[section label=”Introduction”]
Introduction
Finally, the midrange segment of NVIDIA’s new generation of graphic cards is here. This is the segment that causes the most noise, since ultimately this segment is the one that has the most meaty sales.
NVIDIA’s midrange segment of 2019 is based on NVIDIA’s Turing lineup of chipsets, as we found out with the just-launched GeForce GTX 1660 Ti. When NVIDIA launched the GTX 1660 Ti, we were certain that there was a GTX 1660 coming soon, because in the past they have never launched a standalone “Ti” card. Ti cards are always accompanied by a regular card. For majority of the cases, NVIDIA has launched the “Ti” variant after the regular variant, like the GTX 1080 and GTX 1080 Ti, and the GTX 1060 and GTX 1060 Ti. This tie, NVIDIA launched the Ti variant before the regular variant.
We can only boil down this change of strategy to getting an edge of sales for the Ti variant, which is more expensive and performs better than the non-Ti variant.
The performance of the GTX 1660 Ti was pleasing, and proved a good alternative to the RTX 2060, providing a more robust price-to-performance ration. The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is going around at ₹ 24,500. In comparison, the GeForce GTX 1660 has a launch price of ₹ 19,500, which is around 20% cheaper than the GTX 1660 Ti. The sub-20k price range is the sweet spot for many builders, and thus it the range where ultimately sales are the most aggressive. And so is the competition. This is why this segment is called the mainstream segment.
GeForce GTX 1660 has a launch price of ₹ 19,500, which is around 20% cheaper than the GTX 1660 Ti.
The GeForce GTX 1660 is essentially a cut-down version of the GTX 1660 Ti. It uses the same Turing chipset, the TU116, and is meant to replace the insanely famous GTX 1060. The TU116 chipset was introduced with the GTX 1660 Ti. For the GTX 1660, instead of using GDDR6, NVIDIA has gone for a slower GDDR5. Everything is else is exactly the same. You still get a full 6GB of memory, and clock speeds are higher than the GTX 1660 Ti.
[table id=12 /]
As it is evident from the table, the GeForce GTX 1660 is using the TU116 GPU, the same as the GTX 1660Ti. Only differences are, the number of CUDA Cores, 1408 for the GTX 1660 against 1536 for the GTX 1660Ti. The clock speeds on the GTX 1660 are higher, but the memory runs on GDDR5 versus the GDDR6 on the GTX 1660Ti.
Compared to the GeForce GTX 1060, NVIDIA has targeted the same 120W TDP, as with the GTX 166 0Ti. In that sense, it makes the GTX 1660 slightly less power efficient than the GTX 1660 Ti, roughly 10% to be precise.
[section label=”Meet the GALAX GeForce GTX 1660″]
Meet the GALAX GeForce GTX 1660 1-Click OC
Just like the GeForce GTX 1660Ti, the GeForce GTX 1660 is a virtual launch, meaning, there is no Founders Edition model of the GPU. NVIDIA has left everything to its partners, including GALAX. (Thank you GALAX for the sample unit btw!).
The GALAX GeForce GTX 1660 1-Click OC has a dual fan set up, sitting above aluminium heat sinks. The unit is well put-together, without any flexing. It is possible to remove the fan and clean the heat-sinks, if need be.
A big improvement of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 over the previous generation GeForce GTX 1060 is the reduction in the chipset’s size, combining with increase in performance. Have a look at how the GALAX GeForce GTX 1660 1-Click OC compares in size with the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition, and the recently launched Gigabyte Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650. At 8.43 inches length and 214 mm thickness, this is clearly a technological advancement.
GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition, GALAX GeForce GTX 1660 and Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1650. Notice the size difference between the GTX 1060 and GTX 1660.
The GALAX GeForce GTX 1660 is roughly 20% smaller than the GTX 1060 Founders Edition. It is also much, much lighter than the GTX 1060 FE. It fits the motherboard with ease, even in small cabinets. It uses dual slots on the back panel. You get two HDMI ports, a DVI port, a mini-HDMI port and a DisplayPort. To power the GALAX GeForce GTX 1660 1-Click OC, you will need one 8-pin power connector. GALAX has provided a convertor cable, if you’re using one of those older power supply units.
