Peek Inside the New ROG Strix GTX 1060

Let's be honest, we would all love a brand spanking new ROG Strix GTX 1080 - but then we all would love a Lambourgini too... We love them but we don't exactly die without them even though we might feel like it, but whether we can live without playing games is debatable (kind of).  That's why the ROG Strix GTX 1060 makes perfect sense for many of us, especially if the rest of the system won't be taking full advantage of a full-blown beast anyway. If you decided to get this over the Founder's Edition, here's what you'd find in the box. 

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Inside is a decoy box to prolong the anticipation, and inside of that is another box containing the installation disc, instruction manual, redemption instructions for free in-game content for World of Warships (for newcomers) and a few handy velcro cable-ties. Just letting you know what's in the box in case you tend to dive straight into the graphics card beneath it, tear that sucker open and forget all about the box. 

On the left of the PCB you'll find the connectors to power the triple Wing-Blade fans with 0dB technology and also AURA RGB lighting. FanConnect technology incorporates two 4-pin GPU-controlled headers (on the right of the PCB), allowing you to control dedicated case fans to cool the area around the graphics card specifically.

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  FanConnect (right)

The matte black shroud and metal backplate with new Aura RGB lighting which comes with six lighting effects can surely match almost any system. Now ROG logos on the backplate and on the top of the card light up, as well as on the shroud.  

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The 8-pin connector features an LED indicator to make troubleshooting really easy in case there's no power going to the card. Such a simple feature can make life that much easier especially when some aftermarket cables simply don't work depite a proper connection.

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There are two DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 2.0 and a DVI-D port. Pair this with the new ROG Swift PG248Q and you'll be set to play the latest games you want with G-SYNC enabled. The ROG Strix series of graphics cards are the only ones with a dedicated HDMI port for VR, rest assured you won't be having any problems connecting up a VR set if you already have an HDMI monitor connected.

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A quick inspection of the DirectCU III cooling solution allows you to see what's being cooled and how. This can be done by removing the six screws securing DirectCU III to the GPU.

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Cooling for the SAP II (Super Alloy Power II) DrMOS MOSFETs is more than adequate (below/left), and five heatpipes (below/right) disperses heat from the Pascal GPU as evenly as possible right to the fins at both ends. All this making 0dB technology (fans stop during casual gaming and non-intensive tasks), 30% cooler and three times as quiet performance possible.

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Here you can see the SAP II Capacitors (those shiny cylindrical things) for two and a half times the lifespan, SAP II Chokes (big rectangular things with SAP II stamped on top) for decreased buzzing, and SAP II DrMOS for lower operating temperatures and improved efficiency.

There is even a dedicated heatsink for the video memory.

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The metal ROG Strix backplate does more than just look pretty, it helps prevent the card from bending and disperses heat. As you can see on the back of the PCB, the Auto-Extreme technology manufacturing process makes the card completely smooth and without any pins sticking out. Apart from getting a higher quality card, you have less dust build-up which restricts airflow in tight spaces.

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