Next we will talk about overclocking the video card. GTX 1060 3Gb. The amount of video memory is not important for our business. The tips written below can also be applied to the version with six GB of memory.
Note! Incorrect actions regarding overclocking a video card can cause irreparable damage to your property. Therefore, perform overclocking steps only after fully studying the manual from several sources, and only at your own peril and risk.
First, you need to indicate that each video card is individual. Even if your friend has exactly the same GTX 1060 model, then it will 100% “chase” differently, not like yours. It can give less or more profit depending on the successful performance of the video core crystal.
About the video card
Nvidia is famous for periodically releasing video cards that can fill the missing spots in a particular segment. This happened with the GTX 1060. This model was released as an upgrade to outdated GPUs.
Despite the fact that the previous GTX 1050 Ti video card was released on a 14-nm processor, the new model used a slightly worse technology. However, overclocking the GTX 1060 has enormous potential. The model is considered an effective GPU for mining.
Before considering several modifications, it is important to understand what the reference version of this model turned out to be.
GTX 1060 Specifications
This model is built on Pascal architecture, has a memory speed of 8 GHz per second, and a relative video memory frequency of 1.4 X. The video card has an actual frequency of 1708 MHz.
It was assumed that the model would be produced in 2 variations. The 6 GB Vidukha has 1280 CUDA cores, video memory - GDDR5 with a capacity of 6 GB and a frequency of 1708 MHz. The 3 GB video card is equipped with 1024 CUDA cores.
Since overclocking the GTX 1060 for mining is often considered, the hashrate is important. It’s worth noting right away that the 3 GB model is definitely not suitable for Ethereum mining. This is because the 3GB capacity cannot store ever-growing special mining files. The only thing you can do is try to create ZCash.
But the 6 GB version is perfect for this process. The model has good basic purity, although the overclocking potential is very high. For example, unlike the GTX 1050 Ti, this model will be able to raise frequencies much higher.
⇡#Performance test results
- 3DMark
Unigine Superposition
Crysis 3
Metro: Last Light
Grand Theft Auto V
DiRT Rally
Batman: Arkham Knight
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Far Cry Primal
Tom Clancy's The Division
Hitman
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Gears of War 4
Battlefield 1
For Honor
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III
Let's supplement the constructed diagrams with a final table with test results showing the average and minimum number of frames per second for each video card.
We will analyze the results using summary diagrams.
Modifications
It just so happens that overclocking the GTX 1060 3Gb video card is less relevant than the older version of the model. Even if you don't take into account the mining itself, popular computer games require more and more space. Leading manufacturers are trying to develop video cards that would have more than 4 GB of video memory.
As always, after Nvidia has received the reference version, manufacturers begin developing modified video card models. Non-reference devices appear over the next year and compete to be first. As always, Asus, MSI, Gigabyte and Palit stand out among the leaders.
Work process
I watched the calculations happen regularly for a month. On the website nicehash.com you can track statistics by simply clicking on the link in the program window. The statistics are anonymous and clear. There is an approximate payout forecast, which is calculated based on the current speed. I can say that changes have been constant. This was due to the floating exchange rate and the automatic change of algorithms. Therefore, it is impossible to accurately calculate how much income your farm can bring in after a certain time. But monitoring parameters such as hashrate, temperature and profitability is a very exciting activity.
Product from Asus
Asus GTX 1060 came in several variations. The difference could be noticed not only in the technical characteristics, but also in the design of the model. Despite the fact that the GTX 1060 from NVIDIA appeared back in 2016, the company introduced an updated version a year later. Therefore, after the reference version, a modification from Asus appeared.
The manufacturer does not change its traditions and still places new models in branded boxes. This video card was supplied in a compact cardboard box, decorated in the manufacturer's characteristic style.
The front side of the package, as always, contains the main characteristics of the model. You could immediately see that the video had factory overclocking. On the back of the box, the manufacturer placed photographs of the model, as well as a description of the features and technologies.
There's nothing special to be found inside the package. In addition to the device itself, there is a DVD with drivers and software, as well as installation instructions.
Important knowledge for a novice miner
I will write some tips for those who have just learned about the existence of cryptocurrencies and want to make money on them:
- Before starting this dubious undertaking, you need to weigh the pros and cons. There have already been cases where an inexperienced miner ended up at a loss.
- Iron ages. It’s not a fact that in a year (when the equipment pays for itself), you won’t need to buy everything again.
- You cannot play and earn money on the computer at the same time.
- The more video cards, the more noise. Good cooling is important.
- The profit from mining is directly proportional to the invested funds. Finding the golden mean is a difficult task.
Appearance Asus
Since the Asus GTX 1060 is an expensive video card, a lot of work was done on the appearance. Before us is a two-slot model, which is covered with a protective casing on top and bottom. Despite the usual trends from this company, for some reason this model did not make it into the “owl” series. Although the fan casing itself is very similar to the famous image of a bird.
