Gigabyte gtx 1060 xtreme gaming review (full review)

We have enough GTX 1060 under our backs, now is the time to introduce you to one of the most interesting on the market, the Gigabyte GTX 1060 Xtreme Gaming with its double fan, a brutally beautiful design and a large overclocking capacity.

Get comfortable and enjoy our analysis. Here we go!

Gigabyte GTX 1060 Xtreme Gaming technical features

Design and unboxing

Gigabyte gives us a very classy presentation. On the cover we see an image of the Xtreme Gaming logo for the new generation of Pascal graphics cards. As expected, it is compatible with virtual reality glasses, RGB lighting system and a great 4-year warranty.

While on the back they indicate all the technical characteristics of the product.

Once we open the product we find:

• Gigabyte GTX 1060 Xtreme Gaming graphics card. Quick guide. Wristband. Xtreme Gaming folder.

The Gigabyte GTX 1060 Xtreme Gaming graphics card uses the new graphics architecture Nvidia Pascal, specifically it is the GP106 that It is manufactured in 16nm FinFET and has a very compact die size of just 200mm2. Despite being a chip of small dimensions, it includes 4.4 billion transistors, so we are dealing with a really very complex and advanced design. The dimensions of this We warn that the dimensions of the graphics card is much longer than that of the reference model with 28 x 13.2 x 5.7 cm, an important weight for its heatsink and custom PCB.

These transistors are distributed within the chip in a total of 10 Streaming Multiprocessors units, these in turn contain the large number of 1280 CUDA cores with Pascal architecture. We also found no less than 80 texturizing units (TMUs) and 48 crawling units (ROPs).

The Gigabyte GTX 1060 Xtreme Gaming run Some frequencies in its 1, 620 MHz GPU in base mode that goes up to 1, 847 MHz under Turbo B oost 3.0 for really good performance. As we have always said, custom models come with more nut increases, so their performance is much higher than this reference model. It also has an overclocking profile that runs at 1645 MHz base and 1873 MHz with turbo.

GDDR5 memory continues to accompany us from several previous generations and surely this is the last batch of graphics cards to mount them, to make way for the new HBM memory chips. The card has 6 GB of 2000 MHz GDDR5 memory (8000 effective) and a total TDP of 120W.

The Gigabyte GTX 1060 Xtreme Gaming incorporates the new Xtreme Cooling heatsink equipped with two double ball 10 cm fans in its structure and that unlike the rest rotate in opposite directions to maximize the air flow generated. As in the GTX 1070, it incorporates a larger cooling surface, making the air flow more direct and less scattered on the aluminum grill. This heatsink occupies a little more than two expansion slots in our system, so we must make sure we can place it before buying it in our box.

We see an image of the beautiful blackplate that it incorporates. Orange lines of the series and the Xtreme Gaming logo is very large. You like it right?

As the graphics card is optimized for virtual reality, it incorporates two extra HDMI connections to connect a bay on the front (purchased separately) and thus connect the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift.

Finally we show you the rear connections made up of:

• 1 DVI connection. 3 DisPlayport connections. 1 HDMI connection.

PCB and internal components

To remove the heatsink we must remove a total of 6 screws located on the chip and in the area of ​​the power supply phases. It incorporates a large copper surface that is responsible for cooling both the memories and the processor, while in the central area we have an aluminum area that is responsible for cooling the power supply phases.

View of the graphics card PCB. Incredible design!

The Gigabyte GTX 1060 Xtreme Gaming presents a custom PCB with 6 + 1 power phases with Ultra Durable components and Samsung K4G80325FB-HC25 memories that allows us to upload it a lot by overclocking.

Test bench and performance tests

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	i7-6700k @ 4200 Mhz..
Base plate:	Asus Maximus VIII Formula.
Memory:	32GB Kingston Fury DDR4 @ 3000 Mhz
Heatsink	Cryorig H7 heatsink
HDD	Samsung 850 EVO SSD.
Graphic card	Gigabyte GTX 1060 Xtreme Gaming
Power supply	Corsair AX860i

For benchmarks we will use the following titles:

• 3DMark Fire Strike normal.3DMark Fire Strike version 4K.3dMark Time Spy.Heaven 4.0.Doom 4.Overwatch.Tomb Raider.Battlefield 4.Mirror's Edge Catalyst.

All tests have been passed with the filters to the maximum unless we indicate otherwise. In order to have adequate performance, we have carried out three types of tests: the first is the most common at Full HD 1920 x 1080, the second resolution is making the leap to 2K or 1440P (2560 x 1440P) gamers and the most enthusiastic with 4K (3840 x 2160). The operating system we have used has been Windows 10 Pro 64 bit and the latest drivers available from the Nvidia website.

