2 x EVGA GTX 1060: one or two fan model better?

[rcald2000]

I plan to replace two GTX 950s inside a computer case with two GTX 1060's.

* The two cards will not be in SLI. Each will be devoted to one VM each, so SLI is not a factor.

On one hand, I imagine that the dual fan design will be better at cooling, with two GPUs next to one another. On the other hand, the single fan GPU is shorter (6.8" vs 10.10") therefore it should help promote better air flow inside the Define R5 case. Thoughts?

*** image of the two GPU dimensions ***

 

[jeffredo]

Unless you plan on going off the deep end overclocking I really don't think it matters. On a low powered card like the GTX 1060 a lot of these elaborate third party coolers are overkill.

 

[Kevern_11]

I plan to replace two GTX 950s inside a computer case with two GTX 1060's.

* The two cards will not be in SLI. Each will be devoted to one VM each, so SLI is not a factor.

On one hand, I imagine that the dual fan design will be better at cooling, with two GPUs next to one another. On the other hand, the single fan GPU is shorter (6.8" vs 10.10") therefore it should help promote better air flow inside the Define R5 case. Thoughts?

*** image of the two GPU dimensions ***
http://www.evga.com/articles/01036/images/header/gtx_1060.png
* Technically, the image is of a GTX 1060 SC and a GTX 970 SSC. But the 970 SSC is the same dimensions of the coming 1060 SSC.

I would go with 2 reference/blower style cards as from what I have read they cool better in close SLI configurations. The founders edition is an option and some board partners have custom blower designs.

 

[doubletake]

I'd go for the single fan 1060 SC. Do make sure to get the SC and not the regular model as the SC has a much more capable heatsink. The non-SC's heatsink looks like a stock Intel cooler, while the superclocked has copper heatpipes and denser grid-pattern heatsink fins.

 

[spentshells]

There is no official support for SLI 1060's I would recommend against it.

Please read the start of this review to be sure this is a path you wish to take.

I get the feeling that sli will be supported in the future but the games it seems will require "The GTX 1060s do not have SLI fingers and can only communicate via the PCIe bus, without a bridge, thereby demanding that applications support MDA (Multi-Display Adapter) or LDA Explicit (Linked Display Adapter) to actually leverage both cards. "

http://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/2519-gtx-1060-sli-benchmark-in-ashes-multi-gpu

I would have a read and see if it's worth it.

 

[ko888]

The GeForce GTX 1060 doesn't even support SLI so any mention of SLI is meaningless.

The single fan version will run noisier and a few °C higher than the dual fan version.

 

[doubletake]

OP must've accidentally wiped out his first post when he edited, but it's already been stated that he's NOT looking to SLI, he's going to use the two GPUs to run two individual virtual machines, and is seeking opinions on which model card would be best for decent temps/airflow in the case.

 

[rcald2000]

+jeffredo Great question. I do not plan to overclock at all. The only thing that I will do is download the EVGA BIOS update (if necessary) in order to fix the 50% fan issue.

 

[rcald2000]

+doubletake Thank you for catching that. I did mistakenly overwrite my initial post, but I've now restored it. Thank you for informing me.

 

[ko888]

What is the brand and model of the motherboard?

 

[rcald2000]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Pro4S ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($101.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($169.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB SSC ACX 2.0 Video Card ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($135.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $872.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-28 16:28 EDT-0400

 

[ko888]

The ASRock Z170 Pro4S will leave at least one whole slot width of empty space between the two graphics cards as long as you don't use the PCIe x1 slot that is situated between the two PCIe x16 slots.

That's plenty of breathing space to allow the graphics card closest to the CPU to get sufficient air intake.

 

[rcald2000]

I ordered two units of the EVGA GTX 1060 SC Gaming yesterday.

Thank you to everyone who contributed.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487261&cm_re=EVGA_GeForce_GTX_1060_SC_GAMING-_-14-487-261-_-Product

 

[Psychotic_1]

I ordered two units of the EVGA GTX 1060 SC Gaming yesterday.

Thank you to everyone who contributed.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487261&cm_re=EVGA_GeForce_GTX_1060_SC_GAMING-_-14-487-261-_-Product

Can I ask how these work? I'm currently debating between dual fan or single fan

 

[rcald2000]

Sure. What do you wish to know?

EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB SSC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487275&ignorebbr=1

Although I must admit that the parameters of this question have changed since I originally posted it. At that time the single fan version was $260 and the twin fan was a good deal more. Now the single fan version is $270 and the double fan is $285; only $15 more. I plan on purchasing a GTX 1060 as a gift for a friend, and I'm seriously thinking about getting them the dual fan version. For $15 more, it's one of those "might as well's".

 

[Psychotic_1]

Sure. What do you wish to know?

EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB SSC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487275&ignorebbr=1

Although I must admit that the parameters of this question have changed since I originally posted it. At that time the single fan version was $260 and the twin fan was a good deal more. Now the single fan version is $270 and the double fan is $285; only $15 more. I plan on purchasing a GTX 1060 as a gift for a friend, and I'm seriously thinking about getting them the dual fan version. For $15 more, it's one of those "might as well's".

Not sure where you got those prices, I'd debating on buying a EVGA GTX 1060 for 240 or the dual fan for around 290 so it's more of a difference there lol

 

[rcald2000]

I'm in the United States. I suggest that you not buy the 3 GB version, as it's lower performing and has 10% fewer CUDA cores than the 6 GB version.

EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 SC GAMING
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487261&ignorebbr=1&cm_re=evga_gtx_1060_sc_gaming-_-14-487-261-_-Product

 

[Psychotic_1]

I'm in the United States. I suggest that you not buy the 3 GB version, as it's lower performing and has 10% fewer CUDA cores than the 6 GB version.

EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 SC GAMING
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487261&ignorebbr=1&cm_re=evga_gtx_1060_sc_gaming-_-14-487-261-_-Product

Whats the difference between the SC and the other one thats not SC?

 

[ko888]

I'm in the United States. I suggest that you not buy the 3 GB version, as it's lower performing and has 10% fewer CUDA cores than the 6 GB version.

EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 SC GAMING
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487261&ignorebbr=1&cm_re=evga_gtx_1060_sc_gaming-_-14-487-261-_-Product

Whats the difference between the SC and the other one thats not SC?

The non-SC version uses NIVIDIA's reference design clocks.

The SC version is factory overclocked by 6.7% on the base clock and 7.4% on the boost clock.