Overclocking 1060 6gb for msi afterburner games.

The MSI GeForce GTX 1060 Gaming X graphics card is the flagship model in the GeForce GTX 1060 family from MSI. It works with the highest level of factory overclocking, is equipped with a powerful cooler and a modified circuit board. MSI offers a less powerful Armor 6G model, which is equipped with a less powerful dual-slot cooler, runs at lower clock speeds and sells for less. Instead of 285 euros or 21 thousand rubles in Russia, the Armor 6G video card can be purchased from 275 euros or from 20.6 thousand rubles in Russia. Options with 3 GB of video memory, half the volume, will be even cheaper. They can be purchased from 190 euros or from 15.1 thousand rubles.

Screenshot of GPU-Z of the MSI GeForce GTX 1060 Gaming X video card.

As we noted above, the highest frequencies of the MSI GeForce GTX 1060 Gaming X are observed in OC mode, into which the video card must be switched manually through the Gaming application. The base frequency in OC mode increases from 1.569 to 1.594 MHz. 6 GB of GDDR5 memory operates at the standard NVIDIA frequency of 2.0 GHz. MSI has strengthened the power subsystem; instead of a 3+1-phase one, the Gaming X has a 5+1-phase one. Instead of a 6-pin socket additional food PCI Express is now set to 8-pin.

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Compared to the Founders Edition, the MSI GeForce GTX 1060 Gaming X graphics card has a base frequency increased by almost 6%. In practice, Boost mode produces higher clock speeds. In all our tests and games we got a frequency of 1.961 MHz, quite a high level. Although some other manufacturers are breaking the 2.0 GHz bar, like the recently tested video card.

There are no problems with cooling, despite the high clock speeds. Depending on the game and test, the maximum temperature of the GP106 chip did not approach 70 °C - in tests we got between 63 and 66 °C.

Before we move on to a detailed review of the MSI GeForce GTX 1060 Gaming X, let me give you the specifications of the cooler, PCB, etc.

At 279mm in length, the MSI GeForce GTX 1060 Gaming X is one of the longest GTX 1060 models in our test lab. The PCB is also approximately 1.5 cm higher than comparable models in this price and performance class. We get a powerful cooler and an optimized PCB design. The cooler is supported by three nickel-plated copper heat pipes and two large axial fans, each with a diameter of 95 mm. The TwinFrozr VI cooler occupies the usual two slots in width and does not protrude in height, so the video card should easily fit into modern cases.

Mid-class video cards have always aroused the maximum interest of rational players who are not accustomed to throwing away money. NVIDIA has recently expanded its family of devices with chips based on the Pascal architecture by introducing the GeForce GTX 1060. For our first look at the new line, we chose the original model from MSI - the MSI GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING X 6G. Let's see how the Taiwanese refined their modification, and at the same time evaluate the general capabilities of the new series based on the 16-nanometer GP106 processor.

The video card comes in a medium-sized box, which is traditionally decorated in bright colors for GAMING devices. On the front panel there is a large photograph of the adapter itself and the name of the series is indicated in large symbols.

There is nothing extraordinary included with the adapter. There is only a short installation guide, a disk with drivers and software, a couple of stickers and an offer to register on the manufacturer’s website.

Design and Layout

Without doubting the overall success of the GeForce GTX 1060, the manufacturer has already prepared several modifications based on the GP106 for the start of sales. Of course, this is not a dozen diverse models, as is the case with the top-end GTX 1080, but it is also a good assortment. We received the fastest version for review - MSI GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING X 6G.

As you might guess, the adapter nominally belongs to the GAMING series, and the “X” index used seems to hint at additional factory tuning of the adapter.

Base frequency GPU increased to 1595 MHz instead of the recommended 1506 MHz. Accordingly, the average acceleration value has also increased, which in in this case is 1809 MHz, instead of 1709 MHz. The video card has 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on board, which is also minimally accelerated - up to 8100 MHz, while the recommended effective frequency for the reference GTX 1060 is 8000 MHz. It’s immediately worth noting that the version of the video card in question initially has the OC Mode profile activated, while retail ones use it by default Game Mode which is characterized by a frequency formula of 1569/8000 MHz. The difference may be minimal, but it is there. However, the owner of the adapter can change profiles at his discretion at any time with one click of the mouse. This does not require any additional skills.

