GTX 1060 6GB vs RX 480 8GB

[Praveen926]

So just wondering should I change my GPU now. I recently bought a 1060 6Gb card.. Should I change it to AMD Rx 480 8GB card? I'm seeing lot of reviews of dx12 and how AMD drivers are getting better. 1060 still performs good in dx11 but I wanted to be future proof. Please let me know..
And also is Nvidia releasing any drivers for dx12 games so that it performs well as rx 480?

 

[Dronzer Dragneel]

IMO no, GTX 1060 is a good card and yes Rx 480 performs better in dx 12 but still there are very few games that supports dx 12..besides dx 12 there are and will be plenty of games to play with dx 11 and at that point gtx 1060 will win every time..so instead of getting Rx 480 save some money and after 6-8 months get GTX 1070 and that will be considered as a proper upgrade, cuz getting Rx 480 is not worth upgrading from GTX 1060 as there will be no noticeable difference.
and who knows Nvidia will release driver for dx 12 in future.

 

[TJ Hooker]

On average, the RX 480 performs about the same as a GTX 1060 in DX11, and a little bit better in DX12/Vulkan (based on currently available games).
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/73945-gtx-1060-vs-rx-480-updated-review-23.html
Whether you should get one would depend on prices available to you, and how easy it is to return it. If you can easily return it and get a good RX 480 for the same price or cheaper... maybe. If not, I probably wouldn't bother.

 

[photonboy]

Hey,
As per the above comments, let me break the tie.

The GTX1060 does better on average in DX11, not "about the same".

*As for "future proofing" does this mean you will only play newer, DX12 games?

Yes, we are starting to see the RX-480 do better in newer games but you've probably got a mixture of older and newer titles. Probably more titles that are DX11 (unless you've got like four games).

As for NVIDIA, they aren't going to close the gap with drivers. DX12 is taking advantage of ASYNC COMPUTE in the AMD GPU's which is something NVidia doesn't have. There are OTHER ways to optimize but AMD will remain ahead for NEWER titles.

(and part of why the RX-480 does better in DX12 is because AMD hasn't optimized for DX11 very well. NVidia spent a lot of money to streamline their DX11 drivers... that helps current games and frankly DX11 is not going to disappear over night).

Here's a question for you:

How many games in 2017 do you think will support DX12 or Vulkan compared to DX11?

 

[photonboy]

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/73945-gtx-1060-vs-rx-480-updated-review-23.html

"Let’s start with DX11, an area where the GTX 1060 6GB fairly dominated upon its release to the tune of 12% at 1080P and 8% at 1440P"

Okay, let's summarize:

1. Older games are about 8% to 12% in favor of the GTX1060 (for games tested)

2. Newer games are closer to 6% in favor of RX-480

3. the future isn't clear, but we should get closer to 10% in favor of RX-480

*so it's basically a mixture in favor of DX11 which is what most games are. DX12 games aren't common yet, so basically you're cherry-picking results if you just look at DX12 games.

Either choice has pros and cons so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

[Guest]

If you already have the 1060, don't worry. I have the 480. Over time, the 480 "might" catch up. "might". There's also the entire ecosystem to consider. You have Shadowplay (I think), and other cool things. Overall, pure gaming, the 1060 is the better choice.

If you're looking to change, wait 6 months. Things are going to change. Better, cheaper. Right now, you have something good.

There is no future proof. You don't have a 1080 or bleeding edge card. Relax, what you have is very good, and by most accounts, better than a 480.

 

[Praveen926]

Oh god thank you all of you!! I wish i can pick up all your answers as solutions. Amazing! 😀

 

[TJ Hooker]

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/73945-gtx-1060-vs-rx-480-updated-review-23.html

"Let’s start with DX11, an area where the GTX 1060 6GB fairly dominated upon its release to the tune of 12% at 1080P and 8% at 1440P"

Okay, let's summarize:

1. Older games are about 8% to 12% in favor of the GTX1060 (for games tested)

(emphasis mine)

Did you seriously pick out (out of context) the one line on that page that supports your opinion? Here's the line directly after the one you quoted:
"Now the RX 480 basically ties NVIDIA’s card in a world of averages but what you can’t see in the chart above is AMD’s impressive showing in newer titles."

If you look at the table directly above the line you quoted, you'll see that with the latest drivers as of ~December, the GTX 1060 only beats out the RX 480 by a whopping 2% at 1080p (and ties at 1440p) in the DX11 games they tested.