Short answer- if you gonna take another GPU in 1-2 years from now, take 1060, preferably 6Gb since 3Gb is cut down version of 6Gb and have some cores disabled.
If you planing on keeping same GPU for 2 and more years from now, take rx 480, preferably 8Gb version since it got little bit faster ram and 8Gb will be much more future proof than 4Gb version.
Long answer- gtx 1060 now and on incoming (1-2y) games will perform better or same as 480 due to very well optimized drivers. However GTX 1060 in terms of hardware is weaker than 480 and as soon as driver optimization in games stops for 1060(which is about 1-2 years from now) it will start to fall back behind 480 more and more. Also, encountering problems such as screen freezes, system...
They have their wins and losses, both are VERY close, honestly I'd get whichever one is cheaper.
I have an RX 480 myself, but you mention Tomb Raider, it looks like the GTX 1060 has better performance in that game, while the RX 480 has better performance in BF1
1) DX12 issue is complex.
NVidia supports it just fine for GTX1060 but there's a lot of misinformation about ASync Compute. It's POSSIBLE that AMD will do better in DX12 relatively but the GTX1060 6GB is 10% faster on average in DX11 to start.
2) Asus Strix for comparison (see pcpartpicker) you can get the:
a) RX-480 8GB ($215 after $245 with $30 rebate)
b) GTX1060 6GB (about $270)
Just FYI, but "value" (dollar per FPS) should never be applied to just the GPU. It should be applied to the cost of the entire system.
AMD?
Problem is that the game apparently still doesn't work without STUTTERING. NVidia also just released new DX12 drivers so it's not clear how these cards truly compare, but you'd probably still want to be using DX11.
*This is definitely worth investigating but I do NOT believe that this will be typical for comparing NVidia vs AMD. There are growing pains with DX12 which often crop up as large performance differences often due to one setting that's way too demanding.
SUMMARY:
There's no "wrong" choice. GTX1060 6GB is better with most games today, especially with weaker CPU's. The RX-480 will likely pull ahead with DX12/Vulkan though by how much is not clear as none of the coding and testing methodology's are good enough yet.
*If you just can't decide then I'd go with the RX-480.
Final note:
GSYNC vs Freesync monitors. Both are expensive, and I'd recommend something like 2560x1440, IPS, 144Hz so probably beyond your means. By the time you get one you'd likely be upgrading your GPU. But... if you think you may get one later when prices drop and BEFORE buying a new GPU then IMO GSYNC is the way to go.
Freesync quality isn't as good, such as more tendency to have OVERDRIVE issues that affect color. NVidia put in a dedicated GSYNC MODULE to the desktop, and will be coming out with an HDR version soon (for really expensive monitors). It's going to be difficult likely for Freesync to match the quality without redesigning things the way NVidia has done.
2. Out of the Box performance - So let's compare two cards from the same (MSI) manufacturer and model line (Gaming X). From above link:
As a result, the card is 4% faster than the RX 480 reference and 6-7% slower than the [reference] GeForce GTX 980, GTX 1060, and Radeon R9 Fury, which all have roughly the same performance at 1080p.
3. AIB Cards - From the above, we see that the MSI RX 480 is 7% faster overall in TPUs 16 game test suite. From Below, the MSI 1060 Gaming X is 3% faster than the reference 1060 ... so we can can conclude that at the time of testing the MSI 1060 was 10% faster than the MSI 480 in the 16 game test suite
4. Overclocking - We see there that the MSI 480 overclocks 8.6% and the MSI 1060 overclocks 15.1%.. So when the 1060 (10% performance advantage) is overclocked, the relative difference would be:
110% x (115.1 / 108.6) = 116.6% of the 480s speed or 16.6 % faster
As for difference between brands ... the various brands trade wins depending on generation and model line but the EVGA SC is one to avoid as, unlike the competition, they use a reference PCB and referece style PCB cooling.
5. Driver improvements - AMDs driver improvements have improved the performance of the 480 since originally tested. As we can see from the link here, TPU tested the results from the latest driver improvements and found an increase if 2.1% at 1080 p average across 21 games:
Unfortunately, we have no info on what improvements have resulted from newer nVidia drivers but suffice to say, those improvements have not erased that 10% gap outta the box (16.6% in both overclocked.
