GTX 1060 3GB Vs GTX 970 4GB - Tom's Hardware Forum

Search

Everywhere Threads This forum This thread Search titles only Note By: Search Advanced search… Everywhere Threads This forum This thread Search titles only By: Search Advanced… Log in Register What's new

Search

Everywhere Threads This forum This thread Search titles only Note By: Search Advanced search… Everywhere Threads This forum This thread Search titles only By: Search Advanced… Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar Menu Install the app Install How to install the app on iOS

Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.

Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.

• Home
• Featured
• Forums New posts Search forums
• What's new Featured content New posts Latest activity

• Get Tom's Hardware Premium for less than $3 a month — access our hardware roadmaps, deeper analysis, exclusive features, and unlock the Bench database!

GTX 1060 3GB vs GTX 970 4GB

• Thread starter Thread starter Fady__gamil
• Start date Start date Jul 20, 2018

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar

• Home
• Forums
• Hardware
• Graphics Cards

You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browser. F

Fady__gamil

Reputable

Feb 6, 2016 165 0 4,680 Hey guys ! I have to choose between those GPUs for gaming Gigabyte GTX 1060 3GB zotac GTX 970 4GB Which of them will give me better FPS and will be better in gaming? Solution 1060-3 and 970-4 are basically the same thing. There will be games where the 970 makes better use of the extra 1Gb of vram, and gets 1-10 higher fps, just as there's games that make use of the 1060-3's ability and gets higher fps by 1-10. The only real difference is power, the 970 is a Maxwell gpu and really requires 500-550w psu, the 1060 is Pascal and needs only 400-450w. So depending on the psu available, the 1060-3 might be the better choice, even if slightly more expensive, as you may not need to upgrade the psu, or if the 970 is cheaper and your psu is good enough, that might be the better option. The 970 has a full 4Gb of useful vram. It has 3.5Gb of high speed vram and 0.5Gb of slower vram, that's only used if required. But... Sort by date Sort by votes

NightAntilli

Honorable

Jun 12, 2014 2,125 24 12,465 RX 580 4GB. Don't mean to be distracting... But the GTX 970 technically only has 3.5 GB of useful V-ram, and the GTX 1060 3GB is not really a GTX 1060... So I can never recommend anyone to buy either of these GPUs. For performance between them, depends on the game. Upvote 1 Downvote

k1114

Titan

May 2, 2010 14,236 94 75,540 I'd say get the one that's cheaper. If they cost the same, I am assuming used vs new then go with new because it's new. Upvote 0 Downvote

Karadjgne

Titan

Ambassador Dec 26, 2012 30,754 4,555 142,790 1060-3 and 970-4 are basically the same thing. There will be games where the 970 makes better use of the extra 1Gb of vram, and gets 1-10 higher fps, just as there's games that make use of the 1060-3's ability and gets higher fps by 1-10. The only real difference is power, the 970 is a Maxwell gpu and really requires 500-550w psu, the 1060 is Pascal and needs only 400-450w. So depending on the psu available, the 1060-3 might be the better choice, even if slightly more expensive, as you may not need to upgrade the psu, or if the 970 is cheaper and your psu is good enough, that might be the better option. The 970 has a full 4Gb of useful vram. It has 3.5Gb of high speed vram and 0.5Gb of slower vram, that's only used if required. But thats not enough to physically slow fps, the card works the way it does. The gtx980 uses all 4Gb of high speed vram and has higher clocks, giving it the edge in fps. The 1060-3 is still a 1060, and in games with lower than 3Gb actual needs, performs exactly the same as a 1060-6. It's only in high vram requirement games where the 1060-6 gains a bonus. Upvote 0 Downvote Solution

NightAntilli

Honorable

Jun 12, 2014 2,125 24 12,465 Karadjgne : The 970 has a full 4Gb of useful vram. It has 3.5Gb of high speed vram and 0.5Gb of slower vram, that's only used if required. But thats not enough to physically slow fps, the card works the way it does. Actually it is... Specific circumstances, but, it does slow it down... Perfect example; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm5ZCJah-FY Upvote 0 Downvote You must log in or register to reply here. Share: Facebook X Bluesky LinkedIn Reddit Tumblr WhatsApp Email Share Link

TRENDING THREADS

• NewsThermal Grizzly scammed out of $46,000 by Alibaba metals suppliers — company spread the risk across two copper and aluminum suppliers, only for bot...
  • Started by Admin
  • Yesterday at 10:45 AM
  • Replies: 16
  News Comments
• NewsApple's 18-core M5 Max destroys 96-core Ryzen Threadripper Pro 9995WX in Geekbench — GPU performance is much less impressive
  • Started by Admin
  • Saturday at 6:20 AM
  • Replies: 45
  News Comments
• NewsCalifornia introduces age verification law for all operating systems, including Linux and SteamOS — user age verified during OS account setup
  • Started by Admin
  • Mar 1, 2026
  • Replies: 73
  News Comments
• DiscussionWhat's your favourite video game you've been playing?
  • Started by amdfangirl
  • Aug 3, 2014
  • Replies: 4K
  PC Gaming
• DiscussionPSU recommendations and power supply discussion thread - Tom's hardware
  • Started by Darkbreeze
  • Jan 8, 2018
  • Replies: 2K
  Power Supplies
• NewsIntel keeps socket LGA 1700 alive with new P-core-only CPUs — 'Bartlett Lake' is official, but targets embedded applications with up to 12 cores
  • Started by Admin
  • Yesterday at 12:30 PM
  • Replies: 13
  News Comments
• NewsNorwegian gov't consumer watchdog calls out ‘enshittification’ of video games, connected devices, and others — claims hardware deliberately degrade...
  • Started by Admin
  • Sunday at 9:10 AM
  • Replies: 18
  News Comments

Latest posts

• F DiscussionDid anybody have an SSD fail on them -- how long do they last ?
  • Latest: fzabkar
  • A moment ago
  Storage
• QuestionRAM upgrade weirdness - - I'm stumped ?
  • Latest: Darkbreeze
  • 6 minutes ago
  Motherboards
• QuestionHaving the overlay active partially solves my micro-stutter problems, as well as VRR and Freesync issues ?
  • Latest: Rush_Neo
  • 25 minutes ago
  Graphics Cards
• QuestionLiveKernelEvent 1a/b8 when turning main display off and on
  • Latest: archilic
  • Yesterday at 10:38 PM
  Graphics Cards
• QuestionMotherboard standby LED turns off the moment the CPU EPS cable is connected, even before power-on, while the 24-pin alone works normally ?
  • Latest: Darkbreeze
  • Yesterday at 10:34 PM
  Motherboards
• QuestionI'm looking to upgrade my old Router, I'm considering one of the Unifi Dream Machines, any comments ?
  • Latest: kanewolf
  • Yesterday at 9:41 PM
  Networking
• M QuestionWork PC random reboots
  • Latest: msziegler83
  • Yesterday at 9:27 PM
  Systems

Moderators online

• 

Share this page

Facebook X Bluesky LinkedIn Reddit Tumblr WhatsApp Email Share Link COMPANY Space.com is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. RESOURCES

• Advertising
• Cookies Policies
• Privacy
• Term & Conditions
• Topics

FOLLOW Facebook Twitter Instagram Top Bottom