NVIDIA is a supplier of video cards in a wide variety of price segments. Among the modifications of graphic adapters from NVIDIA that gained decent popularity on the world and Russian markets is the GTX 660 Ti device. It belongs to the category of models in the price range above the average, and therefore many users, waiting for the start of sales of this device - it was launched on the market in 2012 - were counting on a serious level of its manufacturability and productivity. What are the main features of the GTX 660 Ti in the ASUS version? What features are incorporated in it by the manufacturer?
Video Card Basics
The GTX 660 Ti graphics card is based on NVIDIA's proprietary GK104 graphics chip. Equipped with 3 GB of GDDR5 video memory, which has a 192-bit bus width. It is characterized by the highest performance: the graphics processor installed on the GTX 660 Ti graphics card operates at a frequency of 1032 MHz, the RAM modules at a frequency of 1502 MHz, the bus operates at 400 MHz. The device is equipped with a powerful air cooling system that protects it from overheating even at maximum loads. The video card has connectors like DVI, as well as HDMI, with which you can connect external devices to it. In many ways, the device is close to the product GTX 670, which is also developed by NVIDIA. The closest competitors to the video card are devices such as the Radeon HD 7870 and HD 7950.
Graphics card from ASUS and other brands: is there a big difference?
The specificity of the device in many aspects - in particular, how the device looks, and also what are the characteristics of its key hardware components, is largely determined by the design concept of a particular brand-manufacturer of a video card. The fact is that the graphics card under license from NVIDIA can be produced by different companies - such as, for example, ZOTAC or ASUS. The GTX 660 Ti can be delivered to Russia in this way under different brands.
At the same time, despite the fact that the devices sold in the Russian Federation can differ not only in appearance, but also in some characteristics, the difference between them is not so significant in terms of the efficiency of the devices in practice.
If we talk about the modification of the video card under consideration from ZOTAC, then among the most notable hardware components present in the corresponding delivery is the Dual Silencer cooling system. It is represented by two fans, as well as an aluminum radiator of impressive size. As some IT experts note, this cooling system can provide a decrease in the operating temperature of the graphics adapter by about 10 degrees in full load mode. In addition, this hardware component is functioning, emitting significantly less noise than that installed in the standard modification of the NVIDIA GTX 660 Ti graphics card. The corresponding figure for the cooling system in question is 10 dB. The maximum temperature of the video card on which this hardware component is installed does not exceed 80 degrees.
A very unusual modification of the graphics adapter was introduced to the market by Colorful. First of all, it is possible to note the variety of color shades in which this brand chose to color the video card. But not only in this, you can find the originality of the device - it installed another version of the advanced cooling system, Air Kit. Its main feature is the presence of a large radiator that exceeds the size of the video card itself. However, if necessary, it can be removed from the device. The video card in the modification from Colorful has a RAM capacity of 2 GB, the rest - the characteristics of the device as a whole coincide with those that have other modifications of the graphics adapter.
What is the specifics of the video card in the version from ASUS? The GeForce GTX 660 Ti in the corresponding modification, in general, corresponds to the characteristics of the original model. The video card from ASUS also has 3 GB of RAM, supports connection via DVI, HDMI, compatible with DirectX 11 technologies, as well as OpenGL 4.3.
Thus, everything that will be discussed later can be generally attributed to the considered video card in a modification from ASUS.
Characteristics
We will study in more detail the main technological features of the GeForce GTX 660 Ti. The characteristics of the device, which you can pay special attention to, are as follows.
The video card operates using the high-speed PCI Express X16 3.0 interface. It is equipped, as we noted above, with a proprietary graphics processor from NVIDIA - GK104. This chip is produced as part of the 28 nm process technology, and its structure includes 3.54 billion transistors. As we noted above, it operates at a frequency of 1032 MHz, but this is a regular indicator - the chip can be overclocked to 1111 MHz. The total number of stream processors in the structure of the video card is 1344.
The device supports:
- DirectX technology in version 11.1;
- OpenGL standard in version 4.3;
- shaders in version 5.0;
- HDCP;
- proprietary technologies from NVIDIA (such as, for example, 3D Vision, PhysX, CUDA).
