Radeon RX 590 vs GeForce GTX 1060 6GB

Speed and memory

In our performance index the Radeon RX 590 scores 10 and the GeForce GTX 1060 6GB scores 9.5, which makes the Radeon RX 590 about 5% faster. That is a small gap, below what most people notice without a frame counter.

The Radeon RX 590 has 8 GB of video memory and the GeForce GTX 1060 6GB has 6 GB. That is a small difference and unlikely to decide anything.

In our estimates for popular games at 1080p on High, the biggest gap is in Cyberpunk 2077 (30 against 28 fps), and the smallest is in Call of Duty (27 against 26 fps). Games that are light enough to run above 200 fps on both cards show little difference at all.

Power and value

The Radeon RX 590 is rated at 175 W and the GeForce GTX 1060 6GB at 120 W. With a mid-range processor that means a power supply of about 550 W for the first and 450 W for the second. The power draw is close enough that cooling and noise will be similar.

At launch the Radeon RX 590 cost $279 and the GeForce GTX 1060 6GB $249. Per dollar, the GeForce GTX 1060 6GB gave more performance (3.8 points per $100 against 3.6). Current prices differ, so run the same sum on what you can actually buy today.

Which one to buy

Choose the Radeon RX 590 if you want the faster card, and it also has at least as much memory. It makes the most sense at 1440p and above, or on a monitor with a high refresh rate.

Choose the GeForce GTX 1060 6GB if the price gap matters more than the 5% speed difference, or if you want lower power draw and a quieter PC. Whichever you pick, check reviews for the games you play, because two cards with similar scores can differ in individual titles.