The video card uses a new generation proprietary cooling system - Twin Frozr VI. The cooler is very similar in appearance to the one used for the previously reviewed GeForce GTX 1080 from MSI, although the design in this case is slightly modified. It is based on a large radiator cassette, which is made up of metal plates. To improve heat transfer, three heat pipes are used, which penetrate aluminum strips twice.

Copper tubes are nickel plated. In conditions system unit It’s unlikely that they need additional corrosion protection, but appearance the pipeline will definitely not deteriorate over time. For good contact Soldering is used between tubes and plates. two heat pipes from the set have a diameter of 6 mm, the largest is 8 mm.

The tubes are in contact with the graphic process through an additional heat removal plate, which is also made of copper and has a nickel-plated coating.

A pair of 100 mm axial fans are used to blow through the entire radiator structure. Some of the blades have a special Torx 2.0 profile shape. According to the manufacturer, the additional bending of the impeller allows for increased air flow.

This may seem somewhat surprising, but for its “gaming” version of the GeForce GTX 1060, the manufacturer uses a printed circuit board of the same dimensions as for the GeForce GTX 1080. No, this is by no means the same PCB, it is significantly different in its layout, but here are the dimensions almost similar. The length of the textolite platform is 277 mm, width - 140 mm.

The power stabilization subsystem here is built according to a 6-phase circuit. Five phases are used for the processor, another for memory. In order to even visually evaluate how much more powerful the element base is than that used for the reference GeForce GTX 1060, it would be appropriate to provide a photo of the printed circuit board of the stock model for comparison.

The basic version is equipped much more modestly. A noticeably more compact printed circuit board and a 4-phase VRM with a simple elemental body kit.

Note that the adapter from MSI has one 8-pin connector for connecting additional power. This option allows the adapter to provide a channel with a total power of up to 225 W. And this despite the fact that the declared thermal package of the stock GTX 1060 is only 120 W. In this case, a 6-pin connector is nominally sufficient, providing, together with the PCI Express slot, up to 150 W. But what if you are drawn to overclocking records?

Of course, the large aluminum plate, which covers most of the area of ​​the printed circuit board, also attracts attention. It is used to cool memory chips, MOSFET power assemblies, control controller and several other elements. In addition, the plate is connected to the interface panel mounting plate, thereby providing additional structural rigidity.

In general, assessing the layout, one cannot help but notice some simplifications in the composition of the element base. The PCB has pads for a couple more memory chips, and the VRM unit can also be further strengthened with two more phases. Considering that the platform in question is not a simplified version of older models, it is quite possible that the manufacturer plans to use the printed circuit board for a more powerful solution. It is unlikely that we are talking about a forced GTX 1060. I would like to believe that in the future we will see the GeForce GTX 1060 Ti for which MSI has already reserved a platform.

From the rear, the printed circuit board is securely covered with a massive plate. A millimeter-long aluminum plate protects the back surface of the PCB, while also adding additional stiffening and complementing the solid appearance of the device.

The composition of the interface panel does not differ from that of the reference models. There are three DisplayPort 1.4 video outputs, one full-format HDMI 2.0a, and DVI-D(DL). Let us remember that in the new graphics family, NVIDIA abandoned support for analog interfaces. It's high time. But, if you suddenly need one, then you won’t be able to get by with a passive DVI-VGA adapter.

Component manufacturers are increasingly sensitive to the external design of their devices, so it is not surprising that companies are in every possible way developing the idea of ​​​​additional LED backlighting. MSI also thoroughly “messed around” with the illumination of its new graphics adapters. The backlight capabilities in this case are no different from those for the top model GTX 1080 GAMING series. RGB-LED are laid under the dragon logo on the top panel of the adapter.

The color palette, intensity and lighting modes can be controlled from the MSI Gaming App. Like the older model, the elements on the top protective cover are highlighted in red.

In progress

The operation of the cooling system in passive mode when there is no load is already taken for granted. Manufacturers began using this approach only a few years ago, but it has fully justified itself. If the radiator potential is enough to keep the chip temperature within acceptable limits even without additional airflow, then why not please the owner of the video card with the absolutely silent operation of the adapter.

