EVGA GTX 1060 3GB review: A compelling $200 graphics card with a questionable future
Nvidia's new 3GB version of the GeForce GTX 1060 goes toe-to-toe with the $200 Radeon RX 480—in theory.
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EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 (3GB)
PCWorld RatingEVGA's $200 GTX 1060 3GB Gaming would be a no-brainer over AMD's Radeon RX 470 if it had a bit more memory.
- Our test system
- Test 1: The Division
- Test 2: Hitman
- Test 3: Rise of the Tomb Raider
- Test 4: Far Cry Primal
- Test 5: Ashes of the Singularity
- Test 6: Synthetic benchmarks
- Test 7: Power
- Test 8: Heat
- Bottom line
Test 7: Power
We test power under load by plugging the entire system into a Watts Up meter, running the intensive Division benchmark at 4K resolution, and noting the peak power draw. Idle power is measured after sitting on the Windows desktop for three minutes with no extra programs or processes running.
The 6GB GeForce GTX 1060 was already a model of power efficiency. This version, with a cut-down GPU and 3GB less RAM, is just as much of a marvel. AMD’s Polaris architecture made great strides forward in power efficiency, but Nvidia’s Pascal design is still head-and-shoulders better in that regard.
Test 8: Heat
We test heat during the same intensive Division benchmark, by running SpeedFan in the background and noting the maximum GPU temperature once the run is over.
The EVGA GTX 1060 3GB Gaming runs hotter than the 6GB GTX 1060 Founders Edition, but that’s no surprise. This particular design opted for a shorter length, so it only has a single fan compared to the usual pair on full-length cards. That’s neither good nor bad; it’s just different. On the plus side, the card runs quiet enough while you’re gaming—that single fan isn’t blaring to compensate for its lack of a buddy.
Next page: Bottom line