MSI GTX 1060 3GB vs MSI RX 470 4GB

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Tgeer276

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Hey Guys, a question here based on the recent GTX 1060 3gb release by Nvidia:

Here in Germany some models of the new 3gb variant of the 1060 have already been listed with their according prices and the RX 470 models are also already offered and regarding the Gaming X model from MSI they have a price difference of 5€ at 234-239€.
I know that information on the 3gb variant of the 1060 is currently still scarce and I know what the general opinion on less than 4gb of VRAM is (talking 1080p here) for gaming, but I found a review on the MSI Gaming X 1060 3GB.

1060 3gb: http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/msi-geforce-gtx-1060-gaming-x-3gb-review,1.html
470 8gb: (I realise this is the 8gb but makes hardly a difference in 1080p. Just for reference) http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/msi-radeon-rx-470-gaming-x-8gb-review,1.html

Based on the review, the 1060 seems to have no issues with any games despite its 3gb Vram and even improves on the rx470 by 5-10% in several games. Which would you consider the wiser choice of the 2? I would put the rx480 in the running, but here in Germany you can only get 2 models with 4gb and those run a bit too warm or loud for the HTPC I want to install the card in according to reviews...
 
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burgessanthony

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1060 3gb is a poor choice. Too many games been at 1080p hitting and exceeding the 3gb vram barrier. Will only get worse (before it maybe gets better with advanced compression etc). 1060 is decently more powerful than the 470 as a gpu however.
 
IceMyth

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Hi,

There are few differences:

First the ability to SLI or CrossFire (Having 2 GPU running at the same time which require MB support for that). You cant with 1060 to SLI while with all RX series you can CrossFire them if needed.

Second, the scenario is a game requires at least 4GB GPU. Which in this case the 1060 will be incompatible while the RX will work fine. However, I never ran to this issue as all games I played like Tera, Overwatch, LoL, Diablo3 and other mmorpg

Lastly, all depends on games or applications you want to run and how demanding they are. To summarize this, if you are not planning to SLI/CrossFire and you wont play games that will require more than 3GB GPU then go with the 1060 otherwise go with RX.

Regards,
 
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Tgeer276

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I have also myself read multiple times that less than 4gb of vram can cut it pretty close for 1080p gaming already but how come the 3gb model of the 1060 still performs flawlessly in the review (^link in first post) above then when those games were run at highest or next to highest settings? Moreover those were partially also rather big titles ...
 
Rogue Leader

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There are some games that require more than 4 gb for certain max details (Doom for example). Also if you run out of VRAM your GPU rolls over to system ram which is slower but doesn't stop the game, it can cause some slower performance.

There are no games out right now that require more than 2gb of VRAM, and in the worst case there may be games in the future where you need to drop a couple details for it to work perfectly, but you should still be fine at 3gb.
 
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burgessanthony

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Agree, no games require more, but average fps won't tell the full story. Even min fps won't. The issue is stutter and hitching when the 3gb barrier is broken. It's still rare at 1080, I see it alot at 2560x1080. Almost every game except witcher 3 hits 3-3.5.

Just seems a poor investment right now.
 
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Tgeer276

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so RX 470 is the better option? Or rx 480 once a couple other brands release their 4gb variants like Asus and MSI... Here in Germany there really isn't a big price gap between rx 470 and rx 480 (both 4gb). Just wish MSI would finally release its 4gb variant of the 480 cause all the 8gb models are ridiculously overpriced for their performance here. Cost the same as the 1060 but as everyone knows, they still run a little hotter, louder and draw more power.
 
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burgessanthony

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480 4gb is a better choice than the 1060 3gb, purely due to the vram issue. 1060 6gb is best of the lot unless you KNOW you are going to be playing dx12 games whereby the 480 can do well.

1060 6gb is go to recommendation at 1080p, unless the 480 is much cheaper (in some places it is).
 
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Tgeer276

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Well compared to the rx480 4gb the 1060 6gb here in germany is in completely different price category. The same Models from the same brands (for instance msi gaming X) cost as an rx 480 4gb ~250€ (most likely, not out yet) while as a 1060 6gb ~320-330€ ...
And besides, for 1080p gaming the 480 4gb is more than good enough already, so is the rx470 in fact. The problem is that since the GPU will be in a small enclosure (Fractal Design Node 202), a warm card like the sapphire models (all rather warm) arent the best idea, which is why I'm probably gonna go for the MSI Gaming X cause it has great cooling, great performance and low noise levels and is on average of this gen of GPUs one of the best overall i think based on reviews.
Problem:
SO far no MSI rx 480 4gb model | Msi rx 470: ~234€ | Msi gtx1060 3gb: ~239€ ...