On an open bench with minimal load, the graphics processor in this case warmed up to 50C. If desired, you can opt out of Zero Frozr mode by activating the appropriate option in the Gaming App. The fan will not stop (~900 rpm) even under minimal loads, and the GPU temperature will drop to 30-32C.

During prolonged gaming loads, the GPU temperature rose to 65 degrees. At the same time, the fan rotation speed did not exceed 1000 rpm. The video card is very quiet. The rustle of the impeller can be heard if you get close to the adapter. In a closed case, the video card is unlikely to become the main source of noise. The fans on the walls of the case or in the power supply will probably be heard more clearly.

Note that the GPU was automatically accelerated to 2000 MHz. Aggressive auto-overclocking algorithm, even if you take into account the base frequency increased to 1595 MHz in OC Mode.

Overclocking

Of course, we were curious to check the frequency potential of the GeForce GTX 1060. For experiments, we used the MSI Afterburner application.

The Power Limit value in this case can be increased to 108%. There is no way to change the kernel supply voltage, at least the current version of the utility does not provide it.

The GPU frequency was further increased to 1700 MHz. If we take into account the base recommended value of 1506 MHz, the increase is almost 13%. We managed to speed up the memory chips very well. The chips operated at an effective 9528 MHz, which was 19.1% above nominal.

After overclocking, the GPU temperature rose to 67 degrees, and the fan speed barely exceeded 1000 rpm. At its peak, the graphics chip clock reached 2100 MHz. That is, the working delta of the GPU Boost mechanism in this case is about 400 MHz.

Performance

To evaluate the capabilities of the new product, it is logical to add to the list of tested models the previous generation video card, which the GeForce GTX 1060 is replacing. Of course, we are talking about the GeForce GTX 960. During the announcement of the GP106 adapter, NVIDIA stated that the GTX 1060 will provide a level of performance identical to that of the GeForce GTX 980. A serious claim, the objectivity of which we were interested in verifying in practice.

To be on the safe side, we also added the GTX 970 results to the charts. In case things don't go so smoothly, we'll have an additional benchmark in case that happens. Another participant in the test is the GeForce GTX 760. An honored veteran with a 256-bit memory bus, which, although it is lost in new games, is still capable of something. So that the GeForce GTX 1060 does not seem like a gift of fate with limitless possibilities, the GeForce GTX 1080 will be pushing up on top of the diagram as a barrier.

The first starts with a resolution of 1920x1080 are pleasantly pleasing. The GeForce GTX 1060 is rapidly bursting into the graphics arena. The new product methodically and unsuccessfully attacks the previous generation adapter. No, not the GTX 960, but a device that is nominally two steps higher in class - the GeForce GTX 980. With this Pascal architecture and fabulous clock speeds, we have ceased to be surprised by anything. If the GTX 1080 leaves the TITAN X (2015) out of the running, then why not the GTX 1060 catch up to the GTX 980?

Interestingly, the results of the new product in all cases are in close proximity to those for the GTX 980. Sometimes it seems that the characteristics of the GTX 1060 were deliberately selected so as not to lose face in front of a nominally more high-end solution based on Maxwell. Although, of course, first of all, the new product was created with an eye on the parameters of the Radeon RX 480, which was presented earlier. Of course, no one changed the device parameters at the last moment, but mutual leaks probably took place in the early stages.

When switching to 1440p, the overall picture remains virtually unchanged. GeForce GTX 1060 sits firmly on the tail of GeForce GTX 980, and sometimes is even minimally ahead this model. GeForce GTX 970 consistently lags behind the newcomer, and the difference is about 15-25%.

If we talk about the balance of power between the GTX 1060 and GTX 960, then here is the advantage new video card almost double. It’s hard to remember offhand that when moving from one generation of graphics to another, the performance increase within one class was 80-90%. In this case, we have the opportunity to compare the effect of switching from the GTX 760 to the GTX 960, which at first was not always noticeable without performance measurements. Yes, energy efficiency improved noticeably then, but +5-10% is definitely not the kind of performance increase that would make owners of devices from the previous series think about upgrading. Now the situation is fundamentally different. The GeForce GTX 1060 is so much more productive than its nominal predecessor that one can only be pleasantly surprised by technological progress and enjoy the fruits of real competition in the discrete graphics market. At least in the middle price segment.

