ASUS ROG STRIX-GTX1060-O6G-GAMING video card review. The most pumped GTX 1060

ASUS ROG STRIX-GTX1060-O6G-GAMING board would fit perfectly into comparative test of video cards based on NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060, but we only got it now. However, we can compare it in absentia with the models that we had previously.

As we have noted more than once, the entire family of NVIDIA video cards of the latest generation GTX 10XX based on the Pascal architecture turned out to be very successful, and the GTX 1060, on the basis of which the presented ASUS ROG STRIX-GTX1060-O6G-GAMING is built, is no exception.

Reference characteristics of NVIDIA video cards of various classes of the latest generation, based on the Pascal architecture

Solutions based on the GTX 1060 are mid-class video cards; they have a good performance-to-cost ratio. By the way, the level of performance they provide is quite high, and just a year ago only top video cards could demonstrate such a level.

In addition, the GTX 1060 is very economical.

Features ASUS ROG STRIX-GTX1060-O6G-GAMING

ASUS ROG series products are always distinguished by advanced features and characteristics, so even before the ASUS ROG STRIX-GTX1060-O6G-GAMING was included, it was clear that this was no ordinary product.

The heatsink of the DirectCU III cooling system is simply pierced with numerous copper heat pipes. In addition to the GPU, the heat sink also removes heat from the power subsystem elements and memory chips.

There are three cooling fans. This affected the dimensions. The device turned out to be quite large. By the way, for models based on the GTX 1060, such a solution can be called a rarity. GTX 1060 are quite economical video cards that can easily get by with two fans. But in this case, the manufacturer apparently decided to make some reserves and emphasize the special status of the board.

ASUS ROG STRIX-GTX1060-O6G-GAMING received an oversized cooling system, which affected the length of the video card. But the width of the board will take up no more than two expansion slots in the system

It is not at all surprising that ASUS ROG STRIX-GTX1060-O6G-GAMING can turn off the fans if the temperature drops below a set level. In this case, below 44 °C. This happens under moderate load. The fans turn back on when the GPU temperature rises to approximately 57 °C.

Monitoring ASUS ROG STRIX-GTX1060-O6G-GAMING parameters in the MSI Afterburner application

In our conditions with an open stand (the computer is not assembled in a case), the temperature in demanding games stabilized at approximately 56 °C. This is simply an excellent result, and the temperature itself is the lowest we have seen in models based on the GTX1060 previously. True, the fan rotation speed that we recorded in other models was, as a rule, lower by a couple of hundred rpm. In this case, the fan speed was approximately 1400 rpm.

We did not have any complaints regarding noise under load with the ROG STRIX-GTX1060-O6G-GAMING. The video card is very quiet.

Set of video outputs ASUS ROG STRIX-GTX1060-O6G-GAMING

An external inspection of the ROG STRIX-GTX1060-O6G-GAMING also revealed ASUS FanConnect connectors for connecting case fans. This makes it possible to control their rotation speed based on the temperature readings of the GPU, and not the CPU, as happens when connecting fans to the motherboard.

ASUS FanConnect connectors for connecting case fans

The back side of the board is covered with a plate. It plays a decorative role and also protects against possible mechanical impacts when installing/removing a video card in the system

The board itself is highly modified compared to the reference one. As is usually the case with products of this class, the use of premium components and special production controls are stated. In terms of the number of power phases (6+1), ASUS ROG STRIX-GTX1060-O6G-GAMING surpasses all GTX 1060 models that we have tested previously.

One eight-pin connector is provided for additional power. A pair of information LEDs are located next to the connector. When the power plug is connected, the red warning LED goes out and the white one lights up instead.

The proprietary GPU Tweak II software is quite advanced. It can replace the capabilities of such popular applications for video cards as MSI Afterburner (monitoring current parameters of frequencies, temperatures, etc.), GPU-Z (detailed information about the video card), and in addition has a whole set of proprietary functions.

