Nvidia 660 card. Comparison of parameters from different manufacturers

Both now and a couple of years ago, NVIDIA tried to take over the entire graphics card market. The company creates a huge number of models that are included in a particular series. Today we have to recall the GeForce 600 line. Almost 5 years ago it presented a lot of new and interesting things. One of the available models in this series was the GTX 660. Its characteristics should have been identical to its predecessor, the GTX 660 Ti, but that was not the case.

Complicated story

To understand the appearance of this model, it is worth delving into the history of production. Almost the entire GeForce 600 line was led by the GK104 GPU. This processor belonged to the second category, moreover, at that time there was no brand new hundredth version on the market.

As a result, the release of the GTX 660 Ti, whose characteristics were not far from the older models, became a lightweight variation of the same GTX 670. Therefore, when the company introduced the world to the model without an index, no cardinal changes should be expected. But everything happened quite differently. It was decided to develop the GTX 660 based on the GK106.

A heart

So, the new processor for the GTX 660 got good performance. For him, the main feature was the presence of asymmetry: one of the graphics clusters received not two streaming multiprocessors, but one. The chip also has 960 CUDA cores, 80 texture elements and 24 ROPs inside. Compared to GK104, the number of computing units has been significantly reduced. In the light of such events, it was not surprising to find a huge difference between the new chip and its younger version GK107. Otherwise, the cache size was set to 384 KB, the memory bus turned out to be 192-bit.

Characteristics

The appearance of the GTX 660 was not accidental. The company immediately advertised the adapter as a replacement for models that had previously been successful in sales due to their value for money. As a result, the owners of the GeForce 9800 GT and GeForce GTX 460 got the opportunity to purchase an updated version of the accelerator. And considering that the novelty also outperforms the old models by 2-3 times, such a purchase would be successful.

The video card received the type of memory GDDR5, the volume is 2 GB. She worked at frequencies up to 6008 MHz. It was not possible to increase energy efficiency much. But the new card now consumes 140 watts, which is 10 watts less than previous models. And the main advantage of this novelty was its cost - in Russia at that time it could be purchased for 8-9 thousand rubles.

Difference

It is known that NVIDIA is trying to produce reference video cards. But a huge number of manufacturers still develop models to their taste with their own design and in some cases with factory overclocking. As usual, Asus, Zotac and Gigabyte took the leading positions among the production of modifications. Let's consider each in more detail.

Asus modification

This company decided not to stop at one version and created as many as 4 variations of the Asus GTX 660 model. Their characteristics are practically the same. The difference is only in the frequencies of the graphics core, as well as GPU Boost. The frequency of the video memory has also changed slightly. Nevertheless, the main version of all is considered to be ASUS GeForce GTX 660 DirectCU II. By the way, in the Game version, in addition to improved performance, there is also a disc with the game.

Equipment

But back to the main model ASUS GeForce GTX 660. The box retains the style of the manufacturer. She is not big. As usual, in front there is information about the main characteristics, including the name of the cooling system, the amount of memory, and the availability of overclocking software.

On the reverse side are various specifications, as well as a wiring diagram. There are also recommended system requirements. The box of each version contains the same components. As usual, there is a CD with drivers and utilities, instructions and one adapter for VGA.

Appearance

As mentioned earlier, modifications of the reference video card usually differ in slightly improved performance indicators, but most importantly - in appearance. Each company has its own style. The new model from Asus GTX 660 was no exception. The design characteristics have changed somewhat.

The printed circuit board has received a different look. The components have become better quality, another power converter has appeared, and the board itself has a length of 25 cm. The cooling system has also become special. As the name suggests, this is DirectCU II proprietary technology. It occupies two slots, and is slightly longer than the board itself.

The system consists of a casing with two fans and a massive radiator grille of 42 aluminum plates. Copper pipes are used to distribute heat. In general, cooling works effectively. At maximum load, the temperature rises to 62 degrees. In this case, the cooler works only at half power. If you run it at maximum power, the temperature will drop to 52 degrees.

Performance

Like all versions, this one runs on the GK106 core. The model supports DirectX 11. Memory type - GDDR5, frequency - 1502 MHz. The core runs at 980 MHz. The total amount of memory is 2 GB. This version is considered practically the reference among all. It does not have factory overclocking, and therefore all possible frequencies have received the same value.

But the overclocking potential did not show beyond the results. Nevertheless, the graphics core turned out to be accelerated by 7% to 1048 MHz. If you connect the GPU Boost technology, you can increase this figure even up to 1100 MHz. Video memory also managed to improve by 10%, and its value increased to 6608 MHz.

It is worth saying that it was this version from Asus that showed the weakest overclocking result. But the GTX 660 DirectCU II TOP, with a slight factory acceleration, reached a frequency of 1130 MHz.

The brainchild of Zotac

This company decided to settle on two variations of the GTX 660. Their specifications differ due to the fact that the GTX 660 AMP! Edition received factory overclocking. The appearance of this model is suggestible. The novelty looks solid, reminiscent of a gaming device. A distinctive feature was the proprietary design of the casing with an open cooling system.

