What to buy nvidia 1060 or radeon 480.

Full HD monitors are most often found among users, this is confirmed by the statistics of visits to our website. It is for this market segment that the most fierce struggle is taking place between AMD and NVIDIA. In 2016, the minds of gamers will be divided by new products: AMD Radeon RX 480 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060. Both new products are built on a new technical process and have become a concentration of new technologies in graphics processing. 16nm vs. 14 nm, 6GB memory vs. 8GB, 120 vs. 150 W TDP, Pascal vs. Polaris. The performance level of AMD Radeon RX 480 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 is optimal for modern games in Full HD resolution.

An important issue concerns cost; relative to older solutions, they are available for purchase by mass users. The gap between them is minimal and varies depending on the specific store. At the time of the release of the comparative review, sales of non-reference versions had not started, and here the gap will be more noticeable and not in favor of AMD.

It's no secret that the AMD Radeon RX 480 offers the most simplified version of this video card with a simple cooling system. Starter versions of NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060, from partners such as Palit and Zotac, in European stores cost $40-50 less than the reference. In variants with maximum factory overclocking, prices will be equal. In any case, the cost will be approximately the same for AMD Radeon RX 480 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060.

We have at our disposal reference versions of these video cards, a good opportunity to compare efficiency and performance in the same operating scenarios. Before starting a detailed comparison, I would like to dwell briefly on the appearance of the Radeon RX 480 and GeForce GTX 1060.

Here the product from NVIDIA is clearly in the lead, offering a well-thought-out cooling system with an aluminum casing and massive radiators. It looks more modern, but AMD has taken the path of maximum savings. This is clearly visible externally and is reflected in the results of temperature and noise measurements.

Comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and Radeon RX 480

The test bench is based on an Intel Core i7 6700K processor with a frequency of 4700 MHz, 32 GB of DDR4 RAM and an ASUS MAXIMUS VIII Ranger motherboard. Recording is carried out on a separate system using an AVEMERDIA Live Gamer Extreme capture card. Additional overclocking of the video cards was not carried out; official drivers were installed at the time of the test.

Model	Data
Frame	Fractal Design Define S
Motherboard	ASUS MAXIMUS VIII RANGER
CPU	Intel Core i7-6700K Skylake (oc - 4700 MHz)
CPU cooler	DeepCool Captain 240 EX
RAM	Kingston HyperX Fury DDR4 32GB (oc - 2700 MHz)
HDD	Intel SSD 530 240 GB
Hard drive 2	WD Red WD20EFRX
power unit	Zalman ZM850-EBT
Audio	Creative Sound BlasterX G5
Monitor	iiyama ProLite E2773HDS
Monitor 2	Philips 242G5DJEB
Mouse	ROCCAT Kone XTD
Keyboard	Razer BlackWidow Chroma
operating system	Windows Pro 10

Game data is captured in Full HD resolution, similar settings for each game with ultra textures and maximum anti-aliasing. For a visual comparison, we present video clips, we suggest visually comparing the images in games and tracking the dynamic change in FPS.
Energy consumption

Measurements are taken based on maximum power consumption during load using a synthetic system test. Data are given at maximum load.
Temperature

Noise

3DMark11

3DMark Fire Strike Ultra

3DMark Time Spy

All measurements in games are carried out in Full HD resolution with ultra graphics settings.
DirectX 12: Ashes of the Singularity

Ashes of the Singularity is a strategy from the Stardock studio developed specifically for DirectX 12 and 64-bit systems.

Crysis 3

Hitman Absolution

Tomb Raider

Batman: Arkham Knight

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

FarCry Primal

Tom Clancy The Division

Doom

GTA V (msaa off)

FallOut 4 Ultra HD

Doom Ultra HD

Tom Clancy The Division Ultra HD

Total War Warhammer Ultra HD

Should I choose Radeon RX 480 or GeForce GTX 1060?

Both video cards demonstrated good performance in Full HD resolution on ultra graphics settings. But the final results are clearly not in favor of the Radeon RX 480. At the same cost, it loses to the GeForce GTX 1060 by 10 to 20% in games, regardless of whether the AMD or NVIDIA logo is displayed when the game starts. The second point concerns the overclocking potential; it is noticeably better in NVIDIA, opening up opportunities for further increases in performance while maintaining low temperatures and noise. The software component is still not in favor of AMD; the “plug and play” operating mode is still far away. As an example, we tested capturing images in games and the possibility of using standard tools for streaming games. Draw your own conclusions, we will return to this issue when non-reference versions appear.

The GTX 1060 is Nvidia's third 16 nm Pascal based GPU. It follows last month’s release of the higher end GTX 1070 and 1080. The 1060 has a TDP of 120 Watts and its aftermarket variants are available right away alongside the reference Founders edition. Comparing the GTX 1060 and 970 shows that although the 1060 leads by 12% it is also currently more expensive. Nvidia rushed the release of the GTX 1060 to help retain market share that may otherwise have gone to AMD’s new Polaris based RX 480. Comparing the RX 480 and GTX 1060 shows that for pre DX12 games the 1060 edges ahead by 12%. Due to better hardware compatibility, the RX 480 is able to match the 1060 in DX12 games but this will remain a corner case until most games are optimized for DX12 (likely to take several years). The 1060 has the potential to become a hugely successful card, but that all depends on where prices settle. [ Jul "16 GPUPro]