On the main tab, you have the opportunity to select the graphics card operating profile between normal mode (Gaming), overclocked mode (OC) and “quiet” mode (Silent). For more advanced users, it is possible to manually change frequencies, voltage, and fan operating profiles.

The ASUS ROG STRIX-GTX1060-O6G-GAMING boasts the highest clock speeds we’ve seen in a GTX 1060-based card.Not only the GPU is overclocked, but also the memory. It is interesting that by default the GPU frequencies of the video card should correspond to the Gaming mode (1620/1847 (boost) MHz), but in our case the board initially worked at frequencies of 1645/1873 (boost) MHz, corresponding to the OC mode. However, the difference is not that great.

Characteristics of ASUS ROG STRIX-GTX1060-O6G-GAMING according to GPU-Z

In games, we recorded the maximum GPU frequency at 2050 MHz (in modern NVIDIA video cards, the maximum GPU frequency can be higher than the boost frequency).

The memory frequency in the video card has been increased from standard 8000 to 8200 MHz.

By the way, ASUS ROG STRIX-GTX1060-O6G-GAMING has a twin relative ROG STRIX-GTX1060-6G-GAMING, the only difference of which is slightly lower frequencies used.

When looking at the monotonous black body, it may seem that the ASUS ROG STRIX-GTX1060-O6G-GAMING looks a bit boring, but when you turn it on, you will immediately notice that this is not the case. The inserts around the fans and the logo on the side panel are equipped with proprietary advanced Aura RGB lighting. You can choose the glow color and effects (breathing, strobe, color cycling, etc.) to suit your taste. It is even possible to automatically smoothly change the backlight color depending on the GPU temperature.

Video card backlight control

Tests and performance

We compared the presented ASUS ROG STRIX-GTX1060-O6G-GAMING with the participants in our comparative test of video cards based on GeForce GTX 1060 (Inno3D GeForce GTX 1060 Gaming OC, MSI GEFORCE GTX 1060 ARMOR 3G OCV1, MSI GEFORCE GTX 1060 GAMING X 6G, Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 AMP!). Considering the highest frequencies of ASUS ROG STRIX-GTX1060-O6G-GAMING among these competitors, it naturally turned out to be the fastest video card.

As already mentioned, ASUS also distinguished itself with the lowest GPU temperature under load, but at the same time, it was among the laggards in terms of power consumption.

Test platform configuration:

• Processor: Intel Core i7-3770K, overclocked to 4.2 MHz
• Motherboard: Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X
• RAM capacity: 4×2 GB DDR3 1600
• Drives: SSD Adata S511 120 GB (system), HDD 1 TB
• Operating system: Windows 10 64 bit
• Video card drivers used: GeForce 375.70

Test histograms

Conclusions

The video card performed excellently; it features significantly increased frequencies, which gives it leadership in speed compared to competitive GTX 1060 models.

A powerful cooling system with three fans ensures quiet operation and efficient, even with some reserve, heat dissipation.

To summarize, ASUS ROG STRIX-GTX1060-O6G-GAMING is one of the most advanced and interesting video cards based on GeForce GTX 1060 on the market, but at the same time, its cost is almost the highest among other GTX models 1060.

Key characteristics of ASUS ROG STRIX-GTX1060-O6G-GAMING

Rating:

+ excellent performance

+ significant factory overclocking

+ efficient, quiet cooling system

+ interesting Aura RGB backlight

+ functional GPU Tweak II software

+ “reinforced” board

- large dimensions

- high price

Read also:

• Review of video cards based on NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 from Inno3D, MSI and Zotac. Chic middle class
• Review of the Asus EX-GTX1050-2G video card . The youngest Pascal
• Testing the AMD Radeon RX 460. Budget video cards are getting faster
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 and others. Test of mid- and high-end video cards

Evhen Zykov
Engineer of the Test Laboratory

  

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