Differences between GeForce GTX graphics cards

[rjsounds]

Hey guys,

So as the title states, I'm looking to understand a little more about graphics cards, and in particular the difference between any given series. For example, I have decided on a GeForce GTX 1060 6GB for my first hackintosh build. Yet when I search Amazon or PC Part Picker there are many many different kinds of the GTX 1060 - I am a little overwhelmed! - see attached image.

In my search, I saw that this site provides a good overall explanation:
https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-...he-different-brands-of-GeForce-graphics-cards

However, I still have some questions. It looks like Nvidia makes the GPUs but different manufacturers will try to add their own spin on it, offering different cooling, overclocking option, etc.

Do I have to pick the right GTX 1060 (or whichever card you decide to go with) that is compatible with your motherboard? Say I go with an ASUS Prime z270A....Do I need an ASUS GTX 1060? Or what about if I choose a Gigabyte motherboard? Do I need to get the Gigabyte version of the GTX 1060?

Regardless if you can mix and match or not, I am not at all concerned with overclocking the GPU or having more options for cooling or whatever. I just want a plain old run-o-the-mill GTX 1060 6GB as it will be plenty powerful for my build (music production with some video editing).

Is it really important that I know about the specifics of the graphics card? How do I go about picking the "right" GTX 1060 6GB card for my build?

If you wish, you can view my older post with more details about my build (I update and post in it as I confirm new components or have other questions).
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/first-hackintosh-for-music-production-video-editing.224321/

Thanks very much in advance.

 

[pastrychef]

It looks like Nvidia makes the GPUs but different manufacturers will try to add their own spin on it, offering different cooling, overclocking option, etc.

Yes, that's pretty much it. It like how Intel makes the Z170 chipset but each motherboard manufacturers' motherboards are slightly different.

Do I have to pick the right GTX 1060 (or whichever card you decide to go with) that is compatible with your motherboard? Say I go with an ASUS Prime z270A....Do I need an ASUS GTX 1060? Or what about if I choose a Gigabyte motherboard? Do I need to get the Gigabyte version of the GTX 1060?

Regardless if you can mix and match or not, I am not at all concerned with overclocking the GPU or having more options for cooling or whatever. I just want a plain old run-o-the-mill GTX 1060 6GB as it will be plenty powerful for my build (music production with some video editing).

Is it really important that I know about the specifics of the graphics card? How do I go about picking the "right" GTX 1060 6GB card for my build?

Typically, mixing and matching is fine and it's probably what most people do. As an example, I am currently using a Gigabyte brand video card with an Asus motherboard.

With the exception of a very few specific cards, most Nvidia video cards should work fine.

However, there is currently a known issue with using any GTX 1060 with macOS. More info about this can be found here. Hopefully, the next release of the Nvidia web drivers will resolve these problems. Other 1000-series Nvidia video cards do not seem to be affected with this issue.

 

[rjsounds]

Thanks for the response pastrychef - glad to know there are options when it comes to picking gpu's. I'm still probably a month away from any purchase so I hope we get a driver update for the 1060, otherwise I may end up choosing a different gpu.