Price

The recommended price of the GeForce GTX 1060 for the American market is from $299 for the Founders Edition reference model and from $249 for the original versions. Under current conditions, the retail price of the GeForce GTX 1060 will differ significantly from the stated values. The starting price of the considered model in Ukraine is about 10,000 UAH. (~$400). Yes, this is not exactly the price tag that we would like to see under the device that replaces the GTX 960. But the cost is a variable value that does not affect the characteristics and capabilities of the device itself. To be fair, we note that the GeForce GTX 980 is currently still offered from 12,000 UAH, but provides the same performance as the GeForce GTX 1060.

Site evaluation

Pros: Excellent performance; powerful power subsystem; noticeable factory overclocking; very quiet and efficient cooling system; decorative lighting; additional heatsinks on memory chips and VRM elements

Cons: Large dimensions; initial retail price of GeForce GTX 1060

Conclusion: MSI GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING X 6G is the original version of the new family of mid-class video cards based on chips from NVIDIA. GeForce GTX 1060 generally sets a fundamentally new bar for mid-range devices price category. The adapter turned out to be almost twice as productive as the model of the previous class, coming very close to the GeForce GTX 980. At the first opportunity, we will compare the performance of devices in this series with those of the Radeon RX 480, but in this case there is no particular doubt that the GTX 1060 will be somewhat more productive than the main one competitor from AMD, although it costs more. The model we reviewed leaves a very pleasant impression. Excellent stock performance, very quiet efficient cooling system, attention to detail and optional factory overclock. If you're considering buying a GeForce GTX 1060 and have enough room in your case to install the large "gaming" version from MSI, this will be one of the better opportunities spend your money wisely. Although, it must be admitted that at the start of sales, retail prices are noticeably higher than expected.

Hi all! As you can understand from the title of the article, today I will continue the topic of overclocking (overclocking) hardware and this time we will overclock a video card (if you are not familiar with my , then I strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself with it.

I would like to immediately make a reservation that, at the request of the admin, this article is written in great detail, especially for ordinary users, those who want to get the most out of their electronic friend. The information in the article is completely safe and I have not yet considered the topic of extreme overclocking, which is associated with increasing the voltage and upgrading the cooling on the video card. I’ll tell you only about the simplest and most basic overclocking, minimum effort – maximum result!

So, first, as usual, a short introduction regarding overclocking. As I wrote earlier, overclocking is a forced increase in equipment characteristics to increase its efficiency. In the case of a video card, its power directly depends on two parameters: the clock frequency of the graphics processor and the clock frequency of the video memory. These are the ones we are with you today and Let's try to speed it up.

I would like to say a special word about the power and power supply. The video card is the most voracious component of a PC in terms of power consumption. If in the case of overclocking a processor, its power consumption remains virtually at the same level, then with a video card the situation is exactly the opposite, power consumption, although not much, increases (it is difficult to name specific numbers, it all depends on the model and overclocking potential of your video card). Hence the conclusion that a power supply is required that is somewhat more powerful than stated in the recommendation for the video card. For example, for my card (name in the title) the recommended power supply power is 400 watts. After overclocking, I will need a unit with a power of 450, or even 500 watts.

People often ask me: Can a video card burn out during overclocking?
Answer: No, unless you increase the voltage supplied to the GPU. In case of failure, the card will simply reset all frequencies to basic values ​​and continue to work.

Another question that I think needs to be clarified before we begin: why are video cards from different manufacturers work at different frequencies and cost differently, because they are all from Nvidia? The overall picture here is as follows. One of Nvidia's areas of focus is the development and creation of graphics processors. Other companies such as MSI, Asus, Gigabyte, Zotac, Palit, etc. usually buy a ready-made video card developed by Nvidia and modify it at their discretion. Someone lowers the core clock frequency, someone overclocks it, someone changes the connectors for connecting the output device (monitor), someone makes other modifications. As a result, we get that the same video card model can cost differently and operate at different base frequencies. This leads to the conclusion that overclocking is a purely individual matter and depends specifically on your modification.

In my case Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 3GB from MSI and operates at base frequencies of 1544 MHz.

