The spring of 2017 was somewhat unexpectedly filled with news on the graphics card front, where the largest to date is Nvidia’s flagship Geforce GTX 1080 Ti. In connection with the unveiling of this, new OC variants of last year’s Geforce GTX 1080 and GTX 1060 were also presented, where the graphics frequency was strangely left untouched.
Instead, Nvidia turned up the controls on the graphics memory, something that should be about more than simple factory overclocking. With almost a year on its neck, Nvidia has had time to refine the graphics circuits GP104 and GP106, which makes it possible to run the graphics memory faster and thus increase the bandwidth to higher levels than before.
Specifications: Geforce GTX 1080 OC and GTX 1060 OC
| GTX 1080 OC | GTX 1080 | GTX 1060 OC | GTX 1060 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technical | 16 nm TSMC | 16 nm TSMC | 16 nm TSMC | 16 nm TSMC |
| Circuit | GP104 | GP104 | GP106 | GP106 |
| Circuit surface | 314 mm2 | 314 mm2 | 200 mm2 | 200 mm2 |
| Transistors | 7.2 billion | 7.2 billion | 4.4 billion | 4.4 billion |
| Architecture | Pascal | Pascal | Pascal | Pascal |
| CUDA cores | 2 560 st. | 2 560 st. | 1 280 st. | 1 280 st. |
| Texture units | 160 st. | 160 st. | 80 st. | 80 st. |
| Raster units | 64 st. | 64 st. | 48 st. | 48 st. |
| Clock frequency | 1 607 MHz | 1 607 MHz | 1 506 MHz | 1 506 MHz |
| GPU Boost | 1 733 MHz | 1 733 MHz | 1 708 MHz | 1 708 MHz |
| Computational power | 8 873 GFLOPS | 8 873 GFLOPS | 4 372 GFLOPS | 4 372 GFLOPS |
| Memory bus | 256-bit | 256-bit | 192-bit | 192-bit |
| Memory amount | 8 GB GDDR5X | 8 GB GDDR5X | 6 GB GDDR5 | 6 GB GDDR5 |
| Memory frequency | 11 000 MHz | 10 000 MHz | 9 000 MHz | 8 000 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 352 GB/s | 320 GB/s | 216 GB/s | 192 GB/s |
| Power supply | 8-pin | 8-pin | 6-pin | 6-pin |
| Outputs | 1 st. DL-DVI 1 st. HDMI 2.0b 3 st. DP 1.4 | 1 st. DL-DVI 1 st. HDMI 2.0b 3 st. DP 1.4 | 1 st. DL-DVI 1 st. HDMI 2.0b 3 st. DP 1.4 | 1 st. DL-DVI 1 st. HDMI 2.0 3 st. DP 1.2 |
| TDP | 180 W | 180 W | 120 W | 120 W |
However, these are not two new models, but only an opportunity for manufacturers to release the Geforce GTX 1080 and GTX 1060 with memory frequencies of 11,000 MHz and 9,000 MHz respectively – an increase of 1,000 MHz for both. In the case of GTX 1080, it provides 10 percent higher bandwidth than before, while GTX 1060 takes a slightly higher step up by 12.5 percent.
There are no definite guidelines for how partner manufacturers should label models that run at the faster memory speeds, but it is up to each one to decide. For example, Asus prints the higher speeds in the names (11Gbps and 9Gbps) and MSI adds a plus sign (+). Gigabyte takes the confusion a step further and releases completely new models both with and without additions to the names.
It is worth mentioning that the higher memory frequencies are partly made possible by the optimized graphics circuits, but also that higher-quality GDDR5X and GDDR5 memory are used. It also means that end users can expect higher overclocking than for the originals, with around 1,000 MHz extra for the Geforce GTX 1080.
Test method
As Nvidia has not released reference models of Geforce GTX 1080 and GTX 1060 with faster graphics memory, the editors take previous reference copies and overclock them to the new levels. This gives performance-representative values, with the disadvantage that we do not have the opportunity to test how the faster memory overclockes.
Otherwise, the test system, software and method are exactly the same as in SweClocker’s latest test suite, which was introduced with the test of the AMD Radeon RX 580 and RX 570. The values with overclocked graphics memory will also be included in future tests of graphics cards.
