RX 480 or GTX 1060?

[Charlise]

The prices are identical here in my place, and I am planning to put one of them in this build

INTEL CORE i5-6400 2.7GHz
ASUS H110M-K
CORSAIR VENGEANCE 2×4GB DDR4 2400MHz
TOSHIBA Q300 120GB SSD
SEAGATE 2TB 7200RPM
SEASONIC S12II-520W 80+ BRONZE

BTW, I haven't bought the components yet, I am just planning to buy all of them but somehow I got torned about the GPU choice and the CPU, if its better to get a 6500 over it, but nevermind, just as the question suggests, which is better between the two? Thanks guys! Cheers!

 

[jpatrick2]

Hi mate! the i5-6500 is better than the 6400 - if you can get it, you probably should.

I have the RX 480. It is a good card IMO if you are gaming at 1080p. I get 300 FPS in CSGO, Dota 2, and some other less intensive games. In Witcher 3, fallout 4, thief, etc. I get between 90-150 FPS depending on the game. The 1060 is very comparable in terms of performance that you can expect.

With all of that said, I am planning to upgrade to the 1080ti or w/e Nvidia releases next, so take it for what it's worth. I bought the card with every intention of using it as a place-holder for the true beast once it is released.

 

[aquielisunari]

The prices are identical here in my place, and I am planning to put one of them in this build

INTEL CORE i5-6400 2.7GHz
ASUS H110M-K
CORSAIR VENGEANCE 2×4GB DDR4 2400MHz
TOSHIBA Q300 120GB SSD
SEAGATE 2TB 7200RPM
SEASONIC S12II-520W 80+ BRONZE

BTW, I haven't bought the components yet, I am just planning to buy all of them but somehow I got torned about the GPU choice and the CPU, if its better to get a 6500 over it, but nevermind, just as the question suggests, which is better between the two? Thanks guys! Cheers!

This is a mid-range build. That much is apparent. You are trying to keep prices down. What I would cut from this build is the SSD. With the 480 or 1060 in question GAMING is most likely one of the key tasks your rig will be carrying out. So, you pick up a SSD. What does it return? Faster load times, faster boot times and quicker Windows environment and SSD disk access. Where in those advantages does gaming come into play? Load times. Where do I want to put my money if I am on a budget? Into the load time or game-play? I would ditch the SSD. Reallocate that money to another part of your build.

The first component, Patrick has already suggested an upgrade for and I agree. That will benefit your GAMING. Your 120GB SSD has space for how many games? 1? 3?

The second upgrade can be made down the road. 16GB RAM. It is best to purchase RAM in kits. But an identical 2x4GB kit should work fine later on.

480 8GB.

 

[Sakkura]

If you're interested in buying a monitor with a variable refresh rate technology, ie. Freesync or G-Sync, then definitely go for the RX 480. If not, then both are solid options. The GTX 1060 is typically a little ahead in older games, while the RX 480 has a similar edge in newer games.

 

[aquielisunari]

If you're interested in buying a monitor with a variable refresh rate technology, ie. Freesync or G-Sync, then definitely go for the RX 480. If not, then both are solid options. The GTX 1060 is typically a little ahead in older games, while the RX 480 has a similar edge in newer games.

I must partially disagree. While the 480 was ahead in DX 12 games they go toe to toe on many other games. You are trying(unintentionally) to make the 1060 look weaker than the 480 in that the 1060 is only fit for older games. That is not true. They are pretty much neck and neck. Some games are optimized to work better with Nvidia GPUs and vice versa. Some work better with DX12(which Windows is greedily protecting) With driver updates and continuing development of games the 1060 or 480 can be ahead in recent and future releases. They, as you said are both solid options. Trying to put the 1060 in the geriatric center already?

 

[jpatrick2]

In this case, the GPU that you purchase should depend on the games that you play. Look up benchmarks for whatever games you play using the respective cards and see where that leaves you.

 

[Sakkura]

If you're interested in buying a monitor with a variable refresh rate technology, ie. Freesync or G-Sync, then definitely go for the RX 480. If not, then both are solid options. The GTX 1060 is typically a little ahead in older games, while the RX 480 has a similar edge in newer games.

I must partially disagree. While the 480 was ahead in DX 12 games they go toe to toe on many other games. You are trying(unintentionally) to make the 1060 look weaker than the 480 in that the 1060 is only fit for older games. That is not true. They are pretty much neck and neck. Some games are optimized to work better with Nvidia GPUs and vice versa. Some work better with DX12(which Windows is greedily protecting) With driver updates and continuing development of games the 1060 or 480 can be ahead in recent and future releases. They, as you said are both solid options. Trying to put the 1060 in the geriatric center already?

Newer games will mainly be using Vulkan or DX12, where the RX 480 has an edge over the GTX 1060.

Being faster in older games is not the same as saying the GTX 1060 is weaker. Quite the contrary, as older games using DX11 (or older) or OpenGL still outnumber the newer games. It's just worth pointing out the difference, and overall consider the cards closely matched since the number of DX12 and Vulkan games will increase (and the performance difference is already very small).

As I said, apart from Freesync vs. G-Sync they are both solid options.

 

[aquielisunari]

If you're interested in buying a monitor with a variable refresh rate technology, ie. Freesync or G-Sync, then definitely go for the RX 480. If not, then both are solid options. The GTX 1060 is typically a little ahead in older games, while the RX 480 has a similar edge in newer games.

I must partially disagree. While the 480 was ahead in DX 12 games they go toe to toe on many other games. You are trying(unintentionally) to make the 1060 look weaker than the 480 in that the 1060 is only fit for older games. That is not true. They are pretty much neck and neck. Some games are optimized to work better with Nvidia GPUs and vice versa. Some work better with DX12(which Windows is greedily protecting) With driver updates and continuing development of games the 1060 or 480 can be ahead in recent and future releases. They, as you said are both solid options. Trying to put the 1060 in the geriatric center already?

Newer games will mainly be using Vulkan or DX12, where the RX 480 has an edge over the GTX 1060.

Being faster in older games is not the same as saying the GTX 1060 is weaker. Quite the contrary, as older games using DX11 (or older) or OpenGL still outnumber the newer games. It's just worth pointing out the difference, and overall consider the cards closely matched since the number of DX12 and Vulkan games will increase (and the performance difference is already very small).

As I said, apart from Freesync vs. G-Sync they are both solid options.

That's for clarifying that. Nvidia isn't dead in the water with DX 12 or Vulcan, nor did you say that. It's a continuing and progressive battle. That will only benefit us more and more as time goes on. Only wish Intel and AMD were as aggressive. The 7700 with the Titan X(Pascal)? Lopsided? The baby steps offered by Intel is embarrassing.