The RX 480 is the first graphics card to feature AMD’s new 14nm Polaris architecture. The card is due for release on June 29 (in four days time). We don't have all the details yet but the RX 480 is rumoured to have an MSRP of $199 and it will likely perform on a par with the Nvidia GTX 970. At present we only have one benchmark so although the performance figures are provisional the RX 480 and GTX 970 do appear to be closely matched. If further tests validate these results and the cards retail at the MSRP of $199, then the new RX 480 will effectively improve graphics card price/performance ratios by a whopping 23%, something that has not happened since the release of the Maxwell based Nvidia GTX 970 nearly two years ago. In addition to better price/performance for the current generation of games, the RX 480 also offers relatively strong DX12 support which provides better future proofing than Nvida’s Maxwell (970/980/980 Ti) cards. [ June "16

Many game projects are released every month. The list of our test applications is updated periodically, and iconic games appear in separate reviews of different video cards. In this case, we decided to make a general selection of tests for several games, comparing the performance of graphics accelerators from AMD and NVIDIA. Several current mid-level solutions will be brought together with the participation of budget models of different generations. Most of them have not been previously tested in this selection of games.

The full list of test participants is as follows:

• Radeon RX 580 8GB;
• Radeon RX 480 8GB;
• Radeon RX 570 4GB;
• Radeon R9 270X 2GB;
• GeForce GTX 1060 6GB;
• GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB;
• GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB;
• GeForce GTX 960 2GB.

Once again the topic of confrontation between the Radeon RX 580, Radeon RX 480 and GeForce GTX 1060 will be touched upon. The results obtained will add to the data bank on the results of previous tests of the Radeon RX 580. There are no direct competitors among the remaining participants, but their results will allow us to draw general conclusions about performance in each individual game. The peculiarity of this testing is that video adapters are tested only at nominal, without overclocking.

Characteristics of tested video cards

The official characteristics of video cards are shown in the table. The performance graphs for GeForce indicate the full Boost frequency range, for Radeon the maximum Boost value is indicated.

Video adapter	Radeon RX 580	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX 570	Radeon R9 270X	GeForce GTX 1060	GeForce GTX 780 Ti	GeForce GTX 1050 Ti	GeForce GTX 960
Core	Polaris 20	Polaris 10	Polaris 20	Curacao	GP106	GK110	GP107	GM206
Number of transistors, million pieces	5700	5700	5700	2800	4400	7100	3300	2940
Technical process, nm	14	14	14	28	16	28	14	28
Core area, sq. mm	232	232	232	212	200	561	132	228
Number of stream processors	2304	2304	2048	1280	1280	2880	768	1024
Number of texture blocks	144	144	128	80	80	240	48	64
Number of rendering units	32	32	32	32	48	48	32	32
Core frequency, MHz	1257-1340	1120-1266	1168-1244	1050	1506-1708	875-926	1290-1392	1126-1178
Memory bus, bit	256	256	256	256	192	384	128	128
Memory type	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory frequency, MHz	8000	8000		5600	8000	7000	7012	7010
Memory capacity, MB	8192	8192/4096	4096	2048	6144	3072	4096	2048
Supported DirectX Version	12	12	12	11.2	12	11.1	12	12
Interface	PCI-E 3.0	PCI-E 3.0	PCI-E 3.0	PCI-E 3.0	PCI-E 3.0	PCI-E 3.0	PCI-E 3.0	PCI-E 3.0
Power, W	185	150	up to 185	180	120	250	75	120

Test bench

The test bench configuration is as follows:

• processor: Intel Core i7-6950X ([email protected] GHz);
• cooler: Noctua NH-D15 (two NF-A15 PWM fans, 140 mm, 1300 rpm);
• motherboard: MSI X99S MPower (Intel X99);
• memory: G.Skill F4-3200C14Q-32GTZ (4x8 GB, DDR4-3200, CL14-14-14-35);
• system disk: Intel SSD 520 Series 240GB (240 GB, SATA 6Gb/s);
• additional drive: Hitachi HDS721010CLA332 (1 TB, SATA 3Gb/s, 7200 rpm);
• power supply: Seasonic SS-750KM (750 W);
• monitor: ASUS PB278Q (2560x1440, 27″);

• operating system: Windows 10 Pro x64;
• Radeon driver: AMD Crimson Edition 17.6.2;
• GeForce driver: NVIDIA GeForce 382.53;
• Drivers for Hitman: Crimson Edition 17.5.2 and GeForce 382.05.

A brief summary of the games and testing methodology are described below. Tests were carried out in a resolution of 1920x1080 with maximum graphics quality, in some cases additional modes were enabled. In this case, we abandoned our usual method of alphabetizing applications; games are listed according to release date. Since AMD solutions in our list are represented by a large number of older models, they are located at the top in the diagrams.

The game is not included in the list of new products, but we added it to testing to compare performance in DirectX 11 and DirectX 12. The first episode of this series appeared in the spring of 2016, but the project has been constantly evolving. Even after all the episodes were released, technical updates were made to the game. In January 2017, the game was released with an updated edition of Hitman: The Complete First Season, and a free trial version recently appeared. In the spring, new drivers from NVIDIA arrived, which were supposed to seriously improve performance in DirectX 12. Our latest tests in Hitman really caused some surprise with the good performance of the current GeForce, which was strikingly different from the results of the very first tests in the game. Now all questions will be answered.