By the way, it is represented by a radiator with two copper heat sink tubes. Two orange-colored fans are housed in a plastic casing. By the way, there is a separate radiator for parts in the power system.

Characteristics

From Zotac, the GTX 660 graphics card initially received improved characteristics than in the reference version. She still works on GK106. The clock frequency is 993 MHz, the number of stream processors is 960. There are also 80 texture units. The type of memory has not changed, the volume is also 2 GB. Frequency - 1502 MHz.

The model from this manufacturer has potential. She performed well at home improvement. The frequency was increased from 993 MHz to 1093 MHz. Video memory has also improved to 7008 MHz.

Powerful version from Gigabyte

Another variation of the GTX 660 2Gb video card immediately received improved characteristics. This is due to the excellent cooling system and factory overclocking. The packaging, as always, is quite presentable and of high quality. Everything is done in a laconic style. The front shows the Gigabyte logo, also indicates the amount of memory, type, graphics core and factory overclocking. The special WINDFORCE cooling system is also mentioned.

Video card features

The adapter from Gigabyte Geforce GTX 660 received excellent characteristics. Many users have settled on the opinion that this option is the best. It, like the previous ones, works on the GK106 chip, which is manufactured using 28 Nm technology. It contains 960 universal processors. The exchange of information passes through the bus with a capacity of 192 bits. Video memory works on the GDDR5 standard with a memory capacity of 2 GB. By the way, the drive consists of eight parts, which have 256 MB of memory each. Developed by SAMSUNG.

As mentioned earlier, a feature is the cooling system. It is made using proprietary technology, is much more efficient than the reference one. There are four heat sink pipes. It is important that they are soldered to the base and heatsink, so the whole system is quite efficient.

Improvement

Since the cooler works well and more than copes with the maximum load, the video card does not need an additional cooling system to overclock. In addition, the graphics chip clearly has enough potential for good overclocking results.

As a result, the Gigabyte Geforce GTX 660 received a graphics core frequency of 1086 MHz, increased the speed by 5%. The memory has improved by 13%, and its frequency is 6816 MHz. At the same time, the temperature did not exceed 62 degrees.

Statistics are stubborn things. About 90% of active players use video cards costing $100-300. More affordable models, as a rule, cannot provide proper performance in games, and more expensive models are of interest only to the most enthusiastic enthusiasts. NVIDIA has already more than satisfied the interests of the latter by offering modern top-end accelerators. Today the company introduced GeForce GTX 660- a video card based on the new GK106 GPU with Kepler architecture, which claims to be the "optimal choice" in the middle price category.

According to the current classification of NVIDIA discrete graphics adapters, the new product will take its place one step below the recently presented GeForce GTX 660 Ti. The developer positions this model as the optimal solution for games with a screen resolution of 1920×1080/1920×1200 and high graphics quality settings, while NVIDIA promises to provide a very good price/performance ratio. Let's see how the company plans to achieve its goal.

GeForce GTX 660

At the heart of the GeForce GTX 660 is the new GK106 GPU with 960 CUDA compute units. The operating frequency of the core is initially quite high. The base value is 980 MHz. The GTX 660, like the older models of the line, supports GPU Boost auto-overclocking technology, which, depending on a number of parameters, dynamically changes the GPU frequency. In this case, 1033 MHz (Boost Clock) is taken as a certain average value. Let's take it into account.

The video card has a 192-bit memory bus and is equipped with 2 GB of high-speed GDDR5 operating at an effective frequency of 6008 MHz.

The declared power consumption level is 140 watts. At the same time, the manufacturer focuses on the fact that in real gaming applications that do not require maximum power (non-TDP), the typical power consumption of the GTX 660 is within 115-127 watts. Even in this case, the possibilities of the PCI Express slot will not be limited, because one 6-pin connector is used to supply additional power. The recommended power supply for a system with a GeForce GTX 660 is 450W.

The classic video card interface panel contains two DVI connectors (DVI-I and DVI-D), as well as full-length HDMI and DisplayPort. In this regard, the equipment is exactly the same as that of the older Kepler models. PC connection interface - PCI Express 3.0.

The reference GeForce GTX 660 looks very similar to the older adapters in the line - GeForce GTX 660 Ti and GTX 670. A compact printed circuit board and a cooling system with an elongated case and a centrifugal fan that blows heated air out of the system unit. In this case, the manufacturers' imagination is not limited by anything, so we will see a lot of adapters with original PCB design, coolers and modified frequency formulas.

Technical characteristics of video cards:

ZOTAC GeForce GTX 660 2GB (ZT-60901-10M)

We studied the capabilities of the GeForce GTX 660 on the example of a video card from ZOTAC. Although the reviewed model does not belong to the AMP! accelerated adapter series, the manufacturer initially slightly increased the base clock speed of the GPU - from 980 MHz to 993 MHz.

The graphics card uses the GTX 660 reference circuit board. This PCB is quite compact, its length is only 175mm. However, this is not surprising, given that even for the more powerful GeForce GTX 660 Ti and GTX 670, NVIDIA offers printed circuit boards of the same dimensions. In terms of layout, they are still different.

