Which Graphic Card is better?

[DanyBoy90]

Hey guys, I'm building my first Gaming PC and unsure on which company to rely on this.

The two graphic cards with relatively same price that are sold where I live are:

1) Zotac - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB AMP! Edition

2) EVGA - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 06G-P4-6163-KR

I'm leaning towards Zotac because it has two fans, but I heard everywhere that EVGA is way better. Problem is that this is a 1 fan version.

My current build is:

**CPU** | AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor
**Motherboard** | MSI - B350M GAMING PRO Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard
**Memory** | Corsair - Vengeance LPX 4GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory
**Storage** | SanDisk - SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
**Case** | Cooler Master - MasterBox Lite 3 (Windowless) MicroATX Mini Tower Case
**Power Supply** | Corsair - CX (2017) 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply

Can someone please help me on this?

 

[vapour]

buy a pack of ram, 2 single sticks do not work
2400 is slow
I won't go with MATX mini, stock cooler may not fit
PSU is no good,
EVGA sc gaming is very good
My edits:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($193.44 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - B350M GAMING PRO Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($78.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: SanDisk - SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($43.78 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB SC GAMING Video Card ($259.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair - Carbide SPEC-04 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($92.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $998.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-11-09 01:43 EST-0500

16gb is more appropriate for new builds. 240gb ssd is not enough, 1tb hdd is added. An OS is needed as well.

 

[hellraiser06]

Out of those graphics cards, I would go for the Zotac because of 2 fans and a much better heatsink. Single fan 1060s run very high on temperature. Many people have this issue. I have a zotac 1060 mini which has heating issues due to its one fan and a pathetic Aluminum heatsink. What other choices do you have? Can you please post the links to those graphics cards?

 

[DanyBoy90]

buy a pack of ram, 2 single sticks do not work
2400 is slow
I won't go with MATX mini, stock cooler may not fit
PSU is no good,
EVGA sc gaming is very good
My edits:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($193.44 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - B350M GAMING PRO Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($78.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: SanDisk - SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($43.78 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB SC GAMING Video Card ($259.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair - Carbide SPEC-04 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($92.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $998.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-11-09 01:43 EST-0500

16gb is more appropriate for new builds. 240gb ssd is not enough, 1tb hdd is added. An OS is needed as well.

Your post helps me a lot. I have a few questions.

1) So, I just bought the two RAMs because they were very cheap, but if they weren't on the same package they don't work?

2) I'm not planning on OC and the motherboard only accepts 2133 or 2400 ghz without OC. Do you recommend to go for 2800 or 3000 still?

3) There are not a lot of cases variety where I live, what do I have to check besides the obvious things.

4) And, EVGA over Zotac any time, right?

 

[DanyBoy90]

Out of those graphics cards, I would go for the Zotac because of 2 fans and a much better heatsink. Single fan 1060s run very high on temperature. Many people have this issue. I have a zotac 1060 mini which has heating issues due to its one fan and a pathetic Aluminum heatsink. What other choices do you have? Can you please post the links to those graphics cards?

Sure, the links are:

https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B01IPVSLTC/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=IRR04ARBDEYF6&colid=1K20SBJA8ZPVB

https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B01I5O5AP2/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I2ZPAFAZNKB0BI&colid=1K20SBJA8ZPVB

Thanks in advance, this helps me truly

 

[vapour]

1) They may or may not work, you can test
2) That MB supports up to 3200 for now, mine is running @ 3200
3) size, fans, cable management and look
4) It is not totally about brands, both are good brands, I like EVGA sc gaming has higher clock speed -> GPU capability.

 

[vapour]

What hellraiser said is not entirely true, one very helpful review:

If you are as curious as I was to what the difference of single vs twin fan cards are, I found the simple answer browsing some PC build forums.

Basically, a lot of it boils down to looks, and the rest is how far you can overclock past stock.

-PC enthusiasts love beefy, expensive looking cards and equipment to fill out their towers, and twin cards deliver with their bigger case, lights, and backplate. Single fans don't have any of that, but are cheaper as a result.

-Single fan cards also don't stand up to overclocking as much as twin fans because of heat dissipation. That's not to say single fans aren't adequate out of the box. If you don't plan on overclocking, a single fan is just fine and will never overheat. Running at full power on max settings playing OW makes the GPU top out at 72C. If you'd like you can also alter the fan speed settings within the Bios to keep the GPU cooler or quieter.

You really don't need a twin fan model, or really anything above a 1060 if you're a basic gamer that doesn't care about looks and just wants a high performance card you don't plan on messing with. I'm playing on a 144mhz monitor and get 160FPS playing Overwatch on Ultra, and about 100 on Epic. TF2 is beyond easy to play at max and Subnautica looks absolutely beautiful on topped out graphics with no stuttering. My tower is in a somewhat confined space as well and the card has never overheated even in 5+ hours of non-stop gaming.

