Is a faster GPU worth it?

[Atreyo Bhattacharjee]

I' deciding between getting an entry level gtx 1060 running at 1.51 GHz and a more expensive one running at 1.63 GHz, the faster one is about 50-60 dollars more expensive, is it worth getting over the slower one? Will I be able to see a somewhat noticeable difference?

 

[Justiceinacan]

You could probably get that OC yourself if you really wanted.

And no, the difference will be likely under 20 frames per second and that's generous.

 

[Atreyo Bhattacharjee]

You could probably get that OC yourself if you really wanted.

And no, the difference will be likely under 20 frames per second and that's generous.

The cheaper ones have only one fan, while the more expensive ones have 2 some 3 fans, will that affect my OC?

 

[Mojazz]

Yes...... cooling will always affect your over clock potential. Single fan GPU is normally designed for either noise reduction or space. More fans are designed to keep your card's electronics running cooler. Higher overclock normally equals more heat being generated.

 

[dontlistentome]

I think it depends on what's a 'noticeable difference' to you.

My opinion is that if one card gives me 65fps and the other card gives me 71fps, that's not noticeable. That's because if I played a game at those two framerates without knowing which one was which, and you asked me the framerates and which one was higher, I wouldn't know. I'd have to guess.

So no, there's no noticeable difference between 1060s no matter if one is standard clock speeds and the other is overclocked.

If you have some speed need, such as a gsync high refresh rate monitor, where every frame per second is valuable, then that's a different story.

 

[Justiceinacan]

Yeah DO NOT get single fan unless your environment is always cool. For ***ts and giggles I turned on an old 780ti reference in my current environment and that thing throttles the second you load into a game.

This is bad for the life if your circuits and can ultimately be avoided by choosing the better cooled card.