Radeon HD 7970 vs GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB

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Aggregate performance score

We've compared GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB and Radeon HD 7970, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.

GTX 1060 3 GB
2016
3 GB GDDR5, 120 Watt
21.69
+82.7%

1060 3 GB outperforms HD 7970 by an impressive 83% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

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

Place in the ranking271428
Place by popularity24not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation18.722.03
Power efficiency14.633.84
ArchitecturePascal (2016−2021)GCN 1.0 (2012−2020)
GPU code nameGP106Tahiti
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Designno datareference
Release date18 August 2016 (9 years ago)9 January 2012 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$199 $549

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

The higher the ratio, the better. We use the manufacturer's recommended prices.

GTX 1060 3 GB has 822% better value for money than HD 7970.

Performance to price scatter graph

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 cores11522048
Core clock speed1506 MHzno data
Boost clock speed1708 MHz925 MHz
Number of transistors4,400 million4,313 million
Manufacturing process technology16 nm28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)120 Watt300 Watt
Texture fill rate123.0118.4
Floating-point processing power3.935 TFLOPS3.789 TFLOPS
ROPs4832
TMUs72128
L1 Cache432 KB512 KB
L2 Cache1536 KB768 KB

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 dataPCIe 2.1 x16
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Length250 mm275 mm
Width2-slot2-slot
Supplementary power connectors1x 6-pin1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin

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 GB6 GB
Memory bus width192 Bit384 Bit
Memory clock speed2002 MHz1375 MHz
Memory bandwidth192.2 GB/s264 GB/s
Shared memory--

Connectivity and outputs

This section shows the types and number of video connectors on each GPU. The data applies specifically to desktop reference models (for example, NVIDIA’s Founders Edition). OEM partners often modify both the number and types of ports. On notebook GPUs, video‐output options are determined by the laptop’s design rather than the graphics chip itself.

Display Connectors1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2
Eyefinity-+
HDMI++

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

CrossFire-+
FreeSync-+

API and SDK support

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

DirectX12 (12_1)DirectX® 11
Shader Model6.46.5 (5.1)
OpenGL4.64.6
OpenCL1.22.1 (1.2)
Vulkan+-
CUDA6.1-

Synthetic benchmarks

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.

GTX 1060 3 GB 21.69
+82.7%
HD 7970 11.87

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
+82.7%
Samples: 21072
HD 7970 5248
Samples: 10419

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:

900p190−200
+81%
105
−81%
Full HD160−170
+72%
93
−72%

Cost per frame, $

1080p1.24
+375%
5.90
−375%
  • GTX 1060 3 GB has 375% lower cost per frame in 1080p

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low

Counter-Strike 2 70−75
+0%
70−75
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Hogwarts Legacy 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%

Full HD
Medium

Battlefield 5 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 70−75
+0%
70−75
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Far Cry 5 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%
Fortnite 70−75
+0%
70−75
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Forza Horizon 5 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
Hogwarts Legacy 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
Valorant 110−120
+0%
110−120
+0%

Full HD
High

Battlefield 5 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 70−75
+0%
70−75
+0%
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 212
+0%
212
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Dota 2 85−90
+0%
85−90
+0%
Far Cry 5 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%
Fortnite 70−75
+0%
70−75
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Forza Horizon 5 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
Hogwarts Legacy 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Metro Exodus 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
Valorant 110−120
+0%
110−120
+0%

Full HD
Ultra

Battlefield 5 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Dota 2 85−90
+0%
85−90
+0%
Far Cry 5 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Hogwarts Legacy 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
Valorant 110−120
+0%
110−120
+0%

Full HD
Epic

Fortnite 70−75
+0%
70−75
+0%

1440p
High

Counter-Strike 2 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 95−100
+0%
95−100
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 20−22
+0%
20−22
+0%
Metro Exodus 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 110−120
+0%
110−120
+0%
Valorant 130−140
+0%
130−140
+0%

1440p
Ultra

Battlefield 5 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 10−12
+0%
10−12
+0%
Far Cry 5 27−30
+0%
27−30
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
Hogwarts Legacy 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%

1440p
Epic

Fortnite 27−30
+0%
27−30
+0%

4K
High

Counter-Strike 2 8−9
+0%
8−9
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Hogwarts Legacy 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%
Metro Exodus 9−10
+0%
9−10
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Valorant 65−70
+0%
65−70
+0%

4K
Ultra

Battlefield 5 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 8−9
+0%
8−9
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 4−5
+0%
4−5
+0%
Dota 2 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
Far Cry 5 12−14
+0%
12−14
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Hogwarts Legacy 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 12−14
+0%
12−14
+0%

4K
Epic

Fortnite 12−14
+0%
12−14
+0%

This is how GTX 1060 3 GB and HD 7970 compete in popular games:

  • GTX 1060 3 GB is 81% faster in 900p
  • GTX 1060 3 GB is 72% faster in 1080p

All in all, in popular games:

  • there's a draw in 66 tests (100%)

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 21.69 11.87
Recency 18 August 2016 9 January 2012
Maximum RAM amount 3 GB 6 GB
Chip lithography 16 nm 28 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 120 Watt 300 Watt

GTX 1060 3 GB has a 82.7% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 4 years, a 75% more advanced lithography process, and 150% lower power consumption.

HD 7970, on the other hand, has a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount.

The GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 7970 in performance tests.

Vote for your favorite

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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB
GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB
AMD Radeon HD 7970
Radeon HD 7970

Other comparisons

We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.

Community ratings

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