[Eurogamer] GTX 1060: 3 GB vs 6 GB

[Pantalaimon]

What assumption? I only made the observation that this forum is focusing a lot of arguing/posts on mainstream cards. I don't even think the HD 7870 had as many threads/posts dedicated to it.

That's because currently AMD does not have a high end card to compete with NVIDIA. There's the Fury X, but that is the previous generation. So the forum wars are concentrating on the tier where there's competition NVDIA's 1060 vs AMD's 480 or 470.

 

[fuccboi]

3GB vRAM is junk in 2016. Mankind Divided swallows over 5GB and occasionally over 7GB off my 1070. If you need to drop the settings way lower to adjust for that - why not buy a console? And those Ultra textures are very very nice - you can clearly see labels and brands in game.

That's not how Vram works though, look at all the games the 3GB was tested in and could ran on ultra. You can expect to have at least that kind of texture quality in the future on it as well. That's probably as good as it gets on 1080p anyway.

 

[Keysplayr]

The 3GB talking point is the only talking point available (that's the perception anyway) and so as par for the course, it now becomes the end all be all talking point and not much else matters. A 3GB 1060 is just beautiful for 1080p with moderate to high settings on most games.
With that said, if you can manage to save a little more, then the 1060 will have more longevity just as the 4GB 470/480 may have another 6 months extra life with the extra GB of memory.

 

[Keysplayr]

Very high textures are not recommended for cards with 4GB and under, but we decided to test it any way. Here you're seeing a stress point where the four gig AMD card sustains performance, while the three gig 1060 stutters, then tanks.

LOL

This is just in Hitman by the way. And it's stated, " and we strongly suspect that DX12, where the developer takes over memory management duties, sees the card hit its VRAM limit."
Note that AofS is DX12 also and this doesn't happen, so its the dev, not the API, nor the GPUs issue. If the dev calls for specific amounts of memory and doesn't allow the GPU driver to manage it's memory, then that is poor coding.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Texture detail is nearly free GPU perf-wise just takes more vram. So why not recommend the card with more vram if the extra cost is minimal?

It's not just about Ultra 4K texture settings. The real issue is that Directx 12 games so far are VRAM hogs, and the therefore the trend is they will need more VRAM at the same settings as Directx 11 games (or versions of the same game) even at 1080p. In every example so far Directx 12 gives us better CPU efficiency for greater VRAM use, which is a terrible bargain for the 3GB 1060 on paper.

The reality is we can't really debate the merit of that possible situation, because no 1060 3GB review so far gives us the current pile of Directx 12 games with minimums clearly indicated. Once we can see minimums on the graphs then we know the 3GB 1060's fate. For a Directx 11 only card it's king for perf/$, no debating that. The question is the Directx 12 future.

I am sad that we don't know yet, but fewer sites are reviewing the 3GB model. Maybe Nvidia didn't give out review copies for one reason or another. I personally want to know before I even think of recommending a 3GB model, running out of VRAM equals a stuttercity that average FPS numbers don't show us.

 

[Erenhardt]

This is just in Hitman by the way. And it's stated, " and we strongly suspect that DX12, where the developer takes over memory management duties, sees the card hit its VRAM limit."
Note that AofS is DX12 also and this doesn't happen, so its the dev, not the API, nor the GPUs issue. If the dev calls for specific amounts of memory and doesn't allow the GPU driver to manage it's memory, then that is poor coding.

That is for ROTR

 

[fuccboi]

3 dx12 games with exact frame-rates/times, also true and dx12 only games won't be here yet for years. AMD sponsored titles will probably make it hit the wall though, for obvious reasons.

 

[Erenhardt]

3 dx12 games with exact frame-rates/times, also true and dx12 only games won't be here yet for years. AMD sponsored titles will probably make it hit the wall though, for obvious reasons.

Well... at reduced settings. Here is what happens when you increase textures:
https://youtu.be/y1RWItff0eQ?t=315
30% slower than 6gb 1060
20% slower than 470 4gb

 

[fuccboi]

It's a HD texture pack not supposed to be run on a cards with 4GB or less memory, the performance reduction is the stutter prevention mechanism from the driver.

 

[frozentundra123456]

I wonder between 1050 4GB($180) and 1060 3GB($200) which card would the forum members recommend?Don't say RX470.Just between these two,assuming 1050 being 25% slower but has 25% more vram.

Dont really know. That is a very strange line-up though. A weaker card with more vram. Sticking with the nVidia cards only, I would probably just bite the bullet and go for a 1060 6gb. Some are available at around 250 or 260, and count of peace of mind and better longevity being worth the extra 50 bucks. Problem with 4gb cards is that it seems to be enough now, but it would could very well be borderline for future titles as well. Seems contradictory to me that a 3gb card with better memory management (1060 3gb) is so roundly criticized while 4 gb AMD cards are given a free pass.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Well... at reduced settings. Here is what happens when you increase textures:
https://youtu.be/y1RWItff0eQ?t=315
30% slower than 6gb 1060
20% slower than 470 4gb

WOW! The Tomb Raider results are blatant! Look at the 3GB 1060 going down into the low 40's FPS on complex scenes while the 6GB model stays at 60 and the 480 4GB stays in the 50's. So your $50 buys a whole other tier of playable experience.

I wish the video would make it more clear if that is Directx 12 mode or Directx 11 mode. Hopefully we get another datapoint with fraps soon.

 

[AtenRa]

Excellent, NVIDIA sponsored DX-12 Game (no AMD DX-12 excuses). Sad really for H2 2016, because lots of uneducated consumers will give their hard earned money for that card.

