Review of the ASUS DUAL-GTX1060-O3G video card. Review of ASUS DUAL-GTX1060-O3G video card Design and layout

GeForce GTX 1060 series video cards remain the most popular solutions from NVIDIA, providing fairly high performance in Full HD. The main interest among domestic buyers is in the budget models of this series, without three-story coolers and lighting. In this review we will look at the affordable version of the GeForce GTX 1060 from ASUS. Let's see what the ASUS Dual GeForce GTX 1060 video card is capable of at nominal and overclocked, and compare its performance with the Radeon RX 580.

This model belongs to the Dual series and is equipped with a cooler with two fans. Also a distinctive feature of this ASUS line is the white color of the case. The latter is critical for those who have other ASUS components with white elements and want to maintain a consistent style for their PC.

The video card comes in a medium-sized box. The set of accessories is traditionally limited to a disc with software and brief instructions.

ASUS Dual occupies two slots. Black fans match the white casing. The printed circuit board is also traditional black.

The total length of the device is 24 cm.

In the corner there is one six-pin power connector. A warranty seal on one of the cooler screws prevents the user from disassembling the device.

It is worth noting that visually this model is no different from ASUS DUAL-GTX1060-O3G. An identical cooling system is used, and the design of the printed circuit boards differs minimally.

There are five connectors for image output: DVI, two DisplayPort and two HDMI.

The outer plastic casing with fans can be removed without dismantling the radiator. This is convenient if you need to clean the cooling from accumulated dust after a long period of operation.

The heatsink design uses two heat pipes, the surface of which is in direct contact with the GPU crystal.

The tubes penetrate an array of thin plates of small height. The overall dimensions of the radiator are small, but for GeForce GTX 1060 series solutions this is quite enough.

The power supply transistors have a separate finned heatsink. It is small in size, but ventilates well.

The board resembles the PCB of the mentioned 3GB card, there are slight differences in the layout. High-quality electronic components are used, which are also used in top ASUS products.

The GPU is powered by a four-phase voltage converter.

The GP106-400-A1 processor offers a full configuration of computing units (1280 CUDA-cores and 80 TMUs). Six gigabytes of memory are equipped with the same number of Micron 8BA47 D9TCB chips.

Operating frequencies correspond to standard values. This is a base processor frequency of 1506 MHz and an average Boost Clock of 1709 MHz, an effective memory frequency of 8000 MHz.

With a gaming load, the actual frequency did not drop below 1873 MHz, peak values ​​reached 1911 MHz. On an open bench, a long test in Final Fantasy XV and tests in Subnautica warmed the core up to only 71 ° C (at 24 ° C indoors). The fans operated at speeds below 1600 rpm with minimal noise.

Use in a closed enclosure may involve high temperatures. However, it is clear that ASUS Dual will maintain acceptable temperature and noise characteristics under any operating conditions.

The overclocking results for this video adapter can be called good. The final frequencies are higher than those shown by the simplest solutions in this series, but we also had faster examples.

ASUS Dual managed to overclock to 1706 MHz at the base frequency with peak values ​​up to 2101 MHz. The memory operated without failures at frequencies up to 9180 MHz.

In the long-term test of Final Fantasy XV, the real core frequencies remained at the level of 2063-2076 MHz; in other games they did not fall below 2076 MHz.

To maintain stability, it was necessary to improve cooling by manually increasing the fan speed. It was enough to turn them up to 1800-1900 rpm, which is associated with a certain noise, but does not cause discomfort. Reducing overall heating had a positive effect on memory stability, and perhaps better airflow for VRM cooling also played a role.

In the middle class, NVIDIA has released two video cards under the same name. GeForce GTX 1060 with 6 GB of video memory has appeared in our reviews more than once. There is also a cheaper modification with a 3 GB video buffer and some other simplifications. We will talk about it in this article, we will look at the GeForce GTX 1060 3GB made by ASUS, test it for overclocking and compare it with the GeForce GTX 1060 6GB.

