NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 To Have A 3 GB Variant For $149

Following NVIDIA’s plan to launch the GeForce GTX 1060 on July 19th, rumors have cropped up about a 3 GB variant for the mid-end graphics card. It sports a $149 price tag and a ton of cool specs that make it a direct competitor to AMD’s RX 470.

Funnily enough, the RX 470 has a $149 price tag itself. It’s obvious which graphics card NVIDIA is looking to outperform here.

But if we’re being honest, the GTX 1060 will be a beast even with 3 GB VRAM. Expect to be able to play almost any game at 1080p and 60fps.

Of course, should you decide to go for the 3 GB variant of the GTX 1060, then you should expect a considerable downgrade in terms of specs.

Specifications:

• Memory Bus: 192 Bit
• VRAM: 3 GB
• Memory Type: GDDR5
• TDP: 100 Watts
• Die Size: 16 nm
• Memory Speed: 1506 MHz (Turbo: 1708 MHz)
• CUDA Cores: 1152
• Architecture: Pascal GP106-300-A1 core
• Power Connector: 6-Pin

There’s a lot that we can learn from those specs. For instance, the 6 GB version is based on an entirely different GPU– so we can expect it to perform differently than its 3 GB counterpart. The GTX 1060 6 GB is based on the GP106-400-A1 GPU, not the GP106-300-A1.

The 1152 CUDA cores are also fewer than the 1280 cores on the 6 GB variant. Couple that with lower memory speed, and it’s obvious how the GPU manages to fit the $149 price tag. The silver lining comes with a lower TDP of 100 Watts.

Still, it does outperform the RX 470 which retails for the same price. At least, it does on paper. But according to a recent leaked benchmark, the GTX 1060 does outperform the RX 480.

That’s all well and good, but do remember that we have nothing to go on at the moment. We’re going to need actual benchmarks before we whip out the wallet and get one of these shiny new GPUs. (But if you need a new one in the meantime, you can always check out our guide to the best graphics cards for 2016, or the best graphics card under $200.)

Do you think we have a beast on our hands? Are you thinking about buying the 3 GB variant for the GTX 1060? Share your thoughts in the comments below!