Aorus GeForce GTX 1060 9Gbps Review

Test Setup

Our GPU test rig uses Intel's Z170 platform. Specifically, we use the Asus ROG Maximus VIII Hero Alpha paired with an Intel Core i7-6700K. With four cores and eight threads via HyperThreading, the CPU ensures even the most multi-threaded games won't be bottlenecked, and we've overclocked it to 4.5GHz as well with a base clock of 100MHz, a multiplier of 45 and a vcore of 1.28V, further alleviating CPU bottlenecks. The CPU is paired with 16GB (4 x 4GB) of Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 clocked at 3,000MHz and cooled by a Corsair Hydro Series H100i GTX.

The rig is powered by the Corsair AX1500i, which has enough wattage and 8-pin PCI-E power connectors to deal with any multi-GPU set-up we care to throw at it. It's all housed inside a Corsair Graphite Series 760T, which is spacious enough for any card. The final component is an OCZ Vector 180 960GB SSD, giving us plenty of space for game installs.

Our results come from a mix of built-in benchmarks and custom, manually played sections, depending on the game. All benchmarks are repeated at least three times to ensure consistency. We test at 1,920 x 1,080 (1080p) and 2,560 x 1,440 (1440p), as well as at 3,840 x 2,160 (4K) with higher end cards. The operating system is an up-to-date copy of Windows 10 64-bit.

Test System

• CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K at 4.5GHz (45 x 100MHz)
  
• Motherboard: Asus ROG Maximus VIII Hero Alpha
  
• Memory: 4 x 4GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 2,800MHz DDR4 (at 3,000MHz)
  
• PSU: Corsair AX1500i
  
• SSD: OCZ Vector 180 960GB
  
• Case: Corsair Graphite Series 760T
  
• CPU cooler: Corsair Hydro Series H100i GTX
  
• Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit

AMD Graphics Cards

• Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC 8GB - 1,411MHz GPU, 8Gbps GDDR5 (Radeon Software Crimson RX 500 series launch driver)
  
  
• Sapphire Radeon RX 580 Nitro+ 8GB - 1,411MHz GPU, 8Gbps GDDR5 (Radeon Software Crimson 17.5.1)
  
  
• MSI Radeon RX 570 Gaming X 4G 4GB - 1,281MHz GPU, 7Gbps GDDR5 (Radeon Software Crimson RX 500 series launch driver)
  
  
• Aorus Radeon RX 570 4GB - 1,280MHz GPU, 7Gbps GDDR5 (Radeon Software Crimson 17.5.1)
  
  
• Sapphire Radeon RX 480 Nitro+ OC 8GB - 1,342MHz GPU, 8Gbps GDDR5 (Radeon Software Crimson 17.4.2)
  
  
• Sapphire Radeon RX 480 Nitro+ OC 4GB - 1,306MHz GPU, 7Gbps GDDR5 (Radeon Software Crimson 17.4.2)
  
  
• Sapphire Radeon RX 470 Nitro+ OC 4GB - 1,260MHz GPU, 7Gbps GDDR5 (Radeon Software Crimson 17.4.2)
  
  
• AMD Radeon R9 Fury X 4GB - 1,050MHz GPU, 1Gbps HBM (Radeon Software Crimson 17.2.1)

Nvidia Graphics Cards

• Aorus GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB - 1,569MHz GPU (1,683MHz boost), 11Gbps GDDR5X (GeForce 381.65)
  
  
• MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X 11G 11GB - 1,544MHz GPU (1,657MHz boost), 11Gbps GDDR5X (GeForce 382.05)
  
  
• Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition 11GB - 1,480MHz GPU (1,582MHz boost), 11Gbps GDDR5X (GeForce 378.78 launch driver)
  
  
• Nvidia Titan X Pascal 12GB - 1,417MHz GPU (1,531MHz boost), 10Gbps GDDR5X (GeForce 378.78 launch driver)
  
  
• Aorus GeForce GTX 1080 11Gbps 8GB - 1,709MHz (1,848MHz boost), 11Gbps GDDR5X (GeForce 382.05)
  
  
• Asus GeForce GTX 1080 11Gbps Strix OC 8GB - 1,696MHz (1,835MHz boost), 11Gbps GDDR5X (GeForce 382.05)
  
  
• EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 FTW 8GB - 1,721MHz (1,860MHz boost), 10Gbps GDDR5X (GeForce 378.66)
  
  
• Palit GeForce GTX 1070 GameRock Premium Edition 8GB - 1,670MHz GPU (1,873MHz boost), 8.5Gbps GDDR5 (GeForce 381.65)
  
  
• Aorus GeForce GTX 1060 9Gbps 6GB - 1,607MHz (1,835MHz boost), 9Gbps GDDR5 (GeForce 382.33)
  
  
• Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 G1 Gaming 6GB - 1,594MHz GPU (1,809MHz boost), 8Gbps GDDR5 (GeForce 381.65)
  
  
• Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 WindForce OC 3GB - 1,582MHz GPU (1,797MHz boost), 8Gbps GDDR5 (GeForce 381.65)