The game is based on a modified Glacier Engine 2. Good detail and elaboration of large levels. The locations are now simply huge, and there are a lot of NPCs on them.

With NPC concentration, the most noticeable performance drops are observed. Therefore, a test scene was selected where there is such a crowd. It's worth noting that the introductory scene shown in the video was changed after a major update in June.

Graphics settings are set to maximum for DirectX 11 and DirectX 12.

Mass Effect: Andromeda

A new large-scale adventure within the Mass Effect universe, which is described in detail in our separate review. The game is based on the latest version of the Frostbite Engine, demonstrating excellent graphics with highly detailed environments, textured surfaces and good lighting. Only DirectX 11 is supported.

Testing was carried out on the planet we study in the prologue. A short walk was taken along the same route, at least five repetitions or higher were performed.

The standard profile for maximum graphics quality is selected. No additional changes were made to the settings; vertical sync was disabled.

Prey (2017)

A new shooter from Arkane Studios, authors of the Dishonored dilogy. As part of the game, we are asked to explore a space station overrun by strange aliens. A well-developed research component is combined with variable gameplay. The game offers an extremely original set of weapons and abilities.

Prey is based on the CryEngine 4 engine and supports DirectX 11. The scenery perfectly combines industrial style and retro-futurism.

Testing was carried out in the opening scene, where the hero has to break the glass. And this is a rather heavy graphic scene with complex lighting. This action was combined with a short walk around the room. About seven repetitions were performed.

The maximum graphics quality is selected (Very HIgh), which implies the use of SMAA T2X anti-aliasing. For higher cards, the maximum quality mode is additionally enabled at a resolution of 2560x1440.

The Surge

A new variation on the Dark Souls theme from the studio Deck13, which previously released Lords of the Fallen. A hero in an exoskeleton fights with robots and violent workers, destroys them with hand weapons and literally disassembles them into spare parts, which are then used for their upgrade. A well-thought-out combat system has been implemented, the enemies are difficult, and there is leveling. There is also an intrusive respawn and cramped, gut-shaped labyrinthine corridors.

The Surge uses its own FLEDGE Engine. The picture pleases with its carefully designed levels and clear textures. Testing was carried out using Fraps during a short run in the area near the first aid station.

The main testing was carried out at the “Very High” quality settings. These maximum graphics presets do not provide maximum global illumination quality.

Older video cards were additionally tested in a mode with increased lighting quality.

Rime

A fairy tale adventure game with puzzles. After a storm, a boy finds himself on a strange island, which he begins to explore, solve various puzzles and look for a way to a high tower.

The game is based on the Unreal Engine 4 and uses hand-drawn stylization. At the same time, the game is extremely demanding, the situation is aggravated by the use of resource-intensive SSAA anti-aliasing when choosing the maximum quality. Therefore, the highest quality profile combined with simple FXAA anti-aliasing was selected for testing. Testing was carried out at the beginning of the game near the first riddle - a short descent to a clearing and a walk through a place surrounded by vegetation and rocks.

Rising Storm 2: Vietnam

An online shooter sequel to Rising Storm, based on the core mechanics of Red Orchestra. The game offers large-scale online battles from the Vietnam War era with an emphasis on authenticity in the behavior of fighters and weapons. The game requires teamwork and thoughtful interaction on large levels with complex terrain. Based on Unreal Engine 3. The engine is not new, but the level development and rendering range are at a very high level.

The game does not have a single player campaign, and it is impossible to repeat the same actions in an online game. Therefore, for testing we had to make certain compromises. The training mode (free play) at the training ground is selected. It will not be possible to recreate game situations in this mode, but a sequence of actions was chosen that maximized productivity thanks to rich effects during shooting and explosions. FPS was measured while firing from a heavy machine gun (two magazines in a row) and when throwing and observing the explosion of two grenades.

Maximum graphics settings are selected. Among the post-processing options, “improved” was selected, SSAO is active. The fps anti-aliasing option, which limits the frame rate, is disabled. Since the game has a lot of settings, we will illustrate our settings on a separate slide.

Older video adapters are additionally tested at 2560x1440 resolution.

DiRT 4

A new game in the famous racing series. The main focus is on rallying, but there are other types of competitions. DiRT 4 offers a large variety of off-road and paved track racing. Fine difficulty settings allow you to balance between a serious car simulator and simple racing with a number of simplifications and conventions for beginners.

The game is based on the specialized EGO 4.0 engine that Codemasters uses in its racing games. Visually, the new part is not very different from the old ones, but in terms of detailing the environment, it is better, which is clearly noticeable when racing against the backdrop of a dense forest or in the surroundings of large open spaces.

Testing was carried out during the race in the first stage of the Dirt Fish championship (Liske Forest, Michigan track). Five repetitions were performed to obtain a more accurate average result.

Selected Ultra graphics settings at 1920x1080 resolution with anisotropic filtering in 16x mode. Testing was carried out in modes without anti-aliasing and with anti-aliasing MSAA 4x for high-end cards.

Test results

Hitman: The Complete First Season

Let's immediately compare the results in different versions of DirectX.

Video cards of the Radeon RX 480/580/570 and GeForce GTX 1060 level demonstrate a performance increase of 2-7% when moving from DirectX 11 to DirectX 12. They get maximum acceleration at the minimum fps, that is, in heavy scenes the frame rate will be more stable and high. As for comparing the potential of the participants themselves, the GeForce GTX 1060 is located exactly between the Radeon RX 480 and Radeon RX 580. Taking into account overclocking, we can say that all these solutions are approximately the same level. Radeon RX 570 is 9-12% weaker than Radeon RX 480.