So currently really just waiting for MSI's rx 480 4gb model, compare the price with the 1060 3gb and rx470 and see which is the best choice.
 
renz496

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for win 10 machine this probably not much of an issue.
 
renz496

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used to owned 960 2GB myself. in shadow of mordor pushing the texture to ultra is one easy way to increase VRAM usage. using win 7 with ultra texture in SoM i can see VRAM usage peg at around 2048mb using rivatuner OSD and there is massive stutter. the game simply unplayable due to it. but with win 10 even if i use the same setting there is not a single stutter happen. another game that was smooth in win 10 was Assassin Creed Unity. funny thing is my 960 2GB are much more smooth (in terms of stutter) than my GTX970 despite the game demanding more than 2GB VRAM. but with my 970 once the VRAM exceed 3.5GB mark there will be slight stutter from time to time. and i'm not the only one noticing this. several people also notice this behavior where with win 10 the same setting ends up much more smoother than it is in win 7.
 
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burgessanthony

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Yes, and I'm still not convinced. I'm no OS expert, and it may well manage tbunts better, but I had a 2gb 270x before the 390 on windows 10 and ABSOLUTELY experienced hitching and stutter once that 2gb was maxed. Advanced warfare was one example. Pushed me to upgrade.

Anyway, bottom line, 4gb vram is ideal.
 
Rogue Leader

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If we are bringing the RX 480 into the mix the RX 480 4GB is far better than either choice (470 or 1060 3gb). Faster than the 470, better DX12 support than the 1060 and more memory, its a no brainer.
 
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Tgeer276

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Well depending on regional pricing obviously ...
In my case for instance, I'm only keeping my eye on MSI's models and in Germany MSI hasn't even released half of all its AMD rx470/480 cards so at this point of time I can only compare the Gaming X models:
MSI Gaming X RX480 4gb: ~250-260€
MSI Gaming X RX470 4gb: 229€
MSI Gaming X GTX1060 3gb: 239€

Btw, for people who have a little knowledge on MSI's GPU models, which model makes the most sense?
I'm leaning towards the Gaming X model but apparently the only difference to the Gaming model is the backplate and a very slightly higher clock speed that you can also simply achieve via overclocking...
 
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Tgeer276

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I also saw that vid - based on that it looks like the 1060 3gb has got some really well-compressed memory and performs on average at 1080p nearly exactly as good as the rx480 - Especially at a price point of 239€ (Msi gaming x) opposed to 229€ for the rx470 (msi gaming x 4gb, but NO backplate) and ~250-260€ for the rx480 (msi gaming x 4gb).
Not to mention lower power draw and lower thermals...
 
clutchc

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Indeed it does. And in some of the more Nvidia-optimized games, it actually outclasses the RX-480 by a bit. Just as importantly, the 3GB didn't seem to produce any Frame-Time issues. Something I would have expected with less VRAM.

However, keep in mind that those are today's games. VRAM demand is only going to increase over time as developers take advantage of the newer high VRAM-equipped cards.
 
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Tgeer276

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Thats the reason I'm still rather hesitant to make a final choice - the rx 470 is for me the only alternative since the rx480s run across the board too warm for an HTPC in my opinion and also cost again more.
But all cards on the table, the 1060 3gb just has a better value compared to the rx 470 i believe ... I'm actually still surprised by how low the 1060 3gb models r priced compared to their 6gb counterparts when in 1080p they only lack about 5% the performance ... the difference in Germany is for every model is around 70-80€.
 
clutchc

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AMD is said to have a better DX12 solution than Nvidia, if that matters. I'm still using Win7, so I can't speak from experience on that matter. Only what I read. Do you need an extremely short card for your HTPC?
 
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Tgeer276

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Extremely short no - anything under 30cm fits fine, tho after assessing reviews on different cards, I thought the MSI gaming X cards were pretty damn good. Amongst rx470 models in really only looking at MSI's cards, but with the 1060's I'm not sure which other brands are also good...
 
clutchc

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I think I've had every make of gfx card more than once (by far) over the years. New and used both. I reall haven't had any issues with any of them. Some ran cooler than others, some had better design. But none that I could say "stay away from XXX".

Evga used to have (and may still) the best warranty in the business. I've probably had more Evga cards (Nvidia) than any other. Sapphire (AMD) would be next, I think. With the great selection of fast, low TDP AMD and Nvidia cards available today, you won't go wrong with either... unless you're unlucky and get a lemon. The RX-470 would probably be a bit more "future-proof with the extra VRAM)

I just picked up the short "crippled" 1060 myself, because I have a tight spot for it to go into.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487263
80W TDP, I think. With a little work, one of the manufacturers should be able to get it under 75W and not even need a 6-pin. Maybe even a low-profile version then.
 
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