs are responsible for some of the final steps of the rendering process, writing the final pixel data to memory and carrying out other tasks such as anti-aliasing to improve the look of graphics.
Memory
effective memory speed
8008MHz
14000MHz
The effective memory clock speed is calculated from the size and data rate of the memory. Higher clock speeds can give increased performance in games and other apps.
maximum memory bandwidth
192.2GB/s
336GB/s
This is the maximum rate that data can be read from or stored into memory.
VRAM (video RAM) is the dedicated memory of a graphics card. More VRAM generally allows you to run games at higher settings, especially for things like texture resolution.
memory bus width
192bit
192bit
A wider bus width means that it can carry more data per cycle. It is an important factor of memory performance, and therefore the general performance of the graphics card.
version of GDDR memory
Newer versions of GDDR memory offer improvements such as higher transfer rates that give increased performance.
Supports ECC memory
✖Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
✖Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
Error-correcting code memory can detect and correct data corruption. It is used when is it essential to avoid corruption, such as scientific computing or when running a server.
Features
DirectX version
DirectX is used in games, with newer versions supporting better graphics.
OpenGL version
OpenGL is used in games, with newer versions supporting better graphics.
OpenCL version
Some apps use OpenCL to apply the power of the graphics processing unit (GPU) for non-graphical computing. Newer versions introduce more functionality and better performance.
Supports multi-display technology
✔Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
✔Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
The graphics card supports multi-display technology. This allows you to configure multiple monitors in order to create a more immersive gaming experience, such as having a wider field of view.
load GPU temperature
A lower load temperature means that the card produces less heat and its cooling system performs better.
supports ray tracing
✔Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
✔Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
Ray tracing is an advanced light rendering technique that provides more realistic lighting, shadows, and reflections in games.
Supports 3D
✔Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
✖Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
Allows you to view in 3D (if you have a 3D display and glasses).
supports DLSS
✖Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
✔Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) is an upscaling technology powered by AI. It allows the graphics card to render games at a lower resolution and upscale them to a higher resolution with near-native visual quality and increased performance. DLSS is only available on select games.
PassMark (G3D) result
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060)
This benchmark measures the graphics performance of a video card. Source: PassMark.
Ports
has an HDMI output
✔Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
✔Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
Devices with a HDMI or mini HDMI port can transfer high definition video and audio to a display.
HDMI ports
More HDMI ports mean that you can simultaneously connect numerous devices, such as video game consoles and set-top boxes.
HDMI version
HDMI 2.0
HDMI 2.0
Newer versions of HDMI support higher bandwidth, which allows for higher resolutions and frame rates.
DisplayPort outputs
Allows you to connect to a display using DisplayPort.
DVI outputs
Allows you to connect to a display using DVI.
mini DisplayPort outputs
Allows you to connect to a display using mini-DisplayPort.
Price comparison
Cancel
Which are the best graphics cards?
GTX 1060 vs RTX 2060: How much faster is Nvidia’s new graphics card?
As you may have seen in my Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 review yesterday, Nvidia’s latest graphics card is really quite powerful. Despite being around £100 / $100 more expensive than its immediate numbered predecessor, the GTX 1060, the boost in speed you get from the RTX 2060 is absolutely worth it in my books, especially if you’re looking for a capable 2560×1440 card that can do pretty much everything at max settings without breaking a sweat. And to show you just how nippy it is, I’ve gone and made some nice, lovely graphs for you.
Watch on YouTube
To see how each card stacks up, I’ve put them through pretty much every game I currently use as part of my general benchmarking suite along with my trusty Intel Core i5-8600K CPU and 16GB of RAM. That includes Final Fantasy XV, Monster Hunter: World, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Total War: Warhammer II, Forza Horizon 4 and The Witcher III. I’ve also tested them at both 1920×1080 and 2560×1440 resolutions to see what’s possible with every graphics setting maxed out (except Final Fantasy XV, where I kept all of Nvidia’s extra effects such as HairWorks, TurfEffects, ShadowLibs and VXAO turned off).
