Gtx 1060 or 1070 for my upgrade?

[LuddeZetter]

Hello!

I want to upgrade my GPU from a gtx 750 2GB to either a gtx 1060 or a 1070. I will play at 1080p 60hz, so what is the best choice? I also aim to play at high settings.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ThomasKK]

GTX 1060 is for 1080p@ultra settings gaming at 60fps.
GTX 1070 is for 1440p@ultra settings gaming at 60fps

 

[SgtScream]

What cpu do you have?

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

The rule of thumb 1070 for 1440p and 1060 for 1080p is bogus. I have a 1080 and I can guarantee you won't always hit 60fps in everything even with a 1080 at 1440p, some games have trouble utilizing the 10 series architecture correctly or are poorly optimized. If you are running 1440p I wouldn't get anything less than a 1070, if you are running at 1080p I would still get a 1070 because you will definitely hit 60fps in pretty much everything. If you are using 144Hz 1440p I would go for a 1080 even, and if you are running 1080p at 144Hz get a 1070 at least.

 

[SgtScream]

I agree with epickf1ljon. I've seen an i7 6700 with a gtx 1080 and fps dips on gta v a game that came out almost 3 years ago on a 1440p monitor. Even the highest end consumber grade graphics cards today just down have adequate horse power to push more than 1080p pixels. It really all depents on what cpu you have. Running anything less than a core i5 2500k clocked at 5ghz won't be worth purchasing a gtx 1070 due to the law of diminishing returns. You'll essentially be pissing your money and performance away going with anything higher than a gtx 1060.

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

True it depends on the CPU as well. If you don't have at least a 3770K i7/4770K i7 (Any unlocked i7 prior to Skylake) or an i5/i7 Skylake it would be worth to save a little on the GPU and upgrade the CPU/MB instead. Also the i3 6100 is decent but I wouldn't try running that with a 1080 you still might bottleneck.

 

[LuddeZetter]

What cpu do you have?

An i5 4460 3.2

 

[ThomasKK]

Then definitely go for GTX 1060, because if you want to use all the power GTX 1070 has, you will need an i7.

 

[LuddeZetter]

Then definitely go for GTX 1060, because if you want to use all the power GTX 1070 has, you will need an i7.

Okey, but for how long will I be good with a 1060?

 

[ThomasKK]

It depends on how "beautiful" you want your graphics to be. Right now 1060 can max-out everything at 1080p without any problems. For future-proofness, you would need 6gb version and, imo this should be ok for 1-2years of @ultra settings and later you would have to turn down settings to high and the more time passes, the more your graphics will suffer. If you really think you are going to be gaming for 3-4 years non-stop, a GTX 1070 would be better for ultra/high all the time for a long time.

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

It depends on how "beautiful" you want your graphics to be. Right now 1060 can max-out everything at 1080p without any problems. For future-proofness, you would need 6gb version and, imo this should be ok for 1-2years of @ultra settings and later you would have to turn down settings to high and the more time passes, the more your graphics will suffer. If you really think you are going to be gaming for 3-4 years non-stop, a GTX 1070 would be better for ultra/high all the time for a long time.

Disclaimer: It will NOT max out absolutely everything, but it will do very very well. Like I said I have a 1080 and I can't even MAX out everything at 1440p (which the 1070 is supposed to do) and with 25% more power than the 1070.

Note: Ultra and Max are not the same thing. Max is even higher than Ultra, and in some cases MUCH higher, try turning up the AA on AC:S if you don't believe me.

 

[ThomasKK]

Yep i understand. Also, there is no need to play at 1440p with x16 AA when you have Ultra preset, x2 or x4 will look the same, you won't find a difference there :|

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

Yep i understand. Also, there is no need to play at 1440p with x16 AA when you have Ultra preset, x2 or x4 will look the same, you won't find a difference there :|

Let's agree to disagree on that one. I actually like the smoother textures of higher AA settings. It does make a pretty big difference in some games. AC:S being one of them.

 

[ThomasKK]

No problems there, mate! For your gaming stereotypes, a GTX 1070/1080 is for you, i agree. High graphics with every available setting set to max requires a lot of power, that's why you sometimes experience these fps dips even with high-end products, but let's admit the fact that the author of this topic plays at 1080p & high settings & has an i5-4460. Right there a GTX 1060 is a better option since it is "perfect" for 1080p and ultra settings (only keeping those AA settings not at max x16 etc) - can be found at every fps testing benchmark chart. Also, that i5 won't let a GTX 1070 achieve all of it's performance, because 1070 needs something stronger. Unless the author upgrades a CPU later or decides to get a bigger monitor, there is no need for 1070 :|

P.S. If you do have a lot of $$ and don't have plans on using them on other things, surely get a GTX 1070.

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

No problems there, mate! For your gaming stereotypes, a GTX 1070/1080 is for you, i agree. High graphics with every available setting set to max requires a lot of power, that's why you sometimes experience these fps dips even with high-end products, but let's admit the fact that the author of this topic plays at 1080p & high settings & has an i5-4460. Right there a GTX 1060 is a better option since it is "perfect" for 1080p and ultra settings (only keeping those AA settings not at max x16 etc) - can be found at every fps testing benchmark chart. Also, that i5 won't let a GTX 1070 achieve all of it's performance, because 1070 needs something stronger. Unless the author upgrades a CPU later or decides to get a bigger monitor, there is no need for 1070 :|

P.S. If you do have a lot of $$ and don't have plans on using them on other things, surely get a GTX 1070.

True, but I am simply arguing against the rule of thumb that has been made that the 1070 is the "best" for 1440p and that the 1060 is "best" for 1080p, as like I have said there are games that even the 1080 has trouble with at 1440p, I just don't want people to get a false assumption and get disappointed like I was when they find out they won't be able to blow away every game and max every setting like they think, and like I got (and was told) when I sprung an extra $400 for the 1080 over the 1070 like I was planning on getting. I'm not regretting the purchase at all but I am fully planning on buying a 1080 Ti when they eventually launch, assuming they actually meet the performance of the Titan X as the 980 Ti did with the Titan.

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

But either way, yes a 1070 will bottleneck in CPU demanding games with the 4460. So a 1060 is the clear winner, barring a CPU upgrade.