The Nvidia GTX 1060 India Launch, Specs, Features, and More
The Nvidia GTX 1060 was unveiled by Nvidia hurriedly on 7th July 2016 to counter the AMD RX480. The best part of the new graphics card is the India Price of Rs. 22,900 (Zotac Mini GTX 1060).
Considering the recent increase in prices due to cryptocurrency mining it is going to be difficultt to get a GTX 1060 under 30k price range.
Notably, Nvidia shared the graphics card price on the Nvidia India Facebook page, so it is confirmed that it costs less than the AMD RX 480 (4GB version) (available for Rs. 24999 in India).
The GTX 1060 comes as the high-end gaming solution and competes with the AMD RX 480. As per Nvidia press release information, it is 10 to 15% faster than the AMD RX 480.
Globally the Nvidia GTX 1060 is available for $230 to $249 ( Rs. 16000) (in the US and other countries). Read Detailed Review – Review Galax Nvidia GTX 1060 EXOC: Superb Performer
The pricing is not competitive in India compared to the US but reasonably better than the AMD RX 480 price in India.
Nvidia has done better this time for the pricing. We were expecting AMD to price the RX 480 lower, but they failed at it. In fact, AMD disappointed Indian PC Gamers with the astronomical price tag.
Later, they reduced the price by Rs. 2,000 after a lot of hues and cries. AMD RX 480 went on sale on 29 June 2016, and Nvidia did not wait long to share the news about the GTX 1060.
It is a brilliant strategy by Jen Hsun Huang to unveil it as early as possible. Many gamers would go with the Nvidia card over the AMD, at least in India, considering the price difference.
Nvidia GTX 1060 Hardware Specs
The Nvidia GTX 1060 is based on the Pascal architecture similar to the Nvidia GTX 1080 and the GTX 1070 graphics cards. It is manufactured from the 16nm manufacturing process. The GPU is actually smaller compared to the GTX 1070 and uses the GP 106 architecture compared to the GP 104 used in the GTX 1070.
The Nvidia GTX 1060 comes with 1,280 CUDA cores (half the GTX 1080), a boosted clock speed of 1.7 GHz. Also, as per my conversation with Nvidia India, they stated it could easily overclock above 2.0 GHz, impressive work.
Besides, the Graphics card has 6 GB of GDDR5 memory, which comes with 192 Bits of the memory bus and consequently offers 8 GB /s of memory bandwidth.
Notably, the GPU has a very low 120W TDP and comes with a single 6 pin connector. Nvidia has recommended a 400 Watts quality power supply that will be sufficient to run the GTX 1060. On the safer side, a 500 Watts will be an ideal scenario. Gone are the days when PC gamers use to buy the 700 Watts PSU to run the AMD R9 290X for the same performance.
Also, the GTX 1060 has five display outputs: HDMI, DVI, and a trio of DisplayPorts. Stats aside, the graphics card promises to meet the performance target of the Nvidia GTX 980, which is an insanely fast GPU.
Furthermore, it comes with a base clock of 1506 and a boost clock of 1708. Additionally, it has support for the Vulcan API as well as the DirectX 12.
Nvidia promises a VR-ready gaming experience, and if you are planning to add a VR headset to your gaming RIG in the near future, it can be a real companion.
KEY Specs Comparison Nvidia GTX 1060 Vs. 1070 Vs. 1080
| Graphics Card | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graphics Core | GP104 | GP104 | GP106 |
| Manufacturing Process | 16nm FinFET | 16nm FinFET | 16nm FinFET |
| Transistors | 7.2 Billion | 7.2 Billion | TBD |
| Base Clock | 1607 MHz | 1506 MHz | 1506 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1733 MHz | 1683 MHz | 1708 MHz |
| FP32 Compute | 9.0 TFLOPs | 6.5 TFLOPs | TBD |
| CUDA Cores | 2560 CUDA Cores | 1920 CUDA Cores | 1280 CUDA Cores |
| V-RAM | 8GB GDDR5X | 8GB GDDR5 | 6GB GDDR5 |
| Bus Interface | 256-bit bus | 256-bit bus | 192-bit bus |
| Power Connector | Single 8-Pin Power | Single 8-Pin Power | Single 6-Pin Power |
| TDP | 180W | 150W | 120W |
| India Launch Date | 10th June 2016 | 10th June 2016 | 19th July 2016 |
| Launch Price | Rs. 63250 | Rs 40800 | Rs 23000 |
Nvidia has launched the new Nvidia GTX 1060 graphics card on 19th July 2016 in India, and the card is now available for purchase.
The Graphics card is significantly faster in comparison to the Nvidia GTX 970 and, more importantly in comparison, the AMD RX 480. Nvidia promised that the graphics card would be as fast as the GTX 980, and the benchmark results show that it is nearly the performance in most gaming titles.
It is a good thing to keep promises. Update 25-July 2016 (India Launch Details)
Gaming Benchmarks Nvidia GTX 1060
The early benchmark performance for the Nvidia GTX 1060 suggests that the graphics card is 3X faster than the GTX 960 in the VR performance.
Also, it is 2X faster in the gaming performance it titles such as Tomb Raider and close to 2X in the Witcher 3 and Overwatch.
Gaming Benchmark Nvidia GTX 1060 and AMD RX 480
Data Source – hardware Canucks, Techpowerup, Tomshardware, Pc perspective.
The early benchmarks show that the Nvidia GTX 1060 is about 10% faster than the AMD RX 480, which is a good thing for the Nvidia GTX 1060.
The major flaw is the lack of support for SLI for Nvidia GTX 1060. You cannot run it in SLI. Nvidia says the best way to run the mid-range GPUs is a single card solution, and SLI is meant for enthusiast-level performance cards.
