Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 AMP! Edition
RX 480 versus GTX 1060. Fight!
WE’VE SAID IT OFTEN ENOUGH: It’s never about the flagships. Yes, a lot of people—ourselves included, to be honest—would happily go out and buy the GTX 1080 and future RX 490s of this world. However, the vast majority of investment and profit in this industry is actually made in the mid-range, with the GTX 1060s and RX 480s. The 1060 is a direct response to the launch of AMD’s exceptionally aggressively priced RX 480. Team Red’s card came in positioned snugly between both the GTX 980 and 970, and at a price point that would make most of the previous generation’s card buyers weep. And with it, Nvidia announced the launch of the GTX 1060, a card designed to provide GTX 980 performance on a budget. Well, sort of—the Founder’s Edition reared its ugly head first, demanding a $50 price premium for just two weeks’ early access, along with a slightly shiny reference cooler.
Let’s be honest, though, that’s not what’s interesting here. It’s the AIB partner cards that arouse our curiosity. This wee beauty, for instance, secures performance at 1080p, and provides an acceptable 40–50fps in AAA titles at 1440p, as well. Like for like, the performance is almost identical to that last-generation flagship. It even has the legendary Maxwell-esque overclocking capacity, too. We managed to push ours up 240MHz on the core alone, improving Fire Strike scores by well over a thousand. It’s a small card, sleek and quiet, with 0dB fan technology enabled to keep your desktop experience comfortable, at an aggressively priced $350. The only downside? No SLI support for those looking to boost their performance in a year or two’s time.
All in all, the GTX 1060 really has come of age at this point. With aftermarket variants coming in at ever lower prices, and a 3GB version on the horizon for those looking solely at 1080p gaming, it looks as though Nvidia really has this one in the bag—or, at least, its AIB partners do.
VERDICT9
Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 AMP! Edition
AMPLIFIED GTX 980-like performance; exceptional value; cool and quiet; 0dB fan tech; OC crazy.
AMPUTATED No SLI support. $290, www.zotac.com