Choosing a GTX 1050 Ti - Cooler, Power Connector, Backplate, Vram/etc

[ravenbear]

Hi guys. I am pretty sure I want to buy a gtx 1050 ti (4gb) for my pretty recent pc build. Here are my specs:

i5 6600 cpu
b150 mobo
16gb (2x8) ddr4 ram
seasonic g-series ssr 550w psu
corsair mx300 525gb m.2 ssd

1) How important is the amount of fans on the cooler for a light gaming card like this? I read that having 2 fans can increase the life of a gpu, but does it matter on a low power card like this? I would save $10 from going for 1 fan over 2 ($145 vs $155).

2) I notice that some cards have power connectors while some just use pci-e power, however on both types of cards the recommended psu wattage and 75w power usage is listed as identical. So then why do some need the power connector? What are the benefits of having it? If it is just for OCing, why is the recommended psu wattage/75w usage listed as identical?

3) Does backplate help with anything? My old gpu didn't have one and I remember dust/gunk would get stuck on all the jagged bumps on the back of the card. Is the back of the card sensitive to damage or something?

4) 5 years from now will there be any benefit to having 4gb vram on this card vs a gtx 1060 3gb card? Keep in mind I use 1050p 60mhz and play mostly online esports games like CS:GO and WoW at high settings, but want to be able to at least run new AAA titles at low settings. Or will that 1060 always be a better choice? Does the 14nm vs 16nm Pascal hardware mean anything better (I read about that but don't know if it has any performance difference or what it even means really). I am considering buying the 1060 3gb (the 6gb is out of my price range). I do not want the rx 470 because it runs hot and amd drivers are historically bad for World of Warcraft which I play regularly.

 

[Wolfshadw]

1) It really depends on the cooling system design. Personally, I'd probably opt for the twin fan cooling solution as it generally means more air flow over the longer cooling pipes.

2) Any card that may require more power than the 75 watts available from the PCI-Ex16 slot will have an external power connector. If your graphics card has an external power connector, then you will be required to make that connection from the power supply.

3) The back plate is generally just used to support the larger and/or heavier cooling solution.

4) VRAM is mostly tied to the resolution your playing your games at. These days, 2GB is considered the minimum for 1080p gaming. 3GB is nice and 4GB is probably overkill. Upping your resolution to 1440p or 2K and you'd probably want either 3GB or 4GB. Even higher resolutions, even higher VRAM.

-Wolf sends

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

GIGABYTE G1 1050ti.

 

[Math Geek]

for such low powered cards, cooling should be easy for a single fan or double fan solution. space is what will decide this for you. still working on the list of cards and linking the reviews that are out but here is a starting list of card models with specs and as soon as i finish, reviews for the 1050 models. scroll down from 1060 for the 1050 models

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3047729/nvidia-geforce-gtx-1000-series-megathread-faq-resources.html#17902602

again still adding 1050 models to the list but there is a start.

 

[dontlistentome]

1. In theory, better fan/heatsink means a card runs cooler, which in turn means it runs quieter. Two benefits then, low temps and less noise. In a low power card though, that might not be an issue anyways since it won't generate much heat to begin with. If a company sells three versions of the same card, basic/gaming/overclocked, I'd probably buy the middle one. That's because their basic model will have the cheapest components of the three.
2. 75W would be for stock operating clocks. If it's factory overclocked, or you intend to overclock, it may require more power.
3. Not much need for a lower power card.
4. Speed trumps memory. So the 1060 will be faster, even with only 3gb, than a 1050ti. If you can live with lower settings then I think you can get by with a 1050ti. As far as predicting the future, it's possible that in 5 years neither of these cards will be fast enough, or both of them will, or one of them won't. Get what works for you now. Someday in the future when you need an upgrade, then upgrade. Better cards will be out then for less cost.

 

[Math Geek]

in 5 years neither card will be very useful at all, especially the 1050ti. it is only = to a 960 which was an entry level 1080p card a couple years ago. and not very good now for 1080p above mid settings for new games. gonna quickly be dropping settings in a year much less in 5 years. the 1060 3 gb is between a 970 and 980 in performance so should be better for that type of life span though in 5 years it will still be lowering settings at 1080p. i'd give one of those a 3 yr life span at 1080p really. how many low cost 5 yr old cards out there run 1080p at all? so why expect an entry level card from now to be able to run well 5 yrs from now??

 

[ravenbear]

I guess I don't understand what vram affects exactly. Since it seems like both cards fulfill my needs now, I was worried in 5 years maybe a game would require 4gb+ vram so the 1060 3gb would not even run it. Are you saying that the vram doesn't matter in this way, and that the 1060gb 3gb will pretty much always be better than the 1050 ti 4gb in every way?

Also about the backplate: is it for heat dissipation or to protect the back surface of the card? Does that bumpy back side of the card need protection or is there nothing sensitive on that side?

Thanks for the info so far

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Backplate is a cosmetic aspect of the cards that have them.

Nice clean look , personally , I like them.