Hi all, I have a crazy question or 2-3? What are the most important specs when buying a new GPU? I look at core clock speed, memory speed,memory amount and what OC (boost, gaming and folks) on that tier of GPU. Tier meaning 1060, 1070,1080. I know I can't compare a 1080 to a 1060 or 1070. i'm planning on a new GPU in the next month. My budget allows for a 1060 easy a 1070 maybe and the 1080 is out. This is my situation. I play in 1080 and don't see 4k any time soon. Not for sure what 1440 is! My current monitor allows 60-75 hz. I would like to get a higher hz monitor like a 120-144hz. Would a 1060 run a 120-144hz monitor at 1080? Thanks for all the great help in the past.
these days the specs are not that important, aftermarket cards will have better cooling maybe a higher Tdp out of the box than a reference model, but ultimately, if you just maxout the powerlimit and max fan on both cards, there will be very little performance difference between them, and any difference will be due to card to card variance generally, rather than the model you bought (apart from noise). its not like prior generations where a better card would allow you to push more voltage and get higher ocs. only spec you might want to pay attention when comparing variants of the same model would be the memory speed, but even then its not gonna make a huge difference. Recommend reading a review on the specific model you want to buy to get an idea as to how it performs out of the box, and to compare the noise profile. edit: also , a 1060 can definitely drive a 144hz display, what games you play and how high you want the settings to be, determines whether or not you will hit that target, obviously a higher end card like a 1070/1080 will beable to hit that target more often and at higher settings.
for smoothness consider hz like fps 1060gtx is ideal for 1080p 60fps/75fps 1070gtx is ideal for 1080p 120/144fps / 1440p 60fps/75fps
If your planning on getting a new GPU and your concerned about performance and capability, its better to identify a few viable cards (ie. see what cards are in stock at the place you plan to buy from, what deals exist on specific models, etc.). Once you have identified the models, take to google and see what the reviews have to say. take a peak at several reviews to ensure a consistent result. This will help you determine what the best GPU for you is. With respect to models... the 1060 is a capable card and the 6GB model has a good future in it for 1080p at 60 ish hrtz. The 1070 is a fantastic card for all around gaming and will help drive up your FPS to support the higher hz screens if you are planning to purchase a new monitor. Again, depending on the games you play, the 1060 may be more than enough to meet your needs and the 1070 may be overkill, so make sure you do a little research before purchasing... if you can save a few bucks why not? Few things to keep in the back of your mind..... Nvidia just released the Titan V, so we can expect to see some Volta based cards in the next year or so. How much will they cost? Will there be a low end card any time soon given that production costs of the Volta chips are still crazy high? Only time will tell! If your planning to get a new monitor, keep an eye out for something with G-Sync... this will help increase the life of the card as when more demanding games come out you and your FPS dip you will be able to supplement the drops with synchronized refresh rates reducing the irritation of having to maintain 60/120/144 hz Good luck!