6. Cost - Last I looked (yesterday) the MSI 1060 6GB was about $15 more than the MSI 480 8GB on newegg. But there are other costs worth considering
7. Power - There is a significant difference in power usage between the two cards. One of the reasons for the MSI 480s performance,as stated in the review, is because it is able to use more power than many other 480s. That's 75 watts in typical gaming and 99 watts peak
The MSI 480 draws from 196 - 224 watts
The MSI 1060 draws from 121 - 125 watts
8. Power Costs - While this is something you normally wouldn't consider, when cards are very close in performance, it may be of significance to many users, especially those in Europe and especially in urban / suburban locales.
75 watts x 35 hours per week x 52.14 weeks per year x 3 years usage x $0.131 US average electric cost per kw-hr / (1000 watts per kw=hr x 85% efficiency) = $63.28
9. Case Cooling - The rule of thump for case fans in a relatively quiet system is one (1) case fan per 75 watts for power. So for comparable interior case temps, you might want to include the cost of an extra case fan.
So ... that's the data ... it's up to you to look at what you want to do with it ...
- If you don't use MSI Afterburner, then the OC advantage may be of no interest to you
- If you wear headphones, then the noise advantage will be of no interest to you
- Initially the 480 has an apparent cost advantage but the larger PSU requirement and extra case fan eats that up. Considering power costs along with the preceding, the 1060 is the more cost effective buy by far
- If you already have an oversized PSU then the power advantage is of no interest to you
- If you don't pay for electricity cause it's included in rent, then the power advantage is of no interest to you
- But most of all, if those 16 - 21 games that TPU uses for testing are not ones you play, then you need to pay specific attention to how each performs in games you do play... so start here and see how each performs in the games you are interested in.
How each individual arrives at their choice will be different for everyone, there is no "wrong choice" here. But for me the extra overclocking ability and the heat / power advantages make the 1060 an easy choice.
DX12 is not quote ready for prime time... in techpowerups testing. For Hitman they write:
The game's DirectX 12 implementation, however, is too riddled with bugs to be integrated into our test bench for now. In this test, we're testing the game in DirectX 11 mode
Rise of the Tomb Raider - nVidia gets the win 70.2 > 62.7
When games 1st started coming out w/ DX12 there were many instances similar to as described above w/ Hitman. It would appear hat, based upon press releases, that nVidia sat back a bit ... concentrating on DX11 games that predominated the market and then, as we see this highlighted in new driver releases, are now paying more attention to DX12. By the time MS and game developers get done getting their ducks in a row w/ DX12, I don't think it will be an issue
As for your other question, the numbers are the numbers ... look at how they perform on various test sites and see who has more wins than losses. Don't forget however, if you OC your cards with Afterburner, make sure to account for the large difference in overclocking headroom between the 1060 and the 480.
Short answer- if you gonna take another GPU in 1-2 years from now, take 1060, preferably 6Gb since 3Gb is cut down version of 6Gb and have some cores disabled.
If you planing on keeping same GPU for 2 and more years from now, take rx 480, preferably 8Gb version since it got little bit faster ram and 8Gb will be much more future proof than 4Gb version.
Long answer- gtx 1060 now and on incoming (1-2y) games will perform better or same as 480 due to very well optimized drivers. However GTX 1060 in terms of hardware is weaker than 480 and as soon as driver optimization in games stops for 1060(which is about 1-2 years from now) it will start to fall back behind 480 more and more. Also, encountering problems such as screen freezes, system hangs will be lower with gtx 1060, since again- better optimization.
Pros on 480 is that it still getting optimized here and there and it's performance still not at peak. Also you get free bonuses such as ability to use 480 in crossfire with pretty much any other* amd gpu. Which means if you gonna buy new gpu lets say in 2 and more years and combine it with 480 you potentially will get some more bang from your long ago spent buck. Freesync is another free bonus, but as your monitor not supporting it, that doesn't count here.
Cons on 480 is that you are more likely to encounter problems with it here and there, tho since its been around for nearly a year now, chances of this happening is lower as most problems been resolved already. Another bump on the road if you taking 480 is that you are betting on it's longevity, as if it will break in first 2 year period, all of its future proof points are nullified since you will get new GPU anyway.
......... Also you get free bonuses such as ability to use 480 in crossfire with pretty much any other* amd gpu. Which means if you gonna buy new gpu lets say in 2 and more years and combine it with 480 you potentially will get some more bang from your long ago spent buck. .........
I don't know where you get this idea but its completely and totally untrue.
The RX 480 can be crossfired with another RX 480, period. There is no "crossfire with pretty much any other amd gpu", * or not. Crossfire only works with GPUs of the same chipset.
I don't know where you get this idea but its completely and totally untrue.