Personally, I would buy a single fastest card and think this is a good approach for most Gamers in India. Having said that, having more choices is always good. I don’t really understand Nvidia’s point to remove support for SLI.
Contrastingly, the AMD RX 480 supports crossfire, and the Dual RX 480 is as fast as a single GTX 1080.
DX12 and Vulcan API based Games performance difference RX 480 and Nvidia GTX 1060
With some of the benchmarks showing a lead for the AMD RX 480 (8 GB version). Also, the possibility that the RX 480 may actually do better in the future can be really confusing for Gamers looking to buy the GTX 1060.
For now, the GTX 1060 is 8-10% faster in the DirectX 11 games, and that is a fact and what happens in the future happens in the future. We never know how optimized the games and drivers were for AMD and Nvidia when new PC gaming titles came in 2017-18.
Going by the past, Nvidia is not going to lose. The tomb raider with DX 12 also proves that the GTX 1060 is quite fast and performs better in the Game.
Hitman and Ashes of Singularity ran better on DX 12 with AMD RX 480 than the Nvidia GTX 1060.
Let’s have a look at the choices we have in terms of brands for GTX 1060.
Brands for Nvidia GTX 1060 in India
Zotac Nvidia GTX 1060 – There are 2 cards available from Zotac, the Amp Edition and the smaller Zotac Mini. Both don’t meet my expectations but are available cheaper in comparison to other cards. The Mini is an underperformer and the right fit for people with small cabinets.
As per the early reviews and user feedback, the AMP edition runs a bit hot, around 80 degrees C. I prefer the more expensive better-cooled graphics card plus additional room to overclock. Zotac Mini is available for Rs. 22999 and the Zotac Amp Edition for Rs. 25,999.
Zotac Amp Edition
Zotac Mini GTX 1060
MSI Nvidia GTX 1060
Even MSI has two graphics cards, the MSI Armor with standard-sized Cooler available for Rs. 26999. The GPU has a Boost clock of 1759 MHz. On the other hand, the MSI Gaming X comes with larger coolers and looks similar to the GTX 1070 they have launched earlier.
The graphics card costs Rs. 27,300 in the market and has an 1809 MHz (OC Mode). It can easily clock above 2000 MHz, and those coolers can run it without getting heated.
MSI Armor GTX 1060
MSI Gaming X
Galax Nvidia GTX 1060
Furthermore, the Galax card is quite affordable, and as per the media release they have sent us, it costs Rs. 23,600 in India. The graphics card comes with Boost Clock (MHz) 1759.
Asus Nvidia GTX 1060
The Asus Nvidia ROG STRIX-GTX1060-6G-GAMING is probably the most expensive of the lot and can set you back by Rs. 28,000, as per the initial retail price information. The availability is yet scarce and may take some time to reach more retail and online stores.
The triple cooler card is quite long and measures 11.73 inches, and you may have to check your case dimensions before buying it.
It has a higher boost clock of 1746 in the OC mode. Asus is expected to launch more models for the GTX 1060 in the market.
Gigabyte G1 Gaming Nvidia GTX 1060
Gigabyte is yet to share the retail price for their G1 gaming graphics card, but we can expect it to be Rs. 25k to 27k for the Indian market. The graphics card has a very decent boost clock of 1847 Mhz, and it comes with an 8 pin connector, unlike most GTX 1060 that require a 6 pin connector.
The brand choice can vary based on your previous experience with the brand or based on the service. Also, the price can vary if you are buying it in different Geographic regions. Share your thoughts about the brand below or if you have any queries.
Related – AMD RX 480 Gets a Price Cut in India.
WHY Nvidia GTX 1060 Looks a Better Deal than RX 480 In India
The one major reason is AMD just got the pricing wrong by a mile in India. They were selling the RX 480 at a price similar to Nvidia GTX 970, and the RX 480 offers very similar performance compared to the GTX 970.
The addition of GTX 1060 at an Rs. 3,000 less than the AMD definitely makes Nvidia a winner as far as pricing goes. The GTX 1060 is even faster in comparison to the RX 480.
Price to Performance is Better Than AMD RX 480 in India
In addition to that, it has support for VR-WORKS, which is similar to the Nvidia Gameworks program. Notably, the graphics card will have better support and performance for many games with optimizations done by game developers aligned to the Gameworks and VR-Works.
Besides, AMD RX 480 gets some negative reviews for high PCI E power usage and higher temperature and noise levels compared to the GTX 1060. AMD may have to re-look at the pricing strategy in India and lower the price further.
Purchase Decision AMD RX 480 and Nvidia GTX 1060 India
It is not an easy call, and there is no clear winner.
The price difference between the cards AMD RX 480 (8GB ) and Nvidia GTX 1060 is close to $50 to $70. Most US and other markets reviewers recommend getting the RX 480 if you wish for something cheaper and the GTX 1060 if you want an additional 10% performance and pay an additional $50 for the card.
The Indian pricing scenario is very different, and so is my recommendation. I called up some of the key retailers in Lamington road Mumbai to have a pricing comparison for both the cards, and here are some of the findings.
The AMD RX 480 8GB version is selling at Rs. 28,000 (Sapphire), while the Nvidia GTX 1060 Zotac Amp Edition is available for Rs. 24,999. The cards from Asus and Gigabyte are not available. Even the MSI GTX 1060 Gaming X costs Rs. 27,000 is not available. Likely, they will reach the retailers in a couple of days.
At the current time, the Nvidia card is available for a lower price. It is difficult to buy the AMD RX 480 even the lure of having an 8 GB VRAM card is strong. But again, the GTX 1060 performs better and is cheaper in India currently and should be considered.
Nvidia is also likely to launch a GTX 1050, GTX 1050 Ti, and flagship 1080 Ti in the fall this year.
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