HardwareCanucks GTX 1060 vs RX 480 - An Updated Review

[Mikeduffy]

Looks like the folks at HardwareCanucks have decided to return to see how both the RX480 and GTX 1060 compare with the most recent games and drivers.

It looks as though the AMD RX 480 comes within striking distance within DX 11 (2% at 1080p and tie at 1440p) and easily takes the cake in DX 12 - anyways, glad somebody decided to revisit these cards as I often see people spewing old Techpowerup numbers throughout the forums.

Read the review here:
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru.../73945-gtx-1060-vs-rx-480-updated-review.html

Overall they recommend the RX 480 over the GTX 1060.

 

[richaron]

I can't count how many times I've read people in these forums ridicule claims of AMD's future looking architectures or driver improvements. I guess they refused to see the trends in the past, or unable to read between the lines. So it's great someone has gone to the effort of doing these tests so the naysayers can be lead by the hand. And it shows how pages full of old benchmarks used to "prove" a point, or support an agenda, are often useless.

 

[ultima_trev]

In 2017, RX 470 and RX 480 will likely be the sub 300$ champions until a Pascal refresh or Volta.

 

[littleg]

All well and good but it's a bit late now. The market position is fixed in peoples minds based off the initial test runs which most sites aren't going to rerun. By the time the weight of new reviews has reached a point where it will make a difference Nvidia will have a refresh out and they'll still trail.

They always seem to win the engineering but lose the marketing.

 

[Dribble]

They always seem to win the engineering but lose the marketing.

The fact that their drivers took 6 months to catch up is not marketing, it's software. The 480 isn't competing with a chip of it's size or power usage either, Nvidia can put out a smaller less power hungry, cheaper chip, so they don't win at engineering either but they can at least be competitive by sacrificing margins.

 

[LTC8K6]

It's odd to me because I still see the 1070 as the 480's competition, not the 1060, as far as card hierarchy.

To me, the 480 being a little better than the 1060 is bad for the 480 because the 1060 is one level below the 480.

I still see
460-1050/1050ti
470-1060
480-1070
490-1080 possibly

 

[Krteq]

You see it wrong, those are in different segments.

 

[littleg]

I don't think you can really say a $400 and a $200 card are in the same segment.

 

[OatisCampbell]

I don't think you can really say a $400 and a $200 card are in the same segment.

You "could" say that but odds are good the $200 card is going to look very weak compared to the $400 card. They have to price them at their performance level or not sell any.

You could also say the RX480 competes against the Titan X Pascal as it is AMDs highest performing chip of this generation, but it will lose there too.

 

[LTC8K6]

You see it wrong, those are in different segments.

Nevertheless...

People seem to have always been willing to pay more for NV cards.

 

[Annisman*]

Nevertheless...

People seem to have always been willing to pay more for NV cards.

I'll always pay more for the top performing single gpu, AMD is welcome to take that crown back and have my money but this hasn't been the case for years so I've been 'paying more' for NV cards for years because of it.

 

[realibrad]

Nevertheless...

People seem to have always been willing to pay more for NV cards.

That has nothing to do with you comparing a $400 gpu to a $200 gpu. Its okay to realize you made a mistake.

People are willing to pay more because they perceive they are getting a premium item. Just because people think they are getting something premium does not mean competitors goods have to compete for something that is twice the price.

 

[LTC8K6]

That has nothing to do with you comparing a $400 gpu to a $200 gpu. Its okay to realize you made a mistake.

People are willing to pay more because they perceive they are getting a premium item. Just because people think they are getting something premium does not mean competitors goods have to compete for something that is twice the price.

I didn't make a mistake other than ascribing the belief to myself. I know the actual card differences.

Most people see three card levels with AMD and NV, and they see the 1080 by itself at the top.

People naturally match up the three card levels between the makers, and they see NV as holding the high ground.

I have mentioned before that it seemed like AMD cards were being compared below their weight, so to speak.

 

[Ancalagon44]

I didn't make a mistake other than ascribing the belief to myself. I know the actual card differences.

Most people see three card levels with AMD and NV, and they see the 1080 by itself at the top.

People naturally match up the three card levels between the makers, and they see NV as holding the high ground.

I have mentioned before that it seemed like AMD cards were being compared below their weight, so to speak.

I think you're wrong about the way most people think.

Mostly because I think you are the only one that seems to think the 480 competes against the 1070. The 1060 is not below the level of the 480, it is on the same level. Evidence for this - almost identical pricing.