Game Performance: Geforce GTX 1080 OC (2560 x 1440 pixels)
| Game | GTX 1080 (320 GB / s) | GTX 1080 OC (352 GB/s) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Fire Strike (Extreme) | 10,358 graphics points | 10,694 graphics points | +3,2% |
| The Division (DX11) | 74 FPS | 75 FPS | +1,4% |
| Ghost Recon: Wildlands (DX11) | 70 FPS | 72 FPS | +2,9% |
| Far Cry Primal (DX11) | 76 FPS | 78 FPS | +2,6% |
| The Witcher 3 (DX11) | 78 FPS | 79 FPS | +1,3% |
| Battlefield 1 (DX11) | 93 FPS | 98 FPS | +5,4% |
| Rise of the Tomb Raider (DX11) | 85 FPS | 87 FPS | +2,4% |
| Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (DX11) | 61 FPS | 63 FPS | +3,3% |
| Grand Theft Auto V (DX11) | 82 FPS | 85 FPS | +3,7% |
| Fallout 4 (DX11) | 74 FPS | 77 FPS | +4,1% |
| Prestandaindex (DX11) | 123 points | 127 points | +3,3% |
One pattern we have seen in previous tests of graphics cards in the Geforce GTX 1000 series is that overclocking the memory gives a certain effect on game performance. It also becomes clear when SweClockers tests with only higher overclocked memory, but it is not about a corresponding increase of 10 percent. On average, the performance increase is just over 3 percent, where the impact is greater in some games than in others.
Game Performance: Geforce GTX 1060 OC (2,560 x 1,440 pixels)
| Game | GTX 1060 (192 GB / s) | GTX 1060 OC (216 GB/s) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Fire Strike (Extreme) | 6,210 graphics points | 6,411 graphics points | +3,2% |
| The Division (DX11) | 44 FPS | 45 FPS | +2,3% |
| Ghost Recon: Wildlands (DX11) | 44 FPS | 45 FPS | +2,3% |
| Far Cry Primal (DX11) | 45 FPS | 47 FPS | +4,4% |
| The Witcher 3 (DX11) | 43 FPS | 45 FPS | +4,7% |
| Battlefield 1 (DX11) | 56 FPS | 58 FPS | +3,6% |
| Rise of the Tomb Raider (DX11) | 49 FPS | 51 FPS | +4,1% |
| Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (DX11) | 36 FPS | 37 FPS | +2,8% |
| Grand Theft Auto V (DX11) | 48 FPS | 51 FPS | +6,3% |
| Fallout 4 (DX11) | 44 FPS | 47 FPS | +6,8% |
| Prestandaindex (DX11) | 73 points | 76 points | +4,1% |
For the Geforce GTX 1060, this is a larger increase of just over 4 percent, which is in line with the fact that the memory frequency as a percentage is also greater than for the faster version of the GTX 1080. However, as expected, this is not an increase corresponding to 12 percent. , 5 percent.
Summary thoughts
The Nvidia Geforce GTX 1080 and GTX 1060 with pointed memory frequencies are two interesting, albeit strange and above all confusing additions. Although it should be about two new models, Nvidia chooses to sell the duo exactly the same brands as the originals, after which the manufacturer’s partner is given the task of distinguishing between these.
The faster variants are often named vaguely or not at all, which makes it difficult for stakeholders to choose the right one when buying. What seems to be recurring is that partner manufacturers use the faster memory circuits on more models with large circuit boards and coolers, something that pushes up prices extra.
At the same time, these are relatively small performance gains and the number of models available for purchase in Swedish stores is, to say the least, slim. It is therefore difficult to say either one or the other when it comes to a recommendation, but it is something you have to decide for yourself.
It all is not made easier by the fact that the future of Geforce GTX 1080 and GTX 1060 is uncertain. It is quite possible that the variants with faster memory completely replace those launched last year, but it may also happen that they continue to remain a niche that costs more than it tastes.
Geforce GTX 1080 with faster memory
| model | GPU frequency | Memory frequency | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asus GeForce GTX 1080 Strix Gaming 11Gbps OC 8 GB | 1 721–1 860 MHz | 11 010 MHz (352,3 GB/s) | |
| Gigabyte Aorus GeForce GTX 1080 8 GB | 1 708–1 873 MHz | 11 010 MHz (352,3 GB/s) | |
| Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 AMP Extreme+ 8 GB | 1 771–1 911 MHz | 11 200 MHz (358,4 GB/s) | |
| Gigabyte Aorus GeForce GTX 1080 Xtreme Edition 11Gbps 8 GB | 1 759–1 936 MHz | 11 010 MHz (352,3 GB/s) | |
| MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Gaming X+ 8 GB | 1 708–1 847 MHz | 11 010 MHz (352,3 GB/s) |
Geforce GTX 1060 with faster memory
| model | GPU frequency | Memory frequency | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asus Geforce GTX 1060 9Gbps OC 6 GB | 1 620–1 847 MHz | 9 026 MHz (216,6 GB/s) | |
| Gigabyte Aorus Geforce GTX 1060 6 GB | 1 607–1 860 MHz | 9 026 MHz (216,6 GB/s) | |
| Zotac Geforce GTX 1060 AMP! Edition+ 6 GB | 1 607–1 835 MHz | 9 000 MHz (216 GB/s) | |
| Gigabyte Aorus Geforce GTX 1060 Xtreme Edition 9Gbps 6 GB | 1 645–1 873 MHz | 9 026 MHz (216,6 GB/s) | |
| MSI Geforce GTX 1060 Gaming X+ 6 GB | 1 594–1 809 MHz | 9 026 MHz (216,6 GB/s) |
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