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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980

33.1Inno Score
VS
33.1Inno Score
22.8Rasterization23.6
20Ray Tracing20
29.3Memoryspec-based32.4
83.8Efficiencyspec-based73.8
28Compute33.1
5 spec wins — NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB6 spec wins — NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980

InnoReviews verdict

This one is close to a dead heat: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB scores 33.1 against 33.1 for NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980. Pick by the categories that matter to you, or by price.

Which would you pick?

Key differences

Reasons to pick the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB

  • 43% lower process: 16 nm vs 28 nm
  • 40% higher Boost clock: 1,708 MHz vs 1,216 MHz
  • 34% higher Base clock: 1,506 MHz vs 1,126 MHz
  • 27% lower TDP: 120 W vs 165 W
  • Lower launch price: $199 vs $549

Reasons to pick the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980

  • Stronger compute score: 33 vs 28
  • 78% higher Shading units: 2,048 vs 1,152
  • 33% higher VRAM: 4 GB vs 3 GB
  • 33% higher Bus width: 256 bit vs 192 bit
  • 17% higher bandwidth: 224 GB/s vs 192 GB/s

General

General comparison: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB versus NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
SpecNVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GBNVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
Announced20162014
ArchitecturePascalMaxwell
Process16 nm+43%28 nm
TDP120 W+27%165 W
Power connector1x 6-pin2x 6-pin

Cores & Clocks

Cores & Clocks comparison: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB versus NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
SpecNVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GBNVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
Shading units1,1522,048+78%
Base clock1,506 MHz+34%1,126 MHz
Boost clock1,708 MHz+40%1,216 MHz

Memory

Memory comparison: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB versus NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
SpecNVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GBNVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
VRAM3 GB4 GB+33%
VRAM typeGDDR5GDDR5
Bus width192 bit256 bit+33%
Bandwidth192 GB/s224 GB/s+17%

Benchmarks

Benchmarks comparison: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB versus NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
SpecNVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GBNVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
3DMark Time Spy3,864Bottom 14%4,361+13%Bottom 18%
PassMark G3D9,859Bottom 17%11,071+12%Bottom 21%

Features

Features comparison: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB versus NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
SpecNVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GBNVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
UpscalingNone—

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