On the reverse side, the board is covered with a metal plate, which protects not only the PCB, but also the batteries. Under the casing there is a large radiator with heat sink pipes. The interface board has 5 connectors, including DVI-D, a pair of HDMI version 2.0, and a pair of DisplayPort. A radiator grille is placed next to the ports, through which the heated air is partially discharged.
Asus specifications
This model is practically no different from the reference version. It is made using a 16-nm process technology, the crystal area is 200 mm square, and the number of transistors is 4400 million. Since this is already an overclocked version, the GPU frequency is 1595 MHz versus 1506 reference. In Boost mode, this figure increases to 1810 MHz.
Due to the factory overclocking of the GTX 1060 from Asus, the theoretical maximum shading and texture sampling speeds have also increased. The frequency of video memory has also increased by 12%. Now it is 9028 MHz.
A pleasant bonus was that this model turned out to be 300 g lighter.
Reviews
We tried to make the description as good as possible so that your choice would be unmistakable and informed, but... We may not have used this product, but only touched it from all sides, and after you buy it, try it out, your review can make this world a better place, if your review is really useful, we will publish it and give it You have the opportunity to make your next purchase from us using the 2nd column.
ASUS TURBO TURBO-GTX1060-6G - Great card
ASUS TURBO TURBO-GTX1060-6G - Normal card
ASUS TURBO TURBO-GTX1060-6G - Excellent card
ASUS DUAL DUAL-GTX1060-3G - universal video card
Overclocking Asus
Due to the fact that the model is already overclocked in the box, there was no hope for overclocking and potential. However, the increase in frequency turned out to be a nice bonus. For overclocking, the power limit was increased by 113%, and the temperature increased to a maximum of 92 degrees. As a result, the processor accelerated by 110 MHz, and the video memory by 730 MHz.
The indicator turned out to be stable at 1920 MHz. Although, according to monitoring data, it was possible to overclock to 2050 MHz. But in this case, the video card might malfunction.
During overclocking, the cooling system also performed well, raising the temperature by only 2 degrees.
Results of the experiment
We can assume that my little test was successful. My computer earned 0.01 bitcoin in a month (from August 24 to September 22). This did not affect the amount of electricity consumed, because I did not install a separate meter, and the general apartment one shows different values every month due to irregular energy consumption. But I assume that the amount according to our Far Eastern tariff was no more than 200 rubles.
0.01 bitcoin at the current rate is approximately 2,400 rubles. If we calculate the estimated payback, then my configuration will take approximately 30 months (0.3 BTC), provided that it costs about 80 thousand rubles. I came to the conclusion that this is not profitable. Therefore, on September 23 (when the indicated amount fell into my wallet), I stopped the miner and turned off the system.
MSI
As always, MSI was “ahead of the rest.” After the release of the GTX 1060, this manufacturer immediately developed an improved modification called the Gaming X 6G. From the name it is clear that this model comes with 6 GB video memory.
MSI, as always, pleases fans with its bright boxes. This model is also placed in red packaging with the already familiar graphic elements. On the front there is an image of the model itself, as well as its main characteristics.
Appearance MSI
A nice bonus was that the developer did not degrade this version just because it has less video memory than a more powerful solution. Despite the fact that the board itself is simple and the model has low power consumption, the company decided not to touch the cooling system or simplify it.
The textolite is covered with a radiator, which, in turn, is protected by a casing. It comes in red and black colors and has built-in fans. The total length of the card is about 28 cm.
At the back they also decided to protect the PCB and batteries with a metal plate. In addition to standard holes and bolts, the company logo and the famous dragon are displayed here. In the corner you can see an 8-pin power connector.
There are five ports on the interface panel. Usually one DVI, HDMI and 3 DisplayPort are enough for the user.
Installation and configuration process
On his advice, I installed NiceHash Miner Legacy (you can download it from the official website). It does almost everything automatically. Everything there is in Russian, it’s hard to make a mistake. It takes some time to benchmark at first. Then, when all the values are calculated, you can choose the algorithms for the processor, video card and whether they will work together. I checked both boxes, since I didn’t intend to sit at the computer at that time, so I could load it at 200%. Finally, press the “start” button and the process begins. The program decides what type of cryptocurrency to mine at its discretion. In the settings, you can uncheck those currencies that you consider unprofitable, but the situation on the market is constantly changing, and it is not at all a fact that you will win this “lottery” if you mine, for example, only ether or zikesh.
Therefore, after the first hours of operation, the noise from the cooling systems was such that I decided to remove the top cover of the case. This improved cooling and reduced fan speed. Let me remind you that the main culprits of noise are the coolers of the video card, processor and power supply.
