Price : $ 229.99
GPU |
GP104-400-A1 |
ROP |
64 |
TMU |
160 |
CORES |
2560 |
BASE CLOCK |
1695 MHz ( 1721 MHz OC ) |
BOOST CLOCK |
1835 MHz ( 1860 MHz OC ) |
MEMORY CLOCK |
8GHz GDDR5X ( 320GB / s ) |
DIMENSIONS |
280x114x41mm |
POWER |
1x 8Pin |
G1 GAMING GTX 1060
Price : $ 229.99
For all intents and purposes this GPU is exactly half of what the GTX 1080 is , but of course offers more than 50 % of the performance . The price is also a lot friendlier at $ 290 which is coincidentally around how much some GTX 970 high end cards are still retailing for . The GTX 1060 is not only faster than the fastest GTX 970 , it also consumes less power and runs cooler , for the same GPU model . ( That is G1 . GAMING GTX 970 vs the 1060 model ). It actually makes sense for those who own a GTX 970 and found the performance adequate to “ upgrade ” to the GTX 1060 , if only because the PASCAL based model has much better DirectX12 performance , better general performance , runs cooler and of course will consume less power or at least in theory should . The G1 Gaming GTX 1060 is pretty much configured in a similar manner to its stable mates .
Gone is GIGABTYE ’ s flex display technology , which is understandable as NVIDIA has already provided as many simultaneous outputs as realistically feasible . Moreover , with this class of GPU , there ’ s little evidence to suggest that a user who buys a $ 290 GPU is going to be using it to drive four or more displays simultaneously .
As a direct replacement for the GTX 960 , this GPU is offering in some instances nearly twice the performance . Hard to imagine and it is in fewer cases , but the performance gains are massive . As a direct replacement is a definite buy . Most interesting is that this GPU is surprisingly capable of 2560x1440 or better known as WQHD gaming . You can literally bet on frame rates in the mid-40s and beyond at the highest detail levels barring Anti-Aliasing of course . Definitely unheard off in this segment prior to this GPU .
GIGABYTE as you may have expected went the extra mile to configure the 1060 with a high factory overclock and as a result GTA V for instance as maximum detail settings again minus AA , is able to clock in over 60fps at a WQHD resolution . It ’ s LED ’ s , a back plate , a heatpipe based , heatsink fan complex and a factory overclock just as it is with the other models . All that however results in one potent offering that is hard to ignore . It would be the quintessential mid-range GPU had it not been for the existence of the G1 GAMING RX480 , but that is another issue we will tackle at another time . For now , it ’ ll be difficult to find a more suitable graphics card at this price range for today ’ s games . The G1 . GAMING GTX 1060 is surprisingly competent , more so than its specifications would lead you to believe .
CONCLUSION
Ultimately what is on offer here isn ’ t anything that you may not be familiar with from other vendors . The difference with GIGABYTE is that the pricing is attractive , the cooling stellar while the noise kept to a minimum . That is despite the large factory overclock each card ships with .
There ’ s nothing to speak of when it comes to the package , but that ’ s fine if it helps maintain the price . LEDs and all things aesthetic aside , this trio is as solid an offering as any other vendor can supply . There are competing cards with higher stipulated base and / or boost clocks , but ultimately it actually doesn ’ t matter . The cards will be within spitting distance of each other and woe to the fool who would spend more in hopes of getting greater performance from other models costing a $ 100 more . As far as GTX 1000 series representations go , the G1 GAMING line is as fine a family as you can find , with a matching price to boot .
Issue 39 | 2016 The OverClocker 19