Characteristics of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 video card in the GPU-Z program, as we can see, the default frequency of the graphics chip is 1544 MHz.

I immediately warn you that your actions in your particular case may differ from mine, but in general general principles, which will be discussed further, are the same, regardless of the circumstances.

Now that we have dealt with all the issues, we can get down to business and for this, we will need 3 programs: GPU-Z - a program for monitoring all indicators of the video card, MSI Afterburner - a program for overclocking the video card and any benchmark. Benchmarks are a category of programs for testing PC performance under stress. In my case it will be Furmark.

1. https://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz

2. https://ru.msi.com/page/afterburner

3. http://furmark.ru/

Download and install all programs.

First of all, open MSI Afterburner and change its design to the old one (in my opinion, more convenient and visual).

Go to Settings.

After the completed operations, the program window will look like this.

As I already wrote above, we will overclock two parameters: the clock frequency of the graphics chip and the clock frequency of the video memory. Moreover, it is worth doing this separately, so that in case of a failure you can understand what the actual reason is. Oh yes, before overclocking we definitely increase the power of the video card. Move the “Power Limit” slider to the maximum and click “Apply”, in my case to the 114% mark.

Now the most important thing. Video core frequency. The overclocking itself is divided into 3 parts: increasing the frequency, checking the system in a stress test and checking stability directly in the game.

Let's go in order. Increasing the frequency should be done slowly and carefully; I recommend adding 40-50 Mhz to the “Core Clock” parameter initially. So, we add 50 and accept the changes.

I recommend performing a stress test for at least 10-15 minutes to allow the video card to warm up well. At this stage, no matter how strange it may sound, our goal is to ensure that the graphics driver stops working. Don’t worry, nothing will happen to the video card, in this case it will simply reset the frequency to the base one and continue to work correctly. I'll explain now. For example, you added 50Mhz to your base frequency, ran a stress test, everything works stably. Then we added 50 again, again a stress test, again stable. Another 50 and the graphics driver refused to work correctly, or artifacts appeared on the screen.

But this is what we wanted. And they achieved it because this is a certain starting point in reverse side. The fact is that the video card thereby signals to us that it cannot cope with such high frequency and it needs to be lowered. We return to the frequency at which the chip produced stable operation, and add not 50, but 20 Mhz. Let's run the stress test again. If there are no problems, add a little more, test again. That is, the whole point is to catch the exact, maximum possible frequency value at which the system will operate stably and correctly under load. After you have “caught” this value, and the video card works without interruptions even under stressful conditions, I recommend running it in a game, because the test does not always reflect the real state of affairs regarding overclocking. Moreover, the game should be selected one that will load your video chip at 90-100% and heat up very well. You should play for an hour, or even two. After running in the video game, there are again two options, either everything is stable, or not. As you already guessed in the first case, the frequency should be increased further, then lowered in the second. You need to continue these dances with a tambourine until you find that “golden threshold” of frequency.

Together with the announcement of GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Nvidia company introduced new versions of the GeForce GTX 1060 and GeForce GTX 1080 video cards. The change in performance was achieved through the use of faster video memory - the effective frequencies of the chips were increased from 8 to 9 GHz for the GeForce GTX 1060 and from 10 to 11 GHz for the GeForce GTX 1080.

The editors of our site just got this version of the GeForce GTX 1060 video card from MSI - MSI GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING X+ 6G. Let's find out what it can do and what the differences are from the previous version.

Packaging and accessories

The video card comes in a box that looks familiar to us from. As we see, there are not many differences.

It is worth paying attention to the name of the video card. To the familiar Gaming X, a post-index Plus has been added, indicating the use of new GDDR5 video memory chips. The inscription 9 Gbps GDDR5 tells us exactly this.

The equipment also has not undergone any changes: brochures, instructions, installation disk and stickers. There is no additional power adapter.

The kit is not rich, but MSI often holds promotions together with Nvidia, and sometimes you can get AAA games for buying a video card, so keep an eye on the events on the websites of these companies.

Design and features of the video card

The appearance of the video card does not make it stand out among the Gaming X series. It seems that this is the same .

The main difference is again the Plus inscription on the rear reinforcement plate. The video card, as before, occupies two slots, making do with the old TWIN FROZR VI cooling system.

