Nvidia Gtx 660 2gb Prezzo

NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 660 2GB Reference Video Carte du jour Review

With one more release date to suspension for the 600 video card series, we cheque out the upcoming GEFORCE GTX 660 from NVIDIA.

Published Sep three, 2012 11:03 AM CDT | Updated Tue, Nov 3 2020 7:01 PM CST

13 minute read time

Introduction and Specifications

VIEW GALLERY - 17 IMAGES

We're a little later then nosotros had hoped this time bringing y'all our await at the upcoming GEFORCE GTX 660. While we really received our first retail sample about a calendar week ago it wasn't till a week later on that nosotros managed to score a reference card from a company that gave us the ability to bring you an early wait at the new GTX 660 that NVIDIA is set up to launch in but over a calendar week.

We're being super cautious this fourth dimension as NVIDIA seemed to piece of work really hard to figure out where our GTX 660 Ti sample came from originally to the point where they seemed to only blame everyone hoping that ane company would somewhen crevice. Because of that nosotros're non going to be including a GPU-Z screenshot or annihilation similar that. We will comprehend the chief specifications of the card, though. It'due south fairly condom to say, though, that our rail record speaks for itself when information technology comes to having the latest NVIDIA cards prior to the official release date.

The GTX 660 marks almost the terminate of the 600 serial that we're interested in with only i more model due in the class of the GTX 650. There'south no denying that the GTX 660 is going to be one of the more important models for NVIDIA and consumers, though, as it hits in at that mid $200 price subclass, one of the most pop cost points when it comes to quantity. What kind of functioning does a mid-$200 NVIDIA based video card bring to the table this time around, though? Well there'south ultimately only one way to notice out and that is to benchmark it.

At that place's really not much more that we need to talk about. We'll quickly cover the main specifications and once we've washed that we'll motion onto examination system side of things and cover the cards that we'll be using in our graphs today before we finally become into the functioning side of things.

Specifications

Out of the box a reference clocked GTX 660 is going to come in with a 980MHz core which via boost gets pushed up to 1033MHz. A lot similar the GTX 660 Ti, though, we should see companies offer overclocked variants of the model quite quickly. Some of the other main specifications include 960 CUDA cores which compares to the 1344 present on the GTX 660 Ti.

On the memory side of things nosotros've got 2GB of GDDR5 on a 192-fleck retentivity bus which is the same equally the GTX 660 Ti. Equally far as clocks become we've besides got the same 6008MHz QDR present. The large difference between the GTX 660 and the more expensive Ti, though, is the CUDA cores.

How much departure, though, nosotros'll find out in just a moment. For now let'due south apace run across what's going on with our testbed and the cards that we'll be including in our graphs today.

Benchmarks - Test System Setup

Outside of the reference GTX 660 that we take here today two of the main video cards from the NVIDIA side of things nosotros'll exist comparing information technology against is terminal generations single GPU male monarch, the GTX 580. Along with that, though, we also want to see what kind of difference the Ti adds.

Of course we've also got the GTX 670 and GTX 680 for good mensurate as well. On the AMD side of things nosotros've got the typical superlative to bottom line up starting with the HD 7870 which is going to be the main competition for the GTX 660 equally it falls in at that mid-$200 price range equally well.

Above that nosotros've too got the HD 7950 and HD 7970 along with the new GHz Edition of the HD 7970 to circular off everything.

Let'due south go started!

The FPS Numbers Explained

When we benchmark our video cards and look at the graphs, we aim to get to a sure level of FPS which we consider playable. While many may contend that the human eye can't encounter over 24 FPS or thirty FPS, any true gamer volition tell you that as we climb higher in Frames Per Seconds (FPS), the overall gameplay feels smoother. There are 3 numbers we're looking out for when it comes to our benchmarks.

30 FPS - It'southward the minimum number we aim for when it comes to games. If yous're not dropping below xxx FPS during games, you lot're going to have a overnice and smoothen gaming experience. The ideal situation is that even in a heavy fire fight, the minimum stays above 30 FPS making sure that y'all can proceed to aim easily or turn the corner with no dramas.

60 FPS - It's the boilerplate nosotros wait for when nosotros don't take a minimum coming at us. If we're getting an average of 60 FPS, we should have a minimum of xxx FPS or better and equally mentioned above, it ways we've got some smooth game play happening.

120 FPS - The new number that we've been hunting down over recent months. If you're the owner of a 120 Hz monitor, to get the nigh out of it y'all want to get around the 120 FPS marking. Moving from 60 FPS / 60 Hz to 120 FPS / 120 Hz brings with it a certain fluidity that can't really be explained, merely instead has to be experienced. Of course, if you're ownership a 120 Hz monitor to have advantage of 3D, an average of 120 FPS in our criterion means that in 3D you will have an average of threescore FPS, which again means you lot should expect some smooth gameplay.