The power subsystem is also built according to a five-phase scheme (4 + 1), but now the power elements are located at the right edge of the printed circuit board, and in the case of a video card from ZOTAC, they are covered with an aluminum radiator. An additional cooler plate is also used for memory chips located on the front side of the PCB.

The video card is cooled using an original cooler, which ZOTAC previously used for its GTX 660 Ti adapters. The configuration of CO as a whole is quite familiar. The basis is a cassette with aluminum plates and a pair of 6 mm heat pipes.

By forming the plates, an attempt to unify the radiator block can be traced - there is a chute for installing a third heat pipe. It is in this configuration that the cooler is used for the GTX 660 Ti. Here, the design is somewhat simplified, which is quite logical, given the reduced thermal package of devices on the GK106. The radiator is blown by a pair of axial fans, the blades of which have a bright orange color. The total length of the video card, taking into account the dimensions of the decorative plate, is 190 mm.

At the very edge on the top panel of the adapter there is a 6-pin connector for connecting additional power. On the opposite side, there is one SLI connector that allows you to combine two video cards in one configuration.

The equipment of the interface panel is standard - two DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort, as well as a ventilation grille.

The delivery set is not overly diverse: a manual, a CD with drivers and software, an adapter from Molex to a six-pin connector, and an adapter from DVI-VGA.

In work

Assessing the efficiency of the cooling system, we note that in general it does a good job. In idle mode on an open stand (~25C), the chip warmed up to 32 degrees. The fan speed in such conditions is 1400–1450 rpm.

Despite the rather high, as for this mode, speed, the video card is quiet at rest. Under load, the GPU warmed up to 66 degrees, and Furmark was able to increase the temperature of the chip to 71C. Fan speed increased to 2300–2400 rpm. The noise level in this mode is below average, but no more.

On the presented screenshots, you can evaluate the work of GPU Boost technology. The maximum clock frequency of the chip (GPU Core Clock) during a typical gaming load was 1084 MHz, while during deliberate warming up by a malicious "donut", the core frequency did not rise above the base value - 993 MHz.

Overclocking

The clock frequency of the chip in the GeForce GTX 660 is initially quite high. A base value of 980 MHz indicates that during typical gaming, the GPU will automatically accelerate to frequencies in excess of 1 GHz. In the case of a video card from ZOTAC, which has an increased starting frequency of up to 993 MHz, the GPU Boost mechanism under load overclocked the chip to 1071–1084 MHz.

Of course, we were interested in evaluating the potential for additional forcing of the video card. Note that in the case of the GeForce GTX 660, the value of the Power Limit parameter is relatively small - 110%. Getting close to him is pretty easy. Therefore, during additional overclocking, you should definitely take into account that GPU Boost works both in one direction and in the other - to decrease (but not lower than the base one). Therefore, it is quite possible that when the maximum clock frequency is set, the performance will not be the highest, because the power consumption of the video card will exceed the allowable limit, as a result of which the dynamic auto-overclocking threshold will be lowered.

Experimentally, it was possible to increase the base frequency of the chip from 993 to 1057 MHz(+4.5%). In this case, during the gaming load, the GPU was running at 1136-1147 MHz. The memory functioned stably for 6676 MHz. Considering the base value, this is approximately +11%.

It is difficult to estimate the frequency potential of the GeForce GTX 660 by a single model. Nevertheless, we can say that the overclocking possibilities in this case are quite limited. The video card initially has high chip/memory frequencies, so there are not many reserves for additional forcing. The rather simple reference power and Power Limit limits of 110% also do not contribute to frequency records.

At the same time, we will probably see models based on the original PCBs with a reinforced element base and more efficient cooling systems. Based on the results of acquaintance with such devices, it will be possible to talk about the capabilities of the GK106 and video cards based on it in general.

Price

The recommended cost of the GeForce GTX 660 for the US market is $229 . For Ukraine, at the start of sales, the price is declared at the level 2199 UAH(~$270). Traditionally, the real cost of video cards in our retail is much closer to the American one. We hope that nothing will change this time. In this segment, the difference of $40 can radically change the attitude towards the device as a whole. In our estimates, we will still take exactly $229 as a starting point. However, do not forget that this is the recommended value for reference models. Given the desire of sellers to make money at the start of sales, for video cards with original cooling systems at the initial stage, we can expect prices at the level of $250-260.

Performance

Assessing the capabilities of the GeForce GTX 660 in the light of those for devices from its direct competitor, we note that the new product generally looks decent against the background of the more expensive Radeon HD 7870 ($250+). The video card on the GK106 confidently outperforms the latter in "synthetics", has a certain advantage in a number of games and is inferior by no more than 10-15% in Metro 2033 and AvP, which are inconvenient for itself. In this case, we are talking about video cards operating in normal modes. After forcing adapters, the situation can seriously change. Perhaps this topic deserves a separate article.

