NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB vs NVIDIA T600 Mobile Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB holds a higher average benchmark score of 33,694, while the NVIDIA T600 Mobile trails slightly at 32,849. The GTX 1060 5 GB also ranks one percentile higher (78th vs 77th) among all GPUs.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in OpenCL performance?

A: The T600 Mobile wins the OpenCL test with a score of 35,486 against the GTX 1060 5 GB's 33,397, a margin of 5.9%. This is a significant lead for the mobile workstation GPU.

Q: Which GPU wins in Vulkan performance?

A: The GTX 1060 5 GB takes the Vulkan test decisively, scoring 33,991 versus the T600 Mobile's 30,211. That is a 12.5% advantage, making it the larger win of the two head-to-head benchmarks.

Q: What are the memory configurations of each card?

A: The GTX 1060 5 GB uses 5 GB of GDDR5 on a 160-bit bus, delivering 160.2 GB/s bandwidth. The T600 Mobile uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, which provides higher bandwidth at 192.0 GB/s despite the smaller capacity.

Q: How do their power requirements differ?

A: The GTX 1060 5 GB has a TDP of 120 W and requires a 6-pin power connector, while the T600 Mobile is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with a 40 W TDP and no power connectors. The desktop card also suggests a 300 W PSU, while the mobile chip lists no such requirement.

Q: Which architecture and process node does each use?

A: The GTX 1060 5 GB is built on Pascal architecture using a 16 nm process at TSMC, while the T600 Mobile uses Turing architecture on a 12 nm process, also at TSMC. The T600 Mobile also has a slightly higher transistor density at 23.5M / mm² versus 22.0M / mm².

Where Each One Wins

The data splits the two GPUs cleanly between API workloads. The NVIDIA T600 Mobile dominates in OpenCL, scoring 35,486 versus 33,397 for the GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB—a 5.9% lead. This suggests the Turing-based mobile chip has an edge in compute-heavy OpenCL tasks, likely due to its newer architecture and faster GDDR6 memory bandwidth (192.0 GB/s vs 160.2 GB/s). For applications that leverage OpenCL—such as certain professional rendering, video encoding, or scientific workloads—the T600 Mobile is the stronger option.

Conversely, the GTX 1060 5 GB wins outright in Vulkan, posting 33,991 against the T600 Mobile's 30,211, a 12.5% margin. This is the single largest performance delta between the two cards. Vulkan is a low-overhead graphics API used heavily in gaming and real-time 3D applications, so the Pascal card's substantial lead here makes it the pick for Vulkan-based gaming or interactive workloads. The GTX 1060 5 GB also holds a slight edge in average benchmark score (33,694 vs 32,849) and percentile ranking (78th vs 77th), indicating it is marginally better overall in synthetic aggregate performance.

The T600 Mobile, however, offers a unique advantage in form factor and power. As an IGP with a 40 W TDP and no power connectors, it is designed for portable devices where space and battery life are critical. The GTX 1060 5 GB, by contrast, is a dual-slot desktop card at 120 W with a 6-pin connector, requiring a 300 W PSU. So while the desktop card wins on raw Vulkan performance and aggregate score, the mobile chip wins on efficiency and integration.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different NVIDIA generations and architectures. The GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB is based on the GP106 chip using Pascal architecture, manufactured on a 16 nm process at TSMC. It packs 4,400 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 22.0M / mm². Pascal is a mature architecture known for strong rasterization performance and efficiency in gaming workloads.

The T600 Mobile uses the TU117 chip with Turing architecture, built on a 12 nm process, also at TSMC. It contains 4,700 million transistors on the same 200 mm² die area, giving a slightly higher density of 23.5M / mm². Turing introduces features like concurrent floating-point and integer execution, which can benefit certain compute tasks, though this specific chip lacks dedicated RT or tensor cores (both are listed as null). The T600 Mobile's Turing architecture also supports FP16 at a 2:1 ratio (5.053 TFLOPS), whereas the Pascal card's FP16 is severely reduced at 1:64 (68.36 GFLOPS). This makes the T600 Mobile far more capable for half-precision compute workloads.

Memory technology also differs fundamentally. The GTX 1060 5 GB uses GDDR5 with a 160-bit bus, while the T600 Mobile uses GDDR6 with a 128-bit bus. Despite the narrower bus, the GDDR6's higher effective speed (12 Gbps vs 8 Gbps) gives the T600 Mobile more bandwidth (192.0 GB/s vs 160.2 GB/s). This bandwidth advantage likely contributes to the T600 Mobile's OpenCL win.