All other video cards show a decrease in performance in DirectX 12, even the top representative of the Kepler architecture - GeForce GTX 780 Ti. Worse performance may be due to both the weak potential of older architectures in the new DirectX API and the small amount of memory. The game is capable of loading 3-4 GB in Full HD, and in DirectX 12 the memory requirements increase. Against this background, only the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti with a new GPU and 4GB of memory stands out positively - there is a drop in fps, but it’s minimal.

Mass Effect: Andromeda

To enjoy the beautiful graphics in Andromeda, you need fairly powerful graphics cards. GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and weaker models absolutely cannot cope with Ultra quality. It is also worth noting that with a small difference between the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4 GB and the GeForce GTX 960 2 GB in games in large locations, the new card will show a serious advantage and smoother performance for the larger amount of memory. The game requires at least 4 GB of video memory for Full HD, although the GeForce GTX 780 Ti also copes well with its 3 GB. Radeon RX 570 in the simple 4 GB version will be faster. The Radeon RX 480 and Radeon RX 580 are slightly inferior to the GeForce GTX 1060 in the 6 GB version.

Prey (2017)

The new game from Arkane Studios demonstrates moderate system requirements. Even the GeForce GTX 960 and GeForce GTX 1050 Ti produce an average fps of more than 50 frames. But once again we note that 2 GB of video memory is extremely small. Under Full HD, the game needs at least 3 GB; with a smaller volume, you can observe long loading times for textures and sudden changes in performance in large locations. The Radeon RX 570 and GeForce GTX 780 Ti show identical results in this test, and the GeForce GTX 1060 is faster than the Radeon RX 480 and Radeon RX 580.

High performance of higher cards indicates that they can handle more difficult graphics modes. Therefore, additional testing was carried out in a resolution of 2560x1440.

The Radeon RX 570 suddenly loses ground relative to the GeForce GTX 780 Ti, and the old NVIDIA is approaching the Radeon RX 480. The GeForce GTX 1060 maintains its lead and lead over the Radeon RX 580.

The Surge

The advantage is on the side of AMD video adapters. The Radeon RX 580 is in the lead, and the GeForce GTX 1060 is somewhere at the level of the Radeon RX 570. In the segment of older models, the GeForce GTX 780 Ti has the lowest performance, but even the old one easily provides 60 fps and higher. The game loads around 4GB, so memory space plays an important role. The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is expectedly faster than the GeForce GTX 960 and Radeon R9 270X, but without a significant gap.

The game allows you to increase the quality of volumetric lighting above the standard maximum graphics settings. In this mode, additional testing of older participants was carried out.

Performance drops by 6-9% in average frame rate and up to 19% in minimum frame rate. The ratio between video adapters does not change much, although the GeForce GTX 1060 in this mode is already closer to the Radeon RX 480. Frankly speaking, increasing one parameter does not provide any special visual advantages. So it’s better to be content with the standard Very High settings.

Rime

The results in this game are sad. In terms of GPU requirements, this is the level of large projects with advanced graphics, which does not correspond to the real picture. And this mainly concerns AMD representatives. The Radeon RX 580 even loses to the GeForce GTX 780 Ti, not to mention the GeForce GTX 1060, which is out of reach. GeForce GTX 1050 Ti can produce about 30 fps; overclocking will achieve better results. On weaker video adapters you will have to lower all quality settings. However, the decrease in general attitudes from a very high to a high level is practically not noticeable visually.

Rising Storm 2: Vietnam

All participants showed good results in Rising Storm 2. But this is the maximum load with continuous shooting and explosions within the training range. In real battle conditions on larger, more detailed maps, the load will be higher and the performance will be lower. However, already with the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti we can confidently talk about a comfortable gaming experience. The GeForce GTX 960 also shows high fps, but at 2 GB you will see cloudy textures on some objects. The Radeon R9 270X is seriously inferior to these competitors. The older Radeon RXs are again losing to the GeForce GTX 780 Ti. The advantage of the GeForce GTX 1060 over the GeForce GTX 780 Ti is small.

Additional testing of senior participants was carried out in a resolution of 2560x1440.

Video adapters show high fps in this mode. NVIDIA still has a significant advantage. Radeon RX 580 is 29% weaker than GeForce GTX 780 Ti.

DiRT 4

The minimum option for Ultra quality without anti-aliasing is the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti; the video adapter will show optimal results when overclocked. GeForce GTX 780 Ti and GeForce GTX 1060 are inferior to Radeon RX 570 in terms of minimum fps, Radeon RX 480/580 is faster in all respects. The video memory load in the test race is about 3.3 GB.

Let's use high-quality MSAA anti-aliasing and compare older participants in this mode.

