NVIDIA’s Third Pascal GPU Is Almost Here: GeForce GTX 1060 6GB

Surprise! Hot on the heels of AMD’s Radeon RX 480 launch, NVIDIA has a rabbit to pull out of its hat in the form of the GeForce GTX 1060. Alright, ‘surprise’ might be a bit of an understatement, as this has been the worst-kept secret in the GPU world in quite some time. So aside from NVIDIA wanting to rain on a red parade, what does the GTX 1060 bring to the table?

As its naming implies, the GTX 1060 is the lowest-end part of NVIDIA’s current Pascal lineup, and as such, it’s going to be the most affordable. While the GTX 1080 carries an SRP of $649, and the GTX 1070, $379, the GTX 1060 is whittled down enough to allow NVIDIA to price it at a very comfortable $249 USD (vendor cards) – a price that will likely take a while to reach due to high demand.

While the top two chips are based on the same GP104 architecture, the GTX 1060 is built on GP106, allowing NVIDIA to deliver just what it needs to at this price-point. Interestingly, despite being a ‘mainstream’ model (versus high-end), the GTX 1060 features 8Gbps memory, and 6GB of it. That’s a loss of 2GB versus AMD’s $239 RX 480, but 6GB is a point where the vast majority of people are likely to be satisfied.

NVIDIA hasn’t provided a reference clock value for the GTX 1060, but it says that the GPU Boost clock can reach 1.7GHz. It also assures us that the card can be “easily” overclocked to 2GHz. When all is said and done, the company claims that the card will prove 15% faster than the closest competitor (RX 480), and will be 75% more power efficient.

As seen in the shot below, the card will include a DVI port unlike the top-tier cards. Along with that is an HDMI port as well as three DisplayPorts.

One thing that’s missing? Look close at the shot at the top of the page, along the top of the card, and you’ll notice the absence of an SLI connector. While it could be possible that AIBs can add a connector on, the fact that it doesn’t exist on NVIDIA’s Founders Edition model ($299 USD) tells us that it’s not going to be officially supported.

Foregoing an SLI connector isn’t a decision we expected to see with this card, and for those who love being able to go the dual-GPU route on a modestly priced GPU, that’s downright disappointing. Why did NVIDIA go this route? Let the speculation begin. My guess is that the company simply wants to keep the top-end performance on its top-end cards, which ultimately is great for the company, but not so great for those looking for the best possible bang-for-the-buck.

Based on what we know about the GTX 1060, it seems like it will become a better match for NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 980 than AMD’s Radeon RX 480 was, but the proof will be in the pudding: reviews will go up in a couple of weeks.

In the meantime, those equipped with VR headsets might be glad to know that NVIDIA has a cool game en route called VR Funhouse. As it sounds, you’re placed at a carnival and are given the option to play a number of different games. To my recollection, this is the most robust game NVIDIA has ever released, and if you have a VR headset, you won’t want to miss it. Reviews for the game should go up next week, and at the same time, the game will go live on Steam for $0.00. What I know is, I really want to play it more than I’ve been able to up to this point; it’s good fun.

Now, the waiting game begins. Expect our in-depth look at the GTX 1060 in the very near future, as we pit it against AMD’s latest hotness.