The GTX 660 Ti graphics card supports a maximum resolution of 4096 by 2160 pixels. The device is designed to work when using a 450 W power supply. The GTX 660 Ti graphics card has 112 texture units, as well as 24 pipelines that perform raster operations.
Architecture features
The considered graphics adapter is equipped with a processor, which is designed on the basis of high-tech architecture Kepler. On its basis, such well-known chips as the GTX 480 and the GTX 580 were also released. The GK graphic chip installed in the GTX 660 Ti graphics card has 4 clusters responsible for graphic processing, 7 SMX multiprocessors, which consist of 1344 cores. In this sense, the structure of the video card is very similar to that of the GTX 670 device .
The peculiarity of graphic chips based on the Kepler architecture is that they implement the GPU Boost function, which allows you to automatically increase the GPU frequency values in order to accelerate the device. Thus, the natural overclocking of the GTX 660 Ti is carried out, which can significantly increase the overall comfort of using the interfaces processed by the video card. Kepler architecture and its capabilities can be attributed to the key technological advantages of the considered graphics adapter.
Supported Technologies
Let’s further consider what features the GTX 660 Ti graphics card has. We studied the characteristics of the device in terms of hardware components. Now let's examine what this video card is capable of in terms of supporting software technologies.
Among the most noteworthy are DirectX 11, PhysX, and TXAA. It is important that many game manufacturers at the time the device in question entered the market in 2012 began to use these standards as basic ones. Therefore, for a gamer, acquiring a device like the GTX 660 Ti was a great way to adapt your PC to the latest trends in the gaming industry. Actually, even now, many game manufacturers are focusing on using the noted standards, and therefore the presence of the device in question on the computer remains relevant to ensure a high level of comfort for the gaming process.
It can be noted that TXAA technology belongs to the category of branded. Its developer is the manufacturer of the GTX 660 Ti graphics card. This technology is a special method of smoothing a picture by using special filters, as well as pixel processing algorithms. In practice, it allows, for example, to provide the highest quality images in dynamic scenes. As some experts note, TXAA technology slightly reduces image sharpness, but in practice, many users are somewhat impressed by the similar effect. The smoothing method in question operates in 2 main modes. The first involves the use of 2 multisamples, the second - 4.
As for gaming products, which include the use of TXAA technology - one of the first such solutions, if we talk about the start time of sales of the GTX 660 Ti, was the game Secret World. In it, the developers have provided 4 levels of smoothing. Moreover, if the corresponding function is disabled in the game at all, then many of the elements of the gameplay are not displayed. Therefore, it is important for a gamer to have a video card capable of processing graphics in smoothing mode - the GTX 660 Ti can be considered a very suitable option.
As for the practical effectiveness of the video card in the modes involving the technologies mentioned above, experts rate it as extremely high. Indeed, with a high-quality development of graphic components by the software engine, the video card is capable of displaying gameplay on the screen, providing an excellent level of clarity and brightness of the picture.
Performance tests
How productive can this device be considered?
As we noted above, the NVIDIA GTX 660 Ti graphics card has 2 main competitors - the product HD 7870, as well as 7950 from AMD. As tests conducted by IT experts show, the device from NVIDIA is faster than the HD 7870 solution, however, it is inferior in speed to the second competing adapter. At the same time, all three devices are generally comparable in terms of the manufacturability of the components, and therefore, in the course of their practical use - in games or graphics applications, the difference in the speed of work revealed in synthetic tests will not be very noticeable. It can also be noted that the video card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti, in terms of performance, is generally close to the GTX 670 device - we noted above that these devices are also similar in terms of technology level. However, in some operating modes, the GTX 670 graphics card will work somewhat faster due to the fact that it is equipped with a wider RAM interface - 256 bits, while the indicator for the device in question is 192 bits.
What results does the GeForce GTX 660 Ti show in modes using the main supported technologies - DirextX in version 11, GPU PhysX, as well as TXAA? According to IT experts, the device provides not only high performance in the respective modes, but also good energy efficiency indicators. Actually, the optimization of energy consumption is one of the tasks for which NVIDIA developed the Kepler architecture.