Anti-aliasing noticeably impacts the performance of the Radeon RX 570 video adapter, which is now weaker than the GeForce GTX 780 Ti. Radeon RX 580 and Radeon RX 480 remain in the lead. In general, all tested solutions allow you to play DiRT 4 with MSAA 4x anti-aliasing.

conclusions

High performance in all games will be provided by the Radeon RX 580, Radeon RX 480 and GeForce GTX 1060. As for the direct confrontation between them, the GeForce GTX 1060 is in the lead in four games, and the Radeon RX 580 is slightly faster in three. The Radeon RX 570 is weaker than the Radeon RX 580 by 10-20%. The GeForce GTX 780 Ti also performs well in modern games, but the old flagship is inferior to the GeForce GTX 1060 and is often closer to the performance level of the Radeon RX 570. Also, in some games, 3 GB of video memory is not enough for maximum graphics settings, this can act as a limiting factor. The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti has a sufficient memory capacity of 4 GB, but it is a lower-level video adapter, so it cannot handle the most demanding games with maximum graphics.

It is worth mentioning the testing results in Hitman: The Complete First Season. A lot of time has passed since the release of the first episode, during which the game authors and driver developers optimized performance in the new DirectX. Therefore, now modern video cards based on new architectures provide a slight advantage when rendering in DirectX 12. And this is true for both AMD and NVIDIA solutions. Owners of Radeon RX 480/580, GeForce GTX 1060 and more powerful graphics accelerators are better off using this mode. Users of simpler video adapters of older series are better off using DirectX 11. And even for new budget models with 4 GB, we would recommend DirectX 11.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is a resource-intensive, demanding game with beautiful, modern graphics. Prey demonstrates excellent optimization. You can play this shooter on graphics cards like GeForce GTX 1060 or Radeon RX 580, even at 2560x1440 resolution. The Surge also has very good optimization. The tough nut to crack was the RiME game, which is especially difficult for Radeon cards. Budget solutions in Rising Storm 2 have high performance, but the game really lacks 2 GB and needs more video memory. Also, Rising Storm 2 is an extremely processor-dependent game, and our high results are due, among other things, to the high potential of the test CPU.

Many users, when buying a mid-price video card, come to a difficult choice: take the 6 GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 or the 8 GB AMD Radeon RX 480. Since their release, developers have often optimized the drivers, so it’s difficult to say right away which is better, especially considering the cost they are approximately the same. Therefore, we decided to help you in this matter and compare them in current games at Full HD resolution.

For comparison, we were kindly provided with the already familiar Inno3D GeForce GTX 1060 6GB Compact video cards with a reference frequency formula of the GPU and memory and the HIS RX 480 IceQ X² Roaring OC 8GB, which has a slight GPU overclock, but for fair comparison it was slowed down to the reference level . The rest of the stand has not undergone any changes, so we can move on to analyzing the test results obtained.

Let's start with FarCryPrimal, which was launched with an ultra quality preset. The NVIDIA GTX 1060 was able to produce an average of 66 FPS versus 61 for the RX 480. That is, the difference is 8%. According to the minimum indicator, we again have +5 frames/s in favor of the GTX 1060, which is equivalent to 10%. Typically, the GTX 1060 performs better in DirectX 11, so the first results were not a surprise. Moreover, the size of the video buffer in this case does not play any role.

Go ahead. RainbowSixSiege with the ultra preset in DirectX 11 mode, it is better optimized for AMD video cards. In this case, the larger number of computational units and the wider memory bus of the AMD Radeon RX 480 probably played a role. As a result, 131 versus 123 FPS in its favor, which is equivalent to 6%. But in terms of the minimum indicator, the GTX 1060 is already ahead: 83 versus 79 fps, or almost 5%.

For start TheDivision The maximum graphics settings profile was selected with vertical sync disabled. Since the game supports launching in two modes, DirectX 11 and DirectX 12, we decided to combine all the indicators in one window, which allows us not only to compare the results of competitive video cards, but also to evaluate the gain from switching to a newer API. This is primarily observed in the RX 480: when switching to DirectX 12, its average increased from 60 to 66 FPS, that is, an increase of 9%. But the GTX 1060 performed better during the test in DirectX 11 mode, delivering an average of 59.5 FPS. In DirectX 12 mode, its result was 58 fps, but testing was carried out with a 378.66 driver, and in the new one, 378.78, you can expect an increase in its performance by approximately 1-3 FPS for this game. That is, with the new driver, the performance of the GTX 1060 in both modes will be approximately the same.

RiseoftheTombRaider provides a similar opportunity. With a very high graphics preset, the GTX 1060 takes the lead from the first frames, which it retained when using DirectX 11 mode. Its result was almost 81 FPS. The RX 480 has 72 fps in this mode, that is, the advantage of the first reached 12%. When switching to DirectX 12, the difference between them is reduced to 2 FPS or 3% in favor of the NVIDIA GTX 1060. The new driver did not provide much of an increase, so to run on NVIDIA Pascal it is better to use DirectX 11, and in the case of AMD Polaris you should switch to DirectX 12. But according to the minimum indicator, the RX 480 in DirectX 12 mode won in two scenes out of three. And only in the first scene did the GTX 1060 triumph in DirectX 11 mode.

Demanding DeusExMankindDivided with ultra settings it is merciless to both video cards in both modes. But still, the RX 480 performed better in both the 11th and 12th versions of DirectX. In the first case, the average performance was 46 versus 43 FPS, which corresponds to 6%, and in the second - 48 versus 43 or + 11% in favor of the RX 480. But according to the minimum indicator, it won only in DirectX 11: 19 frames/s versus 17 .5, which is equivalent to 7%. When switching to the new API, the GTX 1060 already took the lead: 34 versus 24 FPS, that is, by 45%. Let us remind you that the new driver increased the performance of the GTX 1080 video card by a maximum of 2 FPS, so we do not expect any special increase.

