GeForce GTX 680 vs 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 GTX 1060 6 GB GDDR5X GTX 1060 6 GB GP104 GTX 1060 8 GB GDDR5X
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GTX 660 OEM GTX 660 Rev. 2 GTX 660 Ti GTX 670 GTX 680 GTX 680 Mac Edition GTX 690 GTX 760 GTX 760 OEM GTX 760 Ti OEM GTX 760 X2 GTX 770

Aggregate performance score

We've compared GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB and GeForce GTX 680, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.

GTX 1060 3 GB
2016
3 GB GDDR5, 120 Watt
23.81
+71.8%

GTX 1060 3 GB outperforms GTX 680 by an impressive 72% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Contents

GTX 1060 3 GB GTX 1060 3 GB
GTX 680 GTX 680

Primary details

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

Place in the ranking223364
Place by popularity21not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation21.672.93
Power efficiency14.315.13
ArchitecturePascal (2016−2021)Kepler (2012−2018)
GPU code nameGP106GK104
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Release date18 August 2016 (8 years ago)22 March 2012 (12 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$199 $499

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

GTX 1060 3 GB has 640% better value for money than GTX 680.

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 cores11521536
Core clock speed1506 MHz1006 MHz
Boost clock speed1708 MHz1058 MHz
Number of transistors4,400 million3,540 million
Manufacturing process technology16 nm28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)120 Watt195 Watt
Texture fill rate123.0135.4
Floating-point processing power3.935 TFLOPS3.25 TFLOPS
ROPs4832
TMUs72128

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).

Bus supportno dataPCI Express 3.0
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Length250 mm254 mm
Heightno data4.376" (11.1 cm)
Width2-slot2-slot
Supplementary power connectors1x 6-pin2x 6-pin
SLI options-+

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 typeGDDR5GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount3 GB2048 MB
Memory bus width192 Bit256-bit GDDR5
Memory clock speed2002 MHz1502 MHz
Memory bandwidth192.2 GB/s192.2 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 DisplayPortOne Dual Link DVI-I, One Dual Link DVI-D, One HDMI, One DisplayPort
Multi monitor supportno data4 displays
HDMI++
HDCP-+
Maximum VGA resolutionno data2048x1536
Audio input for HDMIno dataInternal

API compatibility

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

DirectX12 (12_1)12 (11_0)
Shader Model6.45.1
OpenGL4.64.2
OpenCL1.21.2
Vulkan+1.1.126
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 23.81
+71.8%
GTX 680 13.86

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
+71.8%
GTX 680 5581

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:

900p75−80
+66.7%
45
−66.7%
Full HD120−130
+60%
75
−60%
4K40−45
+53.8%
26
−53.8%

Cost per frame, $

1080p1.66
+301%
6.65
−301%
4K4.98
+286%
19.19
−286%
  • GTX 1060 3 GB has 301% lower cost per frame in 1080p
  • GTX 1060 3 GB has 286% lower cost per frame in 4K

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 27−30
+0%
27−30
+0%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 27−30
+0%
27−30
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%
Forza Horizon 5 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
Metro Exodus 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
Valorant 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 27−30
+0%
27−30
+0%
Dota 2 37
+0%
37
+0%
Far Cry 5 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Fortnite 80−85
+0%
80−85
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%
Forza Horizon 5 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 56
+0%
56
+0%
Metro Exodus 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 100−110
+0%
100−110
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 47
+0%
47
+0%
Valorant 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%
World of Tanks 224
+0%
224
+0%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 27−30
+0%
27−30
+0%
Dota 2 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Far Cry 5 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%
Forza Horizon 5 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 100−110
+0%
100−110
+0%
Valorant 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 100−110
+0%
100−110
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 12−14
+0%
12−14
+0%
World of Tanks 100−110
+0%
100−110
+0%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 27−30
+0%
27−30
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 10−12
+0%
10−12
+0%
Far Cry 5 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
Forza Horizon 5 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Metro Exodus 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Valorant 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%
Dota 2 21
+0%
21
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 21
+0%
21
+0%
Metro Exodus 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 9−10
+0%
9−10
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 21
+0%
21
+0%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 4−5
+0%
4−5
+0%
Dota 2 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Far Cry 5 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Fortnite 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Forza Horizon 5 10−12
+0%
10−12
+0%
Valorant 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%

This is how GTX 1060 3 GB and GTX 680 compete in popular games:

  • GTX 1060 3 GB is 67% faster in 900p
  • GTX 1060 3 GB is 60% faster in 1080p
  • GTX 1060 3 GB is 54% faster in 4K

All in all, in popular games:

  • there's a draw in 63 tests (100%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score 23.81 13.86
Recency 18 August 2016 22 March 2012
Maximum RAM amount 3 GB 2048 MB
Chip lithography 16 nm 28 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 120 Watt 195 Watt

GTX 1060 3 GB has a 71.8% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 4 years, a 50% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 75% more advanced lithography process, and 62.5% lower power consumption.

The GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 680 in performance tests.

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
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680
GeForce GTX 680
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GTX 660 Ti 660 Ti

Community ratings

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

4.1 9058 votes

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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.