ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1060 AMP Edition Graphics Card Review
A Closer Look at the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1060 AMP! Edition
The ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1060 AMP! Edition is designed to fit into most any PC chassis, sans tiny itx style. Lengthwise the card measures only 8.27 inches. This is about three inches shorter than the GTX 1070’s we recently reviewed. I appreciate the minimalist design of the cooler. In most of my systems, the GPU is in the traditional orientation and faces down inside the case. Rather than spending extra cost on something that only is seen rarely. However, with that said, there’s enough of a design to have a classy look if you’re showing off the GPU with the use of a PCIe riser cable.
The two 90mm fans are the most prominent feature card. These fans feature a wider blade to help increase the airflow to the heatsink. Upon taking the card out of the box for the 1st time, there is a sticker that spans both fans warning users that the fans will stop spinning when the card is not being used.
Height wise, the Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 AMP! Edition measures in at 1.4 inches. Sadly, the GTX 1060 is not SLI capable and the PCB lacks the SLI edge connectors that we’ve seen on other Nvidia cards. The case window edge of the card does feature Zotac’s name in white lettering however, there are no LEDs on this card. The GTX 1060 uses a single 6-pin connector to provide power. The picture below shows the plug tucked under the rear edge of the heatsink. The heatsink does not interfere with the installation or removal of the plug.
I/O on the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1060 AMP! provides 3 DisplayPort, 1 HDMI, and 1 DVI-D connections.
The heatsink extends past the edge of the card at the rear which allows for airflow to pass through that part of the heatsink unimpeded and can help cool the card.
The Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 AMP! Edition is designed as a no frills, performance focused graphics card. This card lacks extra features such as LEDs and a backplate. However, with a card this small and light, I don’t see the need for a back plate here and in my opinion would add unnecessary cost. Here you can also get a better view of the slight overhang of the heatsink off the rear edge of the PCB.
The Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 AMP! VRM uses an UPI Semiconductor uP9511 8-phase controller configured to a 4+1 phase function utilizing a mixture of UBIQ M3054M (low-side) and M3058M (high-side) MOSFETs driven by UPI Semiconductor uP1962 single channel drivers. There are a total of four uP1962 drivers on the board, three on the front and one on the back. Output filtering uses four 0.22uH series high-current low-profile chokes and 4x 1200uF solid capacitors.
The memory power uses UBIQ M3054M and M3058M MOSFETs and uses the same 0.22uH chokes as the GPU VRM. PLL is driven by an Up1728. A Texas Instruments INA3221 on the back side of the board. is a 3-channel high-current bus and voltage monitor involved in power distribution.
4GB RX 480 is only $199, and offers similar performance to the $279 GTX 1060 card.
RX 480 is the better value, by far.
Well…4GB version doesn´t “exists” right now and no, it really has not the same performance. 8GB version is for the same price.
” it really has not the same performance.”
RX 480 with 4GB runs most games at 1080 high-detail at 60 frames/sec or better.
There is NO reason to waste $280-$320 for a GTX 1060 card. It only has 192-bit memory, and is way overpriced.
dave doesnt know how all this computer stuff works clearly…
I know that 1080p gaming at 60 frames/sec works perfectly on the RX 480 4GB card.
Why let NVidia rip you off for the GTX 1060? It’s totally not worth the money! If I I were gaming at 1440p, GTX 1070 is a fine card. 1060 is pointless.
I was wondering about the lighting settings in the witcher 3, since the ultra preset doesnt modify the lighting
Newegg has a very nice MSI RX 470 4GB card in stock, right now, for $199.
The RX 470 is perfect for 1080p gaming. Why spend 300 bucks for GTX 1060? That’s a rip off.
#DavetheIdioticAMDfanboy
You’re paying 40% more for 35% more performance and 50% more VRAM, sounds like a good deal to me.
“40% more for 35% more performance and 50% more VRAM”
RX 470 runs games butter-smooth at 1080p. 40% more money, 50% more VRAM doesn’t mean squat! Can you tell the difference between 60 fps and 80 fps? Nope!
People that overpay for 1060 cards are just flushing money down the toilet.
shut up Dave
It’s october dave, and there are still rx 480’s for $200… (i live in US)
Cheapest around are $230, which at that point, you might as well go for 1060.
I smell a red fan.
Does it support Motherboard Express card slot 2.00…?
@Leon – PCI-Express 3.0 devices are backwards compatible with PCI-Express 2.0 slots and PCI-Express 2.0 devices are also forward compatible with PCI-Express 3.0 slots.
Does the Zotac 1060 AMP have VRM cooling pads?
On the Zotac 1060 it actually has a small heatsink for the VRM. The pads that help the heat transfer process from the VRM to the heatsink.
My benchmark scores for the GTX 1060 are WAY higher than the ones in this article, I think something else is dragging down the benchmarks.