In normal mode, the GeForce GTX 660 is on average 20-30% more productive than the GeForce GTX 560 Ti. It is unlikely that the owners of the latter get rid of their adapters for the novelty on the GK106. Often this difference can be compensated by overclocking. But when buying a new video card, the novelty certainly looks preferable. Especially if the price difference does not exceed 10-15%. If we compare the performance of the novelty with that of older adapters with the Fermi architecture, then it often turns out to be between the GeForce GTX 570 and GeForce GTX 580. After additional overclocking, the GeForce GTX 660 in some cases even manages to reach the performance of the outgoing flagship.

In terms of performance, the new product is consistently inferior to the GeForce GTX 660 Ti by about 15-20%. Given the difference in cost, such a lag is quite natural. The price / performance ratio for both video cards is about the same. In most cases, additional overclocking does not allow the GTX 660 to come close to the older model, but there are exceptions, such as Aliens vs. Predator, in which the novelty, after forcing, could even slightly bypass the GeForce GTX 660 Ti.

In order to talk about the continuity of generations with facts in hand, we added a GeForce GTX 460 video card equipped with 1 GB (256-bit bus) to the general test. This model is without exaggeration the hit of 2010. The results obtained make it possible to say that all this time the developers of graphic solutions have not been sitting idle. The GeForce GTX 660 turned out to be 55-95% more productive than the honored veteran (70-80% on average). It is symbolic that at the time of the announcement, the GeForce GTX 460 1GB was also offered at a price of $229.

Results

NVIDIA has introduced an interesting solution in the most popular segment for enthusiastic gamers. There is no doubt that in quantitative terms video cards costing $100-200 are more mass products. But it is adapters priced at $200-250 that can provide conditions for a comfortable game with high quality settings. Such solutions are the choice of pragmatic users who, on the one hand, are not ready to seriously overpay for having the very best, on the other hand, they are well aware that having saved a little more, they will no longer be able to get the proper amount of fps during the game. Of course, we would like the base frequency of the chip to GeForce GTX 660 was lower, and there were more computing units. But that would be too good to be true.

The main competitor managed to respond adequately to the approaching announcement by lowering prices for the Radeon HD 7870/7850. This, of course, will complicate the launch of the GeForce GTX 660. If in the case of top-end devices, after the release they fell into fertile ground - into the hands of frankly longing fans of Californian products, then in the middle segment the GeForce GTX 660 falls into a very competitive environment. And this is great, because as a result we have very attractive solutions from both manufacturers at an affordable price.

In the history of acquaintance with the GeForce GTX 660, we have not yet put an end to it. We will return to devices on the GK106 repeatedly. First of all, the forced models of other manufacturers are of interest, as well as the direct duel of the novelty with the overclocked video cards Radeon HD 7850/7870. Should be interesting. Don't switch.

Test device provided by ZOTAC, www.zotac.com

Test stand configuration

In the line of new products of nVidia during several spring and summer months, there were practically no solutions from the most demanded price segment: from $100 to $300. From the company's financial statements since the second quarter, it followed that nVidia could sell much more graphics chips manufactured using the 28-nanometer process technology, if not for delays from the main partner - TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company).

Due to chip shortage problems, Nvidia had to focus on the highly profitable markets for mobile graphics devices and high-end computer graphics cards, leaving a "hole" in its product line. In order to somehow "patch" it, nVidia nevertheless released the GeForce GTX 660 Ti, based on a simplified version of the expensive and productive GK104 chip, but the more affordable GeForce GTX 660 based on the latest GK106 chip appeared only closer to the beginning of September, then is almost half a year after the launch of the first graphics processors of the Kepler family (and 9 months after the transition to the 28-nanometer process technology - the main engine of the company's progress in 2012).

Now, finally, the situation with chips has noticeably improved, and nVidia products, which have GK104 for top-end video cards, GK106 for the "middle class" and GK107 for the budget segment, fully cover the entire price range. This review will focus on the GeForce GTX 660 graphics cards, which are based on the GK106 chip, designed to provide the best balance between price and performance.

Chip GK106

The GK106 contains fewer functional blocks compared to the GK104, but at the same time, unlike the latter, consumes noticeably less power and is therefore an excellent choice for so-called mainstream-class discrete graphics cards designed for desktop computers. However, in mid-August it was still not entirely clear whether NVIDIA plans to release the GK106: the company could use the capabilities of the GK104 and GK107 chips to close the gaps in its line of graphics cards.

The GeForce GTX 660 has proven to be the de facto "centerpiece" of NVIDIA's new generation of products, sitting between the performance cluster that includes the GTX 680 and GTX 660 Ti, and the budget cluster that includes the GTX 650 and GTX 640. Obviously, Nvidia is looking to replicate the commercial success of GTX-based graphics cards. 560 and GTX 460 (previous generation GPUs), which at one time, just as the GTX 660 now does, represented the sub-$250 price segment.