The RX 480 can be crossfired with another RX 480, period. There is no "crossfire with pretty much any other amd gpu", * or not. Crossfire only works with GPUs of the same chipset.
I don't know where you get this idea but its completely and totally untrue.
The RX 480 can be crossfired with another RX 480, period. There is no "crossfire with pretty much any other amd gpu", * or not. Crossfire only works with GPUs of the same chipset.
The colored boxes are the only compatibilities, you can see with the R7 and R9 series only the SAME GPU is compatible, the RX series isn't even included on those charts, but again, as I said, Crossfire is ONLY compatible with the same chipset.
As for "downloading" more vram, I am very familiar with that, it was ONLY with the first run of reference RX 480 4GB cards. It was a BIOS update, and it didn't even work with every card. I have one of these cards that I did flash to 8gb.
As for crossfiring an RX 470 and 480, there are hacks to make it work, except that you are downgraded to the performance of the 470, if you can even make it work right.
A * can't wipe away the generalized incorrectness of that answer, ONE other GPU (the RX 470 which is based off a cut down version of the same chipset) is not "almost any other AMD GPU".
as i say there is unofficial stuff that just works- look
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3036760/hardware/the-impossible-has-happened-radeon-and-geforce-come-together-in-directx-12.html
Seriously? Thats not unofficial stuff, thats Multi-GPU, a part of DX12, and it only works on ONE game, Ashes of the Singularity.
Rogue Leader,
We've already entered into an era where people will believe anything and everything from YouTube videos? Are the village idiots already out of stock to have the village elder now dig that hole of stupidity?
vygag_
For the love of things, correct, how do you propose a crossfire of two different cards be the right choice?
The logical and most sensible(finance wise) is that you pick out the single most powerful card your wallet/budget can handle. SLI support is almost near non existent while crossfiring has never been a benefit since the 6000 series from AMD outside of being space heater worthy components.
Short answer- if you gonna take another GPU in 1-2 years from now, take 1060, preferably 6Gb since 3Gb is cut down version of 6Gb and have some cores disabled.
If you planing on keeping same GPU for 2 and more years from now, take rx 480, preferably 8Gb version since it got little bit faster ram and 8Gb will be much more future proof than 4Gb version.
Long answer- gtx 1060 now and on incoming (1-2y) games will perform better or same as 480 due to very well optimized drivers. However GTX 1060 in terms of hardware is weaker than 480 and as soon as driver optimization in games stops for 1060(which is about 1-2 years from now) it will start to fall back behind 480 more and more. Also, encountering problems such as screen freezes, system hangs will be lower with gtx 1060, since again- better optimization.
Pros on 480 is that it still getting optimized here and there and it's performance still not at peak. Also you get free bonuses such as ability to use 480 in crossfire with pretty much any other* amd gpu. Which means if you gonna buy new gpu lets say in 2 and more years and combine it with 480 you potentially will get some more bang from your long ago spent buck. Freesync is another free bonus, but as your monitor not supporting it, that doesn't count here.
Cons on 480 is that you are more likely to encounter problems with it here and there, tho since its been around for nearly a year now, chances of this happening is lower as most problems been resolved already. Another bump on the road if you taking 480 is that you are betting on it's longevity, as if it will break in first 2 year period, all of its future proof points are nullified since you will get new GPU anyway.
There's no basis in fact for any of the above. We always hear "what is gonna be" and when that time comes, there's a new set of "gonna be's" ... and then there's "the new tech when it gets here will change everything" ... (Mantle, HBM, etc) and when it does, it fizzles and is forgotten abpout
Both cards are ideal for 1080p ... 6 and 8GB is way way more than is needed at 1080p and this will not change in the future.
Both sides work on improving their drivers... this happens sharply at first and tails off over time.... we can see that already with the 10 month old 480. It's 10 months .... The last "Average Performance Gain: +2.1%" hasn't narrowed the gap ... that was 4 months ago.
Been building PCs for 25 years and not seen driver improvements every change card's performance in relation to one another. Sure, some games badly coded or new games released w/o optimizations, but not across the board.
The CF stuff has already been debunked so won't go there. That being said, i can't see arguing against the 480 if the games you play do better on the 480.... and you don't use MSI AB to OC the card. At lower price points, it's all AMD ... at higher it's all Nvidia ... at least until the 500 series breaks. And with the RX 580 coming out in less than two weeks, buying a 480 at this point in time is a poor idea. In fact buying either card at this point is a bad idea as when the RX500 series drops, the prove on the 1060 and 480 will take a big trip south.
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