Best GTX 1660 TI in 2021

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Do you want super-fast 1080p and solid 1440p gameplay on a budget? Look no further than the GTX 1660 Ti. In this article we list our top five 1660 Ti variants, as well a budget option.

GTX 1660 TI Graphics Cards, Explained

The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is a great value chip for those wanting excellent 1080p gameplay.

It’s a 12nm card with the same Turing architecture, but lacking the tensor or ray-tracing cores.

As such, it was the first GTX Turing card (as opposed to RTX), still with Turing architecture but without the ray-tracing features.

Why? Well, Nvidia realized that most gamers can live without ray-tracing, especially for now with so few titles supporting it. And they also can’t afford to spend $500+ on a graphics card.

Without ray-tracing, the 1660 Ti is able to focus on what gamers want most: high refresh rates for 1080p online multiplayer games, and even 1440p gameplay hovering around the 60fps mark.

You also miss out on some high-end features like DLSS-based anti-aliasing, USB-C ports for virtual reality, and SLI multi-card setups.

The memory is the same as the RTX 2060 with 6GB of GDDR6, but clocked slightly lower at 12Gbps.

But Nvidia has also reduced the die size from the RTX cards, whilst increasing the transistor count and lowering the power draw, making it smaller and more efficient.

Does the Turing architecture make that much of a difference? Yes, a lot. It’s only slightly more expensive than the GTX 1060, based on the older Pascal architecture, but Shadow of the Tomb Raider is 50% faster.

Compared to the 1060, the 1660 Ti also has improved GDDR6 memory over GDDR5, more transistors, more CUDA cores, more L1 cache, and faster clock speeds. 

With all this, AMD’s main competitor, the Radeon RX 590, can’t compete, and to add insult to injury, is also slightly more expensive.

It looks like the 1660 Ti is here to stay for a while.

Top 5 GTX 1660 TI Graphics Cards

1. Asus ROG Strix GTX 1660 Ti OC

Asus ROG Strix GTX 1660 Ti OC

Image Source: Amazon

Pros:

 

  • Ferociously-overclocked
  • Very effective BIOS profiles

 

 

Cons:

 

  • Expensive
  • Large

 

 

The Asus ROG Strix does it again with a fully-loaded high-end model for the most enthusiastic enthusiasts.

It looks much the same as any other ROG Strix; an all-black behemoth with three large fans, a hefty heatsink and premium backplate. RGB accents around the fans give some subtle color, controllable via  Aura Sync software with a handy button to switch it all off easily.

There’s also a couple of Asus FanConnect II headers, whose fans can be cleverly controlled by the GPU’s temperature.

It’s ferociously-overclocked with a 1,860MHz boost, 90MHz up on the reference card.

It’s built for overclocking, with its Tweak II software making this a cinch, including a one-click button that overclocks it automatically to 1,890MHz.

However, in reality you’re not going to need this because the clock goes up to 1,935MHz-1,950MHz in-game anyway, due to its clever GPU Boost algorithm. Tweak II can be used to finely-tune things instead by advanced users.

The cooling solution includes ‘MaxContact Technology’ with a 10 times flatter heat spreader for better heat dissipation. 

It of course includes dual BIOS, but remarkably, game performance is high for both. However, Performance mode is 16 times cooler (according to Asus), keeping temperatures below an ice-cold 60C. Whereas Quiet mode is 13 times quieter; the fans don’t spin below 55C, and it’s still virtually silent above that.

In terms of display outputs, you get two DisplayPorts and two HDMIs.

Gaming performance is strong with excellent 1080p gameplay and comfortable 1440p gameplay. Battlefield V reaches 92fps at 1080p, 70fps at 1440p and 37fps at 4k. Shadow of the Tomb Raider reaches 83fps at 1080p, and 21fps at 4k.

2. Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Windforce OC

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 Ti OC 6G

Image Source: Gigabyte

Pros:

 

  • Runs cool and quiet
  • Efficient
  • Impressive 1080p gaming

 

 

Cons:

 

  • Plastic backplate

 

This is Gigabyte’s flagship 1660 Ti, kitted out to the max, and packing a punch with performance.

