BenchPair

GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB GDDR5X bottleneck & FPS

Ranked 102 of 126 desktop graphics cards in our database (19th percentile). Paired with a Core i3-8100F it lands near 23 fps at 1080p and 5 fps at 4K in a typical AAA title at high settings.

SpecificationsPascal · 2018
ArchitecturePascal
Shading units1,280
Boost clock1,709 MHz
Memory6 GB
Memory bandwidth192.2 GB/s
Board power120 W
Released2018
Frame rate by resolutionwith Core i3-8100F, high
ResolutionEst. FPSGPU loadLimited by
1920 x 1080 23 99% Graphics card
2560 x 1440 13 99% Graphics card
3440 x 1440 9 99% Graphics card
3840 x 2160 5 99% Graphics card
Best CPU for the GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB GDDR5X1080p, high

Ranked by how little performance the pairing wastes, not by which processor is fastest. The fastest chip pairs well with everything, which makes it a useless recommendation.

ProcessorEst. FPSUnused
Core i3-8100F 23 56.9%
Core i3-8100 23 56.9%
Core i3-8300 23 58.1%
Core i3-8350K 23 61.3%
Core i3-9100 23 63.1%
Core i3-9100F 23 63.1%
Estimated FPS by game1440p, high, Core i3-8100F
GameEst. FPSVRAM
Cyberpunk 2077 6 9.8 GB needed
Fortnite 21 OK
Counter-Strike 2 54 OK
Baldur's Gate 3 13 6.9 GB needed
Red Dead Redemption 2 8 8.1 GB needed
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 8 9.2 GB needed
Against its closest neighbours1080p, high
PartEst. FPSDifference
Radeon RX 580 4GB 17 fps -26%
Radeon RX 580 8GB 24 fps +4%
GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB GDDR5X 23 fps this part
GeForce GTX 1060 Rev. 2 23 fps 0%
GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB 23 fps 0%

Every row measured against the same processor, so the difference shown comes from the parts themselves rather than from unrelated systems.

What CPU should I pair with a GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB GDDR5X?

At 1080p the best match from our database is the Core i3-8100F, which leaves only 56.9% of the combined potential unused and lands around 23 fps in a typical AAA title. The table above lists five more, ranked by how little each pairing wastes rather than by raw speed.

Bear in mind that the right processor depends on the resolution you play at. At 1440p and 4K the card does proportionally more of the work, so a cheaper chip than the one listed will keep up — the pairing only gets tighter as resolution falls. At 4K this card is 99% utilised, so almost any modern processor is sufficient.

What to expect from a GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB GDDR5X

This card sits in the lower part of the range we model. It will run modern titles at 1080p with settings turned down, and it will be the limiting component in almost any pairing — which means there is no sense pairing it with an expensive processor.

If frame rates are disappointing, the card is where an upgrade will help. Nothing else in the system is holding it back.

6 GB is this card's real limit

8 of the 16 titles we model exceed 6 GB at 1440p and high settings. On this card memory, not shader throughput, is the thing that will make modern games stutter. Texture quality is the setting to lower first, and it usually costs less visual fidelity than the alternatives.

A note on age

Released in 2018, this card is 8 years old. Beyond raw speed, older hardware misses features newer engines increasingly assume — mesh shaders, hardware ray tracing, and the newest upscalers. A modern title may run worse than these numbers suggest, or refuse to launch, for reasons the model cannot see.

Is 6 GB of VRAM enough for the GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB GDDR5X?

Not everywhere. At 1440p on the high preset, 6 GB falls short in 8 of the 16 titles we model. Running out of video memory causes frame time spikes rather than a smooth drop in the average, so it feels worse than the numbers suggest.

What bottlenecks a GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB GDDR5X?

At 1080p this card is normally the limiting component itself. At 4K it is 99% utilised, meaning nearly all the work sits on the card and the processor barely matters.

Where it sits

Ranked 102 of 126 desktop cards we model. Nearest faster: Radeon RX 580 4GB , Radeon RX 580 8GB . Just below: GeForce GTX 1060 Rev. 2 , GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB . Full method on the methodology page.