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bloodroses

bloodroses

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So, I'm thinking about replacing my video card with a new one. I am running a mini-itx case with a water cooling unit in it, so I am limited to short length video cards. I currently have a AMD 7770 ghz edition card and my monitor is freesync supported. I have asked about if a RX 480 mini might be coming out in the future, but have only gotten troll replies back. So currently, the only options currently available are the 460 (underpowered), or a 1060.

Right now, with the 1060, there are 4 models I am looking at; all the 6gb version. I am not considering the 3gb versions of the card due to nvidia 'crippling' them in comparison.

The EVGA 1060 6gb
https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Support-Graphics-06G-P4-6161-KR/dp/B01IPVSGEC/

The EVGA 1060 6gb superclocked
https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Support-Graphics-06G-P4-6163-KR/dp/B01IPVSLTC

The Zotac 1060 mini
https://www.amazon.com/ZOTAC-GeForce-Compact-Graphics-ZT-P10600A-10L/dp/B01IA9FEOO

The Gigabyte 1060 mini OC
https://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GeForce-GDDR5-Graphics-GV-N1060IXOC-6GD/dp/B01KQUDCQW

Of these 4 cards, which is of the best quality for heat/reliability/noise. I know that the EVGA superclocked is $10 more than the other 3, but is the only difference the clockspeeds? And if so, is it worth the premium? Or, should I wait to see if AMD comes out with a faster mini based video card (that isn't near $500 like the nano)?
 
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Math Geek
that hot spot was only the ftw model. the sc model is nowhere near as over-engineered and does not need the extra phase cooling that the ftw needs. that's not the one you are looking at so not a worry. and it is NOT an issue with the 1060 cards of any make.

the mistake evga made was not actively cooling the power phases area of the card on the ftw pcb. they are offering free thermal pads as a solution for those who bought the card. which is enough to fix the problem. the mini cards you are looking at are not anywhere near as complicated as the overblown ftw/classified cards so no need to worry.

they are very basic with minimal phases and a lot less power used to have to cool away from the card.
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O0mix0O

O0mix0O

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Based on the 4 you've linked, I would personally go with the Superclocked EVGA.

- The $10 premium (imo) isn't that big of a step up at this price point, and while you could save it and go for the normal one, it's the luck of the draw as to if you'll be able to OC it to that speed yourself.
- While I haven't used it myself, I've heard EVGAs customer support and RMA process are both fantastic.
- The ACX cooler is brilliant

Hope this helps!
 
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Math Geek

Math Geek

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there is actually a 1070 mini model if you want/need more power the gigabyte mini 1070 http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5923#kf

but for the 1060 models, they all run a bit warmer due to only 1 fan (as will the 1070 card) but none are warm enugh to worry about. this thread has links to specs and reviews if you want to read some http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3047729/nvidia-geforce-gtx-1000-series-megathread-faq-resources.html#17902600 this same thread has more 1060 models that are nice and small to add to your choices.

but any of those would be very similar to the others in fps, temps and noise.
 
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bloodroses

bloodroses

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I have heard similar about EVGA's service/quality. I am curious if there is actually much of a frame rate difference at the slightly higher clock speeds.

The gigabyte seems to run close to the superclocks speeds at $10 less, but I have heard concerns of gigabyte video cards over the years; great motherboards though.

With Zotac, I know they're quite popular in the mini pc market with low power solutions; but haven't heard much about their higher end stuff.






Hmm, interesting they did a 1070 mini. I can only imagine how bad the heat on that thing must be. The $400 price tag is a little much for me though since I don't game enough to be able to justify it.
 
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O0mix0O

O0mix0O

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I honestly can't say much about Zotac as I've not used them. However, if you're concerned about power draw, you could view each vendor's product page and see if they display estimated power usage?

When comparing the same model of GPU, a higher clock speed is always better. However, you're correct in wondering about visible gain. You probably won't notice a difference between the 2, especially if you're running games at max. With this in mind, if you wanted to save $10 and get the GB version and OC it yourself, you'd probably be able to reach the superclock speeds. (Personally I just like to get the best I can from the factory!)
 
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bloodroses

bloodroses

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I can understand your fear with video cards exploding. I've had 4 Nvidia cards blow up on me over the years, taking out the motherboard/laptop in the process as well; 8600m being the last one. Usually it was due to fan failure outside that last one; which ended up being a defect/lawsuit issue. It's why I have been sticking with AMD these last couple generations. Hopefully that situation has improved since then.

As for a lack of a 480 mini, I feel that this is a major lost opportunity for AMD since Nvidia already has something out in the market; with even a 1070 version released that I just found out about.
 
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Math Geek

Math Geek

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that hot spot was only the ftw model. the sc model is nowhere near as over-engineered and does not need the extra phase cooling that the ftw needs. that's not the one you are looking at so not a worry. and it is NOT an issue with the 1060 cards of any make.

the mistake evga made was not actively cooling the power phases area of the card on the ftw pcb. they are offering free thermal pads as a solution for those who bought the card. which is enough to fix the problem. the mini cards you are looking at are not anywhere near as complicated as the overblown ftw/classified cards so no need to worry.

they are very basic with minimal phases and a lot less power used to have to cool away from the card.
 
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