Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB
The GrForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB now finds itself
pitted against AMD’s HD 7950 3GB at a price point just north of $353.9. Just
like the GTX 670 2GB and GTX 680 2GB, the HTX 660 Ti 2GB is based around
Nvidia’s GK104 Kepler GPU, although as you’d expect, it’s received additional
cuts to allow it to hit the lower price point.
While it matches the GTX 670 2GB when it
comes to stream processors, packing the same four GPXs and seven SMs for a
total of 1,344 stream processors, the memory interface has been stripped down.
By disabling one of the cards memory
controllers, Nvidia has cut the memory interface to 192-bit, and as a result,
also disabled eight of the GK104 GPU’s 32 ROPs and reduced the amount of L2
cache by 128KB to 384KB.
Despite having 2GB of GDDR5 memory running
at 1.5GHz (6GHz effective), the 192-bit memory interface reduces the card’s
memory bandwidth to 144GB/sec; in comparison, the HD 7950 3GB boasts a peak
memory bandwidth of 240GB/sec, giving it the edge in bandwidth-intensive games
such as Crysis 2.
Other than the reductions to the card’s
memory interface, though, the TX 660 Ti 2GB’s GPU is otherwise identical to
that of the GTX 670 2GB. It runs at a base clock of 915MHz with a guaranteed
boost clock of 980MHz, and a peak boost clock of 1,084MHz should the card’s
temperature and 150W TSP allow it.
In Unigine’s heaven benchmark, the GTX 660
Ti has a clear advantage over the HD 7950 3GB, thanks to a healthy score of
1,455. The GX 660 Ti 2GB also had the edge at 1,920 x 1,080; only in Crysis 2
was the HD 7950 3GB quicker thanks to its superior memory bandwidth, with the
GTX 660 Ti 2GB boasting a whopping 17 per cent advantage in Battlefield 3 at
1,920 x 1,080 with 4x AA, thanks to a minimum frame rate of 54fps compared to
the HD 7950 3GBs minimum of 46fps.
At 2,560 x 1,600 with 4x AA, the Radeon
card is more competitive, though, offering playable frame rates in all our
benchmarks, while the GTX 660 Ti struggled with an unplayable minimum frame
rate of 22fps in Crysis 2.
Conclusion
While marginally faster than the HD 7950
3GB ar 1,920 x 1,080, the GTX 660 Ti 2GB slows down under memory bandwidth
intensive circumstances, thanks to its reduced memory interface – you can see
this in its Cysis 2 performance at 2,560 x 1,600. While it still offers decent
performance, the GTX 670 2GB at $450.5 is substantially quicker, while the GTX
660 2GB at $289.5 offers better value for money. Both of these are better
choice than GTX 660 Ti.
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Information
Decent performance, but misses the value
sweet-spot
Sweet: Excellent frame rates at 1,920 x
1,080
Sour: Around 20 per cent slower than GTX
670 2GB; Crysis 2 not playable at 2,560 x 1,600
Typical street price: $370
Manufacturer: www.nvidia.com
Scores
1920 speed: 14/20
2560 speed: 12/20
5760 speed: 2/5
Value: 42/55
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