 

[fuccboi]

Still a pretty good succesor to the 2GB GTX 960. These are the settings on which you aren't supposed to play with a mid-tier cards like this, and you also get a warning about it in the game while changing it. Really the only weakness of this card, but that's what you get for $50 less.

I probably wouldn't recommend it to the uneducated ordinary Joe who expects to 'max out' all games on a $199 card, but for those who know how to work around their own limits and lower some ingame settings it's a pretty sweet deal.

 

[AtenRa]

Still a pretty good succesor to the 2GB GTX 960. These are the settings on which you aren't supposed to play with a mid-tier cards like this, and you also get a warning about it in the game while changing it. Really the only weakness of this card, but that's what you get for $50 less.

The same priced RX 470 4GB can play this game easily at those settings. So if GTX 1060 3GB cannot, it should be priced at $150.

 

[fuccboi]

Well there are many more games it can't play that easily as you can see in the performance table, you can always cherry pick games with a settings where more Vram or a certain card will seem better..

 

[AtenRa]

Well there are many more games it can't play that easily as you can see in the performance table, you can always cherry pick games with a settings where more Vram or a certain card will seem better..

The problem is that new games will behave like the one above.
Same happened with the GTX 960 2GB, it was fine with older games on release and then it started lagging behind badly. GTX 1060 3GB is like having a GTX 970 with even less memory in H2 2016, its bad bad bad product no matter how some will try to paint it.

 

[TheELF]

Sure the 3Gb 1060 has no problems with real game play of the witcher 3 in novingrad which has massive amounts of different textures for all the people and buildings but not many effects,but drops performance in some canned benchmarks so naturally it must be the Vrams fault.
Don't believe the canned BS they are trying to feed you.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Sure the 3Gb 1060 has no problems with real game play of the witcher 3 in novingrad which has massive amounts of different textures for all the people and buildings but not many effects,but drops performance in some canned benchmarks so naturally it must be the Vrams fault.
Don't believe the canned BS they are trying to feed you.

The Witcher 3 isn't a Directx 12 game. The whole point is Directx 12 games (even non native ones) are VRAM pigs.

We don't know if that matters until we see more minimums in those games.

 

[fuccboi]

I don't really have the fortune telling skills as a certain brand prefering members over here to tell for sure that by one example all the future titles follow, but I know what kind of texture quality this card can push and it's alright by me, as I said i don't really focus on textures while gaming and smoother gameplay has higher value to me, I'm used to lowering graphics for higher fps.

 

[boozzer]

I am 99% sure 3gb was what we were suppose to get before the rx 480 was released. anyone and everyone who bought a 480/470 and 1060 6gb needs to thank amd.

the reason why ia m so sure? look at the trash that is 960. compare the differences of 1060 3gb vs 6gb and the 960 2gb vs 4gb. one of them is ram only.

 

[AtenRa]

About the fortune telling,

I chose the Rise of the Tomb Rider because it is an NV sponsored game, here is another DX-12 game HITMAN

In a few days Deus Ex DX-12 patch will come. And then we will have BF1, and then Watch Dogs 2 etc etc.

I dont have a problem with GTX 1060, but i sure have a problem recommending GTX 1060 3GB for H2 2016.
And the fact that you can get the PowerColor RedDragon RX 470 4GB currently available at Newegg for $190 is getting things even worse for the GTX 1060 3GB.

 

[fuccboi]

If you look at the market as a whole with the consoles in the picture you can see when and why certain hardware requirements shifts occur. The new consoles will have the same amount of memory as the latest ones, and there will always be a higher ingame settings avaible just because of the high-end card market. Not 'maxing out' games doesn't really bother me, i don't get so easily swayed by a call phrases or marketing, at least I'd like to believe. So I don't expect such a huge demand for Vram for an adequate texture quality in the near future.

 

[dark zero]

THat GTX 1060 3GB doesn't deserve to be called a 1060! Is an insult to that name that is competing against the 480!
it deserves a 1050Ti or 1050.. since they are trading blows against the 470.
And if a 1060 3GB is not that good... I fear that the 1050 will be even worse...

The 460 is only for HD gaming or e-Sports... And nVIDIA is planning to compete against a card which is supposed to be 2 tiers behind?

I mean... remember that the X80 AMD cards are competing against the XX60 cards from nDVIDIA, then the X70 from AMD competes against the XX50 and so on...

 

[fuccboi]

It's not like you can't play less demaning games even with HD texture packs, you get performance hit sure but not an unplayable stutter which is some amazing engineering right there from Nvidia, the money they've put into the drivers are paying off. So there's nothing to really worry about, you can always compromise whether you'd rather have higher fps or higher texture quality even in those extreme situations. Can the AMD's 4gigs do the same?

 

[Shivansps]

About the fortune telling,

I chose the Rise of the Tomb Rider because it is an NV sponsored game, here is another DX-12 game HITMAN

In a few days Deus Ex DX-12 patch will come. And then we will have BF1, and then Watch Dogs 2 etc etc.

I dont have a problem with GTX 1060, but i sure have a problem recommending GTX 1060 3GB for H2 2016.
And the fact that you can get the PowerColor RedDragon RX 470 4GB currently available at Newegg for $190 is getting things even worse for the GTX 1060 3GB.

You have a problem recomending a 3GB card, but no a 4GB card... yeah, that whole 1GB makes all the difference, so much better future proof for sure... the 4GB RX470/RX480 are the AMD version of the GTX960 2GB, and you said yourselft what happened with those.