Reasonably priced and quick, but not the
$323 card we really want
Based around the same GK104 architecture as
the rest of NVidia’s 6-series GPUs, the GeForceGTX660Ti has the same streaming
multiprocessor (SM) disabled as the GTX670 2GB, resulting in a stream processor
count of 1.344 Its clock speeds match those of the GTX 670 2GB too, with a base
clock of 915MHzand a guaranteed boost clock of 980MHz, although you can expect
some cards to boost to up to 1.115M Hz,.
NVidia GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB
While it sounds, so far, like a GTX 670 for
$81 less, NVidia has made a crucial cut to the GTX 660 Ti 2GB's memory
interface. One of the four 64-bit memory controllers has been disabled,
alongside the eight ROPs and 128KB of L2 cache associated with it, reducing the
card's ROP count to 32, L2 cache to 384KB and memory interface from 256-bit to
192-bit.
This in turn reduces the memory bandwidth,
already arguably GK104's weak point, to 144GB/sec thanks to a 1.5GHz (6GHz
effective) memory frequency. While this might not impact performance too much
at lower resolutions, high resolutions, such as 5,760 x 1,080 used in
three-screen gaming, hammer a card's memory bandwidth. As such, the GTX 660 Ti
2GB is unlikely to be able to complete at these settings.
Otherwise, the GTX 660 Ti 2GB is so similar
to the GTX 670 2GB that they even use the same stock PCB and cooler. This means
that the PCB is still just 175mm long, with the black dual-slot cooler adding
an extra 65mm for a total length of 240mm. Aradial fan pushes air down the
length of the card, through a tightly packed aluminum fin stack on top of the
GPU, before being exhausted out the rear I/O. Here you'll also find two DVI
ports, an HDMI connector and a full-sized Display Port. Meanwhile, two
top-mounted 6-pin PCI-E power connectors supply power.
Performance
Despite their similar specs, the GTX 660 Ti
2GB's cuts are obvious in Battlefield 3. At 1,920 x 1,080 with 4x AA, its
minimum frame rate of 54fps is 10 percent slower than that of the GTX 670 2GB
in the same test, but this is still enough to convincingly surpass the now
comparatively priced $404 HD 7950 3GB and slightly cheaper $355.5 HD7870 2GB.
Oncewegetto5.760x 1.080, however, the 192-bit memory interfaces of the GTX660Ti
2GB shows, with a minimum of just 16fps.
NVidia GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB desktop gaming graphics card
Crisis 2 with its DX11 and high-res texture
pack is a monster to run at 1920 x 1,080, the GTX 660 Ti 2GB's minimum frame
rate of 46fps was 3fps slower than the GXT 670 2GB and 2fps slower than the HD
7950 3GB. At 2560 x 1600, the GTX 660 Ti 2GB dueled with the HD 7870 2GB, while
at 5.760 x 1.080, its minimum of just 16fps places it at the bottom of the
heap.
Happily, performance in Dirt 3 was much
better, with a minimum of 105fps at 1,920 x 1,080 with 4x AA being just 6 per
cent slower than the GTX670 2GB and 12 per cent faster than the 79503GB. It was
much closer at 2560 x 1600 with 4xAA though. While the GTX670 2GB was around 6
per cent faster, the HD 7950 3GB was just 1fps slower than theGTX660Ti 2GB.
In Sky-rim, however, the GTX 660 Ti 2GB's
minimum of 60fps at 2,560 x 1,600 was 11 per cent slower than the GTX670 2GB,
but also 7 percent faster than the HD 7950 3GB, and even faster at 5.760 x
1.080.
With its similarities to the GTX 670 2GB,
the GTX 660 Ti 2GB drew nearly the same amount of power at idle and load - 89W
and 228W respectively. A peak delta T of 64°C indicates that the GTX 660 Ti
uses a different thermal profile, though, and its cooling fan wasn't quiet either,
revving up to audible levels under load.
Conclusion
At 1,920 x 1,080, the GTX 660 Ti 2GB looks
strong; it's generally only 7 percent slower thantheGTX670 2GB, and $81
cheaper. However, its performance gap grows by as much as 30 percent at higher
resolutions, and in memory-intensive games such as Crisis 2.
If you're playing games at 1,920 x 1,080, though, the GTX 660 Ti 2GB is a solid
choice.
As such, we have reservations about its
future performance in next-gen titles. A $404 GPU should be a long-term
investment, and the GTX660Ti 2GB already shows some cracks in its performance.
If you're playing games at 1,920 x 1,080, though, the GTX 660 Ti 2GB is a solid
choice. Just be aware that cheaper Kepler cards, such as the GTX 660 2GB, will
be arriving very shortly/, and might be better for tight budgets.
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Details
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Price:
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$387.55
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Manufacturer:
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www.pny.com
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Graphics processor:
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GTX 660 Ti 2GB, 915MHz-980MHz guaranteed
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Pipeline:
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1,344stream processors
(915MHz-980MHzguaranteed), 24ROPs
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Memory:
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2GBGDDR5, 6GHz effective
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Bandwidth:
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144GB/sec, 192-bit interface
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Compatibility:
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DirectX 11.1, OpenGL4.1
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Outputs/Inputs:
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2 x DVI, HDMI, Display Port, 2 x SLI
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Power Connections:
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2x 6-pin, top-mounted
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Size:
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240mm long, dual-slot
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