Benchmarks - 3DMark eleven

3DMark 11

Version and / or Patch Used: 1.1

Programmer Homepage: http://world wide web.futuremark.com

Product Homepage: http://www.3dmark.com/3dmark11/

Purchase It Here

3DMark 11 is the latest version of the world'south most pop benchmark. Designed to measure your PC'south gaming performance 3DMark 11 makes all-encompassing use of all the new features in DirectX 11 including tessellation, compute shaders and multi-threading. Trusted by gamers worldwide to give accurate and unbiased results, 3DMark 11 is the all-time way to consistently and reliably examination DirectX 11 under game-like loads.

Starting off with 3DMark 11 we can run across that performance between the new GTX 660 and the older GTX 580 is near identical.

Against the AMD side of things you lot tin can see we're sitting effectually Hd 7950 level functioning. Of course 3DMark 11 isn't always the all-time to gauge a whole model off, only information technology helps create a good benchmark of what we're expecting to come across.

Let's come across if we continue to sit around GTX 580 numbers as we continue on with our benchmarks.

Benchmarks - Unigine Sky Benchmark

Unigine Heaven Benchmark

Version and / or Patch Used: ii.five

Programmer Homepage: http://world wide web.unigine.com

Product Homepage: http://unigine.com/press-releases/091022-heaven_benchmark//

New criterion grants the power to unleash the DirectX 11 potential in the souvenir wrapping of impressively towering graphics capabilities. It reveals the enchanting magic of floating islands with a tiny hamlet hidden in the cloudy skies. With the interactive mode emerging experience of exploring the intricate world is ensured within achieve. Through its advanced renderer, Unigine is one of the offset to set precedence in showcasing the fine art assets with tessellation, bringing compelling visual finesse, utilizing the applied science to the full extend and exhibiting the possibilities of enriching 3D gaming.

Looking at Sky numbers we tin can see that operation is looking good again for the GTX 660 with a decent gain over the older GTX 580 and strong numbers compared to the Hd 7870.

Tessellation has always been a potent bespeak for NVIDIA, though, then permit's see what happens when we continue on with the criterion line up hither today.

Benchmarks - Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. two

Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.2

Version and / or Patch Used: Benchmark Demo

Timedemo or Level Used: Built-in Test

Developer Homepage: http://www.ubi.com/U.k./default.aspx

Product Homepage: http://www.hawxgame.com/

Tom Clancy's H.A.W.10. 2 is an arcade-manner flight action game developed by Ubisoft Romania and published past Ubisoft. The game is the sequel to Tom Clancy'south H.A.W.Ten., released in 2009.

The game begins with Colonel David Crenshaw participating in a routine patrol mission in the Middle Due east. After halting an insurgent attack, a volley of missiles is fired at the Air Force base that Crenshaw was stationed at, with one of the missiles disabling Crenshaw's aircraft, resulting Crenshaw beingness in enemy captivity. A joint strike force equanimous of the U.S. Navy, U.Southward. Air Force, and a Ghost Recon squad executes an performance to rescue Crenshaw. In Scotland, Royal Navy Pilot Colin Munro encounters an unidentified passenger aircraft that explodes from an on-board bomb when undergoing training do. In Russian federation, an air force squadron led by Colonel Denisov and Helm Dmitri Sokov engages separatist aircraft but is ordered to retreat from the region after numerous Russian military installations have been attacked.

While not quite GTX 580 numbers hither we've got extremely playable numbers beyond the lath. Compared to the AMD side of things you tin see we're very shut to the HD 7870 in this case with niggling separating both at all resolutions.

Benchmarks - Mafia II

Mafia II

Version and / or Patch Used: Latest Steam Update

Timedemo or Level Used: Congenital in Criterion

Developer Homepage: http://world wide web.2kczech.com/

Product Homepage: http://www.mafia2game.com/

Purchase It Here

Mafia Two is a third-person activeness-adventure video game, the sequel to Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven. Information technology is adult by 2K Czech, previously known every bit Illusion Softworks, and is published by 2K Games. The game is set from 1943 to 1951 in Empire Bay (the name is a reference to New York'south state nickname "The Empire State"), a fictional city based on San Francisco and New York City, with influences from Chicago and Detroit. The game features a completely open up-ended game map of 10 square miles. No restrictions are included from the start of the game. At that place are effectually 50 vehicles in the game, every bit well as licensed music from the era.

Moving into Mafia 2 we've got a few of import things here. The showtime is that we're once more sitting around GTX 580 performance across the board. The 2d is that nosotros manage to interruption that 60 FPS barrier at 2560 10 1600.

