NVIDIA stealthily launches the GeForce GTX 1060 with 6GB of GDDR5X to counter AMD Polaris refreshment

All four variants transfer data via a 192-bit memory channel. We do not know how fast the GDDR5X memory turns on the new SKF GeForce GTX 1060, but a visit to the Micron website shows that it offers GDDR5X memory at 10 Gbps, 11 Gbps and 12 Gbps.

As a reference, NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1080 came with an 8GB GDDR5X memory running at 10Gbps, and later gave its partners the ability to select faster GDDRX at 11Gbps. So, what does this tell us about the GeForce GTX 1060 with GDDR5X memory? Let's do maths. To calculate the memory bandwidth, divide the width of the memory interface (192 bits) by 8, and then multiply the result by the clock frequency of the memory.

• 192/8 = 24. 24 x 10,000 = 240,000 (240 GB / s)
• 192/8 = 24. 24 x 11,000 = 264,000 (264 GB / s)
• 192/8 = 24. 24 x 12,000 = 288,000 (288 GB / s)

So, there are the three possibilities. For reference, the original GeForce GTX 1060 has a memory bandwidth of 192 GB / s, and the 9 Gbps variant has a memory bandwidth of 216 GB / s.

It's a lot to digest. In fact, the higher the memory bandwidth, the better. It is particularly useful for running games at higher resolutions and can allow a higher level of detail, depending on the game. If the GeForce GTX 1060 cards with GDDR5X memory cost about the same price as the GDDR5 variants, then becomes an even more advantageous option.