In addition to the obvious difference in memory capacity, the two versions of the GeForce GTX 1060 differ in the number of computing units. Both video cards are based on the GP106 GPU. The older modification has all 1280 stream processors and 80 texture units active. The GeForce GTX 1060 3GB has one multiprocessor disabled and 1152 stream processors and 72 texture units active. The operating frequencies are identical, as is the TDP level of 120 W.

As a result, we have a difference of 11% in the number of main computing units while maintaining other performance characteristics. It doesn’t seem like much, but the reduced amount of memory can also play a role. Since the release of the new generation of consoles, modern games have stepped forward in texture quality, and now some projects require up to 4 GB even in Full HD. Our testing will show how things stand in practice.

ASUS Dual GeForce GTX 1060 3GB (DUAL-GTX1060-O3G)

We will take a look at the video card made by ASUS. This is an affordable model from the Dual line, which is equipped with a good cooler, but is located below the Strix products in the ASUS hierarchy.

ASUS DUAL-GTX1060-O3G comes in a small box with a stylized image of a leopard on the front side. The package is minimal and includes a software disc and instructions.

Video card in a white case. If you are a perfectionist or want a computer with a stylish interior, then this card will go perfectly with ASUS TUF Sabertooth motherboards in white.

A simple design is applied to the surface of the white body. The fan impeller is black. The total length of the device is 24 centimeters.

There is an ASUS logo on the side. In the corner there is one six-pin power connector.

It's nice to see a full board instead of a short reference PCB.

The video card offers five connectors for connecting monitors: two DisplayPort, two HDMI and one DVI.

The cooling system is reminiscent of the DurectCU cooler for budget video cards - two thick heat pipes and a medium-sized radiator.

Without the top casing with fans, the cooling looks somewhat more modest. It can be seen that the radiator is smaller in size than the board. But with a TDP of 120 W this is not scary.

Direct contact of the tubes with the surface of the graphics crystal is implemented. To do this, the tubes are fixed in the grooves of the base, the joint is coated with thermal paste.

Two Everflow T129215SU fans with a standard size of 90 mm are responsible for cooling the radiator.

A small heatsink is provided for the power supply transistors.

The board is made on black PCB. The GPU is powered by a four-phase system. High-quality electronic components are used, which are also used in top ASUS products.

The stripped-down version of the GPU is labeled GP106-300-A1.

Three gigabytes of memory operate on a 192-bit bus. This volume was achieved using six Samsung K4G41325FE-HC25 microcircuits.

Operating frequencies of ASUS DUAL-GTX1060-O3G are higher than recommended. The base core frequency is 1569 MHz with a Boost Clock of 1785 MHz. The effective memory frequency corresponds to the standard value of 8 GHz.

ASUS Dual video cards have adopted support for different frequency profiles from Strix models. The default settings are for Gaming Mode. The faster mode offers a base clock of 1594 MHz with a Boost Clock of 1809 MHz. Switching is done through the ASUS GPU Tweak utility. In this case, we limited ourselves to tests at initial frequencies and with manual overclocking.

On an open bench during long-term testing with the Metro: Last Light benchmark, the core temperature reached 73 °C at 23 °C indoors. The fan speed was less than 1600 rpm, so the noise is low.

Peak short-term Boost values ​​reached 1974 MHz. The average core frequency in Last Light remained at the level of 1924-1936 MHz, although there were rare drops below these values. To test the GeForce GTX 1060 3GB as an analogue of the reference, the base frequency of ASUS was lowered even below 1506 MHz, this made it possible to obtain an operating frequency range of 1848-1873 MHz. As a result, the average value is about 1860 MHz, which allows for a head-to-head comparison with the GeForce GTX 1060, which strictly operated at this GPU frequency.

