GTX970 vs 1060? Help needed!

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mohi95

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Jun 15, 2016
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Hello!

I recently bought a GTX970 before the release of the 1060, but I am questoning if I should return my 970 for a 1060. I'm only playing games in 1080p (not 2/4k), with an i7 4930k, 24G DDR3 + X79 Deluxe MOBO. I've tried to compare the two cards in every aspect (performance-wise), but I really can't make up my mind which card is truly the best. I've been watching some benchmarks of the GTX1060 vs 970/980/RX480, and the results are not giving me a clear winner between the GTX970 or 1060. The 1060 wins about 70 / 30 ratio over the 970 in video games.

I know the 1060 doesn't support SLI, but I was never planning to go for SLI @ 1080p gaming. The 1060 also has 2GB more of DDR5 VRAM, AND higher clock speed than the 970. Are there anything else than VRAM, SLI support and clock speeds that differs these 2 cards (performance wise)?
(Btw, question about VRAM: What do I need extra VRAM for? I've read somewhere that it helps having extra VRAM for Anti Aliasing, but what more do I need VRAM for?)

Firestrike results (taken from /watch?v=46kuyFyQfLk @ 5:45):
970: 12766
1060: 14202

Passmark comparison: =3548&cmp[]=2954]http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=3548&cmp[]=2954
I mean, the 1060 scores better on Passmark's test in addition to Firestrike, and it's cheaper or to be realistic: Same price as a 970.

What do you guys think? Should I go keep my 970, or send it back for full refund and get a 1060 instead? I want the best card for current generation games, and also for the future (DX12). I've heard rumors that people are not to happy about the 1060 for future-proofing, why is that? Thanks so much for reading my post, and hopefully answering all the questions asked :)
 
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kaptainkuftic

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Jul 26, 2016
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980>1060>970>780, so the 1060 is a step up from where you are, but not by much.

Both are great for 1080p gaming, but the 1060 will "future proof" your rig longer.

Personally, if I was looking down the barrel of a 970 refund now that 10xx are out, I would do it. But that's me.
 
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mohi95

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Jun 15, 2016
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Thanks for the answers, all three of you :)

Btw, you didn't answer my question about VRAM : P

"(question about VRAM: What do I need extra VRAM for? I've read somewhere that it helps having extra VRAM for Anti Aliasing, but what more do I need VRAM for?)"
 
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gravitybell07

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VRAM is used to store textures and other code or information that your video card needs quick access to. Typically, higher resolutions and multiple display setups require more VRAM because you need higher resolution textures and data to run them. If you're gaming at 1080p, then 4GB is enough for most games. There are the exceptional few like Shadows of Mordor or GTAV that can push it close to or over 4GB. When that happens, you'll have some stuttering as the video card needs to start accessing regular system RAM, which is a lot slower.
 
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Mustangace

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Nov 5, 2016
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If you want the option to do VR in the near future (and who knows what you will be doing in a year or so) or gaming at 2k resolution with a 1440p monitor then the extra VRAM is good to have. It won't give you more fps but will keep games playing smoothly.

I've noticed that there are GTX 1060 cards with only 3GB of RAM and they are listed as VR ready, but I would pay the extra for the 6GB since these cards cannot do SLI.

Actually, I just ordered a GTX 1060 6GB card to replace my current GTX 960 4GB because it is better/faster by a pretty large margin and doesn't require more watts from my power supply. I want to be able to play my favorite game on max settings, which I can only do on custom high settings at the moment @ 1080p.
 
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Marco72

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Dec 24, 2016
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I've recently run 2 GTX 970s. A Gigabyte Xtreme Gaming (Overall the best GPU I've owned) and an Asus Strix which was surprisingly very disappointing when compared to the Gigabyte. I've now "upgraded" to a Gigabyte GTX 1060 6GB Xtreme Gaming and didn't get the "wow, glad I upgraded" buzz at all! You can currently buy GTX 970s for around £150 which I believe is the smart buyers choice at the moment. My 1060 cost £290. That's a difference of £140! You could probably pick up 2 X 970s for the same cost and they'd destroy a single 1060. Basically my experience so far is that although a little better performing, the 1060 doesn't perform £140 better! And in real world game playing both cards give excellent frame rates which are more than adequate. If I could turn back the clock, I'd opt for 2 X 970s and massively increase my systems performance. That's not to say the 1060 isn't a good card because it certainly is, however I believe that one's cash is better spent strategically in the SH marketplace.
 
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RazorBaller

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Jan 9, 2017
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Those two cards are both pretty = except on the vram. The gtx is only working with 3.5gb which limits you to pretty much 1080p gaming on games. But I'd keep the gtx 970 for now till the price of the 1070 comes down to around $320. Then jump on it like it's on fire. The 1060 had less Cuda cores and less stuff that makes the extra vram kinda pointless . You're not gonna be playing in 4k with a 1060 in high very high settings. The 1070 can tho and the 1080 in ultra but even then the gtx1080 isn't going to be running ultra in high fps on 4k.

So I'm simply saying be happy with the gtx 970 and wait till the 1070 falls in price, trust me it by this time next year.
 
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Daniel Jones

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Dec 8, 2013
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I agree, I see no reason to upgrade my 2 strix 970's, I'm very happy playing in 1080p res and get excellent frame rates! I also have a 4970k so I won't be upgrading for at least 3 years! Get a secondhand 970!
 
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