Single fan 1060 a good idea?

[Walker_1]

I have heard that the single fan models of 1060 are prone to many problems such as overheating and even melting of the fan blades. I haven't found many reviews that back this up though, so I was wondering if anyone else has had or heard of similar problems with certain brands, and if there are any brands or models of the single fan cards that don't have overheating problems.

Also, in my quest to find a decent, cheap graphics card, I have of course run into the problem of 6gb vs 3 GB . how much does the ram affect the performance of the 1060 in particular, and should Someone just buy a rx 570 instead for the extra gig of ram?

 

[ron2456]

1060 3gb is 60% - 70% performance of 6gb. Also if your case has ample airflow and your ambient temps are good then you shouldn't have any issue. Also I think a two fan copper heatpipe model cools the gpu die and vrms more effectively.

 

[jay32267]

I have an ASUS GTX 1060 Turbo 6GB (single fan)....been running it hard for years.....maxing it out on Witcher 3 and Planet Coaster etc.....tops out at 70C.....never an issue. I'm very happy with it.

Also, I've been doing the same thing with an ASUS GTX 1080 Turbo (single fan)...although it doesn't max out like the 1060....but....same thing....no issues.

 

[rcald2000]

I own a EVGA GTX 1060 6GB SC Gaming card, which is a single fan GPU. Previously I would have never considered a single fan graphics card, but the single fan variant was the first to come out, when the 1060 line released. I assume that my single fan card gets hotter than the two fan version, but it's never been a problem for me. To be perfectly honest, I prefer the shorter 6.8" length of this card. However, I would not feel comfortable with a single fan version of the 1070 or any other GPU that's more powerful.

 

[RobCrezz]

The other guys have covered the differences in terms of coolers.

I would try and go for the 6gb version over the 3gb - its not simply a difference in ram amount, the 6gb version actually has more cuda cores which gives it more power.

 

[mgallo848]

I have the ASUS 1060 3gb single fan in my HTPC that I occasionally will playing racing games while relaxing in my living room. https://www.asus.com/us/Graphics-Cards/PH-GTX1060-3G/

It runs cool and quiet without any issues. If you're looking to aggressively overclock it then I would probably go for the dual fan setup otherwise this isn't a bad way to go.

 

[cryoburner]

1060 3gb is 60% - 70% performance of 6gb.

This is not very accurate. In nearly all current games at 1080p, the 1060 3GB offers around 90% of the performance of a 1060 6GB, and the difference can be even less than that in situations where performance is limited by the CPU. This is due to the 3GB card having 10% of its cores disabled, in addition to having less VRAM. The lower amount of VRAM can potentially make a difference as well, but most of today's games can get along fine at high settings on 3GB. There's the possibility of it making more of a difference in future games that utilize more VRAM, where the card might lose more performance when it needs to access system RAM, but turning a setting like textures down a bit should likely keep a game's VRAM use in check. Considering the 3GB card has a roughly 20% lower MSRP, it's arguably a reasonable trade off in my opinion, and I would consider the 1060 3GB to be at least a better value than a 1050 Ti, which is significantly slower.

The only argument I'd have against buying a 1060 3GB now is the same argument against buying the 6GB version, or most other cards at the moment. These cards are nearly two years old at this point, and yet they are currently priced higher than what you could get them for back in 2016, due in part to some shortages a number of months back. Nvidia should be launching a new generation of graphics cards over the coming months, and there's a strong possibility that we will be seeing GTX 1070-level performance around this price range later this year. The 1060 3GB launched for US $199 in 2016, and the 6GB version for $249, so it's difficult to consider it worth spending more than that at this point, especially with new, faster cards likely being just around the corner.

As for the cooler, a GTX 1060 is about a 120 watt card, so it could technically get away with a single-fan cooler, though a dual-fan cooler will almost certainly be able to run cooler and quieter. Personally, I would look for something with two fans in this power range, though as far as performance goes, a single fan should be able to get the job done.

 

[Walker_1]

Thanks to all of you for your insight. I will continue to look for cards that are decently priced and I will keep my eye out for cards during Prime Day and other such events. I now know that the six gig card is a better alternative to the 3 gig, and a single fan is not out of the question, although a dual fan could be great if found with a deal. I will continue looking for something to replace my gt 730 that I am borrowing from a friend.

 

[rcald2000]

Walker_1 In your position, I would wait until mid-late August and see if Nvidia announces new GPUs. My absolute guess is that they will release a GTX 1150 Ti ($150 - $170 price range), that will be equivalent to a GTX 1060 3GB. But it's pure conjecture on my part.

 

[Walker_1]

Walker_1 In your position, I would wait until mid-late August and see if Nvidia announces new GPUs. My absolute guess is that they will release a GTX 1150 Ti ($150 - $170 price range), that will be equivalent to a GTX 1060 3GB. But it's pure conjecture on my part.

Yeah, I will wait a while. I'll just have to wait and see if I will pull the trigger before then. I really just depends on the deals. I would imagine that when the new GPU's release there might be some decent cards on eBay as well, but that will probably be last resort because they will be used.

I just can't wait to upgrade, because I might be able to play some decent games. not to mention lower render times and 3d modeling and stuff

I will just have to be patient I guess, and keep my eye out for some decent deals. by the way, do you happen to have a good resource for that besides Reddit r/buildapcsales

 

[cryoburner]

Walker_1 In your position, I would wait until mid-late August and see if Nvidia announces new GPUs. My absolute guess is that they will release a GTX 1150 Ti ($150 - $170 price range), that will be equivalent to a GTX 1060 3GB. But it's pure conjecture on my part.

Just keep in mind that Nvidia will probably roll out the cards over the course of a number of months, rather than all at once. With the 10-series, they started by launching the GTX 1080 in May of 2016, then the 1070 in June, the 1060 6GB in July, the 1060 3GB in August, and finally the 1050 and 1050 Ti in October. So, it took them 5 months to get their gaming lineup out there. If they follow a similar schedule, and the 1180 launches at the end of August, we might not see the 1160 until sometime around November, and the 1150 cards might not be out until winter.

 

[rcald2000]

cryoburner valid point.

 

[Mad World]

I wouldn't recommend it - at least with respect to EVGA's single-fan "GAMING" variant 1060. They were very unprofessional with that one. Games like the Witcher 3 would maintain a steady 82ish + temperature.

If you absolutely must get a single-fan EVGA card, don't get the regular "GAMING" one. Get the "Superclocked" version, as the stock overclocked version is supposed to show normal temps.