The third is compared to the AMD side of things you can run across we're ahead of the Hard disk drive 7870 at the lower resolutions, but autumn a little behind when we get to the highest. Over again, though, the most important affair is that we're able to suspension that 60 FPS number at the highest resolution for what we consider to provide a polish gaming experience.

Benchmarks - Lost Planet 2

Lost Planet 2

Version and / or Patch Used: Criterion Demo

Timedemo or Level Used: Built in Benchmark - Test A Scene 1

Programmer Homepage: http://www.capcom.com/

Product Homepage: http://www.lostplanet2game.com/

Lost Planet 2 is a third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom. The game is the sequel to Lost Planet: Farthermost Condition which is also fabricated by Capcom, taking place 10 years after the events of the outset game, on the same fictional planet. The story takes identify back on E.D.N. III 10 years after the events of the first game. The snowfall has melted to reveal jungles and more tropical areas that have taken the place of more frozen regions. The plot begins with Mercenaries fighting confronting Jungle Pirates. Afterward destroying a mine, the Mercenaries go on on to evacuate the area, in which a Category-G Akrid appears and attacks them. Later on being rescued, they notice out their evacuation point (Where the Category-G appeared) was a set-up and no pick up team awaited them. The last words imply possible DLC additions to the game, "There's naught to be gained past wiping out snow pirates... unless yous had some kind of grudge."

Looking at Lost Planet 2 nosotros can see we don't quite get the numbers we need at 2560 x 1600, merely below that, the numbers look good.

Compared to the GTX 580 yous tin see we're ahead as we climb the resolution table. Against the Hard disk drive 7870 nosotros tin too see that operation is stronger for the GTX 660. Overall we continue to see the GTX 660 perform uncommonly well.

Benchmarks - Aliens vs. Predator

Aliens vs. Predator

Version and / or Patch Used: Standalone Criterion

Timedemo or Level Used: Built in Criterion

Developer Homepage: http://www.rebellion.co.u.k./

Product Homepage: http://world wide web.sega.com/games/aliens-vs-predator/

Aliens vs. Predator is a science fiction first-person shooter video game, adult by Rebellion Developments, the team behind the 1999 original PC game, and published past Sega for Microsoft Windows, the PlayStation iii and the Xbox 360. The game is based on the Conflicting vs. Predator franchise, a combination of the characters and creatures of the Alien franchise and the Predator franchise. In that location are iii campaigns in the game, one for each race/faction (the Predators, the Aliens and the Colonial Marines), that, while divide in terms of individual plot and gameplay, form one overarching storyline.

Following the storyline of the campaign modes comes the multiplayer attribute of the game. In this Multiplayer section of the game, players face off in various dissimilar gametypes in diverse different ways.

Aliens vs. Predator hasn't been super kind to the GTX 600 series, but you tin can see, the GTX 660 manages some potent numbers at 1920 10 1200 and 1680 ten 1050.

Compared to the GTX 580 you can run into we're lagging slightly while against the HD 7870 we can see that the numbers are nearly identical at all resolutions.

Benchmarks - Simply Cause 2

Just Cause ii

Version and / or Patch Used: 1.0.0.2

Timedemo or Level Used: Dark Tower

Developer Homepage: http://world wide web.eidos.com/

Product Homepage: http://www.justcause.com/

But Cause 2 employs the Avalanche Engine 2.0, an updated version of the engine used in But Crusade. The game is set on the other side of the world from the original Just Cause, on the fictional island of Panau in Southeast Asia. Panau has varied terrain, from desert to alpine to rainforest. Rico Rodriguez returns as the protagonist, aiming to overthrow the evil dictator Pandak "Babe" Panay and face up his onetime mentor, Tom Sheldon.

We can once more see that performance betwixt the Hard disk 7870 and GTX 660 are extremely close here. On the playability level side of things we can see that 2560 x 1600 isn't an option, but below that we've got very strong numbers.

Benchmarks - Metro 2033

Metro 2033

Version and / or Patch Used: Latest Steam Update

Timedemo or Level Used: Congenital in Benchmark

Developer Homepage: http://world wide web.4a-games.com/

Product Homepage: http://www.thqnordic.com/

Metro 2033 is an action-oriented video game with a combination of survival horror and first-person shooter elements. The game is based on the novel Metro 2033 past Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky. It was developed past 4A Games in Ukraine and released in March 2010 for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360.[3] In March 2006, 4A Games announced a partnership with Glukhovsky to collaborate on the game.[iv] The game was announced at the 2009 Games Convention in Leipzig;[5] a outset trailer came along with the annunciation.[half-dozen] A sequel was announced, currently titled Metro: Last Low-cal.

You tin can see that the GTX 580, Hard disk drive 7870 and GTX 660 are putting out almost identical numbers across the board here. That means that while 2560 x 1600 isn't an choice, 1920 x 1200 and 1680 x 1050 looks good with some stiff FPS present.