The most difficult and controversial test is HITMAN, since the new driver improved the performance of the GTX 1080 by 8%, so GTX 1060 owners should expect some bonus. Choosing ultra quality settings led to the following results: in DirectX 11 mode, the performance was 80.5 versus 71 FPS in favor of the RX 480, which corresponds to an increase of 13%. When switching to DirectX 12, the results are again in favor of the RX 480: 85 versus 73 fps, that is, it is ahead by 17%. If we increase the performance of the GTX 1060 by 8% increase from the new driver version, we will get 79 frames/s, but this is not enough to change the leader.

GTAV at very high settings, it clearly prefers a system with a GTX 1060. The game does not have DirectX 12 mode, where the RX 480 could try to catch up, and in approximately the same scenes we have a difference of 12 FPS: 74 versus 62 fps in favor of the GTX 1060, which is equivalent to an increase of 19%.

For start Assassin" sCreed Syndicate a profile with maximum graphics settings was used. And again, in the only DirectX 11 mode, the advantage is on the side of the GTX 1060: in approximately the same scenes we have 33 versus 28 FPS, which is equivalent to 18%.

DOOM is the only game in our test set where the battle is not between different versions of DirectX, but between OpenGL and Vulkan. With ultra quality settings you can observe a very interesting picture. It was recorded in approximately the same scene and is, by and large, typical for this game. In OpenGL mode, the GTX 1060 feels better: 135 FPS versus 102 provides it with a 32% bonus. But after switching to Vulkan, the situation changes to the opposite: with a score of 163 versus 110, the RX 480 wins. In relative units, its advantage reaches an impressive 48%. Although, of course, the results of an objective benchmark would be more accurate, nevertheless NVIDIA Pascal feels better in OpenGL, and AMD Polaris in Vulkan.

IN Battlefield 1 There is also no built-in benchmark, but there is support for two versions of DirectX, which we took advantage of by running the game at ultra settings. Again, the conclusions will be subjective and based on a roughly similar scene, since various explosions and NPC actions introduce variation in the indicators. However, you can expect higher FPS in DirectX 11. The result was 80 versus 82 fps in favor of the GTX 1060, which is equivalent to a 2.5% bonus. But in DirectX 12, there is a drop in performance in both cases, but it turns out to be in favor of the RX 480: 77 versus 72 FPS in its favor, which is equivalent to 7%.

Developers Dishonored 2 There was no announcement yet about the transition to DirectX 12, so the game was launched at ultra settings in DirectX 11 mode. Subjectively, in one of the calm opening scenes we see a 21% advantage for the GTX 1060. In absolute terms, we have 55 versus 66 frames/s.

IN RESIDENTEVIL 7 We not only selected the maximum quality parameters, but also included maximum scaling to limit the load on video cards. As a result, the RX 480 takes the lead. In approximately the same scenes we have 42 versus 34 fps, which corresponds to an increase of 23.5%.

Loved by many Rust we launched with maximum quality settings. The game is online, so it’s more difficult to compare gameplay than in a story-based project. Nevertheless, in a similar scene we see the advantage of the GTX 1060 over the RX 480. In digital form it is 68 versus 60 FPS or 13%. Two points should be noted though. Firstly, in both cases, freezes and drawdowns were observed in places. Secondly, the picture in the system with the GTX 1060 was subjectively brighter and more beautiful.

MafiaIII at high graphics settings it performs better on the RX 480. In the scene on the bridge we see 63 versus 57 FPS, which is equivalent to 10.5%. And the picture, again, is brighter in the system with the GTX 1060. If you move closer to the central part of the city, the situation evens out. In some moments, even by 1-2 FPS the GTX 1060 can come out ahead.

And here WATCH_ DOGS 2 at ultra quality settings it is better optimized for NVIDIA Pascal. In one of the similar scenes, we see the GTX 1060's 5 FPS advantage: 42 versus 37 fps. This is equivalent to 13.5%. Although, of course, in some places the indicators level out or even the RX 480 can briefly take the lead, so an objective benchmark would give more accurate values.

IN Titanfall 2 insane texture quality requires 8 GB of video memory, so the RX 480 already had a certain handicap from the very beginning. And she was able to use it perfectly. In one of the similar scenes, it produced 110 FPS, while the GTX 1060 is only capable of 92. That is, the difference was 18 frames/s or 20%. In some places the gap narrowed, in others it widened, but the advantage of the RX 480 in this case was undeniable.

Ends our test session SniperElite 4 , which supports two operating modes. With ultra quality settings in DirectX 11, the GTX 1060 performs better. In one of the similar scenes, it produced 59 FPS, and the RX 480 was 3 frames/s less. That is, the difference was 5%. After switching to DirectX 12, the situation changes: 83 versus 79 fps or +5% in favor of the RX 480.

Results

As a result, if we take into account the various operating modes and the results for the minimum and average FPS, we ended up with a draw. It is not possible to calculate the average for all tests in order to more accurately determine the leader due to the lack of objective benchmarks in a number of games. But in general, you can see that the NVIDIA GTX 1060 performs better in projects created for DirectX 11 and OpenGL. In turn, the AMD Radeon RX 480 almost always outperforms its competitor in DirectX 12 and Vulkan mode. Although in both cases there are exceptions. In other words, if you are building a system for current games and hits of past years, then the GTX 1060 looks a little better. If you are looking at future projects and some current new products, then you can look towards the AMD Radeon RX 480. In any case, both video cards show worthy competition and their price parity is quite justified.