The GALAX GeForce GTX 1660 is roughly 20% smaller than the GTX 1060 Founders Edition. It is also much, much lighter than the GTX 1060 FE. It fits the motherboard with ease, even in small cabinets.
Side profile of the GALAX GeForce GTX 1660. Notice the coverage of the aluminium fins.
The GALAX GeForce GTX 1660 1-Click OC comes with 3-year warranty, that separates this card from the ones where 1 year warranty is standard. There is no bundled game in this package. In general, the GTX 1660 has not been bundled with any game.
The GALAX GeForce GTX 1660 1-Click OC is priced at ₹19,500 and is available at all major online and offline retailers.
[section label=”GPU-Z”]
GPU-Z
Here is the screenshot of the GALAX GeForce GTX 1660 1-Click OC on GPU-Z.
[section label=”Test Bench”]
Our Test Bench
Here is a rundown of the specifications of our test system. We will be using the same system for benching the Turing generation of Nvidia graphics cards.
[table id=7 /]
As an additional thanks to NVIDIA, we were able to get a GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition card, which is the closest last-gen predecessor to the GTX 1660.
[section label=”Gaming Benchmarks”]
Gaming Benchmarks
All games have been tested in 2560 x 1440 resolution (1440p)
Grand Theft Auto V
GTA V as a game has aged excellently. It still commands a great deal of respect among gamers because of its age and character. Despite being a DirectX 11 game without the modern features, even in this day and age, the game is a graphically demanding game. We used the game’s built-in benchmark tool.
We used the “Very High” preset for graphics, which is the highest the game offers. Anti-aliasing was set to 2x MSAA. Draw Distance values were left unchanged.
Minimum FPS: 7.6
Maximum FPS: 101.4
Average FPS: 52.74
GTA V has an affinity towards Nvidia hardware, and the GALAX GeForce GTX 1660 1-Click OC is no exception. Averaging at 52 frames the second, the game is playable and smooth. We can get this up to 60 fps simply by reducing Anti-aliasing. In contrast, the GeForce GTX 1060 gives an average FPS of around 48. That makes the GTX 1660 around 10% faster than its predecessor. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 averages around 57 fps, about 10% faster than the GTX 1660 respectively.
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Another great game with all the modern features, benchmarking Rise of Tomb Raider is an industry standard when it comes to testing graphics cards. Once again, we maxed out all settings.
This is result we got:
At everything maxed out, 33.54 FPS is not bad at all for the GALAX GeForce GTX 1660 1-Click OC. That means the game is pretty playable at 1440p. The GeForce GTX 1660 is seeming to be a pretty decent card for gaming at 1440p.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Just like GTA V, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has aged like fine wine. The game still looks absolutely stunning: it features great dynamic weather and vegetation, detailed character models and eye-watering effects.
The graphics were set to ‘Ultra’ quality, with Nvidia Hairworks enabled and Anti-aliasing at 4.
Minimum FPS: 26
Maximum FPS: 46
Average FPS: 36.9
Even the game’s settings maxed out, we were able to achieve a playable FPS. This is around 15% faster than the GTX 1060, 5% faster than the Radeon RX 580. The RX Vega 56 is leaps ahead of the GTX 1660, roughly 25%.
Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition
Final Fantasy XV uses all the modern Nvidia GameWorks features, and OCAT. The game also supports HDR and DLSS.
Averaging at 33 FPS on 1440p and Ultra Quality settings, the GALAX GeForce GTX 1660 1-Click OC is ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 590 by around 7%. The GTX 1060 struggles with Final Fantasy XV, managing a mere 33 FPS.
Middle Earth: Shadow of War
Middle Earth: Shadow of War uses the new LithTech Firebird engine, which improves on detail and complexity. The game also supports HDR10. We ran the in-game benchmark tool at 2560 x 1440 resolution, and graphics settings on the ‘Ultra’ preset.
Minimum FPS: 8.6
Maximum FPS: 198.72
Average FPS: 48.02
Here, the GTX 1660 has outdone the GTX 1060, which averages around 33 fps. This is almost 50% faster than the GTX 1060. The GALAX GeForce GTX 1660 1-Click OC also beats the AMD Radeon RX 580 by a margin of around 15%.
Metro: Last Light
Metro: Last Light might be a previous generation game, but it still manages to give even the most recent hardware a challenge, as we can see in the results.
