AMD Radeon RX 6800 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 belong to different eras of GPU design, and the recorded benchmark data reflects that divide clearly. While the GTX 1060 5 GB is an older, smaller Pascal part, the RX 6800 is a large RDNA 2.0 flagship-class chip. Direct comparisons from the database show a split decision in the two shared tests, but the broader performance picture, architectural capabilities, and specification sheet reveal why these cards are suited for very different use cases. This analysis uses only the recorded measurements and database entries to compare them.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database includes two direct benchmark comparisons between these cards, and the results are starkly different depending on the API. In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB posts a score of 33397, while the AMD Radeon RX 6800 scores 24508. That gives the GTX 1060 5 GB a 36.3% advantage in this specific test, a substantial margin. It is worth remembering the GTX 1060 5 GB’s average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 33694, which is nearly identical to its OpenCL result, suggesting that this particular workload aligns well with its architecture. The RX 6800, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 30095, which is higher than its OpenCL result, indicating that OpenCL is not a strong suite for it.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the situation reverses completely. The AMD Radeon RX 6800 scores 115107, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB scores 33991. The delta is -70.5%, meaning the RX 6800 is more than three times faster in this test. This is a massive gap, and it reflects the architectural gulf between the two cards. The GTX 1060 5 GB’s Vulkan score of 33991 is actually close to its OpenCL score of 33397, showing consistency across compute APIs for that older card. The RX 6800, however, shows a Vulkan score that is nearly 4.7 times its OpenCL score, indicating that its RDNA 2.0 architecture is far more efficient in Vulkan workloads.

Looking at the broader database context, the GTX 1060 5 GB sits at the 78th percentile among all GPUs, while the RX 6800 sits at the 75th percentile. Despite the RX 6800 having a lower percentile, its average benchmark score of 30095 is actually lower than the GTX 1060 5 GB’s 33694. This is an unusual situation, but it happens because the GTX 1060 5 GB’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 7950 with an average score of 33951 and the AMD Radeon RX 480 with 33997, both of which are close to its own score. The RX 6800’s nearest rivals are different, including the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti at 29945 and the AMD Radeon RX 6700 at 30433. The delta percentages from nearest rivals show the GTX 1060 5 GB is within 0.2% of the RTX A5000, -0.5% from the RX 7700S, -0.8% from the HD 7950, and -0.9% from the RX 480. The RX 6800 is 0.5% above the RTX 3070 Ti, 0.6% above the RTX 5070 Mobile, 1% above the RTX 2080 Ti, and -1.1% from the RX 6700. These numbers indicate that in the database’s averaged scoring, the GTX 1060 5 GB actually competes with much newer cards, while the RX 6800 sits in a cluster with high-end RTX cards.

The head-to-head wins are split one apiece, with the GTX 1060 5 GB taking OpenCL and the RX 6800 taking Vulkan. But the magnitude of the Vulkan win, a 70.5% delta, dwarfs the OpenCL win of 36.3%. If a user’s primary workload is Vulkan-based, the RX 6800 is the clear choice from these measurements. If the workload is OpenCL, the GTX 1060 5 GB holds an edge, but that edge is smaller in relative terms than the RX 6800’s Vulkan advantage.

The Verdict

From the data, the AMD Radeon RX 6800 is the superior card for modern gaming and compute scenarios that leverage Vulkan or DirectX 12 Ultimate features. Its Vulkan score of 115107 is over three times the GTX 1060 5 GB’s 33991, and that kind of delta is decisive in real-world applications that use that API. The RX 6800 also has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, 60 ray tracing cores, and a DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) API support level, all of which point to longevity for newer titles. Benchmark results indicate that the RX 6800’s average score of 30095 is competitive with the RTX 3070 Ti, which is only 0.5% ahead, and the RTX 2080 Ti, which is 1% behind. For a user building a system today, the RX 6800 is the clear pick from the recorded data.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB, however, should not be dismissed. Its OpenCL score of 33397 beats the RX 6800 by 36.3%, and its average benchmark score of 33694 is higher than the RX 6800’s 30095. The GTX 1060 5 GB also has a higher percentile rank at 78 versus 75. For workloads that are heavily OpenCL-based, such as certain compute tasks or older software, the GTX 1060 5 GB is actually the faster card. Its 120 W TDP and single 6-pin power connector also make it a lower-power option, though the database does not include power consumption measurements for either card. The GTX 1060 5 GB is end-of-life, as is the RX 6800, but its smaller size (250 mm length versus 267 mm) and lower power requirements make it suitable for compact or legacy builds.

