A player tries out the ASUS G751JY G-SYNC laptop with the GTX 980M, not the GTX 1060 or the GTX 1050 Ti mobile version. (Photo : YouTube / Tech of Tomorrow)
NVIDIA has recently launched the GTX 1060 6GB model and it looks like the company is planning to launch a GTX 1050 instead of the rumored GT 1060 3GB model.
One of the reasons why the GTX 1060 was launched was to compete with the AMD Radeon RX 480 which has seen good reviews so far except for the fact that it has a glaring power draw problem. NVIDIA was expected to launch another GTX 1060 3GB model but reports are now claiming that they will just be launching it as the GTX 1050 instead or even the GTX 1050 Ti which would be the equivalent of the GTX 950 today.
When the rumors of a GTX 1060 3GB model surfaced, most fans were disappointed to know that the VRAM was too little or that it was below than the base Radeon RX 480 4GB model from AMD. It would not make sense for NVIDIA to release it at the same product range as the 1060 or the 480.
The GTX 1060 3GB model was expected to have 1152 CUDA cores which is lower than the 6GB model's 1280 CUDA cores, Ocaholic has learned. In that sense alone, it could be expected that it should be on another level considering that it already has lower specs besides the VRAM capacity.
It would also make no sense for the 3GB model to take on even the RX 480 4GB. It would have less powerful performance which would mean that it should actually be classified as another card besides the 1060.
There are now claims that the GTX 1060 3GB will be culled and be replaced instead with the GTX 1050 or GTX 1050 Ti which would be launched in December, TweakTown reported. It is now known whether it will have the same specs or if it will have even lower specs to take on the RX 470 or RX 460 at the same price range.
If it will have the same specs but with just the lower CUDA cores and VRAM count, it could possibly be better than the RX 470. The GTX 1060 6GB model already trumps the RX 480 8GB model even if it has a lower VRAM capacity.
NVIDIA could make the announcement several months from now if the rumors about the GTX 1050 or GTX 1050 Ti are true. The GTX 1060 6GB model already beats the RX 480 and the same could be said about the upcoming Pascal video card against the RX 470 and RX 460 from AMD.
