 |  |
|---|---|
| GTX 1660 | GTX 1660 Ti |
| BUY NOW | BUY NOW |
| PROS | PROS |
| Great for 1080p gaming. Very affordable. Efficient and quiet. | Cuts the cruft. Efficient and overclockable. Good overall balance. |
| CONS | CONS |
| Modest gains over 1060 6GB. Not a true budget GPU price. Some games use more than 6GB. | Only ties the GTX 1070. RTX 2060 doesn’t cost much more. What, only 12nm?. |
SPECIFICATIONS
| OVERVIEW | GTX 1660 | GTX 1660 Ti |
| Card Status | Released | Released |
| Manufacturer | NVIDIA | NVIDIA |
| Release Date | 14th March, 2019 | 22nd February, 2019 |
| Launch Price | $219 USD | $279 USD |
| Board Model | NVIDIA PG165 | NVIDIA PG161 |
| GPU | GTX 1660 | GTX 1660 Ti |
| GPU Model | 12nm TU116-300 | 12nm TU116-400 |
| Cores : TMUs : ROPs | 1408 : 88 : 48 | 1536 : 96 : 48 |
| CLOCKS | GTX 1660 | GTX 1660 Ti |
| Base Clock | 1530 MHz | 1500 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1785 MHz | 1770 MHz |
| Memory Clock (Effective) | 2000 (8000) MHz | 1500 (12000) MHz |
| Computing Power (FP32) | 4,308 GFLOPS | 4,608 GFLOPS |
| MEMORY | GTX 1660 | GTX 1660 Ti |
| Memory Size | 6144 MB GDDR5 | 6144 MB GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus Width | 192-bit | 192-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 192 GB/s | 288 GB/s |
| PHYSICAL | GTX 1660 | GTX 1660 Ti |
| Interface | PCI-Express 3.0 x16 | PCI-Express 3.0 x16 |
| Thermal Design Power | 120 W | 120 W |
OVERVIEW
GTX 1660:
I am using MSI GTX 1660 Super Gaming X in this review.
Like many other recent MSI cards it’s got a dark grey and black theme.
There are two fans on the front, a metal backplate with a nice brushed finish and MSI logo on the back, 8 pin power connector on the top, no option of SLI here.
There’s RGB lighting on the top and bottom of the front fans, as well as from behind the MSI logo on the top, and this can be controlled using MSI’s light sync software to change the effects or match it with the rest of your system.
For the I/O we’ve got three DisplayPort 1.4 outputs and single HDMI 2.0b output.
In terms of dimensions it’s basically the same as MSI’s previous 1660 and 1660 Ti Gaming X models, so not too large.
GTX 1660 TI:
I am using MSI GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Gaming X in this review.
MSI GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Gaming X graphics card got a dark grey and black theme.
There are two fans on the front, a metal backplate with a nice brushed finish and MSI logo on the back, and a single 8 pin power connector on the top.
There’s RGB lighting which can be controlled using MSI’s light sync software.
For the I/O we’ve got three DisplayPort 1.4 outputs and single HDMI 2.0b port.
In terms of dimensions, just under 25cm in length, 13cm tall and 4.6cm wide, making it a two slot card weighing in at 869g or 1.9 pounds.
PERFORMANCE
For the testing I’m using the MSI GTX 1660 Ti Gaming X and the MSI GTX 1660 Gaming X, so both cards are from the same company and are even from the same series with the same coolers, as apples to apples as I can make things.
The system that I’m testing with has an Intel i7-8700K CPU overclocked to 5.0GHz in an MSI Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon motherboard, along with 16GB RAM running at DDR4-3200 in dual channel.
Apex Legends
First up we have the Apex Legends results and this was a clear win for the GTX 1660 Ti over the GTX 1660 as it offered 21.5% more frames at 1440p and 7% ahead at 1080p.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
The GTX 1660 Ti is able to pull ahead in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, making it 18% faster than the GTX 1660 at 1440p and 14% faster at 1080p.
Battlefield V
The 1660 and 1660 Ti are neck-and-neck and shut off the Battlefield V delivering solid 60FPS at both resolutions. In terms of difference, GTX 1660 Ti was 17.5% faster.
Counter Strike: GO
Performance was competitive in Counter Strike: GO, the 1660 Ti is clear winner. This game was very smooth, I didn’t see any lags or shutters at medium or even at high settings. Now for the difference, 1660 Ti was 8.7% ahead at 1440p and 5.7% faster at 1080p.
Far Cry 5
The 1660 only just manages to edge out the 1660 Ti in Far Cry 5 and as a result this meant the 1660 Ti is 16% faster at 1440p and 1080p.
Far Cry New Dawn
Now for the Far Cry New Dawn results and here the 1660 is able to edge out the 1660 Ti beating it by a 16% margin at 1440p and 1080p.
Fortnite
Beating the 1660 with the 1660 Ti by 14% margin at 1440p and was 10% faster at 1080p.
Metro Exodus
Next up, we have Metro Exodus and here the 1660 Ti easily beat the 1660. In technical terms, GTX 1660 Ti was 17% ahead at both resolutions.
Rainbow Six Siege
Another game with a 1660 only managed to match the 1660 Ti is Rainbow Six Siege. Both GPUs averaged around 140 FPS and that meant the 1660 Ti was 12% faster at both resolutions.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Last on our list is Shadow of the Tomb Raider and here the winner is GTX 1660 Ti. In terms of FPS difference, 1660 Ti was 10FPS ahead at 1440p and 15FPS faster at 1080p.
CONCLUSION
Price
In the US, MSI Gaming X 1660 is going for $250, while my MSI Gaming X 1660 Ti is $60 more at $310. There are of course cheaper options.
The 1660 launched at $219 USD, while the 1660 Ti launched at $279 USD, so again a $60 difference in price there.
Is it worth paying more for the Ti?
When we just look at the difference between cards, you’re paying 24 to 27% more for 15% more performance on average at 1080p, or 18% more at 1440p. I think it does seem more worthwhile.
Which one you should buy?
I will recommend you to buy 1660 Ti, mostly because it’s giving fairly good results at 1440p which is a resolution I personally prefer.
If you’re just targeting 1080p though, as we’ve seen the 1660 is definitely capable even at higher settings, and even still does “OK” in many games at 1440p.