The cards in question are the Nvidia Founders Edition of the RTX 2060, and Asus’ 6GB GeForce GTX 1060 OC 9Gbps Edition, the latter of which, for the record, doesn’t actually seem to be available any more but is the only GTX 1060 I currently have to hand. However, with default base and boost clock speeds of 1594MHz and 1809MHz, this Asus model definitely sits at the upper-end of the 6GB GTX 1060 scale — second only to EVGA’s SSC Gaming ACX 3.0 and Asus’ ROG Strix OC Gaming cards — so it should still give us a pretty good idea of how the RTX 2060 compares to the very best and most expensive GTX 1060s that are currently available.
GTX 1060 vs RTX 2060: 1080p performance
Let’s start with 1920×1080 performance. As you can see from the graph below, the difference is really quite stark. The GTX 1060 was always a very good choice for maximum 1080p gaming, but some of today’s tough guys are really quite taxing on it. In most cases, I only had to drop the quality settings down a peg to get back up to 55-60fps (or, in the case of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, just tweak the anti-aliasing settings a bit), but goodness me just look at all those big numbers on the RTX 2060.
Going back to Shadow of the Tomb Raider for a moment, this is easily one of the most startling results of the lot, as those average frame rates are based off having its maximum, and really very taxing, SMAA x4 anti-aliasing engaged in the game’s performance-tanking Cozumel Caves sequence right at the start of the game.
That’s a stunning victory for the RTX 2060, as it’s effectively turned something that’s barely playable in that particular state into a silky smooth beaut. I’m not saying Shadow of the Tomb Raider is completely unplayable on the GTX 1060 on its Highest graphics setting (as mentioned above, I only had to knock the AA down to its next SMAAT x2 setting to get a much more agreeable average of 55fps), but if it’s absolute perfection you’re chasing at this resolution, the RTX 2060 is definitely the superior card in this respect.
The same goes for Total War: Warhammer II, Monster Hunter: World and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, which all broke the 60fps boundary with ease on the RTX 2060, instead of trundling around between 40-50fps on the GTX 1060. Again, you only need to go down one graphics preset to get a smooth 60fps on the GTX 1060, which in most cases still looks pretty damn decent, but if you’ve got a high refresh rate monitor at your disposal, then the RTX 2060 is definitely going to be able to make more use of it at maximum settings than the GTX 1060 is on High.
GTX 1060 vs RTX 2060: 1440p performance
Now we get to the real meat of the issue, as while the GTX 1060 is still a perfectly decent card at 1080p, its performance at 2560×1440 leaves a little to be desired in the old shiny graphics department. It’s still a good choice for 1440p gaming as long as you don’t mind playing on Medium settings for the most part, but if you’ve been feeling like your GTX 1060 is starting to show its age a bit with recent games, there is some very good news to be found in the RTX 2060.
As you can see, most of today’s big blockbusters simply aren’t playable on the GTX 1060 at maximum settings. Three out of seven didn’t even make it to 30fps, and another two only just about made it over the other side of that 30fps parapet.
The RTX 2060, on the other hand, makes the unplayable playable, offering improvements of at least 50% in a lot of cases, if not up to 80% in Shadow of the Tomb Raider (which, again, is with its top SMAA x4 anti-aliasing in effect).
All right, I’ll admit it’s not a completely perfect average of 60fps in most cases on the RTX 2060, although a lot of games did, in fact, hit that number occasionally during testing. But when you previously had to fork out closer to £420 / $480 to the same level of performance from the GTX 1070Ti (which hit almost identical figures to the RTX 2060 in every game listed above, I might add), that’s still pretty good going considering the RTX 2060 costs around two thirds of that.
GTX 1060 vs RTX 2060 conclusion
That’s a pretty compelling set of results in my books, and almost certainly what you should consider upgrading to if you’re a current GTX 1060 owner who wants to get more out of their 1440p monitor, which is why it’s my new favourite graphics card in our 1440p category. Personally, I think it’s also the card that GTX 1070 owners should consider upgrading to if they’re unhappy with their current level of 1440p performance, but I’ll be doing a separate, graph-laden comparison article for that card and its Ti counterpart very shortly.
If you’ve still only got a 1080p monitor, though, I think the GTX 1060 will continue to serve you pretty well for the foreseeable future, especially if you’re not that fussed about having the shiniest, prettiest graphics. You may feel it’s worth taking the plunge if you’ve got a flash, high refresh rate monitor that can do up to 120Hz or 144Hz, for example, but for regular 60Hz peeps where all you’re ever going to see is 60fps, I reckon the GTX 1060 will do you just fine for the time being.
