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Nvidia GTX 1060 Max-Q: almost as fast as a real GTX 1060

The GTX 1060 Max-Q is actually almost as fast as the regular GTX 1060.
The GTX 1060 Max-Q is actually almost as fast as the regular GTX 1060.
The new Omen 15 features the Max-Q version of Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1060. After performing several benchmarks we can already say one thing for sure: unlike the Max-Q version of the GTX 1080 and despite a lower clock speed, the GTX 1060 Max-Q offers performance almost identical to a regular GTX 1060.

For the original German article, see here.

The GTX 1060 Max-Q's clock speed in HP’s new Omen 15 notebook is roughly a third slower than the regular 1060 GTX GPU. After bearing witness to the GTX 1080 Max-Q's disappointing performance, we were expecting the worst. However, the Omen 15 surprised us, and to our relief our extensive Omen 15 review proved that the energy efficient GTX 1060 turned out much better than its energy efficient GTX 1080 sibling. The full review will be released shortly, but we’ve decided to release the GPU benchmark results in advance.

3DMark - 1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
SCHENKER XMG P507 PRO
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
16873 Points +63%
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
11261 Points +9%
Gigabyte Aero 15
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
11173 Points +8%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q
10349 Points
Acer Aspire VX5-591G-75C4 VX15
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
7791 Points -25%
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
SCHENKER XMG P507 PRO
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
21922 Points +65%
MSI GS63VR 7RF-228US
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
14450 Points +9%
Gigabyte Aero 15
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
14265 Points +7%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q
13279 Points
Acer Aspire VX5-591G-75C4 VX15
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
9768 Points -26%
Unigine Heaven 4.0 - Extreme Preset DX11
SCHENKER XMG P507 PRO
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
109.1 fps +66%
Gigabyte Aero 15
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
73.8 fps +12%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q
65.9 fps

In 3DMark, the GTX 1060 Max-Q performed only between 10-12 % slower than its regular GTX 1060-equipped competitors like the Gigabyte Aero 15 or the MSI GS63VR. Apart from a few spikes we observed the same behavior in our gaming benchmarks: the GTX 1060 Max-Q performed much better than the GTX 1050 Ti, and was fast enough to allow for FHD gaming at up to 60 fps.

