General performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. These parameters indirectly speak of performance, but for precise assessment you have to consider their benchmark and gaming test results. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked. Show
Pipelines / CUDA cores28161280CUDA cores2816no dataCore clock speed1000 MHz1506 MHzBoost clock speed1075 MHz1708 MHzNumber of transistors8,000 million4,400 millionManufacturing process technology28 nm16 nmPower consumption (TDP)250 Watt120 WattTexture fill rate176 billion/sec136.7Floating-point performance6,060 gflops4,375 gflops Size and compatibilityInformation on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility). Bus supportPCI Express 3.0no dataInterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16Length10.5" (26.7 cm)250 mmHeight4.376" (11.1 cm)no dataWidth2-slot2-slotRecommended system power (PSU)600 Wattno dataSupplementary power connectors6-pin + 8-pin1x 6-pinSLI options+no data MemoryParameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated VRAM and use a shared part of system RAM. Memory typeGDDR5GDDR5Maximum RAM amount6 GB6 GBMemory bus width384 Bit192 BitMemory clock speed7.0 GB/s8000 MHzMemory bandwidth336.5 GB/s192.2 GB/sShared memory-- Video outputs and portsTypes and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself. Display ConnectorsDual Link DVI-I, HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.21x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPortMulti monitor support4 displaysno dataHDMI++HDCP+no dataMaximum VGA resolution2048x1536no dataG-SYNC support++Audio input for HDMIInternalno data TechnologiesSupported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes. GameStream+no dataGeForce ShadowPlay+no dataGPU Boost2.0no dataGameWorks+no dataVR Readyno data+ API supportList of supported graphics and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions. DirectX12 (12_1)12 (12_1)Shader Model6.46.4OpenGL4.54.6OpenCL1.21.2Vulkan1.1.1261.2.131CUDA+6.1 Synthetic benchmark performanceNon-gaming benchmark performance comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale. Combined synthetic benchmark scoreThis is our combined benchmark performance score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly. 980 Ti outperforms 1060 6 GB by 35% in our combined benchmark results. PassmarkThis is probably the most ubiquitous benchmark, part of Passmark PerformanceTest suite. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities. Benchmark coverage: 25% 980 Ti outperforms 1060 6 GB by 35% in Passmark. 3DMark Vantage Performance3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead. Benchmark coverage: 17% GTX 1060 6 GB 55893 +14.9% 1060 6 GB outperforms 980 Ti by 15% in 3DMark Vantage Performance. 3DMark 11 Performance GPU3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy. Benchmark coverage: 17% 980 Ti outperforms 1060 6 GB by 33% in 3DMark 11 Performance GPU. 3DMark Fire Strike GraphicsFire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature seemingly made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware. Benchmark coverage: 14% 980 Ti outperforms 1060 6 GB by 31% in 3DMark Fire Strike Graphics. 3DMark Cloud Gate GPUCloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid. Benchmark coverage: 14% 980 Ti outperforms 1060 6 GB by 28% in 3DMark Cloud Gate GPU. 3DMark Ice Storm GPUIce Storm Graphics is an obsolete benchmark, part of 3DMark suite. Ice Storm was used to measure entry level laptops and Windows-based tablets performance. It utilizes DirectX 11 feature level 9 to display a battle between two space fleets near a frozen planet in 1280x720 resolution. Discontinued in January 2020, it is now superseded by 3DMark Night Raid. Benchmark coverage: 8% 980 Ti outperforms 1060 6 GB by 1% in 3DMark Ice Storm GPU. SPECviewperf 12 - ShowcaseBenchmark coverage: 2% 980 Ti outperforms 1060 6 GB by 41% in SPECviewperf 12 - Showcase. SPECviewperf 12 - MayaThis part of SPECviewperf 12 workstation benchmark uses Autodesk Maya 13 engine to render a superhero energy plant static scene consisting of more than 700 thousand polygons, in six different modes. Benchmark coverage: 2% 980 Ti outperforms 1060 6 GB by 34% in SPECviewperf 12 - Maya. Mining hashratesCryptocurrency mining performance of GeForce GTX 980 Ti and GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB. Usually measured in megahashes per second. Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 784 Mh/s no data Decred / DCR (Decred) 2.4 Gh/s no data Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 21.57 Mh/s no data Monero / XMR (CryptoNight) 0.7 kh/s no data Zcash / ZEC (Equihash) 461 Sol/s no data Gaming performanceLet's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS. Average FPS across all PC gamesHere are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions: Full HD101 92 1440p49 +0% 49 +0% 4K50 32 Performance in popular gamesFull HD Low Preset Cyberpunk 207760−65 40−45 Full HD Medium Preset Assassin's Creed Odyssey65−70 −10.8% 72 +10.8% Assassin's Creed Valhalla60−65 +33.3% 45−50 −33.3% Battlefield 5100−110 +0% 106 +0% Call of Duty: Modern Warfare95−100 +24.4% 78 −24.4% Cyberpunk 207760−65 +40.9% 40−45 −40.9% Far Cry 590−95 +12.2% 82 −12.2% Far Cry New Dawn85−90 +8.6% 81 −8.6% Forza Horizon 4110−120 +13% 100 −13% Hitman 3110−120 +39.5% 80−85 −39.5% Horizon Zero Dawn75−80 +36.8% 55−60 −36.8% Red Dead Redemption 255−60 +1.8% 56 −1.8% Shadow of the Tomb Raider85−90 +25% 68 −25% Watch Dogs: Legion65−70 +31.4% 50−55 −31.4% Full HD High Preset Assassin's Creed Odyssey65−70 +6.6% 61 −6.6% Assassin's Creed Valhalla60−65 +33.3% 45−50 −33.3% Battlefield 5100−110 +23.3% 86 −23.3% Call of Duty: Modern Warfare38 −68.4% 64 +68.4% Cyberpunk 207760−65 +40.9% 40−45 −40.9% Far Cry 590−95 +22.7% 75 −22.7% Far Cry New Dawn85−90 +17.3% 75 −17.3% Forza Horizon 4110−120 +21.5% 93 −21.5% Hitman 3110−120 +39.5% 80−85 −39.5% Horizon Zero Dawn75−80 +36.8% 55−60 −36.8% Metro Exodus60−65 +46.5% 43 −46.5% Red Dead Redemption 255−60 +90% 30 −90% Shadow of the Tomb Raider33 −75.8% 58 +75.8% The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt85−90 +17.1% 76 −17.1% Watch Dogs: Legion65−70 +31.4% 50−55 −31.4% Full HD Ultra Preset Assassin's Creed Odyssey46 +21.1% 38 −21.1% Assassin's Creed Valhalla60−65 +33.3% 45−50 −33.3% Battlefield 594 +20.5% 78 −20.5% Cyberpunk 207760−65 +40.9% 40−45 −40.9% Far Cry 577 +10% 70 −10% Far Cry New Dawn85−90 +27.5% 69 −27.5% Forza Horizon 472 −1.4% 73 +1.4% The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt59 +34.1% 44 −34.1% Watch Dogs: Legion65−70 +31.4% 50−55 −31.4% 1440p High Preset Call of Duty: Modern Warfare54 +31.7% 41 −31.7% Hitman 365−70 +44.4% 45−50 −44.4% Horizon Zero Dawn50−55 +38.9% 35−40 −38.9% Metro Exodus35−40 +50% 26 −50% Red Dead Redemption 227−30 +47.4% 19 −47.4% Shadow of the Tomb Raider50−55 +55.9% 34 −55.9% 1440p Ultra Preset Assassin's Creed Odyssey40−45 +25% 32 −25% Assassin's Creed Valhalla40−45 +42.9% 27−30 −42.9% Battlefield 575−80 +31% 58 −31% Cyberpunk 207727−30 +58.8% 16−18 −58.8% Far Cry 565−70 +38.3% 47 −38.3% Far Cry New Dawn65−70 +36% 50 −36% Forza Horizon 475−80 +33.3% 57 −33.3% The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt55−60 +48.6% 35−40 −48.6% Watch Dogs: Legion30−35 +47.6% 21−24 −47.6% 4K High Preset Call of Duty: Modern Warfare32 +45.5% 22 −45.5% Hitman 335−40 +40% 24−27 −40% Horizon Zero Dawn24−27 +44.4% 18−20 −44.4% Metro Exodus24−27 +50% 16 −50% Red Dead Redemption 218−20 +58.3% 12 −58.3% Shadow of the Tomb Raider23 +35.3% 17 −35.3% The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt44 +51.7% 29 −51.7% 4K Ultra Preset Assassin's Creed Odyssey18 +0% 18 +0% Assassin's Creed Valhalla21−24 +46.7% 14−16 −46.7% Battlefield 540 +29% 31 −29% Cyberpunk 207710−12 +57.1% 7−8 −57.1% Far Cry 530 +30.4% 23 −30.4% Far Cry New Dawn35−40 +42.3% 26 −42.3% Forza Horizon 442 +10.5% 38 −10.5% Watch Dogs: Legion18−20 +50% 12−14 −50% This is how GTX 980 Ti and GTX 1060 6 GB compete in popular games: 1080p resolution:
1440p resolution:
4K resolution:
Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:
All in all, in popular games:
Advantages and disadvantagesPerformance score 35.61 26.40 Recency 2 June 2015 19 July 2016 Cost $649 $299 Memory bus width 384 192 Pipelines / CUDA cores 2816 1280 Memory bandwidth 336.5 192.2 Chip lithography 28 nm 16 nm Power consumption (TDP) 250 Watt 120 Watt The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB in performance tests. Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer. Cast your own voteDo you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite graphics card. GeForce GTX 980 Ti GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB Similar GPU comparisonsWe selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider. User ratings: view and submitHere you can see the user rating of the graphics cards, as well as rate them yourself. Rate NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti on a scale of 1 to 5:  Rate NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB on a scale of 1 to 5: Questions and commentsHere you can ask a question about this comparison, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch. |