Looks-wise, gray accents help break up the usual all-black plastic PCB scenario. The logo on the bottom is RGB-lit. However, unfortunately you still get the cheap plastic blackplate that isn’t going to do much except hamper cooling.

It’s got a 1,500MHz base clock and 1,860MHz boost. However, clock speeds tended to hover around a nice 1,890-1,920 MHz in gaming with GPU Boost.

Speaking of which, Battlefield V reaches 91fps at 1080p, 69fps at 1440p and 37fps at 4k. Shadow of the Tomb Raider reaches 79fps at 1080p, 52fps at 1440p and 26fps at 4k. So it’s very comfortable on 1080p, and hovering around the 60fps at 1440p.

The heatsink is massive, even hanging over the edge of the PCB. Three heat pipes are flattened in the middle to draw heat away to the fin arrays, and the right side has no contact which helps keep temperatures down.

Windforce 3x 80mm fans spin in alternating directions for less competing airflow. 3D Active Fan means the fans won’t spin unless under load, although the fans are so quiet anyway, you can turn this off to keep temperatures cool. Noise levels peaked at just 38dBA.

Temperatures reach 65C, which is more than acceptable, although oddly no better than its cheapest-tier model.

Three DisplayPorts and one HDMI make up the typical display outputs.

It’s extremely efficient, with a TDP of just 116W.

3. MSI GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Gaming X 6G

MSI GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Gaming X 6G

Image Source: MSI

Pros:

 

  • Excellent overclocking
  • Tasteful looks
  • Cool and near silent

 

 

Cons:

 

  • Base clock below reference

 

The base clock is actually slightly lower at 1,500MHz (reference is 1,506), but the boost is a zippy 1,875MHz, a huge leap from the reference card’s measly 1,708MHz.

This is a mid-range model from MSI, between it’s flagship Armor card and more basic Ventus.

At 246mm in length, it’s a bit big but not huge. The look combines steel gray and black, with a textured pad covering part of the front for a slightly unique look. There’s also of course a dash of red on fan centers. At the black, there’s a vented aluminium backplate.

RGB is tasteful with an illuminated MSI logo on the top, and two strips under each fan.

MSI sticks with the standard three DisplayPorts and one HDMI.

It’s dual fan with a Twin Frozr 7 cooling solution. The fans are Torx Fan 3.0 with two different blade styles, one ‘dispersion’ to accelerate airflow into the card, and another ‘normal’ to push it all to the heat sink. As usual, they don’t spin when idle.

Temperatures peaked at just 65C, which is very acceptable, and it’s pretty efficient too with a TDP of 116W.

In gaming, Shadow of the Tomb Raider reached 95fps at 1080p, 63fps at 1440p and 33fps at 4k. Meanwhile Far Cry 5 managed 104fps at 1080p, 76fps at 1440p and 40fps at 4k.

Despite the already-high boost it overclocks well, up to 175MHz over the boost clock, which led to an excellent 14% performance improvement on Rise of The Tomb Raider. What’s more, temperatures remained under 65C, which is very unusual.

It’s also near-silent, with maximum noise levels of just 37dBA.

Overall a great option that’s very affordable, cool and quiet, with decent frame rates and overclocking.

4. EVGA GEFORCE GTX 1660 TI XC ULTRA

EVGA GEFORCE GTX 1660 TI XC ULTRA

Image Source: EVGA

Pros:

 

  • Gaming similar to Strix
  • Reasonable size
  • Cool and near-silent

 

 

Cons:

 

  • Less display outputs
  • No RGB
  • No backplate

 

 

For those who like the ROG Strix but need something slightly cheaper and smaller, EVGA have answered your prayers.

At just 266.7mm long, it should easily fit into your case.

Despite this, it’s managed to achieve exactly the same boost clock as the ROG Strix at 1,860MHz, 90MHz over the reference card.

But like the Strix, in practice it goes even higher, to around an impressive 1,935-1,950MHz, for super-fast gaming.

Gaming performance is very similar to the Strix. Over a 12 game average, the Strix beats it by around 1fps at 1080p, and is pretty much equal for 1440p.

