GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB vs GeForce GTX 280

In this comparison between GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB and GeForce GTX 280 you will find out which graphics card performs better in today's games. Bear in mind that third-party versions may have more efficient cooling and higher clock speeds. This will increase cards' performance, though not by much. In addition to raw power you should also take into account the dimensions. Thicker models simply will not fit into a small mini-ITX case. The resolution of your monitor also affects the choice, since 4K gameplay requires a more powerful GPU. And don't overspend on the graphics card. Other parts of your build may also need to be upgraded, save some money for the CPU or power supply. For some people GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB will be the best choice, for others GeForce GTX 280 will be their preference. Study the comparison tables below and make your choice.
GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB
GeForce GTX 280

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB GeForce GTX 280
Power consumption (TDP) 120 Watt 236 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x16 PCIe 2.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 1x 6-pin 6-pin & 8-pin
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR3
Maximum RAM amount 5 GB 1 GB
Display Connectors 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort 2x DVI, 1x S-Video
 
  • GeForce GTX 280 has 96% more power consumption, than GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB.
  • GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB is connected by PCIe 3.0 x16, and GeForce GTX 280 uses PCIe 2.0 x16 interface.
  • GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB has 4 GB more memory, than GeForce GTX 280.
  • Both cards are used in Desktops.
  • GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB is build with Pascal architecture, and GeForce GTX 280 - with Tesla 2.0.
  • Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB is 210 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 280.
  • GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB is manufactured by 16 nm process technology, and GeForce GTX 280 - by 65 nm process technology.
  • GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB is 240 mm longer, than GeForce GTX 280.
  • Memory clock speed of GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB is 6901 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 280.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 21−24 1−2
ultra / 1080p 12−14 0−1
QHD / 1440p 7−8 0−1
4K / 2160p 5−6
low / 720p 40−45 12−14
medium / 1080p 27−30 3−4
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 416% more, than GeForce GTX 280.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB GeForce GTX 280
Architecture Pascal Tesla 2.0
Code name GP106 GT200
Type Desktop Desktop
Release date 26 December 2017 16 June 2008
Pipelines 1280 240
Core clock speed 1506 MHz 1296 MHz
Boost Clock 1709 MHz
Transistor count 4,400 million 1,400 million
Manufacturing process technology 16 nm 65 nm
Texture fill rate 136.7 48.2 billion/sec
Floating-point performance 4,375 gflops 622.1 gflops
Length 250 mm 10.5" (267 mm) (26.7 cm)
Memory bus width 160 Bit 512 Bit
Memory clock speed 8008 MHz 1107 MHz
Memory bandwidth 160.2 GB/s 141.7 GB/s
DirectX 12 (12_1) 11.1 (10_0)
Shader Model 6.4 4.0
OpenGL 4.6 2.1
OpenCL 1.2 1.1
Vulkan 1.2.131 N/A
CUDA 6.1 +
CUDA cores 240
Height 4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm)
SLI options +
Multi monitor support +
Maximum VGA resolution 2048x1536
Audio input for HDMI S/PDIF