Best GTX 1060 Graphics Cards For Low-End PCs
For those lost souls who are torn between their budget concerns and satisfying graphical demands. It is about time you decide on the right partner that will help you through. Now the real question is, can you survive the forthcoming gaming era with GTX 1060? Well, it is a matter of subjective perspective, as the best GTX 1060 variants do enjoy impressive frame rates in 1080p at medium to high settings on almost all well-optimized games.
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The bottom line is, if you’re looking for a maxed-out experience at 1080p without making a hole in your pockets, this is the prime contender for that purpose and you will be safe with this card for a long time unless you’re aspiring to amp up the gaming to 1440p or higher qualities. Released back in 2016, GTX 1060 has been and will be (for a few more years), the silver standard for comfortable 1080p gaming.
The Best GTX 1060 – Our 5 Best Picks
| # | Preview | Product Name | Award | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | EVGA SSC Gaming GTX 1060 | Best Value GTX 1060 | Check Price |
| 2 |  | MSI Gaming X GTX 1060 | Best Looking GTX 1060 | Check Price |
| 3 |  | ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 Dual OC | Best Performing GTX 1060 | Check Price |
| 4 |  | GIGABYTE WindForce GTX 1060 | Best Budget GTX 1060 | Check Price |
| 5 |  | GTX 1060 Zotac AMP! Edition | Best Built GTX 1060 | Check Price |
| # | 1 |
| Preview | |
| Product Name | EVGA SSC Gaming GTX 1060 |
| Award | Best Value GTX 1060 |
| Details | Check Price |
| # | 2 |
| Preview | |
| Product Name | MSI Gaming X GTX 1060 |
| Award | Best Looking GTX 1060 |
| Details | Check Price |
| # | 3 |
| Preview | |
| Product Name | ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 Dual OC |
| Award | Best Performing GTX 1060 |
| Details | Check Price |
| # | 4 |
| Preview | |
| Product Name | GIGABYTE WindForce GTX 1060 |
| Award | Best Budget GTX 1060 |
| Details | Check Price |
| # | 5 |
| Preview | |
| Product Name | GTX 1060 Zotac AMP! Edition |
| Award | Best Built GTX 1060 |
| Details | Check Price |
Last Update on 2024-03-05 at 12:02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
No matter how much we praise this GPU, it’s still not enough. The GTX 1060 is by far one of the best and the most popular GPUs used by many gamers. It tops the steam GPU survey, concluding about 10% of GTX 1060 gamers. Back when it was released, the GTX 1060 was a mid-range Pascal card that was considered as the value for money as it had the best price to performance ratio of its time. Don’t get me wrong, in the days of the RTX 3060 and GTX 1660, it’s still a decent performer known for breaking 60 fps in medium to high settings in modern titles. Without further ado, let’s jump to our roundup for the best GTX 1060 GPUs to get.
1. EVGA SSC Gaming GTX 1060
Best Value GTX 1060
Pros
- ACX 3.0
- EVGA Precision XOC
- Stunning cost per performance value
- 3-year warranty with EVGA's 24/7 tech support
Cons
- Real-world power draw of 140W
Base and Boost clocks: 1607MHz and 1835MHz | RGB/LED: Yes | Slots: 2 | Fans: 2 x 90mm
Check PriceEVGA’s SSC (Super Super Clocked) model safely secures the top spot of this list for the best value GTX 1060. It easily takes the cake over EVGA’s remaining 1060 models with its higher clocks almost touching the mark of 2060MHz in its max overclocked speeds. Its base and boost clocks are rated at 1607MHz and 1835MHz.
You can amp the speeds up with Precision X to 1702 base and 2060MHz boost (max). It is paired with 6GBs of 192-bit GDDR5 memory running at 8000MHz effective clock speeds. It has an 8-pin PCIe power connector at the end of the PCB.
Also, it has a meager TDP of 120 Watts, so consider yourself safe with a 400W power supply. Unfortunately, you won’t be getting an SLI-bridge on GTX 1060 series, depriving these of traditional SLI support, under NVIDIA’s directions. Taking a look at the outputs, it has three DisplayPort 1.4, one HDMI 2.0, and one DVI.
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It houses a very beefy cooling solution comprising of two durable double ball bearing fans which are installed with the 0dB feature, by this, the fans will automatically turn off under the defined threshold to curtail the redundant power consumptions. The acoustic profile of the fan was equally promising which also garners ancillary support from optimally tuned heatsinks for 13% quieter performance.
EVGA has placed three straight copper heat pipes directly over the heatsinks and they span the whole length of the card to maximize the contact area. We observed 59-degree C on stock fan profiles and 74-degree C under loads, justice served. It is loaded with the latest drivers and the new overclocking software, Precision XOC, which makes overclocking easier than ever. However, many may still prefer MSI afterburner due to its norms. Check out our detailed comparison.