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No matter what performance standards the flagships of the new series of graphics adapters reach, no matter how many news stories they create, most users always expect representatives of the mid-price range. It is in this range that NVIDIA is releasing a newcomer. Today we will get acquainted with the design and structure of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 in the reference variation Founders Edition.

Introductory section

First, let's go through a couple of presentation slides. Everything here is quite familiar, since the GeForce GTX 1060 is a representative of the tenth series of NVIDIA, it simply “picks up” technologies that were already presented at the time of the announcement of the GeForce GTX 1070 and GeForce GTX 1080. Of course, the GeForce GTX 1060 is based on the Pascal architecture. Let me remind you, unlike its predecessors at Maxwell, a transition to a 16-nanometer technical process was made, and the use of FinFET transistors in the structure began. You can also note support for Simultaneous Multi-Projection technology, which provides optimizations for virtual reality helmets and systems with multi-screen assemblies.

Among the software innovations, it is worth noting the Ansel complex, which allows you to take screenshots, or, more precisely, game photos in the free 360-degree camera mode with a huge original resolution. The technology is not applicable to all existing games and must be added by the developer. I managed to try it out in the game Mirror`s Edge Catalyst. To be honest, it’s interesting! Now it will be easier to get a unique poster for the whole room. Let me note that the technology is also available on cards of previous generations; the full list is on the page dedicated to Ansel.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 received a graphics core labeled GP106. In total, it contains 10 SMs assemblies, which ultimately gives 1280 CUDA stream processors, 80 texture units and 48 raster modules. The frequency formula of the GTX 1060 is at around 1506 MHz, and in Boost mode up to 1708 MHz. In the video memory part, 6 GB are soldered with a 192-bit working bus. The declared thermal package is at around 120 W.

By tradition, we immediately attach a screenshot of the GPU-Z utility indicating the nominal frequencies. The utility worked correctly and successfully recognized the new product.

With this we move on to examining the map.

Visual inspection

Visually, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition uses a design style already familiar from the first cards of the tenth series. The metal casing of the cooling system is also available in two colors: black and silver. Only this time there was a slight reverse, the area around the turbine became metallic, and the black went down to the sides of the card. The structure of the casing, especially in the turbine area, contains many transitions and protrusions, which generally reminded me of the features of a ship...

And since we’re on the subject of ships, I’ll call the older GTX 1070 and GTX 1080 massive aircraft carriers, and the GTX 1060 will be a small and nimble attack aircraft. If we talk in millimeters, then the width of the variation does not go beyond two expansion slots, but the length, taking into account the cooling system, is 252 millimeters, which no longer fits into the compact Mini-ITX form factor.

Speaking about the length of the card, it was not in vain that I mentioned the cooling system. The fact is that the turbine exceeds the dimensions of the printed circuit board by about 75 millimeters. In implementing this approach, two points can be noted. First, the cooling system casing is located at the level of the printed circuit board, that is, when you take the card in your hands, it feels like a single block. The second point, despite the “short printed circuit board”, the engineers moved the 6-pin power connector to the corner of the cooling system. I think aesthetes will be pleased :).

On the side of the cooling system there is the already familiar inscription GEFORCE GTX. It is made in a rich green color and has a uniform backlight, which is familiar to users from many series of recent years. As for me, it is precisely because of this that fans of the manufacturer may want to purchase a Founders Edition card.

To connect displays, the following set of ports is used: three DisplayPort, one HDMI and one DVI-D. As you can see, the set is identical to older cards and you can’t connect an old monitor to VGA using adapters, but that’s for the best, it’s mid-2016 after all.

The back side of the cooling system has an area for air supply. The radiator starts from here. Looking ahead, I will say that there is one point with this radiator, which we will find out about after disassembling the map.

WHAT'S UNDER THE CASING?

Disassembling the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition is not a complicated process, but not a trivial one either. There are four bolts in the area of ​​the video output strip, then a dozen for fixing the base of the cooling system. Four spring-loaded bolts are used to secure the main heatsink to the graphics core. We note that the backplate to cover the back side of the printed circuit board is not detected.

I have never received cards with a relocated power connector before, and I don’t remember any of them at all. Therefore, after unscrewing the cooling system, the situation was not quite usual: the power cables are soldered to the printed circuit board and go to the connector through the casing. Among the usual features are connectors for connecting a turbine and a backlight unit. In this state, you can replace the thermal interface of the graphics core.

If you apply a little more effort and unscrew about four hex bolts, you can take a look at the structure of the cooling system. As a result, it consists of a casing, a metal base with a turbine, a dissipating block and a small “back” radiator.

A radiator with a high-quality copper core is responsible for heat removal.

The radiator has 37 fins and uses a pair of seals to maintain directed flow.

The rear side radiator is attached to the guide frame with two bolts. Their contact does not use any thermal interface; it does not get particularly warm during operation. It’s true, this part is assigned more protective and visual functions.

There are thermal pads for cooling video memory chips and main microcircuits. The pressure on the microcircuits is good, there is contact over the entire area.

As you can see, the cooling of the GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition is well made and visually neat. Let's see how the system shows itself in practice.