The 8-pin additional power connector is in place.

On the back of the video card there are video output connectors: three DisplayPort (version 1.4), one HDMI (version 2.0) and a DVI-D connector.

This video card (like other video cards of modern generations) does not have analog video outputs. You should keep this in mind when buying yourself a new video card. Ordinary adapters will not help here; there is a chance that everything will work correctly with an active adapter, but it is better to have a monitor with a digital input in stock.

The dimensions of the video card have not changed: 277 x 140 x 39 mm with a weight of 1017. The dimensions of the video card will ensure compatibility with most cases, and the low weight, combined with the reinforcing rear plate, will eliminate the possibility of the video card sagging.

Cooling system and circuit board

In order to remove the cooling system, you need to unscrew the 4 screws located in the GPU area. In the next photo they are highlighted with red circles.

Please note that one screw has a warranty seal. Although MSI does not consider breaking the seal a reason to void the warranty, be careful and think several times before disassembling the video card. Let's immediately make a reservation about the thermal interface - replacing the original thermal paste with Arctic Cooling MX-2 did not yield a single degree of gain.

Having unscrewed the screws and disconnected the connections J1012, J1011 and J200 (by the way, it is quite difficult to disconnect them the first time), we observe the cooling system and... the cooling system.

Most of the board is covered with a protective plate, which acts as a radiator that removes heat from the memory chips and power subsystem. In order to remove this plate, you need to unscrew the remaining screws on the side of the rear plate (the backplate and frontplate are tightened quite tightly), and two more screws on the side of the video output connectors.

Thermal pads are located on all elements that actively heat up when the video card is operating.

The back plate, unfortunately, does not have thermal pads. And their presence would have a good effect on heat dissipation.

The cooling system casing can be removed from the radiator by unscrewing all the necessary screws.

Three heat pipes (two pipes with a diameter of 6 mm and 10 mm) transfer heat from the nickel-plated plate to the radiator, which is blown by two 100 mm proprietary MSI Torx fans (marked PLD10010S12HH, double ball bearing, from 0 to 2500 rpm), which have already repeatedly shown themselves to be positive .

For dessert - a printed circuit board.

MSI's own development has not undergone any changes. 5+1+1 power system, PWM controller uP9511P is responsible for powering the graphics processor, uP1641P is responsible for powering the memory chips. Military Class component base, one additional power connector (8-pin). The first difference that catches your eye is that the MSI GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING X+ 6G has 6 K4G80325FB-HC22 video memory chips, while the GAMING X has K4G80325FB-HC25.

It was thanks to them that the effective frequency of the video card reached 9 GHz, and the MSI GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING X video card received the Plus prefix. We will soon find out why they are so good.

The printed reverse side looks somewhat more modest.

As mentioned above, there are not enough thermal pads in the VRM and GPU area to dissipate heat to the back plate. We hope that someday they will appear there.

Specifications and software

The MSI GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING X+ 6G video card is based on the GP106-410-A1 graphics processor, while its predecessor was content with the GP106-400-A1.

Chips were produced in the 3rd week of 2017 in Taiwan. As you know, these chips are sold only with new memory and in limited quantities.

The characteristics are unchanged, with the exception of memory bandwidth. From 192 Gb/s it increased to almost 217 Gb/s.

Power limits for the MSI GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING X+ 6G are 200W, expandable to 216W.

This is enough not only for everyday use, but also for experiments with overclocking.

The video card, like the entire Gaming line, is supported by the MSI Gaming APP program.

This program does not shine with functionality, but many issues can be solved with its help.

For example, initially the video card operates in Gaming mode.

At a temperature of 30-45 o C, the turbo frequency is 1974 MHz; with increasing temperature, the frequency gradually decreases by a couple of steps. The memory frequency is at 2257 MHz (9028 MHz effective frequency). You can switch to OC mode using MSI Gaming APP:

In this case, the core frequency in Boost 3.0 mode reaches 2000 MHz, and the memory frequency increases to 2282 MHz (9128 MHz effective frequency). In Silent mode:

The core frequency under the same conditions drops to 1911 MHz.

You can also disable Zero Frozr technology in the application (when the function is enabled, the fans of the video card cooling system are inactive until 60-62 o C). In this case, the fans begin to constantly rotate at 36% (~ 700 rpm) of the maximum speed.