Overclocking results from ASUS can be called expectedly good. The video card achieved the same performance as the older GeForce GTX 1060 - no higher and no lower. The base core frequency was raised to 1719 MHz with a peak Boost value of up to 2114 MHz. The memory took 9.5 GHz. Higher values ​​were associated with loss of stability or artifacts.

In heavy tests, the core frequency remained at 2076-2088 MHz even when the power limit was increased to the maximum. A slight increase in fan speed to 1800 rpm made it possible to keep the core temperature during overclocking within 71 °C while maintaining acoustic comfort. In simple or short tests like 3DMark, the heating was even lower. So the achieved frequencies are quite suitable for constant use. It may be necessary to reset some 10 MHz for complete safety, but for overall performance this will be a minor change. The main thing is that overclocking is not associated with a serious increase in noise.

Characteristics of tested video cards

The reviewed video card has been tested at nominal and overclocked. ASUS will replace the reference version of the GeForce GTX 1060 3GB, the corresponding adjustments were mentioned above. The rivals will be GeForce GTX 1060 6GB and Radeon RX 480 8GB. Let's see if the junior video card based on GP106 will be able to catch up with competitors with a large amount of memory due to its overclocking.

The technical characteristics of the participants are described in the table. The graphs for the GeForce GTX 1060 show the full frequency range, including peak values.

Test bench

The test bench configuration is as follows:

• processor: Intel Core i7-6950X ([email protected] GHz);
• cooler: Noctua NH-D15 (two NF-A15 PWM fans, 140 mm, 1300 rpm);
• motherboard: MSI X99S MPower (Intel X99);
• memory: G.Skill F4-3200C14Q-32GTZ (4x8 GB, DDR4-3200, CL14-14-14-35);
• system disk: Intel SSD 520 Series 240GB (240 GB, SATA 6Gb/s);
• additional drive: Hitachi HDS721010CLA332 (1 TB, SATA 3Gb/s, 7200 rpm);
• power supply: Seasonic SS-750KM (750 W);
• monitor: ASUS PB278Q (2560x1440, 27″);

• operating system: Windows 10 Pro x64;
• GeForce GTX 1060 driver: NVIDIA GeForce 375.57;
• Radeon RX 470 driver: AMD Grimson 16.10.2.

All tests were carried out in resolutions of 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 with maximum graphics quality. The testing methodology is described.

Test results

Battlefield 1

The latest Battlefield offers support for DirectX 11 and DirectX 12. Let's look at the results in both APIs.

As you can see, three gigabytes of memory play a critical role. The difference between the older and younger versions of the GeForce GTX 1060 is 22-36%. It should be noted that the performance of a 3 GB video card constantly fluctuates, and the data given is an average value.

When moving to DirectX 12, the situation changes. The difference between the two GeForce GTX 1060 is small; the younger video card easily outperforms the older one after increasing the frequencies.

Let's look at the results at a resolution of 2560x1440.

Now the difference between GeForce GTX 1060 with different amounts of memory is 17-21%, which is less than the gap in Full HD. Overclocking does not allow you to catch up with your older comrade, but it minimizes the lag.

DirectX 12 again changes the balance of power and reduces the difference between different GeForce variants. But the performance of both of them is noticeably lower than in DirectX 11. Perhaps the very fact of poor optimization for the new API explains the narrowing of the gap. And in DirectX 11, optimization is not up to par. Unstable performance of the 3 GB video adapter and a strange relationship between comrades when changing resolutions indicate that the software needs improvement. If you play at 1920x1080, then this is not a problem - the GeForce GTX 1060 3GB still allows you to play comfortably. If you want to use scaling for higher resolutions, the comfort level will be lower.

Our extensive testing of graphics cards in Battlefield 1 is now available. We also note that the game recently received a major update, and NVIDIA released a new version of the video driver. These factors could speed up the performance of the GeForce GTX 1060, and we will soon test this assumption in practice.

Dark Souls 3

The frame rate is limited to 60 fps, so at 1920x1080 we don't see any difference between the competitors. A comparison at a higher resolution will be instructive.