UPDATE: I downloaded the "Precision X" Bios from EVGA and updated the card. It's now faster then ever. Even on stock tune and no overclocking the card is now peaking at 2012mhz, WAY higher than advertised and higher than any stock clocked 1060 on the market. I'm loving this card more every day.

 

[DanyBoy90]

1) They may or may not work, you can test
2) That MB supports up to 3200 for now, mine is running @ 3200
3) size, fans, cable management and look
4) It is not totally about brands, both are good brands, I like EVGA sc gaming has higher clock speed -> GPU capability.

Thanks. I just bought the PSU, it work better being modular?

 

[vapour]

CXM is better quality, but your psu is ok to use.

 

[DanyBoy90]

CXM is better quality, but your psu is ok to use.

Your comments are helping me a lot, I really appreciate it. I will search for twin RAMs then, I don't want to open them just to found out they won't work.

About the Video Card, I'm not planning on OC at the moment, but as I progress on Computer gaming maybe I will try, it's just the single fan that bothers me, but everyone talk wonders of EVGA.

It's a shame the PSU, they were same price (CXM and CX) but bought CX because I saw some videos that told to go with regular CX.

PS: 160 FPS sounds crazy. Being a console gamer I have to be gratefull if some games don't drop below 30's.

 

[vapour]

Ha, it depends on what game you play and what setting you choose. Some FPS video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MM5nRISG2AU

Remember those are ultra-very high settings, lower can get you better FPS

For ram, try to get 3000-3200, if not, get 2666 at least and dual channel -> 2x8 gb in the name.

 

[hellraiser06]

Out of those graphics cards, I would go for the Zotac because of 2 fans and a much better heatsink. Single fan 1060s run very high on temperature. Many people have this issue. I have a zotac 1060 mini which has heating issues due to its one fan and a pathetic Aluminum heatsink. What other choices do you have? Can you please post the links to those graphics cards?

Sure, the links are:

https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B01IPVSLTC/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=IRR04ARBDEYF6&colid=1K20SBJA8ZPVB

https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B01I5O5AP2/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I2ZPAFAZNKB0BI&colid=1K20SBJA8ZPVB

Thanks in advance, this helps me truly

My suspicion is correct. If you take a look at both graphics card pictures, you will notice that the Zotac has copper heatsink with heat pipes while the EVGA card is sitting with aluminum only without any heat pipes. Also, Zotac is cheaper.

Take a look at my thread:
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3549329/zotac-gtx-1060-6gb-mini-high-temps.html

Long story short, my card goes to 83 degrees celsius out of the box in demanding games like GTA V, COD AW, Witcher 2, 3 etc. on stock clocks. At this point it throttles down and results in jitters. At first, I thought it was because of my case. However, I had to undervolt the card to keep the temps under 75. My ambient room temperatures are well below 25, sometimes, even 21. My card idles at 35 and fan speed is 40% at minimum. I have setup a custom fan curve to set the fan at 100% above 55. All this is ridiculous to do with a new card. Some people have this issue, some don't. In my country, there is no option to return a graphics card, otherwise, I would have returned this POS and bought the amp edition only because of better cooling solution. Your mileage may of course vary, but this information is to make you aware that this *could* happen to you. Better to buy the better card right now especially when it is cheaper than the single fan one. The one with dual fan will be much less noisier in addition to being much less cooler. In the amp edition, fans switch off when the card is idle, in single card solution it doesn't. At load, the single fan card will be hotter not just because of 1 fan, but also because of lack of proper copper heatsink and heat pipes.

 

[DanyBoy90]

Ha, it depends on what game you play and what setting you choose. Some FPS video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MM5nRISG2AU

Remember those are ultra-very high settings, lower can get you better FPS

For ram, try to get 3000-3200, if not, get 2666 at least and dual channel -> 2x8 gb in the name.

Gameplay looks amazing!

Thanks man, I will keep everything in consideration.

 

[vapour]

Long story short, my card goes to 83 degrees celsius out of the box in demanding games like GTA V, COD AW, Witcher 2, 3 etc. on stock clocks. At this point it throttles down and results in jitters. At first, I thought it was because of my case. However, I had to undervolt the card to keep the temps under 75. My ambient room temperatures are well below 25, sometimes, even 21. My card idles at 35 and fan speed is 40% at minimum. I have setup a custom fan curve to set the fan at 100% above 55. All this is ridiculous to do with a new card. Some people have this issue, some don't. In my country, there is no option to return a graphics card, otherwise, I would have returned this POS and bought the amp edition only because of better cooling solution. Your mileage may of course vary, but this information is to make you aware that this *could* happen to you. Better to buy the better card right now especially when it is cheaper than the single fan one. The one with dual fan will be much less noisier in addition to being much less cooler. In the amp edition, fans switch off when the card is idle, in single card solution it doesn't. At load, the single fan card will be hotter not just because of 1 fan, but also because of lack of proper copper heatsink and heat pipes.