The video card backlight can be adjusted (as well as turning it off completely):

The panel with the company logo is equipped with RGB backlighting, which can operate in several modes. The lighting itself looks unobtrusive.

The backlight on the front of the video card is only red, and it also does not hurt the eyes and looks organic.

It is possible to monitor the main indicators of the video card directly in the gaming application.

Adjustable color gamut for those who don't like to adjust their monitor when switching from watching videos to working with documents or playing games.

In the extensions window...

There is a Cooler Boost button. Pressing it will briefly raise the speed of the video card fans to the maximum value, thereby reducing the temperature.

Test stand

• Motherboard: ASUS X99-A II (BIOS 1504);
• CPU: Intel Core i7-5960X Extreme Edition “Haswell-E” 3000 MHz overclocked to 4500 MHz at 1.28 V;
• Cooling system: self-assembled life support system;
• Thermal interface: Arctic Cooling MX-2;
• RAM: 4 x 8 GB Corsair Vengeance LED DDR4-3000 (CMU16GX4M2C3000C15R; 13-15-15-28 CR1);
• Video card: MSI GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING X+ 6G /Nvidia GeForce GTX 10606 GB GDDR5
• Power supply: Corsair RM1000i 1000 Watt;
• System storage: SSD Samsung 850 Evo 250 GB;
• Case: Thermaltake Core X5 Riing Edition.

Software:

• Operating system: Windows 10 x64 “Professional” with all current updates from Windows Update;
• Video card driver: Nvidia GeForce Game Ready Driver WHQL 382.05.

Cooling system testing and overclocking

The cooling system was tested using the Firestrike stability test from the Futuremark 3DMark package. The room temperature was 24-26 o C, the side cover of the case was open.

At a frequency of 1974 MHz and a voltage of 1.062 V, the peak temperatures of the video card reached only 63 o C, and the fan speed did not exceed 850. This is provided that the fans just started at 61 o C!

Similar testing was also carried out when switching the video card to OC modes...

As we can see, nothing has changed fundamentally, not even the peak consumption of the video card. Excellent result. It is possible that the fine-tuning of chip production has led to them becoming colder, but the cooling system in any case shows itself from a strong position. I wonder what the results will be if you set the speed of the video card fans to a low value, when the noise from them will merge with the noise of case fans and hard drives? Let's find out.

At 1250 rpm, the video card temperature did not exceed 57 o C, the frequency of the video card core did not drop even a megahertz.

A study of the potential of the cooling system led to the following result:

At maximum speed (~2500 rpm), the video card was unable to overcome the bar of 50 o C, stopping at 48 o C. It is worth noting that in this mode the noise from the video card is felt quite strongly, but the test itself makes it clear that manual adjustment of the fans allows you to achieve low temperatures with low noise levels.

With factory overclocking, the video card received the following results in tests of the 3DMark application suite.

Excellent results, but the video card clearly has a high safety margin. To check this with MSI programs Afterburner 4.3.0...

We were looking for those frequencies and voltages at which the video card would be stable and there would be no graphic artifacts in the image. As a result, the following results were achieved:

The core frequency in Boost 3.0 mode reached 2177 MHz at 1.075 V, and the memory frequency was increased to 2582 MHz (10348 MHz effective). At the same time, the consumption of the video card increased by only 10% (~20 W), and the temperatures did not change. This is provided that the fans remain at factory operation.

The performance of the video card has increased by 9-10%, which is not so little for a factory overclocked video card.

The consumption of the video card was also measured using NVSMI.

As we can see, with factory overclocking, the average consumption of the video card was 127 W, the peak consumption was 131.5 W. In manual overclocking mode, the average consumption increased to 145 W, the peak was fixed at 153 W. Still, the 2017 chip is different from its counterparts. But for accurate conclusions it is necessary to have more copies of video cards.

In addition to overclocking, it was decided to reduce the memory frequency. This was done using MSI Afterburner.

Compared to factory overclocking, the results changed by 4-6% downward. In principle, that’s all the difference in performance from older versions of the GTX 1060. But it’s worth considering that changing just one video memory bandwidth does not have such a strong impact on gaming performance; the greatest increase will be provided by the combined overclocking of the core and video card memory.

