Monday, July 4th 2016
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Doesn't Support SLI? Reference PCB Difficult to Mod
Here are some more technical pictures of NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 reference-design board, which reveals quite a few features about the card. The biggest revelation is that the card completely lacks SLI bridge fingers. We wonder if NVIDIA has innovated a bridge-less SLI for this card, although we find it unlikely given the amount of efforts the company put into marketing the SLI HB bridge, and the reason SLI needs a bridge in the first place. Meanwhile, the Radeon RX 480 supports 4-way CrossFireX.
Next up, the PCB is shorter than the card itself, and NVIDIA's unique new reference-cooler makes the card about 50% longer than its PCB. NVIDIA listened to feedback about shorter PCBs pushing power connectors towards the middle of the cards; and innovated a unique design, in which the card's sole 6-pin PCIe power connector is located where you want it (towards the end), and internal high-current wires are soldered to the PCB. Neato? Think again. What if you want to change the cooler, or maybe use a water-block? Prepare to deal with six insulated wires sticking out of somewhere in the PCB, and running into that PCIe power receptacle. The rear PCB shot also seems to confirm the 192-bit memory bus, given how some memory chip pads are blanked out by lacking SMT components needed by the memory chip.
Source:
PurePC.pl
Next up, the PCB is shorter than the card itself, and NVIDIA's unique new reference-cooler makes the card about 50% longer than its PCB. NVIDIA listened to feedback about shorter PCBs pushing power connectors towards the middle of the cards; and innovated a unique design, in which the card's sole 6-pin PCIe power connector is located where you want it (towards the end), and internal high-current wires are soldered to the PCB. Neato? Think again. What if you want to change the cooler, or maybe use a water-block? Prepare to deal with six insulated wires sticking out of somewhere in the PCB, and running into that PCIe power receptacle. The rear PCB shot also seems to confirm the 192-bit memory bus, given how some memory chip pads are blanked out by lacking SMT components needed by the memory chip.
83 Comments on NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Doesn't Support SLI? Reference PCB Difficult to Mod
Such a shame. :(
nVidia seems to love to find ways to devalue the 60 series. If cutting it's memory bus wasn't enough, now it loses SLI capabilities.
Does send a bit of a message to midrange and under...if you don't have 1070 or better, you do have squat.
Nows the time for AMD to pull out the 8 pin 480 that clocks like they hyped the 480 up to be.
As for the power connector, it's inventive and only an issue if the the cards cooler isn't very good (which would be a big whoops).
AIB's will no doubt release custom PCB's so it's no big deal. Same as the advice on the RX480, if you need a better cooler, buy a custom variant.
I guess we'll see in a few days.
However if there will be no SLI support for 1060 at all, I see it as a big fail if they wanted to compete using 1060 versus AMD's 480, besides 1060 was so rushed for that reason. 480 with all its flaws will have a clear advantage there as people WILL most likely go for 2+ card solutions.
Anyway.... so....
GTX 1080 is faster than 2 GTX 980s.
One GTX 1060 is as fast if not faster than a GTX 980, so two GTX 1060 are equal with GTX 1080(at least where SLI is working)
If a GTX 1060 was costing $300, NVidia wouldn't care. But if it was costing $250, many would prefer a duo of 1060's over an overpriced and difficult to find more expensive GTX 1080.
I think 1060 is coming at $250. At least the 3GB version if the 6GB does come with an SLI. If it comes I would say $300 for the 6GB version. If we are looking at a 6GB version with no SLI, then the 6GB could come at $250.
On the power connector, yeah its a bit of unneeded thing to put it on the end but like with RX480's (6pin v 8pin story) im sure partners can do what they want with that.
So only if you get the founders edition should you be prepared not to switch the cooler (Or get creative with the soldering iron?)
So this is a PCI 16x ver 3 card and to run 2 Cards in SLI to at their FULL potential your Need more lanes
OR you gimp potential performance by running them at PCI 8 ver 3
Besides the scaling on dual solutions isn't preferable to a single better card.
Pairing cards will certainly be a selling point for AMD and we'll have to wait and see if 192bit bus will be a problem. If you ask me, RX480 and GTX 1060 will be trading blows, one will be good at certain things and other and some others. Lets wait reviews and see.