GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB vs GeForce GTX 980M
If you are going to buy a new graphics card and are choosing between GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB and GeForce GTX 980M, there are a couple of things to consider. Cards with more VRAM in general perform better and allow you to play on higher graphics settings. Size also makes a difference. A model with a large heatsink can occupy up to three expansion slots on a motherboard. Be sure you have enough room in your PC case. When comparing GPUs with different architectures, more processing cores and even higher TFLOPS will not always translate to better performance. To help you decide which GPU you need, we have measured frame rates in a number of popular games. For more on how the GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB stacks up against GeForce GTX 980M, check out specs charts below.
GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB
GeForce GTX 980M is a Laptop Graphics Card
Note: GeForce GTX 980M is only used in laptop graphics. It has lower GPU clock speed compared to the desktop variant, which results in lower power consumption, but also 10-30% lower gaming performance. Check available laptop models with GeForce GTX 980M here:
Main Specs
| GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB | GeForce GTX 980M | |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 120 Watt | |
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | MXM-B (3.0) |
| Supplementary power connectors | 1x 6-pin | None |
| Memory type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 3 GB | 8 GB |
| Display Connectors | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort | No outputs |
| Check Price |
- GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is connected by PCIe 3.0 x16, and GeForce GTX 980M uses MXM-B (3.0) interface.
- GeForce GTX 980M has 5 GB more memory, than GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB.
- GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is used in Desktops, and GeForce GTX 980M - in Laptops.
- GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is build with Pascal architecture, and GeForce GTX 980M - with Maxwell.
- Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is 468 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 980M.
- GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is manufactured by 16 nm process technology, and GeForce GTX 980M - by 28 nm process technology.
- Memory clock speed of GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is 5508 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 980M.
Game benchmarks
| high / 1080p | 50−55 | 35−40 |
| ultra / 1080p | 30−35 | 24−27 |
| QHD / 1440p | 24−27 | 18−20 |
| 4K / 2160p | 14−16 | 10−11 |
| low / 720p | 75−80 | 60−65 |
| medium / 1080p | 60−65 | 45−50 |
| The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 33% more, than GeForce GTX 980M. | ||
| high / 1080p | 75−80 | 55−60 |
| ultra / 1080p | 70−75 | 50−55 |
| QHD / 1440p | 50−55 | 35−40 |
| 4K / 2160p | 27−30 | 18−20 |
| low / 720p | 130−140 | 110−120 |
| medium / 1080p | 85−90 | 65−70 |
| The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB in Battlefield 5 is 29% more, than GeForce GTX 980M. | ||
| low / 768p | 45−50 | 50−55 |
| QHD / 1440p | 45−50 | 0−1 |
| The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980M in Call of Duty: Warzone is 10% more, than GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB. | ||
| low / 768p | 250−260 | 250−260 |
| medium / 768p | 230−240 | 220−230 |
| ultra / 1080p | − | 180−190 |
| QHD / 1440p | 150−160 | 110−120 |
| 4K / 2160p | 100−110 | 70−75 |
| high / 768p | 220−230 | 210−220 |
| The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is 10% more, than GeForce GTX 980M. | ||
| low / 768p | 70−75 | 60−65 |
| medium / 1080p | 50−55 | 55−60 |
| The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB in Cyberpunk 2077 is 3% more, than GeForce GTX 980M. | ||
| low / 768p | 120−130 | 120−130 |
| medium / 768p | 110−120 | 110−120 |
| ultra / 1080p | 110−120 | 100−110 |
| The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB in Dota 2 is 2% more, than GeForce GTX 980M. | ||
| high / 1080p | 60−65 | 45−50 |
| ultra / 1080p | 60−65 | 45−50 |
| QHD / 1440p | 40−45 | 30−35 |
| 4K / 2160p | 21−24 | 16−18 |
| low / 720p | 100−110 | 85−90 |
