Do the GTX 960 and 1060 need different motherboards to work?

J

JayCross

New Member
Basically I went to a computer store to buy a new gaming desktop and the guy there recommended building this desktop saying it'd be enough for what I need:
i7 - 4790
Motherboard Msi h97
Ram 16gbs
Vga Gtx 960 4gb ddr5
dvd writer
mid tower case 600
2 tera harddrive
for $920
Idk much about computers or prices but then he showed me a better desktop that costs about $300 more, it included the GTX 1060, I asked about that particular VGA and he said it costs just a bit more than the 960, but the reason the whole thing costs 300 more was cuz of the other stuff, so I asked if he could keep all the setup from the first offer (the $920 one) and just replace the vga with the 1060 and I'll pay the extra difference in VGA costs since it's not that big, but he said to replace the vga I'd need to replace the motherboard cuz the Msi h97 can't handle the 1060 and maybe some other stuff too and ultimately it'll end up being the same price as the more expensive one.
Basically I just wanna know if that's true and if I really need to change the motherboard to have the 1060 installed or if the one from the first offer (Msi h97) can handle the 1060 and he's just saying that hoping to make more profit.
Thanks guys, any help would be appreciated.
 
I believe you need a motherboard that comes with a PCI-EXPRESS 3.0 x16. Newer video cards will only work optimally in those slots.

I know for sure that's the case with the RX 480. Maybe someone else can confirm my claim about the 1060.
 
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The CPU and motherboard are a few generations old now. I have a socket 1150 and I've had this system about 2 years now.

First, I'd look at a newer/current 6th gen CPU and socket 1151 with a Z170 chipset, much better than the gear the store is pushing.

Have you considered ordering the parts needed and just assemble it at home?

To answer your question, you could technically run the 1060, but again I'd first look at newer components for the same money!
 
This guy is thick. Of course you can run the 1060 on H97. H97 has a PCIE 3.0 X16 link from the CPU. It is H81 that sometimes (not on all boards) degrades that link to a 2.0 link.

Honestly though, H170 or Z170 and a 6XXX series CPU are what you should be looking at. 97 chipsets are from 2014.
 
Intel_man said:
Even then, PCIE 3.0 vs 2.0 differences is negligible until you run multiple cards.
Click to expand...
I had a friend with an R9 280X that transported his computer with the GPU in the primary PCI-E x16 2.0 slot. He broke the slot en route and now uses it in the PCI-E x4 2.0 slot. Quarter of the bandwidth. Looked up benchmarks/comparisons and he lost like 3% performance.

2.0 > 3.0 is basically neglibile right now. My 390 is a "3.0" card but I have it in a 2.0 slot on a chipset that came out 5 years ago. Runs fine.
 
I feel like this technician/shop is either incompetent, or worse, they are trying to screw you so they can sell old stock they have or something. I get a bad vibe. Look elsewhere.
 
Hmm I see.. I'm pretty sure he knows they're compatible cuz he's a computer engineer, so like you guys said he either wants to get rid of old stock or force me to buy the whole new package for a higher price.
I'm definitely gonna go buy from another shop.
Also thanks a lot for your help guys, I really appreciate it, you guys are awesome!
 
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