Both GeForce GTX 1060 6GB and Radeon RX 480 4GB belong to the modern series of graphics cards. Where the GTX 1060 is the 3rd Pascal-based GPU of NVIDIA, the RX 480 is the 1st GPU that has Polaris architecture, featured by AMD. Both manufacturers are very renowned for producing powerful graphics cards besides computer processors.
As you can see, we’re talking about two graphics cards where one of them has 6GB VRAM (Video Random Access Memory) and the other one has 4GB. So, simply the GTX 1060 is already one step ahead of the RX 480 in terms of VRAM. But there are some other factors too that you should consider.
Therefore, read this post till the end as it contains the overall relevant information about these two graphics cards, that’ll help you to decide which one you should prefer. So, let’s get into them!
What Are the Differences Between GTX 1060 6GB and RX 480 4GB GPUs?
To determine the best one between two products, it’s a must to comprehend the differences between them. To make things convenient, we’re providing a quick comparison between the GTX 1060 6GB and RX 480 4GB to identify the differences. So, have a look at them –
Comparison Table
| Category | GTX 1060 6GB | RX 480 4GB |
| Process Size | 16 nm | 14 nm |
| Base Clock Speed | 1506 MHz | 1120 MHz |
| Boost Clock Speed | 1709 MHz | 1266 MHz |
| Memory Clock Speed | 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective) | 2000 MHz (7 Gbps effective) |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Peak Performance | 3.85 TFLOPs | 5.16 TFLOPs |
| VRAM | 6GB | 4GB |
| Memory Interface | 192-bit | 256-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 192.2 GB/s | 256 GB/s |
| TDP | 120 W | 150 W |
| ROPs | 48 | 32 |
| TMUs | 80 | 144 |
| Shading Units | 1280 | 2304 |
| Pixel Rate | 72.3 GPixel/s | 35.8 GPixel/s |
| Texture Rate | 120.5 GTexels/s | 161.3 GTexels/s |
| DVI Output | 1 | 0 |
| Power Connectors | 1 x 6-pin | 1 x 6-pin |
Quick Comparison
From this table, you can notice that the GTX 1060 has –
- 386 MHz extra base clock
- 443 MHz extra boost clock
- 1Gbps effective extra memory speed
- 2GB extra VRAM
- 16 extra render output
- 36.5 GPixel/s extra pixel rate
- 1 DVI output
On the other hand, the RX 480 has –
- 1.31 TFLOPs more peak performance
- 64-bit wider memory interface
- 63.8 GB/s extra bandwidth
- 30 W extra thermal design power
- 64 extra texture mapping units
- 1024 extra shading units
- 40.8 GTexels/s extra texture rate
Differences Considering Major Factors
Even though they have the same amount of achievements; you need to focus on crucial factors such as memory capacity, memory speed, TDP, and power connection. But if you’re a gamer, you also need to consider the render configuration (shading, TMU, ROP) and theoretical performance (pixel and texture rate).
The power connectors are the same in both products. But GTX 1060 has more memory capacity and speed than RX 480. The RX surpasses GTX only in terms of TDP.
1. Memory Capacity and Speed
All the graphics data are usually stored in VRAM. With increasing VRAM, memory speed also increases. So, if you’ve higher VRAM, you can store more graphics data and process them quicker simultaneously. That means GTX 1060 6GB can offer more storage and processing speed compared to RX 480 4GB.
2. TDP (Thermal Design Power)
Now, a higher TDP ensures better processor performance and increased computing power. So, producing more TDP, the RX 480 4GB proves itself better in this way. But still, it’s not sufficient to beat the processing power of GTX 1060.
3. Render Configuration
The render configuration of RX is better than GTX as RX has more shading and texture mapping units. GTX only has better render output. That means RX can support better image aspect and 3D model texture processing, whereas GTX can support better graphics rendering.
4. Theoretical Performance
According to their theoretical performance, both GPUs show a better rate in two different fields. The GTX 1060 is capable of writing 36.5 more pixels to the VRAM (providing more pixel rate) and RX is capable of rendering 40.8 more textured pixels (offering more texture rate).
Benchmarks Between GTX 1060 6GB and RX 480 4GB GPUs
Graphics cards are designed to ensure better graphical performance on your system. A better graphics card always offers to play games at higher frame rates. Now that you’ve got an idea about the differences, it’s time to check the essential benchmarks of both products.
Game Effective FPS (1080p)
| Game | GTX 1060 6GB | RX 480 4GB |
| PUBG | 79 EFPS | 69 EFPS |
| Fortnite | 84 EFPS | 81 EFPS |
| CS:GO | 221 EFPS | 232 EFPS |
| GTAV | 69 EFPS | 57 EFPS |
Here, you can see GTX 1060 comes up with a more effective FPS in most games.
Average Score
| Factor | GTX 1060 6GB | RX 480 4GB |
| MRender | 65.8 FPS | 61.5 FPS |
| Lighting | 69.6 FPS | 56.3 FPS |
| Gravity | 70 FPS | 65.2 FPS |
| Reflection | 76.8 FPS | 59.8 FPS |
Again, the GTX 1060 comes up with higher FPS in these settings while being in the average state.
Overclocked Score
| Factor | GTX 1060 6GB | RX 480 4GB |
| MRender | 70.1 FPS | 64.7 FPS |
| Lighting | 75.4 FPS | 66.9 FPS |
| Gravity | 74.9 FPS | 75.5 FPS |
| Reflection | 109 FPS | 62.6 FPS |
Once more, the GTX 1060 shows higher FPS while being in the overclocked state.
From these benchmarks, you can notice that in most sectors the GTX has shown a better frame rate than the RX.
At this point, it’s quite clear that in maximum cases GTX shows better results compared to RX. Therefore, there’s no doubt that NVIDIA GTX 1060 6GB is the winner being superior to the Radeon RX 480 4GB.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is RX 480 4GB good for gaming?
Yes, it is. RX 480 4GB can offer gamers to play modern games at high settings. Additionally, people who prefer powerful graphics cards with affordable prices will surely be fond of this card.
What AMD is equivalent to GTX 1060 6GB?
It has been found that the Radeon RX 580 and 590 are equivalent to GTX 1060 6GB. From a competitive perspective, the RX 580 win in a few cases but loses the others. But RX 590 beats in all. So, the RX 590 can be said the true competitor of the GTX 1060.
Which GPU is better than GTX 1060 6GB?
The GeForce GTX 1660, the true successor of GTX 1060 6GB, is better than it. Even according to NVIDIA’s statement, the GTX 1660’s performance is almost 15% better than the 1060 6GB. So undeniably, GTX 1660 is better.
Conclusion
To conclude, between the RX 480 4GB and the GTX 1060 6GB, the GTX one is definitely better. It’s true that it comes with a higher price. But if you can afford it, you can surely get the best performance that you expect from a powerful GPU.
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