The GTX 660 Ti graphics card is much faster than previous models - in particular, those that are based on the Fermi architecture. The graphics adapter looks pretty good in comparison with not only the Radeon HD 7870, one of the main direct competitors - it is quite comparable with the results of the Radeon 7950 device. From the point of view of energy efficiency, the video card from NVIDIA, as IT experts note, is superior to the HD 7950 device.
Comparison with GTX 660
It will be useful to compare the technological features of the GTX 660 Ti graphics adapter with those that have its very close counterpart - the GTX 660 device. This device entered the market after NVIDIA released the TI modification. The main difference between the GTX 660 graphics adapter and the previous model is the availability of a new chip, GK106. The video card is characterized by exceptionally high performance.
Its main characteristics are as follows. The graphics chip on which the adapter runs - GK106, is made as part of the 28 nm process technology. The structure of the processor of the video card contains 2.54 billion transistors. The video adapter architecture is optimized for streaming processing the widest range of graphic data. The device at the hardware level supports DirectX 11 technology, as well as shaders in version 5.0, processes graphics in tessellation mode.
The device has a 192-bit RAM bus and 3 stand-alone 64-bit controllers. The standard frequency of the video card core is 980 MHz, in overclocking mode - 1033 MHz. In the structure of the device there are 5 multiprocessors adapted for efficient floating point calculations. The GTX 660 Ti graphics card has 80 units that perform texture addressing, and also perform a filtering function, 3 ROP units. The amount of RAM for the video card is 2 GB.
Thus, in terms of performance, the confrontation of the form of the GTX 660 Ti VS GTX 660 slightly wins the first hardware component. However, the second device, in general, is not inferior to its predecessor in terms of key functions, support for modern technologies and versatility. In addition, the GTX 660 is cheaper than the older model. In this sense, in opposing the GTX 660 Ti VS GTX 660, the second video card may have some advantage, because not all users need a device with such impressive characteristics as the older model - Ti.
Performance GTX 660
How productive is the GTX 660? Is it possible to say that the GTX 660 Ti graphics card is significantly ahead of it in speed? As many IT experts note, the device is very competitive against the background of the older model. During the practical use of the video adapter in games and graphic applications, the difference in the performance of the video cards in question may not be felt at all. If we talk about comparing the speed of the GTX 600 and its direct competitors, the device also shows excellent results. In particular, the video card in many performance measurement tests produces indicators that are superior to those that are revealed when testing devices such as Radeon HD 7850.
Reviews
We’ll explore what users say about their experience exploring the capabilities of the GTX 660 Ti. The views of computer electronics enthusiasts can be classified into the following main categories:
- reviews of IT-specialists using video cards in various graphic applications;
- Reviews of gamers who use the device mainly in games;
- reviews of experts who investigated the capabilities of the device in various tests.
As for the opinions of IT specialists who use the device in their work, for example, when processing pictures, videos, and programming 3D games, the video card under consideration from NVIDIA is characterized in them as, above all, a stable and reliable device, which, at the same time, It is complemented by high speed and versatility - in terms of supporting current software technologies, the ability to connect various devices, compatibility with other hardware components.
Fans of computer games are also generally satisfied with the work of the video card. As gamers note, the adapter from NVIDIA really copes with the processing of graphic elements, gives a clear picture even when demanding games are launched. Any difficulties with the organization of the gameplay, involving the use of high-tech standards, such as DirectX 11, according to users, are not typical for a video card.
As for the reviews of experts who tested the GTX 660 Ti, their opinions are based on a comparison of the performance measurements of devices and competing devices. Considering the results of the corresponding tests above, we learned that the devices look more than worthy against the background of their analogues. Therefore, it is not surprising that expert reviews regarding the evaluation of video card performance are fully positive.
Summary
Regardless of the specific modification of the device - be it an adapter released by ZOTAC, Palit or ASUS - the GeForce GTX 660 Ti is a video card that can be called one of the most high-tech solutions for the corresponding stage of development of the electronic components market. The device supports all those standards that were considered as the most relevant for the gaming industry of those years when the adapter was introduced to the market. The video card shows excellent test results, in many ways ahead of competing solutions.