Printed circuit board

The GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition PCB is compact and fits perfectly into the Mini-ITX format. It looks like the cooling system was specially made to be of good quality to demonstrate the capabilities of the graphics core. As you can see, the main set of elements is located on the front side of the PCB; here are all the video memory chips and the main elements of the power system. Yes, the power adapter does not look familiar.

Marking of the graphics crystal GP106-400-A1. The crystal was released during the 20th week of the current year and does not have a protective frame. The size of the crystal itself is not large and is 200 mm².

To set the declared video memory capacity of 6GB, six chips labeled K4G80325FB are used, these are the familiar GDDR5 chips from Samsung.

The power supply system for the graphics core is three-phase, video memory is single-phase. It is noteworthy that for all phases on the printed circuit board there are spaces for additional elements; by default, one E6930 GA6F12 assembly is soldered for each phase.

At this point we finish the visual inspections and move on to testing.

Temperature conditions, Overclocking, Game test results, Conclusions

WE TEST

For tests, we used a test bench with the following configuration.

• Processor: ;
• Cooling system: Noctua NH-D15S
• Motherboard: Asus Maximus VIII Formula;
• RAM: Corsair VENGEANCE LPX CMK8GX4M2A2666C16 8 GB (2X4 GB);
• Hard drive: (for system);
• Power unit: .

During testing, the processor frequency and voltage were manually fixed at 4600 MHz at a voltage of 1.456 V, all power saving options were disabled. Fan speed control options were also disabled by default.

As always, we started testing by studying temperature indicators. With the original frequency settings and automatic fan mode, in gaming applications the maximum graphics temperature reached 75°C. At the same time, the cooler speed was around 63% of the maximum, and the frequency in Boost mode reached 1822 MHz. In idle mode, the card's turbine did not stop.

If you set the cooler speed at 85% in manual mode, the operating temperature drops to 66°C and the frequency increases to 1847 MHz. It is interesting that at such turbine speeds, even without headphones, the video card does not “deliver” with its presence. It turns out that the “boost” frequency is significantly higher than the declared 1708 MHz (tests were carried out in summer mode with an ambient temperature of 28°C).

More about noise. The noise characteristics were measured using a digital sound level meter, from a distance of ~30cm, the minimum noise measurement limit is 30dB, the noise level in the room is 31.6-32.1dB, data below 32.1-33.1dB can be considered absolutely noiseless, the error may be 1.5-2dB. The results are divided into three blocks, based on fan rotation speed.

It must be admitted that in automatic mode, the GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition variation balances well between the noise emitted and the operating frequency. I was pleasantly surprised when, after launching gaming tests, I did not immediately hear the card on the open test bench.

After testing in standard modes, we decided to overclock the experimental one. For this, the latest available version of the EVGA Precision XOC utility was used, the values ​​of the POWER TARGET and TEMP TARGET parameters were set to their maximum positions, and no other modifications were used. As a result, the graphics core frequency was able to overcome the bar of 1599 MHz, and the RAM stopped at 2187 MHz - this is at nominal frequencies. As we understand, for the Boost mode everything depended on the operating mode of the cooling system.

So, in automatic mode, the cooler spun up to the already familiar 64%, the operating temperature was fixed at 76°C (ten degrees more than the nominal), and the frequency exceeded the threshold of 2 GHz and amounted to 2025 MHz.

When the turbine was installed at 100%, the frequency passed the mark of 2062 MHz. The chip has a clear headroom for overclocking capabilities, adding a more powerful cooling system and playing with voltages...

To visually reflect the gain from overclocking, we used synthetic tests. For comparison, the recently announced AMD Radeon RX 480 in a reference version was chosen as an opponent. For testing in games, the working resolution was set to 1920x1080, all settings available in the game or benchmark options were set to maximum. Full-screen anti-aliasing was also set to the maximum available mode. The graphs show the average and minimum (where available) FPS indicators of the built-in gaming benchmarks.

SUMMARY

So, what conclusions can be drawn from the results of our acquaintance with the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 in the Founders Edition? Of course, the transition to a new 16-nm process technology has improved performance characteristics. So, with minor manipulations with overclocking, the frequency of the graphics core can exceed the threshold of 2 GHz. At the same time, at nominal frequencies, while maintaining the thermal package, the card managed to get closer to the first flagships of previous generations.

Speaking of overclocking and increasing clock frequencies, the cooling system in the Founders Edition demonstrated good performance. Out of the box, the GeForce GTX 1060 remains quiet, even for an open test bench, and at the same time manages to operate at frequencies higher than stated. It’s a pity there is no complete stop of the cooler in 2D mode, for those who like absolute silence, so to speak. Well, the appearance of the Founders Edition should please fans of the manufacturer.

By default, the Founders Edition variation will be available only in some regions, on the manufacturer’s online platforms, at a price of $299, while the recommended price tag for partner variations starts at $249. If we talk about domestic retail, then partner variations should start at 18,990 rubles. A short period of time will show what numbers we actually see.

The same Radeon RX 480 in the capital's retail stores can now be found for about 19,500 rubles, and it is inferior in performance to the heroine of today's review, and in some tests the gap is reduced to a minimum, in others, on the contrary, it seems very decent. Here I would like to point out that the Radeon RX 480 in the reference version does not support operating frequencies very well and sometimes reduces them, while the GeForce GTX 1060, on the contrary, operates at frequencies higher than stated. I think it will be interesting to compare these variations in “pumped up” performance from partners, but this is a topic for a separate article.