Considering the GTX 1060 GPU - 3GB vs. 6GB?

Nikkei_Simmer · July 2018

I know that 6GB will generally perform better than the 3GB GPU, but cost wise...it's astronomical for me to pay an extra $100.00 to outfit my A10-7800 CPU/FM2+ MOBO with the 6GB GPU.

Is it worth it to get the 6GB GPU to play Sims 3? I'm future-proofing for my next system...which I'm going for an i7-7600K and a Intel MOBO...but I need the GPU to play Sims 3 to full graphics capability. So the GTX1060 will follow to the i7-7600K after I'm done using it in the AMD FM2+ motherboard. I was looking at the 1080, but that's overkill...and would end up bottle-necking on an FM2+ Motherboard.

Go for the 3 or the 6GB? Just weighing the pros and cons.

igazor · July 2018

For other purposes sure, but I don't see the point of a 6 GB video card for TS3. The game, unfortunately, can only make use of 800 MB of video memory (vram). The excess would not be harmful, but still sounds like overkill to me. Now on your professional photo (and video?) editing/production software, that could be a different story.

phoebebebe13 · July 2018

@Nikkei_Simmer The sims 3 does not need that Vram as igazor stated however some games do require more vram and some may in the future. Getting more Vram if you play other games would be future proofing. Also games are getting heavier. You might want a better card if you are playing other heavier games

Nikkei_Simmer · July 2018

It's a tough decision...when it comes to having to decide; since the primary function of the machine will be photo/video editing with a side benefit of being able to play games. I'm currently shooting 720p video with the D300s, but the next step will be to 4K (for photography instructional videos - a basic "follow me into the wild" type video series...as I go out and photograph wildlife and landscapes.

That's the primary use of the machine and why I'm looking at a good video card as well as an i7-7700K processor. If I wasn't going to play games on it too (can't afford to get a second machine dedicated to just video-editing or I'd get a Xeon processor with 12+ cores to be able to process 4K video (that I shoot on my photo-excursions) at a speed that won't keep me tied to the computer). I have to compromise, get the best possible machine that will be able to play games and still be able to process video at a speed that "won't keep me tied to the computer bench for an entire day waiting for the video to compile")

phoebebebe13 · July 2018

@Nikkei_Simmer for gaming you need a 1080/1080 ti for 2k. Gaming in 4K, we are not there yet. I don't know about photo editing in 4K. You would need to ask @chesterbigbird. You might need more Vram for that.

phoebebebe13 · July 2018

@Nikkei_Simmer also the higher the resolution, the smaller the UI will be for this game and you can't change the UI for this game

Trashmagic · July 2018

I have the 1060 6gb and like you I was future proofing but as others have said it's definitely an overkill for any Sims game. If you only plan on playing Sims then you'll be set for awhile.

Also it depends on what you're upgrading from. My old graphics card was a 2gb so for me a 3gb wouldn't have been much of an upgrade. So I saved for the 6gb instead.

If you can afford it future proofing tends to be the better choice. Good luck with your new card.

igazor · July 2018

Since sims games and their GPU usage are not really going to be the deciding factor here, and from the sound of it shouldn't be, I wonder if maybe the GPU question could be better answered by those who inhabit forums for professional photography and video editing? Even if you were to describe in great detail your intended typical workflows here, chances are not very high that forum users are going to have the required experience with the professional editing programs and all different systems configurations to provide a truly well-informed critique of the different GPU options.

Nikkei_Simmer · July 2018

@igazor: I just went to this article: http://www.logicalincrements.com/articles/videoediting to see if they can answer my question; am waiting to hear back from them.

Yeah, evidently with 4K video editing I'm going to have to put processing power (ie: CPU) as the primary contender in what I purchase - for video rendering in 4K, it's the number of cores that will determine the speed in which the video renders at. Considering that they recommend the 14-core i9-7940X (BWA HA HA HA HA; yeah...where am I going to get the "simoleons" for that kind of CPU? The CPU retails at $1,499.99CDN

) I think I'm just going to stick with the six core i7-7800X. It doesn't offer any noticeable difference between the four-cored i7-7700K but it has the two extra cores that will work overtime to render video faster. It'll do the job sufficiently for what I need it to do with Premiere Pro and After Effects even though it may be overkill for "gaming" so at least NOW I have a baseline on what I need to look at. Since I'm not using Scalable Link Interface - (two or more gaming cards linked to produce greater processing power); it's not necessary for me to go 1080ti (Spending $1200.00 to 12GB of VRAM with two 1080ti cards.

So basically my benchmark for the system I need is the video editing task and I've determined it to be the i7-7800X for CPU. I guess the flipping the coin is that do I spend the money up front to go with a GTX1080ti...and future proof my system for what it's worth as far as gaming is because the 1080ti will work as well for video and photo editing as will the 1060...with the VRAM helping with some aspects of rendering...and darn it... I know it will work for Sims 3...(at least), so yeah.

So final decision: I might as well overkill the specs for my current gaming situation. That way, then I know it will definitively work for my 4K video editing.

The reason why I'm researching the living daylights out of this is because at one point in my life (during my early 20s during the early 90s) I paid more money than I should have in getting a 486 DX2/66 which I could use...costliest mistake of my life. I spent $10K on the system (for it to run Photoshop 2.0; link to Vancouver's Real Estate Board and play games on - I wanted to play Falcon 4.0) I'm not making that same mistake again.

enterprise1927 · July 2018

3GB or 6GB is mostly not different if play only TS3.
1440p max + heavily use of Reshade only consume around 1200-1500MB and that with 28 Sims on one house.
You will exceed 3GB on 5K (5120x2880) resolution though. Mine consume 3429MB VRAM. Look at red rectangle on upper left corner.

PS. i5-7600K / i7-7700K are obsolete now. For the same price you can get i5-8600K / i7-8700K (if mainly gaming) or Ryzen 5 2600X / Ryzen 7 2700X (if mainly video editing). Both can game / work very well but Intel have slightly stronger per core performance which benefit gaming while AMD tend to push multicore performance thanks to its 12-16 threads.
Another thing is i5-7600K use LGA 1151 V1 (100 and 200 series chipset) which is not compatible with LGA 1151 V2 (300 series chipset) Plus in order to take full of advantage from K you will need Z motherboard and dedicate cooling since Intel do not bundle heatsink with K CPU.

If you want to build overkill for video editing rig you might as well consider AMD 16 core 32 thread Threadripper 1950X which cost $750 now and as fast as i9-7960X that retail for $1700. Even more overkill is waiting for 32 core 64 thread Threadripper 2990X at $1500 which will release next month.

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Considering the GTX 1060 GPU - 3GB vs. 6GB?

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