It can automatically overclock and tune your card according to the required system loads. The card supports a max digital resolution of 8192 x 4320, DX12 OSD with Precision XOC, Windows 7,8, and10 (32/64-bit). All the foregoing context is a compelling telltale for this card’s acclaimed worth, therefore you are good to tap on this card without any fears.
2. MSI Gaming X GTX 1060
Best Looking GTX 1060
Pros
- Excellent acoustic profile
- 8-pin power connector
- Torx Fans
Cons
- Unreliable customer care service
- Taller than most 1060s
Base and Boost clocks: 1595MHz and 1810MHz | RGB/LED: Yes | Slots: 2 | Fans: 2 x 90mm
It is arguably the most aesthetically excelled card out of this list, with a traditional aggressive red and black style making it the best looking GTX 1060 graphics card on our list. It is clocked at 1595MHz for the base clock and 1810MHz for the boost clock. The MSI’s gaming software has its OC mode as default so you can squeeze an extra 140/350 MHz to the base/boost clocks which almost translates to over 2100 MHz boost clock speed.
It has 6GB GDDR5 video memory with a 192-bit memory bus. It is an absolute stunner at barraging out frames as well, under ultra-high settings, we confirmed an average 55-60 FPS in Crysis 3, TC-R6-SIEGE at about 105 FPS, PUBG at 85-90 FPS, DOOM and CSGO hitting triple digits, Witcher 3 at around 50-60 FPS. Its output consists of three DisplayPorts, one HDMI, and one DVI. It gained a bump over the reference model with its 8-pin PCIe power connector. It has a low power consumption of 120W, you’ll require a power cable with your power supply. Moreover, it is VR and Direct 12X ready.
They’ve employed a solid cooling solution for this card with Twin Frozr heat-pipes for fast airflow onto the large aluminum heatsink which has deflectors on it to increase the surface area. It’s two 90 mm cooling fans (with dual bearing architecture for durability) are extremely silent and adequately powerful keeping the temperatures restricted at 80-degree C.
They also have an overclock on these fans making them slightly faster than the non-overlocked version. They turn off automatically at idle temperatures and run totally silent under 60-degree C. You’ll have plenty of room for creative manipulation of its classic non-RGB LEDs via its MSI gaming app. Set it at breathing, active responding mode to game sounds, a steady mode for music, and whatnot per your taste.
The MSI GTX 1060 is a good card nonetheless, but make sure to buy a good motherboard for it check out best motherboards for I5 11400 as it is a good CPU, and you will find good motherboard options in this review.
Moreover, it has a custom matte metal backplate serving the role of aesthetics and heat dissipation altogether. To summarize, with this card, you are guaranteed to enjoy a very sound dollar per FPS performance on 1080p.
3. ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 Dual OC
Best Performing GTX 1060
Pros
- Decent Thermal Performance
- Great for Overclocking
- Solid Build Quality
- White Color
Cons
- Expensive
Base and Boost clocks: 1607MHz and 1809MHz | RGB/LED: No | Slots: 2 | Fans: 2 x 90mm
This card purports to give you the premium overclocked performance layered along with a stunning spectrum of stunning RGB lighting. You’ll get a boost clock of 1873MHz (OC Mode) and a base clock of 1620MHz. On ultra-high settings, we observed 70-80 FPS in Battlefield 1, 200-242 FPS for CSGO, 40-50 FPS in Deus Ex, 90-100 in GTA 5, 85 FPS in Just Cause 3, 168 FPS in Overwatch, and 98 FPS in PUBG.
The ASUS GTX 1060 Dual OC graphics card is the mid-range, dual fan variant from ASUS in the GTX 1060 lineup. It is aimed at value-oriented buyers who want to maximize their value for money. Don’t let that fool you though, it is a powerful mid-range graphics card that can handle most modern games at high settings.
This particular variant features a custom heatsink design with a direct contact heatpipe that allows for efficient heat dissipation. The dual fans on the card also contribute to its thermal performance by providing high airflow and low noise. The card’s thermal performance is further enhanced by its 8-phase power design, which ensures stable power delivery to the GPU.
ASUS boasts of its patented wing-blade design that delivers efficient airflow with improved 105% static pressure over the heat sink. This results in smoother airflow with better heat dissipation as well as low noise levels.
The dual fan design on the ASUS GTX 1060 Dual OC graphics card is optimized for low noise, and the card operates quietly even under heavy load. The fans are designed to spin at different speeds depending on the GPU temperature, ensuring that noise levels are kept to a minimum while maintaining thermal performance.
