MSI GeForce GTX 1060 Aero ITX Review

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Conclusion

Conclusion

For a card that is 17cm long I have to say that this is a spicy little product alright. Now before we dive deep into the conclusion, there might will be a 3GB version available as well (I am not 100% sure about that though). However if you want my advice, please do spend the extra money on a 6GB version. Not only does it offer slightly more rendering performance, with modern games you are going to need that extra memory as 3GB isn't really going to cut it anymore. Especially if you plan to game in the 2560x1440 resolution. For 1080P (and lower resolutions) things are a little different. The performance level for the GTX 1060 is good. The problem though, Nvidia doesn't price these card as mainstream. Currently all 6GB GeForce GTX 1060 cards are hovering in a 275 to 300 Euro price range and that is a bit steep.



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Aesthetics

For something this compact MSI did it right and offers a nice dark themed product. Surely it does not have the grandeur that the TwinFrozr series offers, but hey, this is a 17cm Mini-ITX product. There's only so much you can do, right?

Cooling & Noise Levels

The reference design (founder edition) of the GeForce GTX 1060 is set at an offset threshold of just over 72 degrees C. Once the GPU gets warmer the card will clock down / lower its voltage etc. to try and keep the card cooler, that's throttling and it's part of the design. Even for a card this size MSI was able to throw in a cooler that manages roughly 200 Watts of cooling performance. It is a good one alright, so good that up-to a degree or 60 on the GPU, this card remains passive and thus inaudible. Once the fans kick in, you can expect to hover at the ~61 Degrees C marker, let's call it just under 65 Degrees C. Please do note that you always need proper ventilation inside your chassis to achieve that number. Expect sound pressure values in the 38 dBA range at max under load, under warm circumstances it is silent. Once overclocked it'll be slightly louder, but even then at 40 dBA there's just little to hear and notice. We heard a bit of coil noise, nothing dramatic though and I doubt you can hear it in a closed system.

Power Consumption

GP106-300-A1 Pascal GPUs are rated as having a 120 Watt TDP under full stress, our measurements show it to be a tiny bit higher at ~135 Watts, that still remains to be a relatively low value. Here again keep in mind we measure peak power consumption, the average power consumption is a good notch lower depending on GPU utilization. Also, if you plan to overclock the CPU/memory and/or GPU with added voltage, please do purchase a power supply with enough reserve. 

Gaming Performance

A GeForce GTX 1060 is a lovely product for Full HD gamers at 1920x1080/1200. However, given the nature of its performance this is actually a pretty darn good WQHD (2560x1440) card as well. Not everybody requires or demands 100+ FPS and many people find that 40~60 average FPS is good enough, especially with a GSYNC monitor. For that last category the GeForce GTX 1060 is going to offer a tremendous amount of value as at WQHD you are indeed around the 40 to 60 FPS marker. For example, DX12 Rise of the Tomb Raider at proper image quality settings is doing a 50+ FPS here. Total War Warhammer in DX12 also hovers at that same frame rate marker. Tom Clancy's The Division still offers roughly 40 FPS there with wicked quality settings, so these I consider to be good numbers at 2560x1440 for a product that sits in the mid-range aka mainstream category. In short, for the money this is an excellent 1080P and a proper 1440P card that will often offer a nice 40~60 FPS experience at WQHD and proper image quality settings. It has plenty of muscle and has the graphics memory to deal with it (6GB model), even with the best quality settings and some nice AA levels. Resolutions after 2560x1440 will obviously be more complicated. 
 

Guru3d-recommended 

Last Words

The last time I reviewed a GTX 1060 they hovered just above a 260 Euro price level. When I checked EU prices prior to this review, I was a bit stunned that the prices seem to have risen. The 275~300 Euro marker is now the level the GTX 1060 resides itself in, I find that a lot of money for a product of this class. USD prices are better though sitting at a more comfortable 250 USD marker. The reality remains that you can play your games up-to 2560x1440 with a decent enough framerate and proper image quality settings. Obviously that 6GB framebuffer helps out and does make your graphics card a little more future proof. The Pascal architecture proves its agility and the die shrink to 16 nm FinFET shows low power consumption due to lower voltages and obviously the high clock-speeds and that 8 Gbps GDDR5 memory offer the product the value that the GTX 1060 is. The GeForce GTX 1060 is a even more so a lovely choice for the ones that game in the 1920x1080 up-to 2560x1440 resolution domain. MSI has done it right with this super tiny ITX edition, it has low noise levels and performs well for a GTX 1060, in fact it even has a modest tweak applied for you already. Once you tweak it yourself you will reach a ~2.0 GHz boost clock frequency and for the memory you should be reaching anything from 8.5 to 9 Gbps (effective data-rate) quite easily as well. MSI offers a very nice product with the the GTX 1060 Aero ITX. I would have liked to have seen some cooling on the chokes though, but then again the rest of the VRM is covered with a heatsink. No biggy. Performance wise these cards are little gems and yeah, they are downright cute. If you are in for a compact PC build, you might have found your perfect 17cm solution. Definitely recommended, but the EU pricing on any GTX 1060 we feel is a bit steep at the moment.

 - H

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