The basic version of GK106, which is used in the GeForce GTX 660, consists of 5 blocks of streaming multiprocessors (Streaming Multiprocessors, SMX architecture) located in 3 graphics processor clusters (GPC, Graphics Processing Cluster); 24 raster operations blocks (ROPs); 3 64-bit memory controllers; and 384 KB L2 cache. 5 SMX blocks contain 960 CUDA cores (Universal Shader Processors). Thus, GK106 can be seen as a middle ground between GK104 containing 8 SMX blocks and 32 ROP blocks and GK107 containing 2 SMX blocks and 16 ROP blocks. Two and a half billion transistors occupy an area equal to 214 square millimeters, which is only 2 square meters. mm. more compared to the AMD Pitcairn graphics chip.

By the way, for the first time since the introduction of the GeForce 9000 family of video cards in 2008, all current generation nVidia products are based on a single architecture - the GT200 series was based on three different architectures (G9x, GT200 and GT21x), and the GT400/500 series used Big Fermi chips (GF1x0) and Little Fermi (GF1x4/1x6/1x8). The GTX 600 series uses only Kepler chips, offering a certain set of options (let's call them "family traits"), standard for all products in this line: NVENC hardware H.264 encoder, VP5 decoder, FastHDMI support, TXAA anti-aliasing algorithm and PCIe 3.0 bus .

Some of the technologies that Kepler chips offer us should be told in more detail. Surround Vision technology, which allows creating a visual environment based on multi-monitor configurations, was already available in the GTX 500 series, but in order to use it, the user had to install two video cards and combine them in SLI mode. New-generation video cards based on Kepler chips are capable of working with four monitors simultaneously, in addition, one video card is now also enough to activate the new 3D Surround Vision mode, which is intended to display a stereoscopic image on three monitors at once. Three monitors (so-called ultra-high resolution 4K monitors are supported: 3840x2160) can be used directly for gaming, while the fourth one can be used for general tasks. And finally, let's mention the support for multi-streaming audio.

GTX 660 Specifications

The other day, information leaked to the Web that nVidia is going to announce at least one more product that will receive a “stripped down” version of the GK106 sip: according to some information, it will be the GTX 650 Ti. The main version of the chip - GK106-400 - is apparently the most productive of those that, according to unofficial data, nVidia intends to equip their future video cards. The GTX 660 graphics processor runs at 980 MHz (reference value), that is, 65 MHz higher than the GTX 660 Ti, which allows it to somewhat catch up with the older model caused by the reduction in the number of universal shader units.

But the operating frequency and bit width of the video memory bus are the same: 6.008GHz (GDDR5 standard) and 192 bit. From a purely theoretical point of view, the texture and shader performance of the GTX 660 (960 CUDA cores) is 24% lower than that of the GTX 660 Ti (1344 CUDA cores), so games whose graphical excellence is based on the use of high-quality shaders and textures on the GTX 660 will show a lower number of frames per second compared to the GTX 660 Ti. However, the decrease in fps in games that have serious requirements for video memory or rasterization will not be so significant. By the way, the difference in performance between the GTX 660 Ti and the GTX 670, on the contrary, comes down to the memory bus width and rasterization units.

The configuration of the video memory controllers in the GTX 660, just like in the GTX 660 Ti, is asymmetric, thanks to which nVidia manages to combine a 192-bit interface with a memory size of 2 GB (instead of 1.5 GB) in the video card. However, it is also possible to install 3 GB of video memory, which some video card manufacturers will surely use. The three memory controllers contain 8 modules distributed as follows:

• Memory controller 1: 4 modules: 128M x 16 GDDR5 (1GB, 16-bit);
• Memory controller 2: 2 modules: 64M x 32 GDDR5 (512MB, 32-bit);
• Memory controller 3: 2 modules: 64M x 32 GDDR5 (512MB, 32-bit).

In terms of power consumption, the GTX 660 has a typical power consumption of 115W with a maximum allowable power consumption (TDP) of 140W. The latter is only 10W less than the GTX 660 Ti, but the GTX 600 series is still more up to date with typical power consumption. , which in the case of the GTX 660 is 20 W lower than that of the older model, due to which one additional 6-pin PCIe connector is enough to operate the GTX 660.

Even though Nvidia came up with their own PCB design this time around, which turned out to be quite compact (only 7 inches long), the company's partners use alternative PCB options in their solutions. This is explained by the fact that the GTX 660 requires relatively bulky heatsinks to effectively cool it, and the active cooling system on the reference sample is almost three inches longer than the PCB. Asus, MSI and Gigabyte use the same proprietary cooling systems on their versions of the GTX 660 that are installed on the more powerful GTX 660 Ti.

Prices and competitors

With the GTX 660 specs out of the way, now it's time to talk about pricing. $229 is exactly the price nVidia trjvtyletn gfhnythfv ecnfyjdbnme recommends to its partners for their GTX 660-based graphics cards, and manufacturers seem to heed the recommendations, offering their versions of the GTX 660 (including factory overclocked ones) for $229.

At the current price level, there are no direct competitors from AMD, that is, products sold at a similar price, for the GTX 660. The AMD Radeon HD 7870 is priced at $239 (after a recent price cut), while the Radeon HD 7850 is priced at $199. The Radeon HD 7870, as we can see, is only $10 more expensive than the GTX 660, however, for this price difference, the buyer will receive the Sleeping Dogs game that comes with the HD 7870, while the GTX 660 graphics cards from nVidia will not be bundled with any or games (the company will not distribute the Borderlands 2 promotion on the GTX 660).

