Enlarge / Nvidia’s GTX 1060 is still one of the most-used GPUs on Steam, but its star continues to fade slowly. (credit: Mark Walton)
Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1060 was exceptionally well-reviewed when it was released in 2016—offering performance a bit better than previous-generation flagships for a downright reasonable price of $250. PC gamers responded accordingly. Within a year of its release, the 1060 became the most-used GPU in Steam’s Hardware and Software Survey, a position it occupied from June 2017 until October 2022.
The 1060 owes its longevity to a unique combination of factors—its original value, plus a years-long GPU shortage and inflated pricing for newer models like the RTX 3050 and 3060. But its long reign finally ended in November’s data, where the midrange GeForce GTX 1650 finally unseated the 1060. (The same shortage and pricing issues that kept the 1060 on top for so long have also