R9 280x offers similar performance to 1050ti, 1060 3gb is about 15%-20% faster than 1050ti.
So no point upgrade to 1050ti
Changes to 1060 3gb is more noticable, 1060 6gb or higher seems to be more justified as a upgrade IMO, but that’s not your question.
Brands, evga / gigabyte / zotac has those really shorter version if you want the cheaper version, they have higher temp during load but it’s cheaper than the full length card. In terms of better brands evga is probably the best with customer service. I’m terms of build quality I would say there is not much difference at this price range.