4 GB 1050 TI vs 3 GB 1060

[InfidelCastro]

Not sure which GPU to buy for my first gaming desktop. I'm looking to game mostly at 1080p (or possibly 900p, in newer or specifically demanding games). The 1060 seems like the more attractive offer right now but I'm concerned that 3 gigs of VRAM isn't enough, and that even though the 1060 is faster it might be capped by that.

 

[Cioby]

3GB is enough for 1080p and you might lose some small features maybe on some games.
But since the performance on 1060 is almost double in some games, the decision is easy. Or just get the 1060 6GB but you won't need that much VRAM at 1080p.

 

[pete_101]

It's a tricky one. There is no doubt the 1060 is has better performance than the 1050Ti, and on that I would recommend the 1060. There will be times the 3GB on the 1060 just isn't enough (I have 4GB on my R9 290x and in games like PUBG, I see all 4GB used @ 1080p). However, most of the time this can be overcome by turning off (or reducing) anti aliasing, or as you thought, reducing resolution.

 

[dontlistentome]

Get the 1060. It's faster and the the 3gb vram isn't as bad as you might think due in part to Nvidia's memory compression scheme. Look at it another way, any game that absolutely requires 4gb vram will also need more processing power than the 1050 Ti has. The 1050 Ti's true niche is that it's the fastest videocard you can get that does not require a 6 or 8 pin pci-ex power connector. So it's perfect for people needing a videocard upgrade but who have lower power PSUs. This is not your situation. You are building a computer, so you can start with the PSU that suits your needs.

Of course you should also consider the games you play. For all we know, nothing you play will even use up 3gb vram. Also, consider your CPU. Depending on the combination games you're playing and the CPU you have, maybe a 1050 Ti is the most you need.

 

[InfidelCastro]

Get the 1060. It's faster and the the 3gb vram isn't as bad as you might think due in part to Nvidia's memory compression scheme. Look at it another way, any game that absolutely requires 4gb vram will also need more processing power than the 1050 Ti has. The 1050 Ti's true niche is that it's the fastest videocard you can get that does not require a 6 or 8 pin pci-ex power connector. So it's perfect for people needing a videocard upgrade but who have lower power PSUs. This is not your situation. You are building a computer, so you can start with the PSU that suits your needs.

Of course you should also consider the games you play. For all we know, nothing you play will even use up 3gb vram. Also, consider your CPU. Depending on the combination games you're playing and the CPU you have, maybe a 1050 Ti is the most you need.

The games I'll be playing for a while are all from 2015/2016, since I'm behind. I'm planning on buying a Ryzen 1300X

 

[JUICEhunter]

I can tell you my 780ti 3gb which is about as fast as the 1060 and what I found was settings had to be turned down well before vram ran out.