The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
MSI GT62VR-6RE16H21
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ
58 fps +68%
SCHENKER XMG P507
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
37.7 fps +9%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
34.6 fps
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
26.9 fps -22%
Batman: Arkham Knight - 1920x1080 High / On AA:SM AF:16x
MSI GT62VR-6RE16H21
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ
77 fps +43%
SCHENKER XMG P507
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
57 fps +6%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
54 fps
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
41 fps -24%
Star Wars Battlefront - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:FX
MSI GT62VR-6RE16H21
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ
128 fps +58%
SCHENKER XMG P507
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
88.4 fps +9%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
80.9 fps
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
62.7 fps -22%
Assassin's Creed Syndicate - 1920x1080 Ultra High Preset AA:4x MSAA + FX
MSI GT62VR-6RE16H21
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ
45 fps +53%
SCHENKER XMG P507
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
30.8 fps +5%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
29.4 fps
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
23.5 fps -20%
Rainbow Six Siege - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T AF:16x
MSI GT62VR-6RE16H21
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ
163 fps +60%
SCHENKER XMG P507
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
115 fps +13%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
102 fps
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
74.4 fps -27%
Rise of the Tomb Raider - 1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FX AF:16x
MSI GT62VR-6RE16H21
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ
84.6 fps +66%
SCHENKER XMG P507
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
59.1 fps +16%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
51.1 fps
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
39.7 fps -22%
Far Cry Primal - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:SM
MSI GT62VR-6RE16H21
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ
78 fps +47%
SCHENKER XMG P507
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
56 fps +6%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
53 fps
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
40 fps -25%
The Division - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AF:16x
MSI GT62VR-6RE16H21
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ
75.7 fps +55%
SCHENKER XMG P507
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
50.4 fps +3%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
48.8 fps
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
34.9 fps -28%
Doom - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:SM
MSI GT62VR-6RE16H21
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ
117 fps +36%
SCHENKER XMG P507
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
91.5 fps +6%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
86.2 fps
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
63.8 fps -26%
Mirror's Edge Catalyst - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AF:16x
MSI GT62VR-6RE16H21
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ
92.4 fps +55%
SCHENKER XMG P507
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6700HQ
67.1 fps +13%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
59.6 fps
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
45.1 fps -24%
Deus Ex Mankind Divided - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:2xMS AF:8x
Asus G752VS
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
41.2 (32min) fps +54%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
26.7 fps
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
19.7 fps -26%
Battlefield 1 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T
Asus G752VS
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
118 (102min) fps +74%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
67.8 fps
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
50.8 fps -25%
Titanfall 2 - 1920x1080 Very High (Insane Texture Quality) / Enabled AA:TS AF:16x
Asus G752VS
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
107 (87min) fps +59%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
67.3 fps
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
56.2 fps -16%
Call of Duty Infinite Warfare - 1920x1080 Ultra / On AA:T2X SM
Asus G752VS
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
113 (95min) fps +38%
MSI GT62VR
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK
90.8 (68min) fps +11%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
81.7 fps
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
58.8 fps -28%
Dishonored 2 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:TX
Asus G752VS
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
65 (45min) fps +19%
MSI GT62VR
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK
58.6 (47min) fps +7%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
54.8 fps
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
39.6 fps -28%
Watch Dogs 2 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset
Asus G752VS
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
61.4 (50min) fps +56%
MSI GT62VR
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK
42.3 (32min) fps +7%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
39.4 fps
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
26.6 fps -32%
Resident Evil 7 - 1920x1080 Very High / On AA:FXAA+T
Asus G752VS
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
131 (113min) fps +72%
MSI GT62VR
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK
85.8 (73min) fps +13%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
76.1 fps
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
24.3 (13min - 36max) fps -68%
For Honor - 1920x1080 Extreme Preset AA:T AF:16x
Asus G752VS
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
108 (78min) fps +69%
MSI GT62VR
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK
72.4 (41min) fps +13%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
63.9 fps
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
45.8 (33min - 64max) fps -28%
Ghost Recon Wildlands - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T AF:16x
Asus G752VS
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
50.7 (44min) fps +53%
MSI GT62VR
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK
38.1 (32min) fps +15%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
33.2 fps
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
9.8 (8min - 12max) fps -70%
Prey - 1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:2TX SM AF:16x
Asus G752VS
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
133 (94min) fps +57%
MSI GT62VR
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK
100 (75min) fps +18%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
84.7 fps
Dirt 4 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4xMS AF:16x
Asus G752VS
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6820HK
79.5 (67min) fps +59%
MSI GT62VR
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 6820HK
59.2 (51min) fps +19%
HP Omen 15-ce002ng
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ
49.9 fps
MSI GE72 7RE-046
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ
39.2 (34min - 49max) fps -21%
low med. high ultra4K
The Witcher 3 (2015) 119 63.2 34.6 22.9
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) 129 81 54 26
Star Wars Battlefront (2015) 188 93 80.9 29.3
Assassin's Creed Syndicate (2015) 82.6 65.8 29.4 22.2
Rainbow Six Siege (2015) 224 126 102 37.3
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 124 65.6 51.1 23.5
Far Cry Primal (2016) 81 71 53 22
The Division (2016) 127 61.9 48.8 22.1
Doom (2016) 127 91.1 86.2 28.4
Mirror's Edge Catalyst (2016) 130 66.4 59.6 20.5
Deus Ex Mankind Divided (2016) 93.8 50.2 26.7 15.8
FIFA 17 (2016) 330 250 248 95.2
Battlefield 1 (2016) 154 76 67.8 25.3
Titanfall 2 (2016) 144 79 67.3 24.8
Call of Duty Infinite Warfare (2016) 124 91.6 81.7 34.6
Dishonored 2 (2016) 85.4 64.7 54.8 23.7
Watch Dogs 2 (2016) 101 56.8 39.4 18.9
Resident Evil 7 (2017) 169 93 76.1 25.1
For Honor (2017) 92.3 87.8 63.9 25.7
Ghost Recon Wildlands (2017) 65 58.7 33.2 19.4
Prey (2017) 126 101 84.7 27.7
Rocket League (2017) 194 134 56.5
Dirt 4 (2017) 129 93.6 49.9

Verdict

To our surprise, Nvidia seems to have done a much better job optimizing the GTX 1060 Max-Q for energy efficiency, and the differences between the Max-Q edition and the regular GTX 1060 are not as pronounced as they are on the GTX 1080 Max-Q. Considering all benchmarks performed, the GTX 1060 Max-Q was around 11 % slower than a regular GTX 1060. Stay tuned for our extensive Omen 15 review, in which we are also going to take a closer look at whether or not the Omen 15’s emissions and power consumption were in line with Nvidia’s Max-Q design guidelines.

Graphics Card Performance FHD/Ultra
GeForce GTX 1070 +55 %
GeForce GTX 1060 +11 %
GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q base
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti -29 %

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Nvidia GTX 1060 Max-Q: almost as fast as a real GTX 1060
Alexander Fagot, 2017-07-20 (Update: 2017-07-21)