Then I left everything as it was and for a couple of nights the “farm” worked in my bedroom. I sleep with earplugs, so I didn’t notice a significant increase in noise. But I didn’t like the lit LED indicator and the heat emanating from the working machine. I first moved the system unit to the balcony, but there was poor reception of the Wi-Fi signal, so I brought it into the kitchen and installed it on. For better cooling, I took a large 12 cm fan and placed it on the video card. At this point, the installation of the improvised “farm” was completed.
Overclocking MSI
Overclocking the GTX 1060 from MSI turned out to be quite potential. To ensure that the indicators are objective, it is important to conduct testing in Silent mode. As a result, we managed to raise the Boost indicators to 2126 MHz. Viduha coped with all the difficult tests at this frequency, but still there were failures. Therefore, in order to bring the operation to stability, it was necessary to lower the frequencies to 2101 MHz.
Of course, the speed turned out to be good, but in reality the increase was only 13%. The best results were achieved by working with video memory. It was possible to increase its frequency by 19%, obtaining a value of 9548 MHz.
To overclock the GTX 1060 6Gb from MSI to be stable, the fan speed had to be kept at 1300 rpm. The cooling system coped well with this: it did not make unnecessary noise, and the temperature did not rise to critical levels.
Appearance Gigabyte
GeForce GTX 1060 WindForce OC 6G belongs to a series of video cards that are equipped with a proprietary cooling system. Therefore, the appearance is reminiscent of previously released models. The video card has small dimensions, its length does not exceed 22 cm. The textolite covers the radiator, on top of which there is a two-slot casing.
The reverse side of the PCB is also protected by a plate, but made of plastic. A 6-pin power port is located in the corner. The interface panel accommodates four ports. Among them there is one HDMI, DisplayPort and a pair of DVI-D
Gigabyte specifications
The processor is equipped with 1280 CUDA cores, and 6 GB are equipped with 6 chips from Samsung. Overclocking the GTX 1060 from Gigabyte is necessary because out of the box the graphics card runs at a base frequency of 1506 MHz. Although there is evidence that it has been increased to 1557 MHz. In Boost mode, the standard value is used. Video memory operates at 8 GHz.
By installing proprietary software, you can manage program parameters. Looking at the application settings, you can see that the initial configuration corresponds to Gaming Mode. You can enable accelerated mode, then the frequency will increase to 1582 MHz.
If this model is loaded, it will turn on Boost mode, and the speed will increase by 300 MHz.
Overclocking Gigabyte
Overclocking of the GTX 1060 6Gb from Gigabyte turned out to be average. Someone was outraged that the frequencies could not be raised at all. Although, if you take into account the cost of this modification, then you shouldn’t expect a significant increase. The base frequency was raised by 100 MHz, and in Boost mode - up to 2063 MHz.
In this case, the video memory was again more amenable to overclocking. We managed to overclock it to 9410 MHz.
For the improvement process to be stable, it was necessary to set the fan speed to 65%. As a result, the temperature did not exceed 78 degrees. There is an opinion that by purchasing additional cooling you can further increase the frequencies.
Withdrawal of money and commission of different systems
A colleague recommended withdrawing cryptocurrency from a wallet to a bank card through the Exmo exchange. There you can exchange one currency for another, as well as trade currencies. I decided to withdraw exactly 0.01 BTC or 10 mBTC from my Bitcoin Core wallet, which currently occupies 145 gigabytes of hard drive space. I chose the minimum commission level (0.00006737 BTC). The confirmation of the operation was scheduled to begin after 25 blocks. Exmo did not charge any commission for enrollment. Bitcoins arrived in the account within an hour.
You can withdraw rubles, dollars and other real currencies to a Visa or Mastercard from Exmo. To do this, you first need to undergo verification. There is no question of anonymity. Verification is also stupid. Let's say you need to confirm your identity. This section contains the document's expiration date. But here’s the thing: the license contains such a date. But it’s not in the passport. What if you don't have a driver's license? In the address verification section there is a document issue date item. But he's not needed there. You cannot upload your passport there because the issue date must be no later than 3 months. And what kind of document should I provide? I don’t know which Indian came up with these rules. But I think it will be easier to use other output methods that do not require checks.
You can, for example, withdraw to a Qiwi wallet with a 2% commission or several other unpopular money systems. In this article, Alexey Nadezhin recommends translating from Best Change to Qiwi. This option is more profitable, but there is a time limit that is not available in Eksmo. And the exchange is considered more reliable than exchangers.
Overclocking program
Almost every manufacturer of a modified video card offers additional software. Some software helps in overclocking the GTX 1060 for mining, but most are designed to simply adjust frequencies.
Still the most popular program is proprietary software from MSI. Afterburner easily copes with overclocking Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 and other video card models. Moreover, it does not matter at all what manufacturer your modification is from.
MSI Afterburner works with models from Nvidia and AMD, has a constantly updated interface and simple controls. The program immediately displays overclocking capabilities.