Use MSI afterburner to manually set your fan curve and you should see lower temp. 83 is not throttle point yet. Absolute max is 104C, throttle happen point ~ 94C.

 

[DanyBoy90]

Out of those graphics cards, I would go for the Zotac because of 2 fans and a much better heatsink. Single fan 1060s run very high on temperature. Many people have this issue. I have a zotac 1060 mini which has heating issues due to its one fan and a pathetic Aluminum heatsink. What other choices do you have? Can you please post the links to those graphics cards?

Sure, the links are:

https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B01IPVSLTC/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=IRR04ARBDEYF6&colid=1K20SBJA8ZPVB

https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B01I5O5AP2/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I2ZPAFAZNKB0BI&colid=1K20SBJA8ZPVB

Thanks in advance, this helps me truly

My suspicion is correct. If you take a look at both graphics card pictures, you will notice that the Zotac has copper heatsink with heat pipes while the EVGA card is sitting with aluminum only without any heat pipes. Also, Zotac is cheaper.

Take a look at my thread:
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3549329/zotac-gtx-1060-6gb-mini-high-temps.html

Long story short, my card goes to 83 degrees celsius out of the box in demanding games like GTA V, COD AW, Witcher 2, 3 etc. on stock clocks. At this point it throttles down and results in jitters. At first, I thought it was because of my case. However, I had to undervolt the card to keep the temps under 75. My ambient room temperatures are well below 25, sometimes, even 21. My card idles at 35 and fan speed is 40% at minimum. I have setup a custom fan curve to set the fan at 100% above 55. All this is ridiculous to do with a new card. Some people have this issue, some don't. In my country, there is no option to return a graphics card, otherwise, I would have returned this POS and bought the amp edition only because of better cooling solution. Your mileage may of course vary, but this information is to make you aware that this *could* happen to you. Better to buy the better card right now especially when it is cheaper than the single fan one. The one with dual fan will be much less noisier in addition to being much less cooler. In the amp edition, fans switch off when the card is idle, in single card solution it doesn't. At load, the single fan card will be hotter not just because of 1 fan, but also because of lack of proper copper heatsink and heat pipes.

At what specs do you play? I'm planning on playing at high maybe ultra high, but don't want to give the computer to much while I learn to control it. Also, Zotac is reliable?

 

[DanyBoy90]

Long story short, my card goes to 83 degrees celsius out of the box in demanding games like GTA V, COD AW, Witcher 2, 3 etc. on stock clocks. At this point it throttles down and results in jitters. At first, I thought it was because of my case. However, I had to undervolt the card to keep the temps under 75. My ambient room temperatures are well below 25, sometimes, even 21. My card idles at 35 and fan speed is 40% at minimum. I have setup a custom fan curve to set the fan at 100% above 55. All this is ridiculous to do with a new card. Some people have this issue, some don't. In my country, there is no option to return a graphics card, otherwise, I would have returned this POS and bought the amp edition only because of better cooling solution. Your mileage may of course vary, but this information is to make you aware that this *could* happen to you. Better to buy the better card right now especially when it is cheaper than the single fan one. The one with dual fan will be much less noisier in addition to being much less cooler. In the amp edition, fans switch off when the card is idle, in single card solution it doesn't. At load, the single fan card will be hotter not just because of 1 fan, but also because of lack of proper copper heatsink and heat pipes.

Use MSI afterburner to manually set your fan curve and you should see lower temp. 83 is not throttle point yet. Absolute max is 104C, throttle happen point ~ 94C.

I read about MSI afterburner but I had never done that. I'm a newbie on CPU gaming, this is a little overwhelming for me.

 

[vapour]

not that hard, voltage+clock speed change. create a fan curve, that's it.

 

[vapour]

you can use and keep stock setting no afterburner is needed.

 

[DanyBoy90]

you can use and keep stock setting no afterburner is needed.

Awesome! I will study everything about heat on graphic cards though. I will go with EVGA as you suggest

 

[hellraiser06]

Vapor... Read my post again. I have specifically written about the custom fan curve. Please don't make things sound so simple to new builders. That doesn't help them. Also please read online. Pascal throttles at 83 by default. Vrm can handle upto above 100. And these are separate topics for another day.

Dannyboy.... We are here to help you as a new builder to build your system with ease. Please read some reviews online if each graphics card. Take a look at the forums about any issues they might have. Make an informed decision. We are here to help you and our words should only be treated as opinions and not absolute truth.

 

[vapour]

@ hellraiser

https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/960657/gtx-1060-temperatures-solved-/
shows some data points of their temps, custom fan curve does bring down temp to below 80. Some posts say 94 is the true throttling point, 83 is just starting and many cards may have different settings. For your case, did you do fan curve and the temp is still reaching 83? If so, what case are you using, any extra case fans?