0025 1506MHz vs 1365MHz
120W vs 160W
2002MHz vs 1750MHz
3 vs 2
Why is Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 better than Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060?
- 2.6 TFLOPS over FLOPS?
6.45 TFLOPS vs 3.85 TFLOPS - 8.34 GPixel/s higher pixel rate?
80.64 GPixel/s vs 72.3 GPixel/s
- 5992MHz higher effective clock speed?
14000MHz vs 8008MHz - 81.1 GTexels/s higher number of textured pixels? more memory bandwidth?
336GB/s vs 192.2GB/s - 640 more stream processors?
1920 vs 1280 - 6400million more transistors?
10800 million vs 4400 million - 5°C lower GPU temperature at boot?
69°C vs 74°C
Which comparisons are the most popular?
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
vs
AMD Radeon RX 580
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
Nvidia Geforce GTX 1660 Super
GeForce 60
03
vs
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
vs
AMD Radeon RX 570
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
vs
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs 9000 AMD3
0003
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
vs
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
vs
Manli GeForce GTX 1650
Nvidia GeForce RTX
vs
AMD Radeon RX 550
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
3
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
vs
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
Manli GeForce GTX 1650
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
vs
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Laptop
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
Nvidia GeForce GTX Ti
8. 4 /10
5 Votes
8.8 /10
4 Votes
Games
8.2 /10
5 VOTES
10.0 /10 9000 VOTES
8.0 /10
5 VOTES
10.0 /10
4 Votes
Strescence of work
8.2 /10
9000 5 Votes
9000 9000 9000 /10
4 Votes
Reliability
7.8 /10
5 Votes
10.0 /10
4 Votes
Custom
1506MHz
1365MHZ 9000) has a higher clock speed.
turbo GPU
1708MHz
1680MHz
When the GPU is running below its limits, it can jump to a higher clock speed to increase performance.
pixel rate
72.3 GPixel/s
80.64 GPixel/s
The number of pixels that can be displayed on the screen every second.
FLOPS
3. 85 TFLOPS
6.45 TFLOPS
FLOPS is a measure of GPU processing power.
texture size
120.5 GTexels/s
201.6 GTexels/s
Number of textured pixels that can be displayed on the screen every second.
GPU memory speed
2002MHz
1750MHz
Memory speed is one aspect that determines memory bandwidth.
Shading patterns
Shading units (or stream processors) are small processors in a graphics card that are responsible for processing various aspects of an image.
texture units (TMUs)
TMUs take texture units and map them to the geometric layout of the 3D scene. More TMUs generally means texture information is processed faster.
ROPs
ROPs are responsible for some of the final steps of the rendering process, such as writing the final pixel data to memory and for performing other tasks such as anti-aliasing to improve the appearance of graphics.
Memory
effective memory speed
8008MHz
14000MHz
The effective memory clock is calculated from the size and data transfer rate of the memory. A higher clock speed can give better performance in games and other applications.
maximum memory bandwidth
192.2GB/s
336GB/s
This is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored in memory.
VRAM (video RAM) is the dedicated memory of the graphics card. More VRAM usually allows you to run games at higher settings, especially for things like texture resolution.
memory bus width
192bit
192bit
Wider memory bus — this means it can carry more data per cycle. This is an important factor in memory performance, and therefore the overall performance of the graphics card.
GDDR versions of
Later versions of GDDR memory offer improvements such as higher data transfer rates, which improve performance.
Supports memory troubleshooting code
✖Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
✖Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
Memory troubleshooting code can detect and repair data corruption. It is used when necessary to avoid distortion, such as in scientific computing or when starting a server.
Features
DirectX version
DirectX is used in games with a new version that supports better graphics.
OpenGL version
The newer the OpenGL version, the better graphics quality in games.
version of OpenCL
Some applications use OpenCL to use the power of the graphics processing unit (GPU) for non-graphical computing. Newer versions are more functional and better quality.
Supports multi-monitor technology
✔Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
✔Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
The video card has the ability to connect multiple screens. This allows you to set up multiple monitors at the same time to create a more immersive gaming experience, such as a wider field of view.
GPU temperature at boot
Lower boot temperature — this means that the card generates less heat and the cooling system works better.
supports ray tracing
✔Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
✔Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
Ray tracing is an advanced light rendering technique that provides more realistic lighting, shadows and reflections in games.
