Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 Gaming vs Gigabyte GTX 1060 Mini-ITX 6GB

[lidorc]

hey,

which of these cards is better for 1080P gaming on max settings?
I'm asking because I had the GTX 970 and after a year of use the fan died. the store replaced it with the 1060 since it doesn't sell the 970 anymore. is that considered an upgrade or a downgrade ?
I did notice that the benchmarks for the 1060 were better than the 970, but that was for the "normal" version of the 1060. I haven't found any benchmarks for the Mini-ITX card could the mini-ITX form factor harm the cards performance/temperatures/reliability ? or is it the same ?

 

[snurp85]

its an upgrade, even with the mini version. the mini version might run a little bit hotter than the regular version, but still well within thermal limits. In the end it just means that you wont be able to overclock the card much.

 

[Martell1977]

The 1060 6gb performs closer to the 980, even beats it in some instances. Being the "mini", I's say that it would hit the thermal limit and throttle a little quicker than the full size version, but I wouldn't think it would hamper the performance much or often, otherwise it would have a really bad reputation.

 

[lidorc]

Then why even buy a version that not Mini-ITX if its about the same ? why would a gamer even consider buying the g1 gaming version and not the Mini-ITX ?
Is the Mini-ITX suitable for long gaming session ? or is its thermal inferiority going to make it unstable overtime ?

 

[snurp85]

The smaller form factor means it runs hotter. While technically safe, its always best to run things as cool as possible in order to extend their lifetime (things wear out faster the hotter they run). So people buy gaming addtions that have better cooling, which allows for higher overclockability and ultimately higher frame rates.

The mini version can be run at max for long periods without issue, you have nothing to worry about. That said, if you are playing on a 90 degree day and maxing the card, you might notice it throttling the speeds a bit.

 

[Martell1977]

Then why even buy a version that not Mini-ITX if its about the same ? why would a gamer even consider buying the g1 gaming version and not the Mini-ITX ?
Is the Mini-ITX suitable for long gaming session ? or is its thermal inferiority going to make it unstable overtime ?

It's a niche product, mostly for people with small ITX cases and don't have the room for the full card. It does run hotter, but I doubt you would notice and in a full size case, it will have more breathing room. If you were hoping to OC it, you wouldn't get nearly as far as the full card.