Benchmarks - Dirt 3

Dirt three

Version and / or Patch Used: Latest Steam Update

Timedemo or Level Used: Congenital in Benchmark

Developer Homepage: http://www.codemasters.com/

Product Homepage: http://world wide web.dirt3game.com/

Clay 3 boasts more than cars, more locations, more routes and more events than any other game in the serial, including over 50 rally cars representing the very best from five decades of the sport. With more than double the track content of 2009's hit, DiRT iii volition run across players start at the meridian as a professional person driver, with a top-flight career in competitive off-route racing complimented by the opportunity to limited themselves in Gymkhana-style showpiece driving events.

We continue to encounter this trend where the Hd 7870, GTX 580 and new GTX 660 perform very close to each other. We likewise see that while we autumn shy of the numbers we need at 2560 ten 1600, merely 1920 x 1200 and 1680 ten 1050 proceed to non exist an issue.

Benchmarks - Far Cry ii

Far Weep 2

Version and / or Patch Used: 1.01

Timedemo or Level Used: Ranch Long

Programmer Homepage: http://world wide web.ubi.com/

Product Homepage: http://world wide web.farcry2.com/

Buy Information technology Here

The Dunia Engine was built specifically for Far Cry 2 by the award-winning Ubisoft Montreal development team. It delivers the about realistic destructible environments, astonishing special effects such as dynamic burn propagation and tempest effects, real-time night-and-day cycle, dynamic music organisation, non-scripted enemy A.I. and so much more than.

It'due south no surprise that across the board nosotros've got very potent FPS here. Let's see what happens when we get into the AA and AF side of things.

Benchmarks - Loftier Quality AA and AF

High Quality AA and AF

While we exam all our games with maximum in-game settings, turning on Anti-Aliasing (AA) and Antistrophic Filtering (AF) helps take the intensity of our testing to another level.

Hither we see video cards go from playable FPS to an unplayable FPS and the existent power houses go along to help pause that lx FPS mark we always aim for to provide a shine gaming experience.

Starting off with Mafia II yous can run across nosotros manage to just sneak in that sixty FPS number at 1920 x 1200 for a solid gaming experience. Compared to the HD 7870 you can see we do trail behind by nearly 10% at this resolution with a like loss being seen against the GTX 580.

You tin can see nether Aliens vs. Predator AA and AF but isn't an option at 1920 x 1200 permit lone 2560 x 1600.The same is seen out of the GTX 580 and Hard disk drive 7870.

With AA and AF on nosotros can see that we lag behind the GTX 580 and HD 7870 hither with the latter carte du jour being able to practice 2560 x 1600 with a minimum in a higher place 30 FPS.

Similar Aliens vs. Predator you can see that AA and AF once more isn't an choice when moving to an intensive engine similar Metro 2033.

Just Cause 2 numbers line upwardly with the HD 7870 once again here and that means we manage to scrape a playable number in at 1920 x 1200. Of grade but scraping in at 1920 10 1200 means that 2560 x 1600 isn't an option.

Terminal Thoughts

NVIDIA'due south GEFORCE GTX 660 isn't the ascendant force that nosotros feel the other GTX 600 serial based video cards take hitting usa at during launch. Performance overall is extremely strong, but when we refer to the "dominance" that we've seen from the other models, the GTX 660 looks like it volition hit at a cost point near identical to the AMD Radeon HD 7870 and ultimately offers functioning that is near identical to it.

The GTX 660 isn't going to cause the headaches for AMD like the other models we've seen. If the cost point was in the lower $200 range or functioning was overall mayhap x% faster than information technology would cause issues, but the price it'due south going to hitting at that level and the performance information technology offers, it's ultimately sits perfectly against the HD 7870.

This is good news for AMD equally they finally get a fiddling bit of a interruption it seems as no doubtfulness the last few months take been extremely stressful as NVIDIA ultimately beat AMD at their own game which consists of existence more ambitious on the pricing side of things.

Nosotros're going to meet partners offer pre-overclocked models at a slightly higher price signal which in turn will help boost performance, but we've also got these options from AMD and its partners, too.

The i matter nosotros really just need to find out now is the overclocking potential of the new model as that could exist what ultimately separates the ii models apart from each other. Equally always, though, that's something we'll be taking a closer look at soon plenty. Stay tuned for that.

Overall the GTX 660 is just a actually good video menu that looks like information technology will come in at a actually adept toll bespeak. The Hd 7870, though, is as well a really good video carte du jour that comes in at a about identical cost signal. Of all the model battles in this generation of cards, the Hd 7870 / GTX 660 is the closest affair to a money flip when information technology comes to deciding what to purchase.

Information technology looks that no matter which 1 you buy, you're going to end upward with a skillful product at a good toll point. Does your blood run green or carmine? You lot get the drift.