 

[realibrad]

I didn't make a mistake other than ascribing the belief to myself. I know the actual card differences.

Most people see three card levels with AMD and NV, and they see the 1080 by itself at the top.

People naturally match up the three card levels between the makers, and they see NV as holding the high ground.

I have mentioned before that it seemed like AMD cards were being compared below their weight, so to speak.

So you think that people see the 480 being the best AMD has, and thus people compare it to a card that is twice the price, but not the top of Nvidia?

Your mistake is your belief. Saying that a 480 which is the newest best card from AMD at $200 is being compared to the 1070 at $400. If your point was that they are comparing the same levels, then that is wrong as the 1070 is not the best Nvidia card. The price is totally different too.

So why would anyone compare cards that are not in the same segment in any logical way other than having incorrect beliefs. Just because its opinion does not mean it cant be wrong. Two different segments from their position in their respective product lines, and two different prices.

Why do you believe they should be compared?

 

[raghu78]

Rx 480 continues to follow AMD's tradition of impressive performance with driver updates and leadership performance in latest APIs like DX12/Vulkan. I am even more impressed that the recent big wins in COD Infinite Warfare and Titanfall 2 are using older APIs. I look forward to seeing AMD refresh Polaris with the Vega architecture which is supposed to have significant architectural and efficiency improvements. 2017 could turn out to be better for consumers and AMD if they can compete aggressively with Pascal refresh using Vega architecture.

 

[crisium]

I would have liked to see a 390X or 290X in there. Is Polaris 10 gaining ground on Hawaii? I know the 32 ROPs and 256-bit will hurt it forever at high res, but at 1080p at least I'd be curious.

 

[Rifter]

Not surprised. Anyone who pays attention knows AMD usually makes up ground well over time with new cards. This is one of the reasons i went with a RX480 i knew it would eventually be in a better position than the 1060. And this gap will widen as more DX12/Vulkan games are released over the coming year or two.

That said im am still very eager to see what the big GPU's coming out next year will be like. When i upgrade my system next im going for a big single GPU hopefully AMD can deliver that and Nvidia has a good card to compete with it without gauging to much on price.

 

[Leyawiin]

It's odd to me because I still see the 1070 as the 480's competition, not the 1060, as far as card hierarchy.

What's odd is that they're not even close in performance regardless of the API yet you're saying they're competitors. Now if AMD's long belated RX 490 shows a similar result as the current RX 480/GTX 1060 for the same price as a GTX 1070 that'll be great help to consumers and prices should start coming down a bit thanks to some real competition.

 

[LTC8K6]

I corrected that already, I don't think they are actually competitors.

 

[LTC8K6]

So you think that people see the 480 being the best AMD has, and thus people compare it to a card that is twice the price, but not the top of Nvidia?

Your mistake is your belief. Saying that a 480 which is the newest best card from AMD at $200 is being compared to the 1070 at $400. If your point was that they are comparing the same levels, then that is wrong as the 1070 is not the best Nvidia card. The price is totally different too.

So why would anyone compare cards that are not in the same segment in any logical way other than having incorrect beliefs. Just because its opinion does not mean it cant be wrong. Two different segments from their position in their respective product lines, and two different prices.

Why do you believe they should be compared?

I think people naturally match up what comes out, even if they shouldn't.

 

[tviceman]

TLDR, the cards are overall within 5% of one another. If buying either one take into consideration what games you'll be playing, price, OCing, and power consumption.

Also, since it's been shown Quantum Break is faster in DX11 via steam, running it in DX12 for the sake of DX12 is dumb dumb dumb.

Can't go wrong with either card at the same / similar price.

 

[Bacon1]

AMD is welcome to take that crown back and have my money

Really? You'd give up sync on your monitor?

Acer XB270HU Predator 1440P Gsync

Nvidia's locked you in nicely.

Infraction issued for derailing thread.
-- stahlhart

 

[stahlhart]

Keep this discussion focused on the content of the article, or it's getting locked.
-- stahlhart

 

[Annisman*]

Really? You'd give up sync on your monitor?



Nvidia's locked you in nicely.

Infraction issued for derailing thread.
-- stahlhart

If AMD had a card worth buying for me I'd have no problem switching to FreeSync. We aren't all lemmings man. I don't mind being 'locked in' to Nvidia because for my purchasing style and the kind of consumer I am it has been the only real option for a long time.



Stahlhart gave a warning to stay on topic.


esquared
Anandtech Forum Director