GTX 1050 vs. GTX 1060

So, I’m basically torn between these two graphics cards—there’s about a $30 difference between them— $167 but my main question is whether there's actually a massive jump in performance. I really don't want to blow an extra $40 if it isn't truly necessary. On one hand, I want to make sure I'm not buying something that'll be obsolete in a heartbeat (like the GTX 1050), but on the other hand, I have to be smart about my budget. I wouldn't call myself a hardcore gamer—I don't need a NASA-grade supercomputer or anything—but I just want to know which of these two makes more sense when you weigh the price, the "shelf life," and the overall quality.

I guess it probably makes more sense to just wait for the next generation to drop and see what the damage is; prices on current cards will likely tank anyway. As for the gap between a GTX 1050 and a GTX 1060, I think it's actually worth it if you want to avoid headaches for a little longer.

In short—if you aren't sweating the cost and your rig can actually handle it (specifically the PSU and CPU)—go for the GTX 1060.

If we're looking at upcoming hardware that might offer better bang for your buck, the Polaris 11 architecture could be a winner, but there’s zero word yet on whether it's even hitting the desktop market.

So, I actually just dropped my rig off at the repair shop because the graphics card finally kicked the bucket—it's pretty urgent, too—and since my warranty is set to expire in just a few days, they mentioned they could hook me up with a discount on a new card if I upgrade now. In that scenario, a GTX 1060 is definitely on my radar, but I have a quick question first... I'm planning on picking up some new 8GB Corsair RAM while I'm at it, so I'm wondering if that card and the RAM will play nice with my old i3-3220 3.30GHz processor and my 500W power supply? On one hand, I've heard that this specific card isn't quite powerful enough to really demand a high-end CPU, but I'd love some peace of mind to make sure everything will actually work together smoothly.

It’ll be fine, and if you run out of juice, you can always just swap the processor for an i5 or i7 later on.

That i3 is more than enough to handle a GTX 1060; an upgrade isn't even necessary right now. What kind of power supply are you running?

BTW, which card actually died on you? If it's still under warranty, you should be entitled to a replacement—you'd only have to pay the difference if the new one costs more than what you originally spent.

Kimberly Gomez34 said:That i3 is more than enough to handle a GTX 1060; an upgrade isn't even necessary right now. What kind of power supply are you running?

BTW, which card actually died on you? If it's still under warranty, you should be entitled to a replacement—you'd only have to pay the difference if the new one costs more than what you originally spent.

I'm not 100% sure about the PSU specs right now because all my paperwork and the PC itself are over at the repair shop... and as for the GPU, I'm basically living in the Stone Age with a GT 630. Honestly, my main priority is just getting something decent, especially since I can use that warranty discount toward a new card.

I there's one more thing I'm wondering about—right now I've got this single SanDisk DDR4 4GB stick, and since I'm planning on picking up an 8GB Corsair Vengeance stick to go along with my new GPU, I was thinking... what should I do with this first one?
Can I just leave it in there, or is that going to cause some kind of headache?

It’s better to just grab another 4GB stick instead of that 8GB one.

wiredotter14 said:It’s better to just grab another 4GB stick instead of that 8GB one.

Yeah, I hear you—but looking at all this new Corsair Vengeance stuff, it feels like they're the gold standard. It seems like none of the newer 2x4GB kits actually support an i3; they're all geared toward the much newer generations.
I mean, I totally get that having two 4GB sticks is going to outperform a single
8
stick. My only real thought is whether I should just grab an exact match for the one I'm already running.

brightcyclist63 said:Yeah, I hear you—but looking at all this new Corsair Vengeance stuff, it feels like they're the gold standard. It seems like none of the newer 2x4GB kits actually support an i3; they're all geared toward the much newer generations.
I mean, I totally get that having two 4GB sticks is going to outperform a single
8
stick. My only real thought is whether I should just grab an exact match for the one I'm already running.

? Are you talking about DDR4? Just look at any DDR4 kit

Grab the 4GB sticks, especially if your motherboard has four RAM slots available. Honestly, you won't even need more than 8GB total for gaming purposes.

Kimberly Gomez34 said:? Are you talking about DDR4? Just look at any DDR4 kit

Grab the 4GB sticks, especially if your motherboard has four RAM slots available. Honestly, you won't even need more than 8GB total for gaming purposes.

Eh, I was just doing a little digging and managed to find some Corsair Vengeance DDR3 2x4GB 1600 MHz 1.5v in stock—which is apparently the max speed an i3 can actually handle for $107—so I'll likely just grab those.
I've only got 2 slots left to work with.

You’re better off sticking to the voltage specified for your RAM.
For an 8GB stick, you'll likely see it starting from 230-$80 and climbing from there.

$90 is some new 8GB DDR4 at AMD... specifically Corsair Vengeance. It was actually on sale for a few days, so I’m hoping they haven't hiked the prices up again already.

I don't get what's happening here. The guy already has 4GB of RAM. Why on earth would he buy an 8GB stick or two 4GB sticks???
What's he going to do with the old stuff then? It's not like it'll just vanish into thin air.

Just post this in another channel and call it a day. Peace out, Mississippi.

I say she should just toss in another 8GB stick and bump it up to 12GB. Having extra RAM never hurt anyone, I guess, and $33besides, memory is pretty cheap these days anyway
.
As for SanDisk or any other overpriced brand—it’ll probably work fine. Unless you just have terrible luck, 😁

fadedorca66, the jump from 4 to 8GB is basically doubling the capacity, so you'll see it. But going from 8 to 12? They won't feel a damn thing. Besides, this setup actually gives him proper dual channel instead of some weird "overflow" mess like he'd get otherwise.

wiredotter14 said:I don't get what's happening here. The guy already has 4GB of RAM. Why on earth would he buy an 8GB stick or two 4GB sticks???
What's he going to do with the old stuff then? It's not like it'll just vanish into thin air.

Just post this in another channel and call it a day. Peace out, Mississippi.

You're totally right about that, but look—if I'm sitting here with this SanDisk DDR4 4GB stick, I actually have no idea which other 4GB module I can grab that'll play nice with it. I mean, I highly doubt I can just pick up any random stick off the shelf and expect it to work perfectly, you know?

brightcyclist63 said:You're totally right about that, but look—if I'm sitting here with this SanDisk DDR4 4GB stick, I actually have no idea which other 4GB module I can grab that'll play nice with it. I mean, I highly doubt I can just pick up any random stick off the shelf and expect it to work perfectly, you know?

Ah, my bad! I totally missed that suggestion earlier.

brightcyclist63 said:You're totally right about that, but look—if I'm sitting here with this SanDisk DDR4 4GB stick, I actually have no idea which other 4GB module I can grab that'll play nice with it. I mean, I highly doubt I can just pick up any random stick off the shelf and expect it to work perfectly, you know?

I've run Kingmax and HyperX together without a hitch. Honestly, you should be fine with whatever you pick.