The difference between GeForce GTX 1060 with different amounts of memory is about 5%. And even the 3 GB version outperforms the Radeon RX 480. With higher frequencies, ASUS easily outperforms the GeForce GTX 1060 6GB at nominal value.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Minimum difference in average fps and a 16% gap in the minimum parameter in Mankind Divided. GeForce with 3 GB of memory is clearly inferior to its friend, although the average frequency is approximately the same. The unpleasant thing for both is that the Radeon RX 480 is more productive in this game.

The move to DirectX 12 results in weak acceleration for the GeForce GTX 1060 with more memory and reduced performance for the 3GB variant. It seems that in this mode the amount of memory is even more critical.

Let's supplement the obtained data with tests in a resolution of 2560x1440.

This mode is given to the GeForce GTX 1060 with great difficulty, even with a large amount of memory. At the same time, the older version of GeForce for DirectX 11 is faster than its partner mainly in terms of minimum fps, and in DirectX 12 the gap between them increases sharply. And even overclocking has little effect on the GeForce GTX 1060 3GB, giving minimal acceleration.

DOOM

The new DOOM is easy for video cards of this level, and we limited ourselves to testing only in the heavy resolution of 2560x1440.

The difference between GeForce GTX 1060 with different amounts of memory is no more than 8%. When rendering in OpenGL, the lower version with 3 GB is faster than the Radeon RX 480.

Forza Horizon 3

To count frames in Forza Horizon 3, you have to use the Mirillis Action! utility, which takes into account processed frames only within the 60 fps limit. Therefore, the maximum performance is cut off.

If the GeForce GTX 1060 6GB and Radeon RX 480 8GB are equal rivals with close performance, then the GeForce GTX 1060 3GB is noticeably weaker. The game uses 4 GB of video memory at Ultra quality, and the low-end GeForce video adapter is 32-40% weaker than its friend. But its final results are still quite good, you can play with these parameters. If there is any discomfort, then it is enough to lower the quality of smoothing.

The situation is similar in the 2560x1440 resolution. The difference between the two GeForce variants is more than 30%. It is impossible to catch up with older rivals in such conditions even when overclocking.

Gears of War 4

In Gears of War 4, the younger GeForce is 13-14% weaker than its comrade. There is a smaller lag behind the Radeon RX 480. Increasing frequencies allows you to bypass both rivals.

At a higher resolution, the difference with a partner is already 18%. Factory overclocking gives ASUS a 3% advantage, and additional overclocking speeds up by 10%. At maximum frequencies it is possible to outperform the Radeon RX 480, but a slight lag behind the GeForce GTX 1060 6GB remains.

Mafia 3

The new Mafia uses less than 3 GB, and here the difference between the two GeForce GTX 1060 variants is less than 8%. ASUS is overclocked 13% faster than the reference, which allows it to outperform its older rivals in nominal terms.

When increasing the resolution, the difference is 9%. The Radeon RX 480 is expected to take the lead. Overclocking again allows the GeForce GTX 1060 3GB to outshine its rivals at initial frequencies.

Shadow Warrior 2

The shooter Shadow Warrior 2 pleases with beautiful pictures and excellent optimization.

All video adapters demonstrate high frame rates. The difference between the older and younger GeForce is about 7%. Along the way, we can talk about approximate parity with the Radeon RX 480 - the competitor is slightly better in terms of average fps, but weaker in terms of minimum fps.

At higher resolutions, the advantage of the GeForce GTX 1060 3GB over the Radeon RX 480 is more obvious. The lag behind the GeForce GTX 1060 6GB is already 8%. ASUS is 3% faster than the reference, additional overclocking gives a speedup of over 11%.

3DMark Fire Strike

In nominal terms, the GeForce GTX 1060 3GB and Radeon RX 480 8GB are equal. The gap from the older GeForce version is less than 6%. Increasing the frequencies to 1719-2114/9504 MHz gives an acceleration of 14% relative to the reference.

