Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB vs. 6 GB Version: Which One Should Consumers Get?
Nvidia has designed two reference models for the GeForce GTX 1060, one with 3 GB of memory, the other with 6 GB. As this decision leaves buyers scratching their heads, is there a difference aside from the price?
Buyers should know that Nvidia is not just cutting down the video memory of its GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB model by half. Aside from less memory, this variant also packs 1,152 shader units, which is 128 less than the 6 GB model's 1,280 shaders. Still, NVidia chose to name it a GTX 1060 instead of, say, GTX 1060 LE, as Eurogamer wondered.
NVidia justifies this by implying that with the same name comes similar performance; meaning that the 3 GB model performs within 5 percent of the 6 GB model. The difference is such that the typical PC gamer would not even notice the difference.
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Testing these claims reveal that the new GTX 1060 with 3 GB can indeed keep up with the 6 GB model, as long as the testing field is limited to 1080p resolution gaming. In this setup, the discount in memory and shader units does not show as much.
The GTX 1060 6 GB model, however, performs much better on 1440p resolution and higher. On tests using "Hitman" and "Assassin's Creed Unity," that five-percent gap widens to 15 percent in terms of performance.
Overall, the 6 GB model has a more consistent performance, especially on games running at more than 1080p resolution, or using memory-intensive effects like multi-sampled anti-aliasing (MSAA). The gap in terms of price is now close enough for PC gamers to seriously consider the 6 GB models, which sell for just a few dollars more.
The video below shows the NVidia GeForce GTX 1060 in its Founder's Edition form, as it launched NVidia's new Pascal architecture a year ago. The 6 GB variant of this GPU is now available from NVidia's website, or from various retailers including Best Buy, Newegg, NCIX, Micro Center, Canada Computers, B&H and Memory Express.