ASUS GeForce GTX 660 DirectCU II TOP

The review considers the most productive GTX660-DC2T-2GD5 model from Asus. The "T" in its name denotes belonging to the TOP category of video cards that Asus equips with overclocked GPUs, and the company clearly does not skimp on "additional megahertz". The operating frequency of the GPU in standard mode overcomes the gigahertz mark: 1072 MHz, and in boost mode (that is, in 3D performance mode), the GPU accelerates to 1137 MHz. By the way, Asus slightly increased the frequency of the video memory - up to 6108 MHz.

In addition to factory overclocking, the video card from Asus contains a proprietary DirectCU II active cooling system, which includes two large 80 mm fans and three heat pipes that remove excess heat from the GPU to a massive heatsink.

Connectors and interfaces include: 1 dual-link DVI-I, 1 dual-link DVI-D, HDMI and DisplayPort. A 6-pin PCIe connector is provided for additional power supply.

MSI GeForce GTX 660 TwinFrozr III

MSI's GTX 660 video card (model N660 TF 2GD5/OC) also has some factory overclocking, although the GPU's operating frequencies in standard and boost modes are slightly below the specifications of Asus' top-end card: 1033 MHz and 1098 MHz, respectively. This is offset to some extent by the use of reliable electronic components such as solid capacitors.

The graphics card is equipped with the third-generation TwinFrozr branded active cooling system, one of the interesting features of which is the technology of getting rid of dust. Two 80mm fans are responsible for blowing the radiator, and the SuperPipe heat pipe system with a nickel-copper base is responsible for removing excess heat.

The set of connectors and interfaces is standard: 2 DVI (DVI-D plus DVI-I), HDMI and DisplayPort. Like the Asus graphics card, the board has a 6-pin PCIe connector.

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660 Windforce OC

The third video card on the list is provided by Gigabyte. Model GV-N660OC-2GD, like the two graphics cards mentioned above, differs from the reference GTX 660 in higher performance (due to factory overclocking) and an alternative cooling system. The operating frequencies of the GPU are identical to those of the MSI graphics card: 1033 MHz in standard mode and 1098 MHz in boost mode.

The active cooling system of Windforce 2X, as well as the cooling systems of video cards from MSI and Asus, has two active fans, the diameter of which in Gigabyte, however, is 20 mm larger (100 mm). The radiator is built according to the original "Triangle Cool" scheme: it consists of three segments connected by heat pipes with a diameter of 8 mm. The anti-turbulent configuration of the heatsink elements prevents turbulent flow between fans, thus increasing the efficiency of heat dissipation.

Interfaces and connectors are a set of 2 DVI connectors (DVI-D plus DVI-I), and one each for HDMI and DisplayPort. For additional power supply of the video card, a 6-pin PCIe connector is intended.

test stand

To test video cards, we used a system consisting of the following components:

• Motherboard: MSI Big Bang XPower X58;
• Processor: Intel Core i7 965 Extreme @ 3750 MHz;
• RAM: 6144 MB (3x 2048 MB) DDR3 Corsair @ 1500 MHz;
• Power supply: 1200 Watt;
• Monitor: Dell 3007WFP (maximum resolution 2560x1600).

The software included:

• Operating system: Windows 7 64-bit SP1;
• API: DirectX 9/10/11 End User Runtime;
• Drivers: AMD Catalyst (12.1 ~ 12.8) / NVIDIA GeForce 306.23.

In the "GPU Performance" test mode, the TOP video card from Asus "wins" by a small margin. The lag behind the noticeably more expensive GTX 660 Ti is hardly more than a couple of thousand points. The Radeon HD 7870 is left behind. Very good for a synthetic test.

3DMark 11 supports most modern graphics technologies such as tessellation and Compute Shaders, and therefore is better suited to find out what the graphics card is capable of in new games. In this test, we again see the superiority of nVidia video cards. And the high results of the GTX 660 TI (GTX 660 is a thousand points behind) are due to a larger number of universal shader processors.

DX11: Battlefield 3

In a networked first-person shooter, all three GTX 660-based video cards show almost the same result: 42-43 frames per second. The GTX 670 Ti is "faster" by just 3 fps. It is noteworthy that the “three hundred dollar” Radeon HD 7950 Boost familiar to us from the GTX 660 Ti review with additional overclocking activated could not overtake its “low-ranking” rivals.

DX11: Crysis 2 - High Res Textures

In Crysis 2, with the HD texture pack installed, Ultra graphics quality settings, and quad anti-aliasing, the GTX 660 is once again on par with the more expensive GTX 660 Ti. But the Radeon HD 7950 Boost is ahead of both rivals by almost 14% - the Radeon HD 7870 fails to achieve this.