3DMark Time Spy

The difference between NVIDIA's comrades is only 8%. GeForce GTX 1060 3GB is 6% weaker than Radeon RX 480 8GB. ASUS is 3% faster than the reference, additional overclocking gives an 11% acceleration.

Conclusions

Based on the testing results, we see that the results of the younger version of the GeForce GTX 1060 are very different in each individual test. In some places the lag from the older version of the GeForce GTX 1060 is only a few percent, but in others it is quite serious. So the GeForce GTX 1060 with 3 GB of video memory and fewer computing units fully justifies its lower status. You won't be able to get an analogue of a full-fledged GeForce GTX 1060 graphics accelerator. In heavy games with high demands on video memory, there may be a serious lag, although the video adapter has enough potential for a resolution of 1920x1080 at Ultra quality. If we talk about future prospects, then you need to be prepared for the fact that in some games you will have to turn off anti-aliasing or slightly reduce the overall graphics quality. If you are ready for this, you can safely take the GeForce GTX 1060 with 3 GB of memory. If you are a more demanding user and paying a little extra is not a problem for you, take the GeForce GTX 1060 with 6 GB of memory.

The reviewed ASUS Dual GeForce GTX 1060 3GB (DUAL-GTX1060-O3G) video card is a good candidate for purchase in this class of devices. This model offers high-quality PCB design and good cooling. Moderate operating temperatures are easily maintained with low noise at nominal and overclock. The overclocking potential itself is no worse than that of older versions of the GeForce GTX 1060.

After announcing the approximate release date of Nvidia’s new graphics accelerators, it’s time for users to prepare for the fact that the price tags for the current generation of video cards will begin to gradually decrease.

And the reason for this is simple - vendors and distributors need not only to get rid of surplus, but also to prepare warehouses for fresh arrivals. And this, in turn, means that an interested gamer will be able to easily migrate to affordable models of the GeForce GTX 1050 (Ti)/ GTX 1060/ GTX 1070 level, which, judging by gaming tests, will be relevant for a long time.

We decided not to miss the moment and, thanks to our partner, the Regard company, to continue the series of materials dedicated to the current solutions of the Pascal generation.

Next up is a video card that may be well known to some of our readers due to its appearance and availability. This is the ASUS Dual GeForce GTX 1060 6G model, which until recently eluded laboratory tests. Upon first acquaintance, we will note one of the lowest price tags in the ASUS line and an attractive design. But how good is she?

Review of ASUS Dual GeForce GTX 1060 6G OC

Full name: ASUS Dual GeForce GTX 1060 6G OC, manufacturer code: Dual-GTX1060-O6G.

Design and features of the video card

The ASUS video card comes in a large black box with an image of a white tiger, the sight of which brings to mind the 2015 South Korean film.

The manufacturer considered it his duty to announce factory overclocking, the presence of 6 GB of video memory (don't forget about versions with 3 GB), support for proprietary software and a Dual cooling system.

The packaging is quite informative and shows a schematic image of the interface panel and a table with technical characteristics.

In addition, the tiled form presents the main advantages: support for VR, a snow-white appearance, the use of high-quality Super Allow Power II element base and compatibility with the GPU Tweak II utility.

Inside the box, the video card is protected from damage by an antistatic bag with plenty of soft material. The package includes a user manual and a driver disk.

ASUS Dual GeForce GTX 1060 6G OC impresses not only with its performance, but also with the beautiful combination of white and black colors, shimmering harmoniously against the background of the glossy coating of the CO casing.

The model does not look like a gray mouse, including due to the original cooling system. Its casing has many geometric kinks and slits, and the insert on top neatly masks the protruding heat pipes hidden deep in the body.

Two 90mm black fans with wide blade shapes highlight the appearance.

The opposite side reveals the printed circuit board and access to the elements.