Clock speeds tell another story. The GTX 1060 5 GB runs at a base of 1506 MHz and boosts to 1709 MHz, while the T600 Mobile starts at just 780 MHz and boosts to 1410 MHz. The Pascal card's higher clocks help it achieve superior pixel and texture rates: 68.36 GPixel/s and 136.7 GTexel/s versus 45.12 GPixel/s and 78.96 GTexel/s for the T600 Mobile. These differences explain the Vulkan performance gap.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs diverge on nearly every core specification. The GTX 1060 5 GB has 1,280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 40 ROPs, while the T600 Mobile has 896 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. This gives the Pascal card a 43% advantage in shading units, a 43% advantage in TMUs, and a 25% advantage in ROPs.

Memory capacity differs: 5 GB on the GTX 1060 5 GB versus 4 GB on the T600 Mobile. Bus width also differs: 160-bit versus 128-bit. Bandwidth, however, favors the T600 Mobile at 192.0 GB/s compared to the GTX 1060 5 GB's 160.2 GB/s, due to the faster GDDR6 memory.

FP32 compute performance is heavily in favor of the GTX 1060 5 GB: 4.375 TFLOPS versus 2.527 TFLOPS for the T600 Mobile, a 73% advantage. FP16 performance flips entirely, with the T600 Mobile at 5.053 TFLOPS versus the GTX 1060 5 GB's 68.36 GFLOPS.

Power and physical specifications are starkly different. The GTX 1060 5 GB is a dual-slot card at 120 W TDP, requiring a 6-pin power connector and a 300 W PSU. It measures 250 mm (9.8 inches) in length. The T600 Mobile is an IGP at 40 W TDP with no power connectors and no listed dimensions. Display outputs also differ: the desktop card offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the mobile chip's outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent."

Both support the same API levels—DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4—so software compatibility is equal. Both are end-of-life products, with the GTX 1060 5 GB released in December 2017 and the T600 Mobile in April 2021.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench results provide two clear, contrasting data points. In OpenCL, the NVIDIA T600 Mobile wins with 35,486 points against the GTX 1060 5 GB's 33,397, a delta of 5.9%. This is notable because the T600 Mobile has far fewer shading units (896 vs 1,280) and lower FP32 throughput (2.527 TFLOPS vs 4.375 TFLOPS). The win likely stems from the Turing architecture's more efficient compute scheduling and the GDDR6 memory's higher bandwidth, which helps feed OpenCL kernels.

In Vulkan, the tables turn completely. The GTX 1060 5 GB scores 33,991, beating the T600 Mobile's 30,211 by 12.5%. This is the largest margin in either direction. The Pascal card's higher clock speeds (1709 MHz boost vs 1410 MHz) and superior pixel/texture rates (68.36 GPixel/s and 136.7 GTexel/s vs 45.12 and 78.96) directly translate to faster rasterization and draw call handling in Vulkan workloads. The GTX 1060 5 GB also has 40 ROPs versus 32, giving it an advantage in fill-rate-bound scenarios.

The average benchmark scores confirm a mixed picture. The GTX 1060 5 GB's average is 33,694, while the T600 Mobile's is 32,849—a difference of about 2.5%, which is smaller than either individual head-to-head delta. This suggests that the two GPUs are closely matched overall, with each winning in different API environments. The nearest rival data reinforces this: the GTX 1060 5 GB is within 0.9% of the AMD Radeon RX 480 and 0.8% of the AMD Radeon HD 7950, while the T600 Mobile is within 0.9% of the NVIDIA T550 Mobile and 0.4% of the NVIDIA P104-100.

The wins are split exactly 1-1, indicating a balanced rivalry. Neither GPU is categorically superior; instead, the choice depends on whether the target workload favors OpenCL (T600 Mobile) or Vulkan (GTX 1060 5 GB).

The Verdict

The data points to a clear use-case split. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB is the stronger choice for Vulkan-based applications and any workload that relies on raw rasterization throughput. Its 12.5% Vulkan lead, higher FP32 compute (4.375 TFLOPS), and superior pixel/texture rates make it the better performer for gaming or real-time 3D rendering. It also has more memory (5 GB vs 4 GB) and a higher average benchmark score (33,694 vs 32,849), plus a higher percentile rank (78th vs 77th).

The NVIDIA T600 Mobile, however, wins in OpenCL by 5.9%, and it does so while consuming only one-third the power (40 W vs 120 W) and fitting into an IGP form factor with no power connectors. For professionals using OpenCL-based tools in laptops or compact devices, the T600 Mobile's efficiency and compute performance are compelling. Its GDDR6 memory provides higher bandwidth (192.0 GB/s), and its Turing architecture delivers FP16 performance that is 74x higher than the Pascal card—a massive difference for half-precision workloads.

The verdict is straightforward: choose the GTX 1060 5 GB for Vulkan-centric desktop builds where performance per watt is less critical, and choose the T600 Mobile for OpenCL-heavy mobile workstations where power efficiency and portability are paramount. The data does not support a single overall winner—it supports two specialists in different domains. For mixed workloads, the GTX 1060 5 GB's higher average score and better Vulkan showing give it a slight edge, but the T600 Mobile's efficiency and OpenCL strength make it the smarter pick for mobile professionals.