In addition to its powerful GPU and memory, the ASUS GTX 1060 Dual OC graphics card comes with several features that make it a versatile and practical choice for gamers. It supports NVIDIA G-SYNC, which synchronizes the refresh rate of the monitor with the GPU, eliminating screen tearing and reducing input lag. The card is also VR ready and supports DirectX 12, which is essential for playing the latest games.
The card also comes with ASUS’ GPU Tweak II software, which allows users to overclock the GPU and adjust other settings such as fan speed, voltage, and power target. The software also includes an intuitive interface that displays real-time GPU performance data such as temperature, clock speed, and usage.
One of the defining features of the ASUS GTX 1060 Dual OC is its unique white exterior design. The card has a stylish white design that features a textured backplate with the ASUS logo. Moreover, the GPU’s compact size makes it suitable for small form factor builds, and it will fit into most cases without any issues.
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In essence, the ASUS GTX 1060 Dual OC graphics card offers excellent value for money compared to other mid-range variants of the GTX 1060. It delivers great performance, versatile features, and unique aesthetics while maintaining low noise and high thermal efficiency.
It is an ideal choice for gamers who want the best performing GTX 1060 graphics card that can handle the latest games without breaking the bank.
4. GIGABYTE WindForce GTX 1060
Best Budget GTX 1060
Pros
- Neat backplate
- 4+1 power phase design
- Excellent cooling solution
Cons
- Large size for smaller cases
- Occasional issues with fan control
Base and Boost clocks: 1582MHz and 1987MHz | RGB/LED: N/A | Slots: 2 | Fans: 2 x 90mm
Finishing at fourth, GIGABYTE’s WindForce 6GB edition is a bred-to-the-bone cooling elite as its name implies. Its base clock pegs at 1582MHz and the boost clock running at 1987MHz which obviously goes beyond advertised speeds. As for the performance, it almost catches up to the remaining cards from the list with stable 60 FPS for GTA 5, Battlefield 1, and similar games.
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It has a 6-pin power connector. You’ll get two DVI ports, one HDMI, and one DisplayPort. However, it does fall behind aesthetics if compared to other variants mentioned in this article, but the price tag covers that. Coming at the power phases, compared to the reference model’s 3+1 power phase design, it has 4+1 phases.
It is easily appreciable from the intricate setup of heat pipes and fans that GIGABYTE has put a lot of effort to coax out this card’s cooling prowess to the fullest. Its two 90 mm fans with their enticing appellation do all the justice to their name. They are committed to creating 23% more airflow with their bi-directional spinning and unique fan blades. The heatsinks elongate throughout the length of PCB with pure copper composite heat-pipes, which are in direct contact with the GPU itself, designed to channel heat away from the GPU to heat sink. Impressively, it managed to rein temperatures at 61-65-degrees C.
Overclocking has been made very easy with its XTREME engine utility, you can easily overclock or fine-tune GPU clocks with few clicks. Similarly, fan speeds are also adjustable according to the temperatures. The fans will shut down automatically under a set loading. All-in-all it is a fine bang for your buck and its dwindling stocks at amazon dictates for its fame and being the best budget GTX 1060.
5. GTX 1060 Zotac AMP! Edition
Best Built GTX 1060
Pros
- Industrial Design
- Perfect Connectivity Options
- Compact size
Cons
- No backplate
- Average thermal performance
Base and Boost clocks: 1556MHz and 1771Mhz | RGB/LED: N/A | Slots: 2 | Fans: 2 x 90mm
Last but not least, Zotac’s GTX 1060 AMP Edition exhibits base clock speeds of 1556MHz and a boost clock of 1771MHz along with the inveterate 6GB GDDR5 memory and its 192-bit memory bus. Its frame rates were pretty easy to digest at ultra-high settings in almost all major AAA titles (obviously the optimized ones) hence, it will breeze you through similar games like these at 1080p on high-ultra settings. Looking at its outputs, we have one DVI, one HDMI, and three DisplayPorts. Power wattage is standard 120W with a 6-pin power connector.
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The Zotac 1060 AMP edition gets the best built GTX 1060 title for its exceptional build. It has a nice characteristic silverish grey and a black shroud covering the 90 mm fan and the aluminum heat sink which spans the whole length of PCB (without a backplate). It’s dual 90 mm ZOTAC FREEZE fans also come with the 0dB fan curve feature. we recorded excellent acoustics and temperatures pegging at 77-degree C under max loads. Furthermore, its user-friendly software lets you safely overclock it easily.
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The only knockout of this card is the absence of a metal backplate. You can set the fan curves at 60% through the FireStorm utility to keep it balanced. The temperature measures hovered around 75 to 77-degree C at overclocked (100% fan speed) settings. To conclude, when you take its bolstering performance at 1080p with its impressive acoustics, it is an absolute steal.