DX11: Metro 2033

Without, perhaps, the most demanding game on system resources, Metro 2033 is a rare test of video cards. With maximum graphics quality settings and active so-called "analytical anti-aliasing" (AAA, Analytical Anti-Aliasing, approximately corresponds to 4x MSAA), the number of functional blocks in the GK106 chip becomes noticeably reduced (compared to the GK104 chip in the GTX 680 and GTX 660 Ti): The GTX 660 lags behind the older model by almost a third. The Radeon HD 7870 shows a similar result.

Temperature and noise level

Relatively low power consumption (the maximum, according to the specifications, is 140 W) could not but have a positive effect on the operating temperatures of video cards. Under typical load, the latter did not "warm up" to more than 32 degrees Celsius. The maximum recorded temperature in games for MSI and Gigabyte is quite acceptable 60 degrees, Asus has a hotter temper: plus 5 degrees.

Temperature under typical load

Temperature under maximum load

Noise testing showed that one of the most important advantages of the GTX 660 is the very low noise level. If the GTX 660 Ti (depending on the model of the video card) could be heard under load, the GTX 660 is very quiet compared to other system components: 37-38 dBa in games.

Noise level under typical load

Noise level under maximum load

New bestseller?

The GeForce GTX 660 performed surprisingly well in both synthetic and gaming benchmarks. Add to this low power consumption (nVidia recommends 450W PSUs, but we all recommend getting a 500W PSU), low noise leveltrjvtykefg

and an attractive price - what else does a graphics card need to become a bestseller? Unless there are no competitors. AMD still has some time left to take any steps: perhaps, as in the case of the Radeon HD 7950, the company will significantly increase the operating frequency of the GPU in the Radeon HD 7870 - the main rival of the GTX 660 - and introduce an overclocked version: Radeon HD 7870 Boost. However, let's not forget about the proprietary feature of nVidia video cards - the CUDA architecture, which significantly increases the efficiency of parallel computing - and not only graphical ones: let's take CUDA Encoder as an example, which allows you to encode a video stream into H.264 format at high speed using the video card GPU.

Whatever the case, Nvidia fans will certainly be pleased that the GTX 660 offers, at least in some cases, performance on par with the more expensive GTX 660 Ti - remember that the manufacturer's (nVidia) suggested retail price (MSRP) for the GTX 660 Ti is $299. Why not save $70 on a purchase?

Based on Guru 3D and AnandTech

The hero of this review was the GeForce GTX 660 2048 MB video card, released in early autumn 2012. It differs from its older brother GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2048 MB in that it is based on the new GK 106 graphics processor.

In addition, the number of shader processors in the new card is less than in the older card: 960 versus 1344, and there are fewer texture units: 80 versus 112. The memory exchange bus for both graphics accelerators is the same - 192-bit, exactly like the number of rasterization units - 24. On the other hand, the frequencies of the shader domain of the GeForce GTX 660 2048 MB are higher: 980 MHz (1033 MHz - boost) versus 915 (980 - boost), the frequency of the video memory remains unchanged - 6008 MHz.

The following video cards acted as its rivals:

• Radeon HD 7950 3072 MB;
• Radeon HD 7870 2048 MB;
• Radeon HD 6970 2048 MB;
• Radeon HD 6870 1024 MB;


• GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2048 MB;
• GeForce GTX 580 1536 MB;
• GeForce GTX 570 1280 MB;
• GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1024 MB;
• GeForce GTX 560 1024 MB.

Test configuration

The tests were carried out on the following stand:

• CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K (Sandy Bridge, D2, L3 8 MB), 1.184 V, Turbo Boost / Hyper Threading - off - 3400 @ 4800 MHz (1.408 V);
• Motherboard: GigaByte GA-Z77X-UD5H, LGA 1155, BIOS F7;
• CPU cooling system: ZALMAN CNPS10X Extreme (~1500 rpm);
• RAM: 2 x 4096MB DDR3 Geil BLACK DRAGON GB38GB2133C10ADC (Spec: 2133MHz / 10-11-11-30-1t / 1.5V) , X.M.P. - off;
• Disk subsystem: 1 TB, WD1002FAEX Caviar Black, 7200 rpm, 64 MB;
• Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower 1200 watts (standard fan: 140 mm blowing);
• Frame: open test stand;
• Monitor: 30" DELL 3008WFP (Wide LCD, 2560x1600 / 60Hz).

Video cards:

• Radeon HD 7950 3072 MB - 800/800/5000 @ 1150/1150/7000 MHz (GigaByte);
• Radeon HD 7870 2048 MB - 1000/1000/4800 @ 1200/1200/6000 MHz (Sapphire);
• Radeon HD 6970 2048 MB - 880/880/5500 @ 980/980/5900 MHz (GigaByte);
• Radeon HD 6870 1024 MB - 900/900/4200 @ 1000/1000/4800 MHz (PowerColor);


• GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2048 MB - 915/915/6008 @ 1180/1180/6800 MHz (Gainward);
• GeForce GTX 660 2048 MB - 980/980/6008 @ 1230/1230/6800 MHz (MSI);
• GeForce GTX 580 1536 MB - 772/1544/4008 @ 920/1840/4600 MHz (Leadtek);
• GeForce GTX 570 1280 MB - 732/1464/3800 @ 850/1700/4500 MHz (Zotac);
• GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 Core 1280 MB - 732/732/3800 @ 840/1680/4400 MHz (MSI);
• GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1024 MB - 822/1644/4008 @ 980/1960/4500 MHz (MSI);
• GeForce GTX 560 1024 MB - 810/1620/4008 @ 960/1920/4500 MHz (Gainward).

