AMD Radeon HD 7950 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB Comparison

# AMD Radeon HD 7950 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB

The AMD Radeon HD 7950 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB represent two distinct eras of GPU design, yet their aggregate benchmark scores place them within striking distance of one another. The HD 7950 records an average benchmark score of 33,951, while the GTX 1060 5 GB averages 33,694, a margin of roughly 0.8% in favor of the older AMD card. Both GPUs sit at the 78th percentile among all GPUs in the database, indicating that despite their age and end-of-life production status, they deliver comparable overall compute performance. The GTX 1060 5 GB, however, achieves its score across two benchmark tests — Geekbench OpenCL at 33,397 and Geekbench Vulkan at 33,991 — while the HD 7950 has only a single Geekbench Metal score of 33,951. This distinction matters, as the NVIDIA card demonstrates consistent performance across different API workloads, whereas the AMD card’s single data point limits direct comparison.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data reveals a remarkably tight contest between these two GPUs. In the only directly comparable metric — average benchmark score — the AMD Radeon HD 7950 edges ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB by 257 points, or 0.8%. This is within the noise of typical benchmark variance, suggesting that neither card holds a definitive aggregate performance advantage. Looking at the nearest rivals for each card clarifies the picture further. The HD 7950’s closest competitor is the AMD Radeon RX 480, which scores 33,997, a delta of -0.1% relative to the HD 7950. The GTX 1060 5 GB’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA RTX A5000, which scores 33,622, a delta of 0.2% relative to the GTX 1060 5 GB. Both cards also share the AMD Radeon RX 7700S as a common rival: the HD 7950 is 0.3% ahead of the RX 7700S (which scores 33,849), while the GTX 1060 5 GB is 0.5% behind the same GPU.

When comparing the two cards directly, the HD 7950’s 33,951 average sits 0.8% above the GTX 1060 5 GB’s 33,694. This is a narrow margin, but it is consistent with the HD 7950’s position relative to its other rivals. The HD 7950 also outperforms the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT by 0.5% (33,951 vs 34,133, with the RX 560 XT actually scoring higher) and the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB by 0.6% (33,951 vs 34,154, again with the rival scoring higher). These negative delta values indicate that the HD 7950 actually trails those two rivals slightly. For the GTX 1060 5 GB, the delta against the RTX A5000 is positive at 0.2%, meaning the NVIDIA card leads that rival. However, the GTX 1060 5 GB trails the RX 7700S by 0.5% and the RX 480 by 0.9%. Neither card emerges as a clear winner across all comparisons; instead, both occupy a similar performance tier, trading small advantages against various rivals.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7950 has an average benchmark score of 33,951, which is 0.8% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB’s average of 33,694.

Q: How does each card compare to the AMD Radeon RX 480?

A: The HD 7950 scores 33,951 versus the RX 480’s 33,997, a delta of -0.1%. The GTX 1060 5 GB scores 33,694 versus the RX 480’s 33,997, a delta of -0.9%.

Q: What benchmark tests are available for each card?

A: The HD 7950 has one recorded benchmark: Geekbench Metal with a score of 33,951. The GTX 1060 5 GB has two recorded benchmarks: Geekbench OpenCL with a score of 33,397 and Geekbench Vulkan with a score of 33,991.

Q: Which card has a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: Both cards are tied at the 78th percentile among all GPUs in the database.

Q: Does the GTX 1060 5 GB outperform the HD 7950 in any benchmark category?

A: The GTX 1060 5 GB’s Geekbench Vulkan score of 33,991 exceeds the HD 7950’s Geekbench Metal score of 33,951 by 40 points, though these are different test types.

Q: What are the closest rivals for each card based on average score?

A: For the HD 7950, the closest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 480 at 33,997 (-0.1%). For the GTX 1060 5 GB, the closest rival is the NVIDIA RTX A5000 at 33,622 (+0.2%).

