RTX 4000 GPUs will arrive this month, but the Nvidia GTX 1060 is still Steam’s most popular graphics card. Valve’s latest hardware survey suggests the ageing GeForce GPU is more popular than ever, despite the fact it lacks RTX abilities.
According to the September Steam hardware survey, the Nvidia GTX 1060 is top of the GPU popularity food chain, and usage actually increased by 0.34%. Again, the non-RTX graphics card lacks modern gaming PC bells and whistles, like ray tracing and DLSS upscaling support, but its low price and entry-level abilities are seemingly keeping it in the limelight.
Second place at the Steam GPU table is occupied by the newer GTX 1650, but 5% of participants are reportedly using an RTX 2060. While the latter isn’t the best graphics card available at the moment, it’s significantly cheaper than its current-gen counterpart, the RTX 3060.
Price evidently matters when it comes to GPU popularity, especially within the cheap gaming PC scene. Sure, using a GTX 1060 in 2022 requires some careful settings tinkering, but even demanding experiences like the upcoming Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection list it as a recommended card.
If anything, the latest Steam hardware survey is a testament to the fact that GeForce GTX isn’t dead. The GTX 1060 will struggle to boost fps at higher resolutions, but it’s still a solid option for indie gamers and competitive players alike.
It’s worth noting that Nvidia’s entry-level popularity could now be at risk, as the lack of an entry-level RTX 4000 card and current-gen prices could prompt players to switch to Intel Arc Alchemist. The A770 and A750 are scheduled to arrive at the same time as the RTX 4090, and the duo may offer RTX 3060 levels of performance for as little as $289 USD.