Additional power for the ASUS Dual GeForce GTX 1060 6G OC is provided using one six-pin connector on the edge of the printed circuit board, which envelops the CO casing. Traditionally for the manufacturing company, it received white and red LEDs signaling the connection.

Two HDMI ports at once are the optimal solution for using virtual reality devices. Two more DisplayPorts and one DVI-D are included in the general group.

The warranty seal prevents you from completely disassembling the ASUS Dual GeForce GTX 1060 6G OC, but you can partially get to the internal components by removing the casing.

The fans used are models T129215SU manufactured by Everflow. The rotation speed is 0 – 3550 rpm, they are very quiet up to 1300 rpm, quiet up to 1600 rpm.

The body of the radiator consists of 52 aluminum plates, which are penetrated by two heat pipes with a diameter of 8 mm each.

The thickness of the cooler is small and the technology of direct contact with the graphics processor is used.

A tiny radiator with fins is responsible for cooling the power part. This solution will be saved from overheating by a fan located directly above the VRM area.

The uP9501P PWM controller is responsible for voltage control.

The printed circuit board contains six SKhynix H5GQ8H24MJR-R4C video memory chips with a total capacity of 6 GB.

In my opinion, the ASUS Dual GeForce GTX 1060 6G OC fits amazingly into the white eco-system of a photo shoot booth.

GeForce GTX 1060 is one of the most successful products from a market point of view: it easily handles Full HD resolution in games, hardly heats up, and is reasonably priced. Of course, the widespread demand of cryptocurrencies for video cards has greatly affected the prices of almost the entire thousandth line, but even now it compares favorably in price with more powerful boards. As a result, every self-respecting manufacturer has already released at least two or three versions of the “sixtieth”, differing in frequencies, video memory capacity and cooler. Today we will look at the GTX 1060 DUAL OC from ASUS.

Specifications GTX 1060 DUAL OC

• GPU: GP106
• Stream processors: 1280
• Texture blocks: 80
• ROP units: 48
• GPU clock: 1506
• Video memory capacity: 6144 MB
• Video memory frequency: 2002 MHz
• Video outputs: DVI, 2x HDMI, 2x DisplayPort
• Occupies slots in the system unit: 2
• Power connectors: 1x 6 pin
• Dimensions: 242 x 130 x 43 mm
• Price: 29,000 rubles

Appearance, design features

Test results

Let's sum it up

Pros

• Quiet operation
• Good performance
• Efficient cooling system

• Not found

In mid-April of this year, NVIDIA introduced updated versions of the GeForce GTX 1080 and GeForce GTX 1060. The first received GDDR5X memory with a theoretical effective frequency of 11 GHz, which increased its throughput to 484 GB/s, or by 10%, and the second was equipped with memory with effective frequency of 9 GHz, that is, they increased its throughput from 192 to 216 GB/s. It should be noted that the previous versions of these video card models will remain on the market, and the new, accelerated ones will cost more.

One of the first signs of this update in the middle class of graphics accelerators was the ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 OC Edition 9 Gbps 6 GB (GTX1060-O6G-9GBPS) video card.

We dedicated today's article to its review and testing.

The technical characteristics and cost of the ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 OC Edition 9 Gbps video card are shown in the table in comparison with the performance of the reference versions NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 and GeForce GTX 1060.

⇡ Packaging and accessories

The ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 OC Edition 9 Gbps video card comes in a compact cardboard box, decorated in a style typical for the company's products. The front side indicates the amount of video memory and its frequency, the features of the cooler fans are noted, and the supported technologies are listed.

The back of the box describes the cooling system and technologies used in the production of ASUS video cards. In addition, video outputs are listed.

The model marking and serial number are located on a sticker on one of the sides of the box.

The packaging is reliable. Inside the colored shell is an additional box made of thick cardboard, in the center of which there is a soft insert with a video card, sealed in an antistatic bag. Below it are a DVD with drivers and utilities, as well as brief installation instructions.

There is nothing else included. The video card is manufactured in China and comes with a three-year warranty. Since the excitement about cryptocurrency mining is now in full swing, it was unrealistic to buy an ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 OC Edition 9 Gbps in Russia at the time of writing this article, and in a foreign online store it costs 20,530 rubles excluding delivery costs.

⇡ PCB design and features

Externally, the new ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 OC Edition 9 Gbps completely replicates the design of ASUS STRIX series video cards, but you won’t find this word in the name of the new product. For some reason the company did not classify this model. However, the style of the casing and fans has something in common with the head of a tawny owl.

The reverse side of the printed circuit board is covered with a metal plate that protects the PCB and its elements from accidental damage, which is especially important if your system uses massive air coolers. At the bottom of the video card you can see four heat pipes coming out of the heatsink.

The dimensions of the ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 OC Edition 9 Gbps are 211 × 112 × 40 mm and it weighs 585 grams. The length of the printed circuit board is 170 mm.

The video card is equipped with five video outputs, including DVI-D (Dual-Link), two HDMI version 2.0b and two DisplayPort version 1.4.

The remaining area of ​​the panel with video outputs is perforated to partially remove heated air outside the system unit case.

The six-pin additional power connector standard for the GeForce GTX 1060 is soldered in the upper right corner of the PCB with a latch facing outwards and has two LED indicators.

Despite the increased frequencies, the characteristics of the ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 OC Edition 9 Gbps state the standard level of power consumption for the reference GeForce GTX 1060 - 120 watts for one video card, and the power of the recommended power supply for a system with one such video card is a modest 400 watts.

The cooling system is attached to the video card with four screws around the perimeter of the GPU.

To fully examine the board, you need to remove the small heatsink from the processor power circuit elements and unscrew the protective plate on the back of the PCB.

Note that the graphics card's printed circuit board is built using proprietary ASUS Super Alloy Power II and ASUS Auto-Extreme technologies, which guarantee increased energy efficiency, lower operating temperatures and high build quality.

The four-phase power supply system for the GPU uses tantalum polymer capacitors, ferrite core inductors, and high-efficiency MOSFETs.

Power management of the GPU on the board is implemented by the up9501P controller manufactured by uPI Semiconductor.

Unfortunately, there is no protective frame on the GPU substrate, so you should be extremely careful when installing and removing the cooler. The GP106-410-A1 crystal was released in Taiwan in the third week of 2017 (mid-January) and belongs to the A1 version.

The GPU contains 1280 unified shader processors, 80 texture units and 48 raster operation units (ROPs). Its base frequency on the ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 OC Edition 9 Gbps in 3D mode is 1595 MHz, and in forced mode it can increase to 1810 MHz. At the same time, according to monitoring data, the graphics processor briefly reached a frequency of 1974 MHz, and most often worked at 1924 MHz. In addition, by selecting OC mode in the GPU Tweak II utility, the base processor frequency can be increased to 1632 MHz. In 2D mode, it drops to 139 MHz at the same time as the voltage drops from 1.062 to 0.812 V, which may vary from instance to instance.

It’s unlikely that anyone can be impressed by such factory core overclocking today, especially since ASUS itself has a faster version of the GeForce GTX 1060 - ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1060 OC. But the memory on the video card tested today is really noticeably faster. So, ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 OC Edition 9 Gbps is equipped with six gigabytes of GDDR5 video memory, equipped with Samsung chips, which are soldered on the front side of the printed circuit board. The chips are marked K4G80325FB-HC22, that is, they are designed for an effective frequency of 9 GHz, at which the memory operates.

The theoretical bandwidth of such memory with a 192-bit bus is 216.7 GB/s.

The review of the video card hardware will be summed up by information from the GPU-Z utility.

You can download the video card BIOS, read and saved using GPU-Z, from a file archive.

