NVIDIA GTX 1060 3GB Graphics Card (Pre Owned)

NVIDIA's GTX 1060 3GB card launched in December 2016, a few months after the 6GB variant. Built on the Pascal architecture, it was one of the most popular cards in the gaming community in its time—it held the Steam Hardware Survey's top graphics card rankings for a long time.

It's important to understand one thing: the GTX 1060 runs at the same clock speeds as the 3GB and 6GB variants, and its ROPs, L2 cache, and memory controllers remain the same. The only difference is that it has slightly fewer CUDA cores (1152 vs. 1280) and half the VRAM (3GB vs. 6GB). This means it's very close to its bigger sibling in terms of core performance, but lags slightly in memory-heavy tasks.

Performance and Architecture

The GTX 1060 3GB features 1152 CUDA Cores, 72 texture units, and 48 ROPs. The base clock is around 1506 MHz and the boost clock goes up to 1708 MHz, while factory-overclocked variants (like the MSI Gaming X) can even reach 1784-1809 MHz.

Support for DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.5, and the Vulkan API makes this card well-compatible with modern gaming technology. Features like NVIDIA G-Sync, Adaptive Vertical Sync, and VR Readiness are also included. Optimizing driver and game settings is also easy with GeForce Experience.

Memory and memory bandwidth

This card features 3GB of GDDR5 video memory, running at effective speeds of 8000-8108 MHz over a 192-bit memory interface. This provides memory bandwidth of approximately 192 GB/s, significantly better than the GTX 1050 Ti (112 GB/s). This is why, despite having 3GB of VRAM, this card outperforms the GTX 1050 Ti in every situation due to bus width and speed. Note that the 3GB of VRAM makes this card less useful for crypto mining, as most hashing algorithms require more memory than this.

Display Output and Connectivity

The GTX 1060 3GB features a combination of 3x DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0b, and Dual-Link DVI-D outputs. The card supports up to a quad display setup, which is beneficial for multi-monitor gaming or workstations. The PCI Express 3.0 x16 interface makes this card easily compatible with any modern motherboard.

Cooling and Build

The card comes in a dual-slot design and measures between 210mm and 250mm in length, depending on the model. Most variants come with either single-fan (e.g., EVGA ACX 2.0) or dual-fan (e.g., MSI Gaming X, ZOTAC) cooling designs, which help maintain stable temperatures even under heavy gaming loads.

Things to keep in mind during installation

Make sure to seat the card correctly in its PCIe x16 slot and connect the 6-pin power connector, as the card will not boot without it. The recommended PSU is 400-500W. Download legacy drivers from NVIDIA's official website, as this card is no longer supported by NVIDIA's latest Game Ready drivers.

Who is this graphics card for?

The GTX 1060 3GB is an excellent option for users looking for a 1080p esports and medium-high settings AAA gaming experience on a budget. It's a good upgrade for those looking for better performance than the GTX 1050 Ti, though if you're on a tighter budget, the 6GB variant is more future-proof, as 3GB of VRAM is becoming increasingly limited in newer games.

GTX 1060 3GB Specifications Table

GTX 1060 3GB Price (New vs Second-Hand)

Note: Since this 3GB variant hasn't been used extensively for crypto mining, its condition on the second-hand market is generally better than mining-heavy cards like the RX 570/580. However, be sure to check the card's condition, fan noise, and benchmark tests before purchasing. This card has been discontinued, so most purchases are made from the second-hand market.