Software:

• Operating system: Windows 7 x64 SP1;
• Video card drivers: NVIDIA GeForce 306.63 Beta and AMD Catalyst 12.9 Beta;
• Utilities: FRAPS 3.5.3 Build 15007, AutoHotkey v1.0.48.05, MSI Afterburner 2.2.4.

Testing tools and methodology

For a more visual comparison of video cards, all games used as test applications were launched at 1920x1080 and 2560x1600 resolutions.

The built-in benchmarks, FRAPS 3.5.3 Build 15007 and AutoHotkey v1.0.48.05 utilities were used as performance measurement tools. List of gaming applications:

• Aliens vs Predator 2010 (Benchmark).
• Assassin's Creed Revelations (Port).
• Batman Arkham City (Benchmark).
• Battlefield 3 (Operation Swordbreaker).
• Battlefield Bad Company 2 (Accumulation of forces).
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution - The Missing Link (Interrogation).
• DIRT 3 (Benchmark - ASPEN).
• Dragon Age 2 (Ragged Shore).
• Formula 1 2010 (Benchmark).
• Homefront (Golden Gate).
• Just Cause 2 (Concrete jungle).
• Kingdoms Of Amalur Reckoning (Stigandr).
• Max Payne 3 (Chapter 5. Alive, albeit a bit battered).>
• Metro 2033 (Benchmark).
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat (Skadovsk).
• Saints Row The Third (Flight over the city).
• Spec Ops The Line (Evacuation).
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Solitude).
• The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (Flotsam Outskirts).
• World of Tanks (Ensk).

In all games measured minimal and medium FPS values. In tests in which there was no possibility of measuring minimum FPS, this value was measured by the FRAPS utility. vsync disabled during testing.

To avoid errors and minimize measurement errors, all tests were performed three to five times. When calculating the average FPS, the final result was taken as the arithmetic mean of the results of all runs (three not “idle”). As the minimum FPS, the minimum value of the indicator based on the results of three runs was chosen.

Specifications for NVIDIA graphics cards

Specifications for AMD graphics cards

Let's go directly to the tests.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M is a DirectX 11 graphics card for laptops that was announced in the first quarter of 2012. It is built on TSMC's 28 nm process technology and is currently (May 2012) the fastest GPU from the Kepler family based on the GK107 chip. The video card uses a 128-bit GDDR5 memory interface.

Family core architecture Kepler replaced the Fermi microarchitecture, it first appeared in laptops with 400M series graphics cards. The GK107 chip of the Kepler family uses two shader units called SMX, each of which has 192 shaders running at the frequency and speed of the central core. And although the Kepler architecture has more shader cores compared to Fermi, its power is less. This is due to the relatively low frequency of the cores, so two Kepler shaders are similar in speed to one Fermi shader. Also, graphics cards for laptops based on the Kepler architecture support PCIe 3.0 and an additional Turbo mode that can theoretically overclock NVIDIA cards by 15%, but provided that the laptop cooling system allows it. The implementation of this mode is embedded in the BIOS, but ultimately depends on the laptop manufacturer.

Thanks to the GDDR5 video memory, the gaming performance of the GeForce GTX 660M is significantly higher than that of the GT 650M with DDR3 video memory, and on par with the AMD Radeon HD 6950M. Even the earlier high-end Fermi architecture GTX 570M is only slightly faster than the GTX 660M. As such, 2011 games should run smoothly in high detail and at Full HD resolution. Only a few very resource-intensive games, such as Metro 2033 and Crysis 2, require lower settings for a more comfortable gaming experience.

The enhanced feature set now includes support for up to 4 active monitors. In addition, high-resolution monitors up to 3840x2160 pixels can now be connected using DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 1.4a, if available. HD audio codecs such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD can be streamed via the HDMI port. However, since most laptops support Optimus technology, the integrated graphics card will have control over the DisplayPort ports and may limit some of the features available to the Kepler family of GPUs.

The fifth generation PureVideo HD video processor (VP5) is also integrated into the GK107 core and performs the function of HD video hardware decoding. Codecs such as MPEG-1/2, MPEG-4 ASP, H.264 and VC1/WMV9 support up to 4K resolution, while VC1 and MPEG-4 support up to 1080p. Two streams can be decrypted in parallel using the picture-in-picture function. Another innovation is the use of a special video decoder similar to Intel QuickSync, which can be accessed by the NVENC API.

Energy consumption level GeForce GTX 660M quite high, which allows this video card to be used in laptops with dimensions of 15-17" or larger.

* Specified clock speeds are subject to change by the manufacturer