Strictly from the data, the RX 6800 wins on raw modern performance, memory capacity, and API feature set. The GTX 1060 5 GB wins on OpenCL compute and average benchmark score. Users who prioritize Vulkan gaming or ray tracing should choose the RX 6800. Users with OpenCL-dependent applications or constrained power budgets might find the GTX 1060 5 GB more appropriate. The database shows no clear overall winner, only a workload-dependent split.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two cards is massive, and it explains the benchmark results. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB uses the GP106 chip built on Pascal architecture, fabricated on a 16 nm process at TSMC. It contains 4,400 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 22.0M per mm². The AMD Radeon RX 6800 uses the Navi 21 chip on RDNA 2.0 architecture, built on a 7 nm process, also at TSMC. It packs 26,800 million transistors onto a 520 mm² die, with a transistor density of 51.5M per mm². That is over six times the transistor count and more than double the density, reflecting the newer manufacturing process.

The RX 6800 has 3840 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units. The GTX 1060 5 GB has 1280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 40 ROPs. The RX 6800 also includes 60 ray tracing cores, a feature the GTX 1060 5 GB lacks entirely. The GTX 1060 5 GB has no RT cores and no tensor cores, while the RX 6800 also has no tensor cores but does support ray tracing through its RT cores. In terms of compute rates, the RX 6800 delivers 16.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the GTX 1060 5 GB delivers 4.375 TFLOPS. That is a 3.7x difference in raw floating point throughput. The RX 6800 also has a FP16 rate of 32.33 TFLOPS (at a 2:1 ratio), while the GTX 1060 5 GB has only 68.36 GFLOPS (at a 1:64 ratio), meaning the RX 6800 is dramatically faster at half-precision work.

The memory subsystems are equally divergent. The GTX 1060 5 GB uses 5 GB of GDDR5 on a 160-bit bus, providing 160.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 6800 uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, providing 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth. That is over three times the memory capacity and bandwidth. The RX 6800 also has a higher base clock of 1700 MHz and boost clock of 2105 MHz, with a game clock of 1815 MHz. The GTX 1060 5 GB has a base clock of 1506 MHz and boost of 1709 MHz. The RX 6800’s memory runs at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective), while the GTX 1060 5 GB’s memory runs at 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective), so the effective data rate is double on the RX 6800.

API support also differs. The GTX 1060 5 GB supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RX 6800 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The DirectX 12 Ultimate designation means the RX 6800 includes features like ray tracing and variable rate shading, which the GTX 1060 5 GB cannot handle. Both cards support PCIe, but the GTX 1060 5 GB uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the RX 6800 uses PCIe 4.0 x16, doubling the available bandwidth to the CPU.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB has an average benchmark score of 33694, while the AMD Radeon RX 6800 has an average score of 30095. The GTX 1060 5 GB is higher by 3599 points.

Q: How do the two cards compare in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800 scores 115107 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB scores 33991. The RX 6800 leads by 70.5%.

Q: What is the memory configuration of each card?

A: The GTX 1060 5 GB has 5 GB of GDDR5 on a 160-bit bus with 160.2 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 6800 has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 512.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Does either card support ray tracing?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800 includes 60 ray tracing cores. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB has no ray tracing cores.

Q: What is the percentile ranking for each GPU?

A: The GTX 1060 5 GB is at the 78th percentile among all GPUs, while the RX 6800 is at the 75th percentile.

Q: Which card is faster in OpenCL?