A key feature of the Gaming series video cards with the TWIN FROZR VI cooling system is separate cooling of the GPU, memory and power subsystem. The plate covering the chips is very convenient for installing a universal water block. We couldn't miss such a chance.

Unfortunately, the plate is quite easily soiled, and to remove marks it is necessary to use moistened wipes.

With this option, one small fan blowing the plate is enough to prevent it from overheating under load.

In the case of water cooling, it was not possible to raise the temperature of the graphics processor above 40 o C.

Gaming Performance

In games without a built-in benchmark application, the minimum and average frames per second were recorded using Fraps programs with the following settings:

Game tests were carried out in resolutions of 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 with maximum graphics settings, only the anti-aliasing settings were changed depending on the resolution.

For the games Battlefield 1, Crysis 3, The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt, Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 and Watch Dogs 2, the following game segments were used (monitoring on them has nothing to do with the video card in question):

The following results were obtained:

As we can see, in modern games, the MSI GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING X+ 6G provides a high level of performance in FHD resolution, and stable 60 frames per second can be achieved by some manipulations with the settings, while losing almost nothing in picture quality. For a resolution of 1440p, this video card will not be enough, and given that SLI is not supported on GeForceGTX 1060 video cards, you will have to look for the ultimate settings.

Conclusion

The MSI GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING X+ 6G copies the MSI GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING X6G in almost everything. The graphics card design, cooling system and PCB remain unchanged, but is there anything bad about that? We think not. Everyone has their own opinion on this matter, but why rework something that worked great last year, provided that the chip has not actually changed?

The video card can be called a refresh of the MSI GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING X6G. Here we see the same characteristics of the crystal, but taking into account the debugging of the technological process. We don’t know whether we were lucky with a copy of the video card, or whether the crystals really became somewhat cooler and more economical. In any case, video cards with new video memory have a newer chip than older copies.

Regarding memory chips - no, it’s not just “they took old video cards and overclocked them”, they installed other chips here. And they have higher overclocking potential than their predecessors.

Unfortunately, due to the difference in Board ID (after all, different graphic processors are marked), it was not possible to flash the BIOS from the MSI GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING X6G, but we think it wouldn’t change anything: the new video cards will be, albeit slightly, faster than their predecessors . Is it worth replacing your GeForceGTX 1060 with updated versions? Definitely not. But when buying a new graphics card, you should consider upgraded versions of graphics cards because of the new GPU chips and video memory, and the reason for this is not the performance of the graphics card, but the likelihood of getting a cooler and more energy-efficient graphics card.

Pros of the MSI GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING X+ 6G video card:

• Excellent cooling system that combines high performance with low noise;
• The printed circuit board, component base and BIOS do not limit overclocking options;
• The dimensions of the video card ensure high compatibility with cases;
• High factory overclocking and the ability to switch modes in the MSI Gaming APP allows you to overclock in two clicks;
• Absence extraneous noise from the power subsystem area at any load.

No disadvantages of the video card were identified.

May not suit:

• Modest lighting (for us this is more of an advantage, but everyone has different preferences)
• Separate cooling of the graphics processor, memory chips and power subsystem.

The video card will be an excellent choice for gaming in FHD resolution, combining high performance with low consumption and noise levels.

To help you make an informed choice, the video card was tested at NICS Computer Supermarket on 08/20/2019. The test results are clearly displayed in a diagram and two tables.

The diagram shows the test results for the selected article (highlighted in red) and 9 more products of similar price. Percentages indicate an approach to the maximum recorded results. That is, if your choice fell on a product with an indicator of 50%, this means that there is an analogue that is 2 times faster (with an indicator of 100%), but, of course, at a completely different price.

The diagram is followed by a table with similar indicators for 10 champion products in their category, in the form of a TOP10 rating.

Using this table, it is easy to determine the place of the video card in the overall “table of ranks”, as well as estimate how expensive it will be to try to improve performance. The selected product is also highlighted in red.

The last plate is simply a list of test results. From these, a percentage ranking is calculated, which was used in the first two reports. By clicking on the name of the test, you can go to pivot table with indicators of all products in the category, including those currently out of stock.

Comparisons only use products that are currently in stock.