We used the ‘Very High’ preset, which is the highest that the game offers. SSAA was turned on. The game supports advanced graphics features like Tessellation, which was set to Very High.
Even a previous generation game like Metro: Last Light can’t run on a stable FPS of 60 with the GALAX GeForce GTX 1660 1-Click OC. We average out at 35.04 frames per second. Still playable though, which for a game like Metro: Last Light with maxed our Anti-aliasing and tessellation, is completely acceptable.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Still bringing systems to their knees, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is a modern DirectX 12 title that has been a graphical benchmark since the day it launched.
With maxed out settings, 1440p resolution, and other special features like Temporal Anti-Aliasing, Sharpen, Cloth Physics, Chromatic Aberration and Tessellation enabled, the GALAX GeForce GTX 1660 1-Click OC managed a respectable 17.9 FPS. To get a stable 30 FPS, you’ll have to disable the extra features, like Temporal Anti-Aliasing and Tessellation.
In contrast, the GTX 1060 gave us an average FPS of 15.1. The Zotac GTX 1070 Amp! Extreme edition maxes out at 21.5 FPS. That just goes to show how demanding Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is. The game is more AMD friendly than Nvidia, as the RX 470 managed similar FPS to the GTX 1060. Still, the GALAX GeForce GTX 1660 1-Click OC is around 20% faster than the GeForce GTX 1060.
[section label=”3D Mark – Time Spy Extreme”]
3D Mark – Time Spy Extreme
Time Spy Extreme yielded us a Graphics score of 3301 and an overall score of 2265. This is higher the score of even the GTX 1070, which is surprising. This score is slightly above the RX Vega 56 and well above RX 590.
Temperature and Power Consumption
[section label=”Temperature”]
Temperature
[section label=”Power Consumption”]
Power Consumption
Idle power consumption of the GALAX GeForce GTX 1660 1-Click OC is pretty much on point at 83W, similar to other GPU. Under load, the GTX 1660 is pretty power efficient, especially when compared to AMD’s graphics cards.
[section label=”Conclusion”]
Conclusion
The launch of the GeForce GTX 1660 marks the beginning of a new generation, a new era, indeed. As per Steam reports, the GeForce GTX 1060 is one of the most popular GPUs among PC gamers. The GeForce GTX 1660 is meant to succeed the GTX 1060. This just goes to show how critical this GPU is to the market. It refreshes an immensely popular mainstream graphics card. How the GTX 1660 holds up now will kind of decide the clout NVIDIA commands in the dual-headed GPU superwars.
Priced at ₹ 18,500, the GALAX NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 6GB 1-Clock OC hits the most popular and demanded price-slot for GPUs. This is the price range usually an aware customer goes for, when building a gaming PC.
For consumers looking at video cards in the range of ₹ 15,000 – ₹ 20,000, the GeForce GTX 1660 is a great choice as it sets a new bar for performance and power efficiency.
For consumers looking at video cards in the range of ₹ 15,000 – ₹ 20,000, the GeForce GTX 1660 is a great choice as it sets a new bar for performance and power efficiency. The GALAX GeForce GTX 1660 6GB 1-click OC Edition performs on an average 25% better than the previous-gen GTX 1060. For people who are using the older generations video cards like the GTX 960 and the R9 280, the GALAX GeForce GTX 1660 6GB 1-click OC Edition is an excellent upgrade, that right away doubles in performance.
If you’re in the market for building a new PC, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 still holds it own in terms of price-to-performance ratio. The GTX 1660 Ti, costs 25% more but doesn’t necessarily scale the same in terms of performance. The AMD Radeon RX 590 is now kind of made redundant by the GeForce GTX 1660, expect AMD to drop prices soon.
When it comes to the GTX 1660 chipset made by GALAX, the build quality is good, you get dual fans and a neat aluminium heat sink. The icing on the cake is the 3-year warranty. Also, compared to variants from Gigabyte, XFX and Asus, the GALAX GeForce GTX 1660 6GB 1-click OC Edition is ₹ 500 cheaper.
The GALAX GeForce GTX 1660 6GB 1-click OC Edition is the video card you should be buying if you intend to max out all modern games at 1080p and run above 60 frames-per-second. If you’re playing at 1440p, the GTX 1660 does well too, averaging steady above 30 fps in most modern games