A: The GTX 1060 5 GB scores 33397 in Geekbench OpenCL, beating the RX 6800’s 24508 by 36.3%.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB wins in OpenCL compute, where it holds a 36.3% lead over the RX 6800. Its average benchmark score of 33694 is also higher, and it ranks at the 78th percentile versus the RX 6800’s 75th. The GTX 1060 5 GB also has a lower TDP of 120 W compared to the RX 6800’s 250 W, and it requires only a single 6-pin power connector versus the RX 6800’s two 8-pin connectors. Its suggested PSU is 300 W versus 600 W for the RX 6800. The GTX 1060 5 GB is also shorter at 250 mm versus 267 mm. For users with older power supplies, smaller cases, or OpenCL-specific applications, the GTX 1060 5 GB is the better fit. Its pixel rate is 68.36 GPixel/s and texture rate is 136.7 GTexel/s, which are lower than the RX 6800’s 202.1 GPixel/s and 505.2 GTexel/s, but those numbers are only relevant if the workload is fill-rate bound. The GTX 1060 5 GB’s nearest rivals include the RTX A5000 at 0.2% delta, meaning it performs in a similar class to that professional card in the database’s scoring.

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 wins decisively in Vulkan, with a score of 115107 versus 33991, a 70.5% margin. It also has 16 GB of memory, which is three times the GTX 1060 5 GB’s 5 GB, and its bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s is over three times higher. The RX 6800’s FP32 throughput of 16.17 TFLOPS is 3.7 times the GTX 1060 5 GB’s 4.375 TFLOPS. It has 60 ray tracing cores, support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, and PCIe 4.0 x16 interface. Its nearest rivals include the RTX 3070 Ti at 0.5% ahead and the RTX 2080 Ti at 1% behind, placing it in high-end company. For any modern gaming workload that uses Vulkan or DirectX 12 Ultimate features, the RX 6800 is the clear winner. Its 16 GB GDDR6 memory also makes it suitable for high-resolution textures and future game installments that demand larger memory pools.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every specification field. The GTX 1060 5 GB uses the GP106 chip on Pascal architecture, while the RX 6800 uses Navi 21 on RDNA 2.0 architecture. The process node is 16 nm for the GTX 1060 5 GB and 7 nm for the RX 6800. Transistor count is 4,400 million versus 26,800 million, and die size is 200 mm² versus 520 mm². Transistor density is 22.0M per mm² versus 51.5M per mm². Base clocks are 1506 MHz versus 1700 MHz, boost clocks are 1709 MHz versus 2105 MHz, and the RX 6800 has a game clock of 1815 MHz, which the GTX 1060 5 GB lacks. Memory is 5 GB GDDR5 versus 16 GB GDDR6, with bus widths of 160-bit versus 256-bit. Bandwidth is 160.2 GB/s versus 512.0 GB/s. Shading units are 1280 versus 3840, TMUs are 80 versus 240, and ROPs are 40 versus 96. The RX 6800 has 60 RT cores, while the GTX 1060 5 GB has none. FP32 is 4.375 TFLOPS versus 16.17 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 68.36 GFLOPS versus 32.33 TFLOPS. Pixel rate is 68.36 GPixel/s versus 202.1 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 136.7 GTexel/s versus 505.2 GTexel/s. TDP is 120 W versus 250 W. Power connectors are 1x 6-pin versus 2x 8-pin. Suggested PSU is 300 W versus 600 W. Bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs are 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a for the GTX 1060 5 GB, versus 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C for the RX 6800. DirectX support is 12 (12_1) versus 12 Ultimate (12_2). Release dates are 2017-12-25 versus 2020-10-27. The RX 6800 has a launch MSRP of 579 USD, while the GTX 1060 5 GB has no recorded launch MSRP. The GTX 1060 5 GB is 250 mm long, while the RX 6800 is 267 mm long, 120 mm high, and 40 mm wide. Both are dual-slot cards, and both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 1060 5 GB’s predecessor is GeForce 900 and successor is GeForce 20, while the RX 6800’s predecessor is Navi and successor is Navi III. Both are end-of-life products.