| medium / 1080p | 65−70 | 50−55 |
| The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB in Far Cry 5 is 27% more, than GeForce GTX 980M. | ||
| high / 1080p | 90−95 | 65−70 |
| ultra / 1080p | 70−75 | 50−55 |
| QHD / 1440p | 45−50 | 30−33 |
| 4K / 2160p | 21−24 | 27−30 |
| low / 720p | 220−230 | 180−190 |
| medium / 1080p | 140−150 | 120−130 |
| The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB in Fortnite is 23% more, than GeForce GTX 980M. | ||
| high / 1080p | 85−90 | 60−65 |
| ultra / 1080p | 65−70 | 45−50 |
| QHD / 1440p | 45−50 | 35−40 |
| 4K / 2160p | 30−35 | 24−27 |
| low / 720p | 130−140 | 110−120 |
| medium / 1080p | 90−95 | 70−75 |
| The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB in Forza Horizon 4 is 28% more, than GeForce GTX 980M. | ||
| low / 768p | 160−170 | 140−150 |
| medium / 768p | 150−160 | 130−140 |
| high / 1080p | 95−100 | 75−80 |
| ultra / 1080p | 45−50 | 30−35 |
| QHD / 1440p | 40−45 | 24−27 |
| The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB in Grand Theft Auto V is 21% more, than GeForce GTX 980M. | ||
| high / 1080p | 35−40 | 27−30 |
| ultra / 1080p | 30−35 | 21−24 |
| QHD / 1440p | 24−27 | 18−20 |
| 4K / 2160p | 14−16 | 9−10 |
| low / 720p | 90−95 | 70−75 |
| medium / 1080p | 50−55 | 35−40 |
| The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB in Metro Exodus is 35% more, than GeForce GTX 980M. | ||
| low / 768p | 120−130 | 130−140 |
| medium / 1080p | − | 120−130 |
| The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 980M in Minecraft is 8% more, than GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB. | ||
| high / 1080p | 75−80 | − |
| ultra / 1080p | 55−60 | 14−16 |
| 4K / 2160p | 18−20 | − |
| low / 720p | 120−130 | 100−110 |
| medium / 1080p | 85−90 | 18−20 |
| The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB in PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS is 95% more, than GeForce GTX 980M. | ||
| high / 1080p | 35−40 | 27−30 |
| ultra / 1080p | 21−24 | 16−18 |
| QHD / 1440p | 16−18 | 12−14 |
| 4K / 2160p | 10−11 | 8−9 |
| low / 720p | 90−95 | 70−75 |
| medium / 1080p | 55−60 | 35−40 |
| The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB in Red Dead Redemption 2 is 34% more, than GeForce GTX 980M. | ||
| low / 768p | 180−190 | 140−150 |
| medium / 768p | 120−130 | 90−95 |
| high / 1080p | 70−75 | 50−55 |
| ultra / 1080p | 40−45 | 27−30 |
| 4K / 2160p | 24−27 | 16−18 |
| The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is 34% more, than GeForce GTX 980M. | ||
| low / 768p | 120−130 | 90−95 |
| medium / 768p | − | 60−65 |
| ultra / 1080p | 65−70 | 55−60 |
| The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB in World of Tanks is 28% more, than GeForce GTX 980M. | ||
Full Specs
| GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB | GeForce GTX 980M | |
| Architecture | Pascal | Maxwell |
| Code name | GP106 | GM204 |
| Type | Desktop | Laptop |
| Release date | 18 August 2016 | 7 October 2014 |
| Pipelines | 1152 | 1536 |
| Core clock speed | 1506 MHz | 1038 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1708 MHz | 1127 MHz |
| Transistor count | 4,400 million | 5,200 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 16 nm | 28 nm |
| Texture fill rate | 123.0 | 51.84 |
| Floating-point performance | 3,935 gflops | 3,462 gflops |
| Length | 250 mm | |
| Memory bus width | 192 Bit | 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 8008 MHz | 2500 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 192.2 GB/s | 160 GB/s |
| Shared memory | - | |
| G-SYNC support | + | |
| DirectX | 12 (12_1) | 12 (12_1) |
| Shader Model | 6.4 | 6.4 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.5 |
| OpenCL | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Vulkan | + | 1.1.126 |
| CUDA | 6.1 | + |
| CUDA cores | 1536 | |
| Bus support | PCI Express 3.0 | |
| SLI options | + | |
| HDMI | + | |
| Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) | 383 Mh/s | |
| Laptop size | large | |
| DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support | + | |
| H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder | + | |
| Optimus | + | |
| Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) | 19 Mh/s | |
| GameStream | + | |
| GeForce ShadowPlay | + | |
| GPU Boost | 2.0 | |
| GameWorks | + | |
| BatteryBoost | + | |
| Check Price |