What are we looking for in the tests?

First, the best possible image quality. The most important value for us is the average FPS (Frames per second), the higher the number of FPS the more fluid the game will go. To differentiate the quality a bit, we leave you a table to assess the quality in FPS, but we will also have the minimum Fps in the tests that were thus possible:

FRAMES BY SECONDS
Frames for Seconds. (FPS)	Gameplay
Less than 30 FPS	Limited
30 - 40 FPS	Playable
40 - 60 FPS	Good
Greater than 60 FPS	Fairly Good or Excellent

Synthetic benchmarks

We attach the most important tests that we can do at synthetic levels, among them we find: 3DMARK FireStrike normal, 3DMARK FireStrike in its 4K version, the new Time Spy and Heaven 4.0 with DirectX 12 support.

Game Testing

We have decided to make the leap to checking various games manually. The reason? Very simple, we want to give a much more realistic vision and cover tests with current games. Since we make an effort, it is consistent with the level of the website and that of our readers.

Testing in Full HD games

Testing in 2K games

Testing in 4K games

Overclocking

Note: Remember that overclocking or manipulation carries a risk, we and any manufacturer are not responsible for improper use, use the head and always do so at your own risk.

We have increased the overclocking capacity by + 100 MHz in the core to a maximum of 2110 MHz and the memories in 2304 MHz applied.

As we can see the Gigabyte GTX 1060 Xtreme Gaming comes quite high as standard and that is evident in its overclocking capacity, since not many exceed 2000 MHz. We are very satisfied with the results obtained and that at this point Nvidia will not unlock the voltage. But if it did easily we could get +2.2 GHz.

WE RECOMMEND YOU KFA2 GTX 1060 HOF reaches 2.8 GHz per LN2 and breaks record

XTREME GAMING ENGINE software

As we have already shown you on several Xtreme Gaming graphics cards, they have incorporated new software for energy management, fan control, lighting system and overclock of the graphics card . In order to use it, I recommend that you download the latest version to avoid problems. Since it is the last Xtreme Gaming that Gigabyte has released to the market to date.

What are we going to find in the software? It allows us to create different profiles, adjust the clock frequency and memories. We also have an advanced overclocking option, which allows us to choose between three configurations created by the Gigabyte team : OC Mode, Gaming Mode and ECO Mode.

Another of the most interesting options are the profiles for the speed of the fans to adjust them as best as possible to our needs.

To finish with the software, the lighting system takes on great importance in this graphics card. From this application it will allow us to adjust effects, colors and brightness.

Temperature and consumption

The temperatures of the Gigabyte GTX 1060 Xtreme Gaming have been really good, with considerably less noise and temperatures than the reference model. At rest we have obtained 40ºC (remember that it is a 0DB system, which is the same as a fan stopped at rest) and at maximum performance it reaches 59ºC in no case. As the overclock has been so mild, temperatures barely rise to 64ºC .

Another of the great advantages of this range is the reduced consumption that we have in the equipment. Until very recently it was unthinkable to have high-end graphics and get 72W at idle and 188W playing with an Intel i7-6700K processor at stock speeds.

Final words and conclusion about Gigabyte GTX 1060 Xtreme Gaming

The Gigabyte GTX 1060 Xtreme Gaming has demonstrated why it is positioned among the best graphics cards that exist today. It has one of the best dual heatsinks that currently exists, it allows us to perform a high overclock, enviable temperatures and a sound so low that it will satisfy lovers of silentPC.

As we have seen in our tests we have played first titles such as Doom 4, Mirror's Edge and Overwatch with impressive results in both Full HD and 2K resolutions. The chip itself has behaved in certain titles in 4K, but it is clearly not its strong point.

We also see it as one of the most interesting options for a virtual reality setup by bringing the two HDMI ports in the back of the graph. An option that will save us time in our virtual reality sections.

Fully available in online stores for a price of 345 euros in its 6 GB version. If you are hesitating to find the best GTX 1060, we already tell you… it is this model.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ ONE OF THE BEST PCBS FOR THE GTX 1060.	- IT IS ONE OF THE 1060 MOST EXPENSIVE, BUT COMPENSATES IT WITH A SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE.
+ OVERCLOCK CAPACITY.
+ SILENT.
+ GROSS POWER.
+ 4 YEARS WARRANTY.

And after carefully evaluating both the evidence and the product, Professional Review awards him the platinum medal:

Gigabyte GTX 1060 Xtreme Gaming

COMPONENT QUALITY

DISSIPATION

GAMING EXPERIENCE

SONORITY

PRICE

9/10

GTX 1060 WITH GREATER OVERCLOCK CAPACITY.