NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (Max-Q) vs GTX 1070 (Laptop) – performance, gaming and temperatures

NVIDIA’s new Max-Q design graphics cards have drawn quite a bit of attention to themselves. Here at LaptopMedia, we got a hold of one of the first notebooks released with such a GPU – the latest installment of HP Omen 15. In the past few days, we have compared the performance of the GTX 1060 Max-Q found in the new Omen 15 to the GTX 1050 Ti and the regular version of the GTX 1060 and we were quite pleasantly surprised by the results.

Now, we want to make the final comparison with the GTX 1070. Before we even begin, it is certain that the GTX 1070 will perform way better but it is interesting to see just how much of a margin there is.

Check out GTX 1060 Max-Q vs GTX 1050 Ti here: http://laptopmedia.com/comparisons/nvidia-geforce-gtx-1060-max-q-vs-gtx-1050-ti-laptop-performance-gaming-and-temperatures/

Check out GTX 1060 Max-Q vs GTX 1060 here: http://laptopmedia.com/comparisons/nvidia-geforce-gtx-1060-laptop-max-q-vs-regular-edition-which-one-is-better/

Check the price and availability of HP Omen 15: http://amzn.to/2sU1vSN

Check the price and availability of HP Omen 17: http://amzn.to/2radFqv

Design

In terms of specs, the GTX 1070 is better in every way. It is based on the GP104 chip while the GTX 1060 Max-Q uses the GP106. Both chips are manufactured using the 16nm FinFET process. The GTX 1070 has higher clock rates – 1443 to 1654 MHz vs 1063 (1265) to 1341 (1480) MHz. Both cards use GDDR5 memory clocked at 8000 MHz but the GTX 1070 has 2 GB more – 8 vs 6 GB.

The GTX 1070 also has a wider bus – 265-Bits vs 192- Bits. It features almost double the CUDA cores – 2048 vs 1280 but it also has nearly double the power consumption as well. The GTX 1060 Max-Q is rated at 60-70 W while the GTX 1070 is rumored to be 10 W above the GTX 980 or around 120 W in other words.

Benchmark comparison

As you can see from the graphs below, the high-end GTX 1070 blows away the GTX 1060 Max-Q. In every benchmark the GTX 1070 scores anywhere between 45 and 80% higher which is way more than double the performance. However, the real difference will be displayed in the gaming comparison below.


Gaming performance

Just like in the synthetic benchmarks section, we think the winner is quite clear. The GTX 1070 has an average frame rate increase of about 50%  in every game. However, we should note that the GTX 1060 Max-Q is quite capable too – it can run every title with a decent frame rate even on high graphics settings. Of course, if you want 60+ fps or to max out the settings and still get a playable experience you need the GTX 1070 but the greater the performance the greater the price.

GTA-V-benchmarks

Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5)Full HD, Medium (Check settings)Full HD, Very High (Check settings)Full HD, MAX (Check settings)
GTX 1070 (Laptop)127 fps (+20.9%)74 fps (+57.4%)55 fps (+66.7%)
GTX 1060 Max-Q design105 fps47 fps33 fps

rise-of-the-tomb-raider

Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016)Full HD, Medium (Check settings)Full HD, Very High (Check settings)Full HD, MAX (Check settings)
GTX 1070 (Laptop)125 fps (+47%)71 fps (+65%)48 fps (+65.5%)
GTX 1060 Max-Q design85 fps43 fps29 fps

Tom Clancy’s The DivisionFull HD, Medium (Check settings)Full HD, Ultra (Check settings)Full HD, MAX (Check settings)
GTX 1070 (Laptop)121 fps (+59%)73 fps (+62%)30 fps (+87.5%)
GTX 1060 Max-Q design76 fps45 fps16 fps

Far Cry PrimalFull HD, High (Check settings)Full HD, Very High (Check settings)Full HD, MAX (Check settings)
GTX 1070 (Laptop)93 fps (+29%)85 fps (+41.6%)82 fps (+51.8%)
GTX 1060 Max-Q design72 fps60 fps54 fps

Gameplay footage – GTX 1060 Max-Q









Temperatures

As in the other GPU comparisons that we made recently, we note that temperature tests are just for getting an idea of what you should expect. The internal temperatures depend mostly on the cooling design of the notebooks. In our case, these are the HP Omen 15 and Omen 17 2017 editions. Both models have a decent cooling system.

The GTX 1070 in the Omen 17 kept a fairly low temperature of around 78 °C with a clock speed of 1493 MHz which is a bit above the base clock. The GTX 1060 Max-Q found in the Omen 15 was running a few degrees cooler (75 °C) again near its base clock – 1151 MHz.

Verdict

There isn’t much to be said – the GTX 1070 is way more powerful than the GTX 1060 regular edition so what’s left for the downgraded Max-Q model? However, the GTX 1060 Max-Q has its perks. Being less powerful means it draws less power and its TDP is around 60-70 W which is basically half of that of the GTX 1070 which is rated at 120 W. With that being said, it is clear that power consumption of the GTX 1060 Max-Q is quite lower and it’s also way easier to cool off.

Of course, you get almost double the performance with the GTX 1070 but if you aren’t a serious gamer you don’t really need it. The GTX 1060 is the middle ground in NVIDIA’s products – it’s neither a budget-oriented GPU nor a super high-end one and the Max-Q edition with its lower power consumption makes it even more appealing.

In our opinion, going for the GTX 1060 Max-Q is the better choice but if you really seek that extra performance and price is none of your concern than the path is clear – the GTX 1070 is the go-to graphics card.

Check the price and availability of HP Omen 15: http://amzn.to/2sU1vSN

Check the price and availability of HP Omen 17: http://amzn.to/2radFqv

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments