[SOLVED] RX 580 vs GTX 1060 (both OC) -- which one to get?

[pcgeek21]

I know, I know, this question has been asked quite a couple of times before, and I should research before asking my question. However, this is in regards to 2 particular models that I just cannot seem to make up my mind.

1) MSI RX 580 MK2 8G OC (8Gb DDR5 RAM)
https://www.msi.com/Graphics-card/Radeon-RX-580-ARMOR-MK2-8G-OC/Overview

2) Asus GTX1060-O6G (6Gb DDR5 RAM)
https://www.asus.com/sg/Graphics-Cards/DUAL-GTX1060-O6G/

I have done extensive research and came up with some pros and cons of each, but I still need some advice to push me to either one. Something to take note is that I'm buying them off a website similar to EBay, but the MSI is "new" (never used before, but box is opened) while the Asus is used (but slight usage only, according to the seller). The warranty is also a few months longer for the MSI one as compared to the Asus one, while the Asus one is $30 cheaper. (And no, I don't care about the color scheme, no worries there!)

For myself, I am in the market to get a new graphics card because my last one spoilt a couple of days ago. Reading online, this is the sweet spot for a mid-tier graphics card to play most game titles at 1080p on max settings. But, my main primary use will still be for coding (not sure if GPU comes into play here).

If it matters, this is my current setup:
i5-3570K (Ivy bridge)
Z77 chipset (Asrock)
8GB Corsair vengeance ram (DDR3)
750W Seasonic Gold Power supply
Samsung 860 Evo Pro 500GB SSD
WD 500GB HDD


MSI Pros
1) Performs better in most games
2) Can implement FreeSync (which has a lower barrier to entry as compared to GSync monitors which are much more expensive. I don't have either a FreeSync / GSync monitor but may pick up one in the future)
3) More VRAM, though I heard this doesn't make a difference once you go beyond 3 / 4GB

MSI Cons
1) Slightly more expensive ($270, but never used before)
2) Based on spec sheet, max clock speed is only 1380MHz compared to Asus 1809MHz
3) Runs hotter and draws more power


Asus Pros
1) Runs cooler and power consumption is much lower
2) Higher base clock and max clock
3) Less expensive ($240)
4) I heard(not sure about this) that GTX1060 performs better in productivity tasks as compared to RX 580

Asus Cons
1) Runs GSync (more expensive)
2) Used; as compared to MSI which hasn't been used
3) Lesser VRAM

So there goes my dilemma. I really hope someone can provide some insights and suggestions as to which one I should buy. Thanks!

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

1060 6GB. Not a fan of the 580's , all 3 of mine ended up in RMA. Never mined or OC.

 

[King_V]

I will say that SR-71 has had a pretty terrible experience - I can't say whether it's something about a bad batch of RX580 chips themselves, or specifically a bad batch of Sapphire Nitro+ versions of them (I believe all 3 were Nitro+) or what.

Very bizarre and very alarming that all 3 were bad, though.

However, I think that's a really strange outlier (and very understandably off-putting, to say the least!) - so far my son's RX 580 (PowerColor Red Dragon) has been performing impeccably.

That all said, I'd recommend the RX 580 8GB over the 1060 6GB because of the better pricing AND the FreeSync vs GSync issue.

Both the 580/8GB and 1060/6GB cards perform about the same - some say the 580/8GB has a *slight* edge.

Are you in the US? In the US, most RX 580 8GB cards are notably cheaper than most 1060 6GB cards. $270 for an 8 GB RX 580 is insanely overpriced, that's RX 590 pricing territory.

This is the pricing currently in the US for the 580/8 and the 1060/6, comparatively, sorted from cheapest to most expensive:

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/video-card/#c=373,391&G=6442450944,8589934592&sort=price

Keep an eye on the coolers, though - there are a few models, such as MSI V1, MSI Armor(NOT to be confused with MSI Armor MK2), and others that have coolers that I would avoid. Many are reasonably beefy, though.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

I have come across other brands with the same issues. Very unhappy with my 3 - pathetic 580's. They are the better buy , but not from my point of view.

 

[pcgeek21]

I will say that SR-71 has had a pretty terrible experience - I can't say whether it's something about a bad batch of RX580 chips themselves, or specifically a bad batch of Sapphire Nitro+ versions of them (I believe all 3 were Nitro+) or what.

Very bizarre and very alarming that all 3 were bad, though.

However, I think that's a really strange outlier (and very understandably off-putting, to say the least!) - so far my son's RX 580 (PowerColor Red Dragon) has been performing impeccably.

That all said, I'd recommend the RX 580 8GB over the 1060 6GB because of the better pricing AND the FreeSync vs GSync issue.

Both the 580/8GB and 1060/6GB cards perform about the same - some say the 580/8GB has a *slight* edge.

Are you in the US? In the US, most RX 580 8GB cards are notably cheaper than most 1060 6GB cards. $270 for an 8 GB RX 580 is insanely overpriced, that's RX 590 pricing territory.

This is the pricing currently in the US for the 580/8 and the 1060/6, comparatively, sorted from cheapest to most expensive:

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/video-card/#c=373,391&G=6442450944,8589934592&sort=price

Keep an eye on the coolers, though - there are a few models, such as MSI V1, MSI Armor(NOT to be confused with MSI Armor MK2), and others that have coolers that I would avoid. Many are reasonably beefy, though.

Would the higher clock speeds of the ASUS matter a lot? I see that ASUS has much higher clock speeds while MSI has a higher number of CUDA cores and more VRAM. I don't know which one would be better for what tbh.

 

[King_V]

I will say that SR-71 has had a pretty terrible experience - I can't say whether it's something about a bad batch of RX580 chips themselves, or specifically a bad batch of Sapphire Nitro+ versions of them (I believe all 3 were Nitro+) or what.

Very bizarre and very alarming that all 3 were bad, though.

However, I think that's a really strange outlier (and very understandably off-putting, to say the least!) - so far my son's RX 580 (PowerColor Red Dragon) has been performing impeccably.

That all said, I'd recommend the RX 580 8GB over the 1060 6GB because of the better pricing AND the FreeSync vs GSync issue.

Both the 580/8GB and 1060/6GB cards perform about the same - some say the 580/8GB has a *slight* edge.

Are you in the US? In the US, most RX 580 8GB cards are notably cheaper than most 1060 6GB cards. $270 for an 8 GB RX 580 is insanely overpriced, that's RX 590 pricing territory.

This is the pricing currently in the US for the 580/8 and the 1060/6, comparatively, sorted from cheapest to most expensive:

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/video-card/#c=373,391&G=6442450944,8589934592&sort=price

Keep an eye on the coolers, though - there are a few models, such as MSI V1, MSI Armor(NOT to be confused with MSI Armor MK2), and others that have coolers that I would avoid. Many are reasonably beefy, though.

Would the higher clock speeds of the ASUS matter a lot? I see that ASUS has much higher clock speeds while MSI has a higher number of CUDA cores and more VRAM. I don't know which one would be better for what tbh.

No. The GTX 1060 and the RX580 are completely different architectures. It's not an apples to apples comparison to compare clock speeds or other particular specs to each other.

The extra VRAM *might* help in the future, but at 1080p, even the 1060's 6GB has yet to become a limiting factor. 4GB I think is just STARTING to become an issue, maybe with one or two games, though don't hold me to that (trying to go from my powers of recall, which are terrible).

Overall, though, they are generally considered approximately equal in performance.