Will the GTX 1060 be good for 3440x1440 gaming or is a 1070 req'd?

So everybody is focusing on gaming at 1080p, 1440p or 4k but I don't see a whole lot of talk about the 34" ultrawide gaming needs. So I'm wondering: Will a 1060 be able to handle this or would a beefier card be required?

Also, I hear that NVidia is going to be releasing some more cards soonish - will these newer cards affect this range or are they only going to affect those looking at a 1080 or Titan?

For my needs, I just pulled the trigger on a 4k screen but I have no expectations (aka funds) to actually game at 4k so am trying to see what it'll take to do better than 1440 (my 4k will be next to a 1440p screen so just gaming on that is my worst-case scenario if going any higher gets too expensive).

for 3440x1440 a Gtx 1080 would really be nice but a Gtx 1070 would cut it. I mean 3440x1440 is almost 5 million pixels, 4k is a tad bit over 8.1 million and standard 1440p about 3.7 million pixels. The 1070 really is the go-to for standard 1440p but 1440p ultra wide is starting to push it. The 1060 really isn't even in the question, we're talking a tier above if not 2.

Your not going to see a new card that is in-between the 1060 to 1080 lineup, but there may be a Gtx 1050 (+ GT cards below) to flesh out the lower end. There is also a slightly gimped 3GB version of the 1060 coming out. Above the 1080 eventually we expect a Gtx 1080 Ti edition but who know's when that may or will materialize.

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GTX 1060 tested on Ultrawide 3440x1440 & 2560x1080

It's pretty good, should do better in DX12 and Vulkan.

Timestamps in the video
21:9 Monitors at Newegg - 2:05
Gigabyte 1060 Gaming G1 Overview - 3:39
GTA V @ 2560x1080 - 5:29
GTA V @ 3440x1440 - 8:14
DOOM @ 2560x1080 - 10:03
DOOM @ 2560x1080 w/TSSAA - 10:54
DOOM @ 3440x1440 - 12:03
Overwatch @ 2560x1080 - 14:00
Overwatch @ 3440x1440 - 15:26

If you're getting a G-sync monitor the experience will be smooth as butter.

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Wait did you already buy the ultra wide?

Otherwise a 1060 like a 480 can just about barely do 1440p high, little bit better in DX11 titles, little bit worse in the few optimized Vulkan/DX12 titles compared to the 480

So if you're fine with medium to drive the display go for it, although I'd say a 480 is a better investment for the long run

I think a 1070 will give a good experience at that res by most peoples standards. 1060 could be acceptable if you are not obsessed with maxing games. Only you can make that decision. The video posted above by Giulianno will give you a good impression of what it would be like.

as a 1070 owner, I would say go with that. kick the shadows down a notch and choose a good AA method (since 1440p is a good density) and you will have great performance now and in the future

If you're considering a several hundred dollar monitor there's no reason to get a card of that tier. 1070 would be the lowest card I'd get to pair with that monitor otherwise you'll end up need another card fairly soon.

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I would agree with a 1070 minimum.
You get more power, 8GB VRAM instead of 6, which might not be a problem now but depending on how frequently you upgrade could be a problem.
If you look at benchmarks look in between 1440p and 4k to get an idea of performance.
What specific monitor are you going to be using? If it is only 60hz it will be a lot easier to drive than a 100hz one.

The monitor is a business purchase that I'm getting no matter what. But I would like to do better than 1440p for gaming, if I can afford it. New baby means not much cash to throw around. A 1080 is out of the question. Trying to decide if I should try to make a 1070 possible or just go with a 1060 or even 480 (those are definitely in the budget) and game on 27/1440 monitor.

Sounds like the general opinion is that a 1070 should do fine enough at ~3440x1440 if I bump a setting or two down, but I'd have to stay at 2560x1440 if I go with a 1060 or 480. That sounds about right?

I mean you don't have to but for the best experience yes. 1060 could drive that monitor in a pinch just wouldn't be great. Granted you could play games at medium settings fairly well but buying a new card to play medium is kinda meh in my opinion

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the 1060 with overclocking is supposedly in stock 980 territory. given that you can expect it to run about 90% of games with a playable frame rate at 4K+.

a gpu dose not yet exist which can play the remaining 10% of games Max settings. the Titan XP comes close but untill we see a gpu with HBM2, star citizen at 4k ultra-settings is not a thing.

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I would say grab the GTX1070 if you can afford.
The GTX1070 will perform realy well on 1440p.
The GTX1060 will also be capable, but the GTX1070 will just give you a better overall experiance.

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I would say for sure a 1070 or better. Im using a 980ti FTW with my 3440x1440 and in alot of AAA i am having to knock down a few settings to get a stable 60 fps. I would like to try a 1080 with my monitor. But I may just grab another 980ti

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id say go for 1070 @1440p itll give you smooth fps and if you oc you can do some 4k. The 1060/480 can do 4k but your going to turn down alot of settings to try and get a smooth experience if im being honest here.

1070 is the minimum in my opinion. Games are taxing at 3440x1440.

I wouldn’t advise getting anything lower than a 1070 for that resolution. I have a MSI 1080 paired with a x-34, depending on what game settings it can drag a 1080 down to 60fps, which is still more than needed but considering when test with the same game settings but at 1920 x 1080 it runs well over 120 fps, its a very noticeable drop.

Holy necro batman!

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@moderators

threadlock

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