⇡ Cooling system - efficiency and noise level

The video card is equipped with one of the variations of the proprietary ASUS DirectCU II cooling system. This is a relatively simple and lightweight cooler, consisting of an aluminum radiator with four heat pipes and a casing with a pair of fans.

The tubes are nickel plated and have a diameter of 6 mm. They emerge from the base and penetrate the aluminum plates in four places.

The base of the cooler uses direct contact technology, although there is a gap of 1.5 mm left between the pairs of tubes exactly in the middle. This is not the first time we have noted that for open GPU chips, direct contact is not a very good solution. So in the case of ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 OC Edition 9 Gbps, the crystal print on the base confirms our thoughts.

As can be seen from the print, only two central heat pipes are in direct contact with the crystal, and the outer heat pipes are transferred through the side walls of adjacent pipes. It is obvious that heat transfer occurs unevenly, because about 10% of the contact area falls on the aluminum insert between pairs of tubes.

To cool the radiator and the printed circuit board, two Power Logic fans are installed in a plastic frame.

The diameter of the fan impellers is 74 mm, and their blades have an additional edge at the ends, which increases static pressure and increases air flow.

The fan rotation speed is controlled by pulse width modulation (PWM) and, according to monitoring data, can vary in the range from 0 to 3350 rpm. We add that the fans are dustproof and comply with the IP5X standard. In other words, their service life should be longer in comparison with that of other models, but the manufacturer does not specify by how much.

To check the temperature conditions of the video card as a load, we used nineteen cycles of the Fire Strike Extreme stress test from the 3DMark graphics package.

To monitor temperatures and all other parameters, MSI Afterburner version 4.4.0 Beta 7 and GPU-Z utility version 2.1.0 were used. The tests were carried out in a closed system unit case, the configuration of which you can see in the next section of the article, at room temperature around 24 degrees Celsius.

We started testing the efficiency of the ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 OC Edition 9 Gbps cooler with the automatic fan operation mode.

The temperature of the graphics processor of the video card stabilized after 5-7 minutes of testing at around 72 degrees Celsius. At the same time, the fan speed increased to 1850 rpm (the jump in the monitoring graph, also recorded by GPU-Z, does not count). In principle, a pretty good result, considering the direct contact and the frequencies increased at the factory. If you manually set the fan speed to maximum (~3350 rpm), then the peak temperature of the GPU can be reduced to 59 degrees Celsius.

It is clear that in this mode of operation the video card is very noisy. Now let's measure how much.

The noise level of video card cooling systems was measured with an electronic sound level meter "OKTAVA-110A" after one in the morning in a completely closed room of about 20 m² with double-glazed windows. The noise level was measured outside the system unit case, when the source of sound in the room was exclusively the cooling system and its fans. The sound level meter, fixed on a tripod, was always located strictly at one point at a distance of exactly 150 mm from the fan rotor/cooler turbine. The motherboard, into which the video card was inserted with a cooling system installed on it, was placed at the very corner of the table on a polyurethane foam backing. The lower measurement limit of the sound level meter is 22 dBA, and the subjectively comfortable (please do not confuse with low) noise level when measured from such a distance is around 36 dBA. The fan rotation speed was varied over the entire range of their operation using a special precision controller by changing the supply voltage in 0.5 V steps.

In the graph with noise level data for ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 OC Edition 9 Gbps, we included the results of measuring the noise level of video card coolers and Inno3D GeForce GTX 1060 HerculeZ Twin X2. Vertical dotted lines of the corresponding color mark the upper limits of the speed of fans of cooling systems during their automatic PWM control.

ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 OC Edition 9 Gbps turned out to be the quietest video card among the three compared today. However, it becomes truly quiet or at least comfortable only when switching to 2D mode. The video card is comfortable in terms of noise level up to a fan speed of 1400 rpm, while during our testing the DirectCU II fans spun up to 1850 rpm - and here the cooler cannot be called quiet. Nevertheless, the noise level of the video card is not critical; it does not stand out too much against the background of a quiet system unit.