GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q 3 GB vs 680

Primary details

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

Place in performance ranking340not rated
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation5.15no data
ArchitectureKepler (2012−2018)Pascal (2016−2021)
GPU code nameGK104GP106
Market segmentDesktopLaptop
Release date22 March 2012 (12 years ago)27 June 2017 (6 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$499 no data
Current price$156 (0.3x MSRP)$979

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

Detailed specifications

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 cores15361280
CUDA cores1536no data
Core clock speed1006 MHz1265 MHz
Boost clock speed1058 MHz1480 MHz
Number of transistors3,540 million4,400 million
Manufacturing process technology28 nm16 nm
Power consumption (TDP)195 Watt80 Watt
Texture fill rate128.8 billion/sec118.4
Floating-point performance3,090.4 gflops3,789 gflops

Form factor & compatibility

Information on GeForce GTX 680 and GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q 3 GB compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop video cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility). For notebook video cards it's notebook size, connection slot and bus, if the video card is inserted into a slot instead of being soldered to the notebook motherboard.

Bus supportPCI Express 3.0no data
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Length10.0" (25.4 cm)no data
Height4.376" (11.1 cm)no data
Width2-slotno data
Supplementary power connectorsTwo 6-pinNone
SLI options+no data

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 amount2048 MB3 GB
Memory bus width256-bit GDDR5192 Bit
Memory clock speed6000 MHz8008 MHz
Memory bandwidth192.2 GB/s192.2 GB/s
Shared memory-no data

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 ConnectorsOne Dual Link DVI-I, One Dual Link DVI-D, One HDMI, One DisplayPortno data
Multi monitor support4 displaysno data
HDMI+no data
HDCP+no data
Maximum VGA resolution2048x1536no data
Audio input for HDMIInternalno data

API compatibility

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

DirectX12 (11_0)12.0
Shader Model5.15.0
OpenGL4.24.5
OpenCL1.21.2
Vulkan1.1.126no data
CUDA+6.1

Pros & cons summary


Recency 22 March 2012 27 June 2017
Maximum RAM amount 2048 MB 3 GB
Chip lithography 28 nm 16 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 195 Watt 80 Watt

We couldn't decide between GeForce GTX 680 and GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q 3 GB. We've got no test results to judge.

Be aware that GeForce GTX 680 is a desktop card while GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q 3 GB is a notebook one.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680
GeForce GTX 680
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q 3 GB
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q 3 GB

Comparisons with similar GPUs

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Community ratings

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3.8 559 votes

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3.6 69 votes

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