The Verdict

The data indicates that the AMD Radeon HD 7950 holds a marginal aggregate benchmark edge over the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB, with a 0.8% higher average score. However, this advantage is small enough that real-world performance differences would likely be imperceptible. The GTX 1060 5 GB, despite its lower average, demonstrates more consistent performance across multiple API benchmarks — its OpenCL score of 33,397 and Vulkan score of 33,991 bracket the HD 7950’s single Metal score of 33,951. Choosing between these two cards based on the available data therefore depends on the specific workload. For users prioritizing raw aggregate compute, the HD 7950 is nominally ahead. For users who value API versatility, the GTX 1060 5 GB offers two verified benchmark results that both sit close to the HD 7950’s single result. The GTX 1060 5 GB also presents a more modern feature set that may influence decision-making beyond raw scores, as detailed in the specification and architecture sections below.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ substantially in their memory systems and compute configurations. The AMD Radeon HD 7950 features 3 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, yielding a memory bandwidth of 240.0 GB/s. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB offers 5 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 160-bit bus, resulting in a memory bandwidth of 160.2 GB/s. The HD 7950 thus provides 50% more memory bandwidth, while the GTX 1060 5 GB provides 67% more memory capacity. The memory clock also differs: the HD 7950 runs at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective), while the GTX 1060 5 GB runs at 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective). In terms of compute units, the HD 7950 has 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The GTX 1060 5 GB has 1280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 40 ROPs. This translates to a pixel rate of 25.60 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 89.60 GTexel/s for the HD 7950, versus 68.36 GPixel/s and 136.7 GTexel/s for the GTX 1060 5 GB. The NVIDIA card thus achieves substantially higher pixel and texture throughput. Floating-point performance follows a similar pattern: the HD 7950 delivers 2.867 TFLOPS FP32, while the GTX 1060 5 GB delivers 4.375 TFLOPS FP32. The GTX 1060 5 GB also has a documented FP16 rate of 68.36 GFLOPS (1:64), whereas the HD 7950 has no listed FP16 capability.

Power and physical specifications also diverge sharply. The HD 7950 has a TDP of 200 W, requires two 6-pin power connectors, and suggests a 550 W power supply. The GTX 1060 5 GB has a TDP of 120 W, requires a single 6-pin connector, and suggests a 300 W power supply. Both cards are dual-slot designs, but the HD 7950 measures 278 mm (10.9 inches) in length, 111 mm (4.4 inches) in height, and 38 mm (1.5 inches) in width. The GTX 1060 5 GB measures 250 mm (9.8 inches) in length, with height and width not specified. Display outputs also differ: the HD 7950 offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2, while the GTX 1060 5 GB offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. Both use PCIe 3.0 x16 interfaces. The HD 7950’s launch MSRP was 449 USD; the GTX 1060 5 GB has no listed launch MSRP.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these GPUs is significant. The AMD Radeon HD 7950 is built on the Tahiti chip using the GCN 1.0 architecture, part of the Southern Islands generation (HD 7900 series). It is fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, with 4,313 million transistors on a 352 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.3M per mm². The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB uses the GP106 chip with the Pascal architecture, part of the GeForce 10 series. It is fabricated on a 16 nm process at TSMC, with 4,400 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 22.0M per mm². The smaller, denser Pascal design reflects a later manufacturing generation, but the HD 7950’s larger die packs nearly the same transistor count. The HD 7950’s predecessor is Northern Islands, and its successor is Sea Islands. The GTX 1060 5 GB’s predecessor is GeForce 900, and its successor is GeForce 20.

The two cards also support different API levels. The HD 7950 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The GTX 1060 5 GB supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The NVIDIA card offers a higher DirectX feature level and a newer Vulkan version. Clock behavior differs as well: the HD 7950 has no listed base or boost clock, only a memory clock of 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The GTX 1060 5 GB has a base clock of 1506 MHz and a boost clock of 1709 MHz, alongside its memory clock of 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective). This clock advantage contributes to the GTX 1060 5 GB’s higher fill rates and FP32 throughput, despite having fewer shading units.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon HD 7950 wins in the aggregate benchmark comparison, posting an average score of 33,951 versus the GTX 1060 5 GB’s 33,694, a 0.8% advantage. It also leads in memory bandwidth (240.0 GB/s vs 160.2 GB/s) and has a wider memory bus (384-bit vs 160-bit), which can benefit bandwidth-sensitive workloads such as high-resolution texture streaming. The HD 7950’s 3 GB memory capacity, while smaller than the GTX 1060 5 GB’s 5 GB, is paired with far greater bandwidth, making it potentially stronger for compute tasks that rely on memory throughput rather than capacity.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB wins in several specific performance metrics. It delivers 4.375 TFLOPS FP32 versus the HD 7950’s 2.867 TFLOPS, a 52.6% advantage in raw floating-point throughput. Its pixel rate of 68.36 GPixel/s is 2.67 times the HD 7950’s 25.60 GPixel/s, and its texture rate of 136.7 GTexel/s is 1.53 times the HD 7950’s 89.60 GTexel/s. The GTX 1060 5 GB also offers 5 GB of memory versus 3 GB, a 66.7% capacity advantage that benefits modern games and applications with large working sets. The NVIDIA card achieves all this at a 120 W TDP versus 200 W, requiring only a single 6-pin connector and a 300 W power supply, compared to the HD 7950’s dual 6-pin connectors and 550 W recommendation. In benchmark results, the GTX 1060 5 GB demonstrates versatility by scoring 33,991 in Vulkan and 33,397 in OpenCL, both close to the HD 7950’s Metal score. For users prioritizing efficiency, newer API support, and higher fill rates, the GTX 1060 5 GB is the data-backed choice. For users prioritizing memory bandwidth and a slight aggregate score edge, the HD 7950 holds the advantage.