Supports 3D
✔Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
✖Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
Allows you to view in 3D (if you have a 3D screen and glasses).
supports DLSS
✖Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
✔Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) is an AI based scaling technology. This allows the graphics card to render games at lower resolutions and upscale them to higher resolutions with near-native visual quality and improved performance. DLSS is only available in some games.
PassMark (G3D) result
Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060)
This test measures the graphics performance of a graphics card. Source: Pass Mark.
Ports
has HDMI out
✔Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
✔Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
Devices with HDMI or mini HDMI ports can stream HD video and audio to an attached display.
HDMI connectors
More HDMI connectors allow you to connect multiple devices such as game consoles and TVs at the same time.
HDMI version
HDMI 2.0
HDMI 2.0
Newer versions of HDMI support higher bandwidth, resulting in higher resolutions and frame rates.
DisplayPort outputs
Allows connection to a display using DisplayPort.
DVI outputs
Allows connection to a display using DVI.
mini DisplayPort outputs
Allows connection to a display using mini DisplayPort.
Price comparison
Cancel
Which graphics cards are better?
GTX 1060 vs RTX 2060: what’s the point of a new generation of graphics cards?
The latest Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card is really very powerful for the current generation of games. Even though it’s almost twice as expensive as the GTX 1060 6GB, the boost you get from the RTX 2060 is well worth it. Especially if you’re looking for a 2560×1440 card that might not even strain at max settings.
GTX 1060 vs RTX 2060 performance at 1080p
Let’s start with 1920×1080 performance. As you can see, the difference is quite significant. The GTX 1060 has always been good for 1080p games, but now the card is losing ground and in most games I get FPS dips below 60fps (in Shadow of the Tomb Raider you can lower the AA settings to SMAAT x2).
| 1080p | RTX 2060 | GTX 1070 | GTX 1060 | RX 590 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 94 | 80 | 57 | 70 |
| Ghost Recon: Wildlands | 90 | 79 | 62 | 66 |
| Far Cry 5 | 112 | 100 | 75 | 83 |
The RTX 2060 simply handles all games. I’m not saying that Shadow of the Tomb Raider doesn’t play well on the GTX 1060 at the highest settings, but if you’re looking for perfection, then the RTX 2060 is more attractive.
Same thing happens in Ghost Recon: Wildlands, always above 60 fps on RTX 2060. For comparison, GTX 1060 could handle 50-75 fps. Again, you can lower the graphics settings a little to get a nice and stable 60 frames. And if you have a monitor with a high refresh rate, then the RTX 2060 can no longer cope with it.
GTX 1060 vs RTX 2060 performance at 1440p
Now we get to the heart of the matter. The GTX 1060 is still a pretty good card at 1080p, but performance at 2560×1440 drops off (or leaves something to be desired). But it’s still a good choice at 1440p if medium settings are enough for you. The RTX 2060 feels quite comfortable here, but not the most.
| 1440p | RTX 2060 | GTX 1070 | GTX 1060 | RX 590 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 64 | 50 | 35 | 47 |
| Ghost Recon: Wildlands | 68 | 59 | 44 | 49 |
| Far Cry 5 | 81 | 70 | 50 | 59 |
In most modern games with GTX 1060 you simply cannot play at maximum speeds. Drops below 30 fps sometimes occur.
Okay. The RTX 2060 can improve the quality of the game by at least 50%, or even 80% in Shadow of the Tomb Raider (again, with SMAA x4 anti-aliasing effect). We have to admit that in most games these cherished 60 frames per second will not always be. But if you previously had to fork out for a GTX 1070 or 1070Ti, which in the same games give similar numbers to the RTX 2060, it’s still pretty good. Especially when you consider that the RTX 2060 is cheaper than the GTX 1070Ti.
So what’s the point of an RTX 2060?
If you own a GTX 1060 and want to get more out of a 1440p monitor, then you might want to consider buying one. However, if you have a 1080p monitor, then the GTX 1060 will last you a long time, especially if you do not dream about ray tracing in games.
Efficiency (ratio of frame rate in games to the price of the card) RTX 2060 is almost the same as GTX 1060. The cost per second will not change if you prefer the more expensive RTX 2060.