1440p 144hz: GTX 1060 6GB or 1070?

[Ian The Pineapple]

Hello!

I built my PC in December with an i5 6500, 16GB RAM and a GTX 1050ti (I kinda regret the GPU choice...), and I want to finally upgrade my monitor from a current 1440x900 75hz (weird combo) to a 1440p 144hz. I understand this would murder my graphics card, so I obviously want to upgrade it.

My question is: Should I get a high clock speed 1060 6GB or a low price 1070?

I'm currently looking at this for a 1060: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/tJyxFT/evga-geforce-gtx-1060-6gb-sc-gaming-video-card-06g-p4-6163-kr

I'll obviously wait 2+ months for GPU prices to go back down then get back in stock after the imminent buying spree.

I'd be alright with medium GPU overclocking, if that makes any significant difference.

For reference, the games I play include Kerbal Space Program with many visual mods, Cities Skylines, a little bit of Minecraft every now and then, and a few other similar titles. I might play games like Subnautica and Universe Sandbox in the future.

Thanks for the help!

EDIT: Should I wait until the next Nvidia gen comes out? How long would that be from now?

 

[androbourne]

1070. I run a MSI 1070 OC to 2000mhz straight from factory. I also run gsync with 144herts monitor at 1080p. Its awesome.

 

[ledhead11]

I can tell you straight up and believe it or not. . .if you want to push 1440p/144hz in Ultra to it's max you'll need at least a 1080TI. A 1060 or 1070 is going to have a hard time even at above 2.1Ghz. My TI will hold 80-110 for demanding games and 120-160+ for the 'light weight' ones. 1080p/144hz is a perfect match for the 1060's or 1070's(preferred) but not 1440p.

I also recommend G-Sync. Sure there's the extra price but it can really be impressive to see everything on the screen move without tearing. It won't help if you push beyond the monitor's refresh but if in the 50-130 range its awesome.

 

[Chugalug_]

For 1440p 144hz I recommend a minimum of a GTX 1080 to effectively push 60FPS, a 1070 is more suited to 1080p 144hz. The cost for G-Sync can be spent on higher GPU power, terrible advice, stay away.
It's only a device to mitigate low GPU performance, but if you have MORE GPU power, it becomes irrelevant.

 

[10tacle]

^^What these guys said. I have a 1440p 60Hz monitor powered by a 1080Ti. In games like Sniper Elite 2, Battlefield 1, Far Cry Primal, and Witcher 3, you are looking at 65-80FPS at 1440p with a 1070. In GPU-murdering Crysis-like games like Watchdogs 2 and Dues Ex, you are looking at 45-55FPS at 1440p with a GTX 1070.

I only upgraded from 970 SLI because I got good money from those GPUs on the used market thanks to the cryptomining craze. I figured why not go 1080Ti over 1080 and be done with it while making the move to 4K. Don't expect the mid-upper range GPU insane pricing and stock levels to change any time soon.

At the current craze level of Ethereum miners, unless the market tanks or governments start shutting it down, I don't see this stopping with Vega or Volta releases either.

 

[aquielisunari]

Wait for Vega. The craze is in a decline.

Nothing less than a 1080 8GB for your needs. The Ti(about 35% better for about 40% more money) is preferred if you have to have ultra. It would be cheaper than investing that extra money into what many see as an overpriced G-Sync feature.

 

[nitinsp_82]

Aquielisunari is absolutely right. You should most probably wait for the Vega lineup. It's gonna disrupt the GPU market like hell, and besides, AMD are known to have a really good, if not the best, price to performance ratio. So sit down, relax, and wait for Vega!
Hope it helps!

 

[10tacle]

AMD are known to have a really good, if not the best, price to performance ratio. Hope it helps!

While that has been true for the mid-tier market in the past, they have not held up to the standards lately. The $260 RX 580 trades blows with the $260 6GB GTX 1060 (typical MSRP OEM pricing). Further, it has been years since AMD has been competitive against Nvidia in the upper range GPUs. The last time AMD tried taking on Nvidia at the top end ($500+ market) was the $650 R9 Fury X against the same priced GTX 980Ti. It was supposed to be the 980Ti killer. It fell far short.

AMD has nothing to compete with Nvidia's GTX 1070 and up lines. So don't hold your breath. I have not been impressed with upper tier AMD GPUs since their $500 HD 7970 GHz Edition that went up against Nvidia's $500 GTX 680 five years ago. I hope that changes for everyone's sake. Because we need competition at all levels. Hopefully their risky investment of Ryzen where most of their R&D money was spent over the last few years pays off (it already is based on their stock price). Now that they have gained the crown back from Intel after years of not being competitive, they need to get back on the GPU horse.

 

[Chugalug_]

Ditto, their CPUs are fantastic, their GPU pricing after ethereum?
Not so much.

 

[nitinsp_82]

Yeah 10tacle, you are absolutely right from your standpoint. But just look at the way the Ryzen lineup has disrupted the market. Now, I know it is too soon to say the same for Vega as well, but do you really think Vega will disappoint the hyped audience? Besides, the benchmarks (if they are true) already showed the top-tier Vega card beating out the 1080. And yeah, it may have fallen short against the 1080 ti, but as I said, I am not talking about raw performance, instead I am considering the value for money. And you are absolutely right from your perspective, as well. So we just gotta wait. Time will tell if AMD will be back in the game!

 

[maxalge]

Yeah 10tacle, you are absolutely right from your standpoint. But just look at the way the Ryzen lineup has disrupted the market. Now, I know it is too soon to say the same for Vega as well, but do you really think Vega will disappoint the hyped audience? Besides, the benchmarks (if they are true) already showed the top-tier Vega card beating out the 1080. And yeah, it may have fallen short against the 1080 ti, but as I said, I am not talking about raw performance, instead I am considering the value for money. And you are absolutely right from your perspective, as well. So we just gotta wait. Time will tell if AMD will be back in the game!

it will fall in between a 1070 and 1080


not worth waiting for

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

Like everyone has said, if you HAVE to choose between those two, the 1070 for sure.

But I own a 3440x1440p monitor and a 1080 Ti and there are still a few cases it struggles to keep 100fps. You can generally add about 30fps for 2560x1440, but even then, even with a 1080 Ti, you won't be able to hit that full 144Hz in EVERY case. But by far, you should be able to max out just about anything. If you're not too concerned about maxing out everything you could get a 1080, but for anything more than 60Hz 1440p, you're gonna want more than a 1070.