NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB is a member of the GeForce 10-series, built on the Pascal architecture and the GP106 chip. Fabricated on TSMC's 16 nm process, the die integrates 4,400 million transistors within a 200 mm² area, resulting in a transistor density of 22.0M / mm². This card was released on 2017-12-25 and is now marked as end-of-life. In the benchmark database, it holds a percentile rank of 50 among all tracked GPUs, placing it exactly at the median. The average benchmark score is recorded as 0, indicating that no performance samples have been ingested for this specific SKU. The card's specifications include a base clock of 1506 MHz and a boost clock of 1709 MHz.

Memory Subsystem

The GTX 1060 5 GB is equipped with 5 GB of GDDR5 memory, a capacity that stands out in the 10-series lineup. The memory bus is 160 bits wide, which is a narrower configuration than many high-end cards of the era. The memory clock runs at 2002 MHz, translating to an effective data rate of 8 Gbps. Multiplying the 160-bit bus width by the 8 Gbps effective speed yields a peak bandwidth of 160.2 GB/s. This bandwidth is a critical factor for high-resolution rendering, as it determines how quickly texture and geometry data can be fed to the GPU. The 5 GB frame buffer is the primary constraint for high-resolution workloads; scenes that exceed this capacity will force the driver to use slower system memory. The 160.2 GB/s bandwidth, while not exceptional, is sufficient to support the card's 136.7 GTexel/s texture fill rate. The pixel rate of 68.36 GPixel/s, derived from the 40 ROPs and the boost clock of 1709 MHz, sets the ceiling for pixel filling. For users running high resolutions, the 5 GB capacity is a more immediate limitation than the bandwidth, as modern games can easily consume more than 5 GB of VRAM at high settings. The 1280 shading units rely on this memory subsystem to fetch operands and store results. The 80 TMUs, which handle texture filtering, are directly served by the 160.2 GB/s bandwidth. A wider bus, such as 256-bit, would have provided higher bandwidth, but the 160-bit path is a deliberate design choice for this SKU. The memory type is GDDR5, which is the standard for the Pascal generation.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The fact pack explicitly lists no RT cores and no tensor cores for this GPU. This means the GTX 1060 5 GB does not support hardware-accelerated ray tracing or tensor-based features. The architecture relies on the standard Pascal compute units for all shading and compute tasks. The API support includes DirectX 12 with feature level 12_1, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. DirectX 12 (12_1) enables advanced rendering features like conservative rasterization, but ray tracing is not part of this feature level. The FP32 throughput is 4.375 TFLOPS, which is the primary compute metric for gaming. The FP16 rate is 68.36 GFLOPS, a 1:64 ratio relative to FP32, indicating that half-precision compute is heavily de-emphasized. This is typical for Pascal-generation cards. The display outputs consist of 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, providing multi-monitor support. The pixel rate of 68.36 GPixel/s and texture rate of 136.7 GTexel/s are also part of the feature set, defining the fill-rate capabilities.

Power and Cooling

The GTX 1060 5 GB has a TDP of 120 W, a figure that places it in the mid-range power envelope. The suggested PSU rating is 300 W, which is a modest requirement, meaning most standard power supplies can handle it. The card requires a single 1x 6-pin power connector, a legacy interface that is still widely available. The slot width is dual-slot, which is standard for a card of this size. The physical length is 250 mm, or 9.8 inches, so case compatibility depends on available clearance. The cooling solution is not detailed in the fact pack, but the dual-slot design typically accommodates a capable air cooler. The 120 W TDP is low enough that a single-fan cooler is often sufficient, though the exact cooler design is unspecified. The 300 W PSU suggestion provides a comfortable headroom above the 120 W TDP, accounting for the rest of the system's power draw.

How It Compares

The nearestRivals field in the database is empty, so there are no direct competitor scores to analyze. This absence of rival data means we cannot provide a per-rival comparison. However, the percentileVsAllGpus value of 50 is the only positional reference available. This percentile places the GTX 1060 5 GB exactly at the median of all GPUs tracked in the database. In other words, 50% of the database's GPU entries perform better, and 50% perform worse. Without specific rival names, we cannot state that it is faster or slower than any particular card. The empty nearestRivals list may be due to the card's niche status as a 5 GB variant, which was released on 2017-12-25. The database does not list any competitor names, so any comparison must be inferred from the overall percentile. The card's end-of-life status further limits its presence in current benchmark collections.

Benchmark Performance

The average benchmark score for this GPU is recorded as 0. This zero value is a placeholder, not a performance measurement, as the database has not ingested any real-world scores for this SKU. The only performance-related metric is the percentileVsAllGpus of 50, which is a rank rather than a score. Without individual benchmark scores, we cannot compute percentage deltas against rivals. The theoretical performance can be estimated from the clock speeds and core counts. The base clock is 1506 MHz, and the boost clock is 1709 MHz. The FP32 throughput of 4.375 TFLOPS is calculated from the 1280 shading units and the boost clock. The texture rate of 136.7 GTexel/s is derived from the 80 TMUs and the boost clock. The pixel rate of 68.36 GPixel/s is derived from the 40 ROPs and the boost clock. These theoretical figures provide a ceiling for performance, but real-world scores are absent. The 0 average score means that any future benchmark data will be compared against this empty baseline.

Who Should Consider It

Given the median percentile of 50, the GTX 1060 5 GB is positioned for users who need a balanced GPU for mainstream gaming. The 5 GB frame buffer is a distinguishing feature, making it a candidate for high-resolution gaming where memory capacity is a priority. However, the 160.2 GB/s bandwidth and the 160-bit bus are modest, so users should temper expectations for extreme resolutions. The card's end-of-life status means it is only available through the used market, and it is best suited for legacy system upgrades. The 120 W TDP and 300 W suggested PSU make it a low-strain addition to existing builds. The 1x 6-pin connector is widely supported. The dual-slot design and 250 mm length require a standard mid-tower case. The API support for DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 ensures compatibility with modern titles. Since no benchmark scores are available, potential users must rely on the percentile rank and theoretical specs. The 5 GB capacity is a specific configuration that may appeal to users who require more memory than a 4 GB card, though the fact pack does not list such comparisons.

FAQ

Q: What is the memory size and type of the GTX 1060 5 GB?

A: The card features 5 GB of GDDR5 memory.

Q: What is the memory bus width and bandwidth?

A: The bus width is 160 bits, and the peak bandwidth is 160.2 GB/s.

Q: What is the TDP and suggested PSU?

A: The TDP is 120 W, and the suggested PSU is 300 W.

Q: Does this GPU support DirectX 12?

A: Yes, it supports DirectX 12 with feature level 12_1.

Q: Are there dedicated ray tracing cores?

A: No, the fact pack lists no RT cores or tensor cores.

Q: What is the release date of this card?

A: The release date is 2017-12-25.