Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.
GeForce GTX 1050 vs 1060 3 GB
Aggregated performance score
GTX 1060 3 GB
2016
3 GB GDDR5
24.75
+89.9%
GTX 1050
2016
2048 MB GDDR5
13.03
1060 3 GB outperforms 1050 by 90% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
General info
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in performance ranking | 202 | 358 |
| Place by popularity | 28 | 18 |
| Value for money | 2.38 | 4.09 |
| Architecture | Pascal (2016−2021) | Pascal (2016−2021) |
| GPU code name | GP106 | N17P-G1 |
| Market segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Release date | 18 August 2016 (7 years old) | 25 October 2016 (7 years old) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $199 | $109 |
| Current price | $1112 (5.6x MSRP) | $211 (1.9x MSRP) |
Value for money
GTX 1050 has 72% better value for money than GTX 1060 3 GB.
Technical specs
General performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. These parameters indirectly speak of performance, but for precise assessment you have to consider their benchmark and gaming test results. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.
| Pipelines / CUDA cores | 1152 | 640 |
| CUDA cores | no data | 640 |
| Core clock speed | 1506 MHz | 1290 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | 1708 MHz | 1392 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 4,400 million | 3,300 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 16 nm | 14 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 120 Watt | 75 Watt |
| Maximum GPU temperature | no data | 97 °C |
| Texture fill rate | 123.0 | 58.20 |
| Floating-point performance | 3,935 gflops | 1,862 gflops |
Size and 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).
| Bus support | no data | PCIe 3.0 |
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| Length | 250 mm | 5.7" (14.5 cm) |
| Height | no data | 4.38" (11.1 cm) |
| Width | 2-slot | 2-slot |
| Recommended system power (PSU) | no data | 300 Watt |
| Supplementary power connectors | 1x 6-pin | None |
| SLI options | no data | - |
| SLI | no data | - |
Memory
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 type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 3 GB | 2 GB |
| Memory bus width | 192 Bit | 128 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 8008 MHz | 7008 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 192.2 GB/s | 112 GB/s |
| Shared memory | no data | - |
Video outputs and ports
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 Connectors | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort | DP 1.4, HDMI 2.0b, Dual Link-DVI |
| Multi monitor support | no data | + |
| HDMI | + | + |
| HDCP | no data | 2.2 |
| G-SYNC support | no data | + |
Technologies
Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.
| GameStream | no data | + |
| GPU Boost | no data | 3.0 |
| VR Ready | no data | + |
| Ansel | no data | + |
API support
List of supported graphics and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 12 (12_1) | 12 (12_1) |
| Shader Model | 6.4 | 6.4 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.5 |
| OpenCL | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Vulkan | + | 1.2.131 |
| CUDA | 6.1 | + |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Non-gaming benchmark performance comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark performance 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.
1060 3 GB outperforms 1050 by 90% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
Passmark
This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark, part of Passmark PerformanceTest suite. 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.
Benchmark coverage: 25%
1060 3 GB outperforms 1050 by 90% in Passmark.
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 HD | 85−90
+88.9%
| 45
−88.9%
|
| 1440p | 45−50
+87.5%
| 24
−87.5%
|
| 4K | 40−45
+81.8%
| 22
−81.8%
|
Advantages and disadvantages
| Performance score | 24.75 | 13.03 |
| Recency | 18 August 2016 | 25 October 2016 |
| Cost | $199 | $109 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 3 GB | 2 GB |
| Chip lithography | 16 nm | 14 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 120 Watt | 75 Watt |
The GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 1050 in performance tests.
Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Similar GPU comparisons
We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.