For example, Shadow of the Tomb Raider reaches 82fps at 1080p and 54fps at 1440p, 1fps behind the Strix. Middle Earth: Shadow of War reaches 88fps at 1080p and 60fps at 1440p.

But in some cases, EVGA wins. For example, Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation plays at 50.8fps at 1080p and 43.9fps at 1440p with the EVGA, but only 49.4fps and 42.4fps respectively on the Asus.

The cooler is top-notch, with two hydraulic dynamic bearing (HDB) axial fans as opposed to traditional sleeve-bearing fans. These fans are also covered in tiny ‘Es’, which EVGA actually claims aid in cooling. And it seems to work, peaking at just 64C.

EVGA also claims these two features combined produced 19% less noise. And it’s true, they’re pretty silent, producing just 36dBA at most.

It’s also pretty efficient, with a maximum power draw of just 204W

Precision X1 software can be used to manually overclock, and it’s dead-easy to use, including a one-click overclocking feature for beginners afraid to tweak too much.

It looks pretty sleek and stylish with an all-black PCB shroud, but there’s no backplate and even more unusually, no RGB to add some extra flair. I personally am not a fan of the look of the tiny Es either.

It’s also only got one Display and one HDMI, and unusually puts in a DVI connection.

5. Palit GeForce GTX 1660 Ti StormX OC

Palit GeForce GTX 1660 Ti StormX OC

Image Source: Palit

Pros:

 

  • Very efficient
  • Tiny
  • Cool and silent

 

 

Cons:

 

  • Basic looks
  • Only one fan

 

 

For those needing a compact model, this is one of the smallest going, and doesn’t break the bank.

At a tiny 17cm, you’re doing well to squeeze in stock performance, which is exactly what Palit manages to deliver.

You get stock clock speeds, which means a 1770 MHz boost clock. There’s still a little overclocking headroom, though not as much as bigger models. Still, overclocking managed a cool 9% improvement in Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Without overclocking, Battlefield V reaches 90fps at 1080p, 67fps at 1440p and 37fps at 4k. Shadow of the Tomb Raider reaches 77fps at 1080p, 50fps at 1440p and just 26fps at 4k.

So, a couple of fps points behind the mid-range Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Windforce OC.

ICs are also 12 GHz like the reference card, but this can also be tweaked up to 14-15GHz manually.

It’s got a 4+2 phase power design and one 8-pin connector. The maximum power draw in tests is 108W, though it’s rated 120W, making it extremely efficient.

There’s just one fan. Despite this and the smaller cooler, maximum temperature is an incredible 64C, with no particular heat pockets to worry about on thermal images.

It’s also close to silent, with peak noise levels of just 37dBA. This is surprising as you’d expect that one fan to have to work pretty hard.

It differs from the usual outputs with only one DisplayPort, one HDMI and one DVI connector.

The Looks are pretty basic, all-black with no RGB or backplate, but this helps to make it so affordable.

Best Budget GTX 1660 TI

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 Ti OC 6G

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 Ti OC 6G

Image Source: Gigabyte

Pros:

  • Compact
  • Runs cool
  • Significant overclocking headroom

Cons:

  • Not the quietest
  • No RGB
  • Plastic backplate

At this budget, you usually only get a basic single-fan model with the same clock speeds as the reference card. Gigabyte manages to deliver a lot more, making it our bang for buck winner.

You get a slight overclock of 1,800MHz instead of 1,770MHz, and two 90mm Windforce X2 fans that spin in different directions to reduce turbulence. However, in practice it runs at a faster 1,857MHz on average, which is very welcome.

It’s mostly black, though with a couple of gray sections, looking similar to much more expensive models with two caveats. First, RGB is completely non-existent. Second, the backplate is a much cheaper plastic.

As a bonus it’s very nicely-sized, only dual slot and not very long at all, just 225.65 x 122.02 x 40.5mm. It also doesn’t require too much power; maximum power draw is 169W.

You still get three DisplayPorts and one HDMI.

The cooler is smaller than most on this list and very basic, with just one 6mm copper heatpipe. However, surprisingly it still manages to run respectably cool, peaking at just 65C.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider reaches 84.9fps at 1080p and 56.1fps at 1440p. Battlefield V reaches 96.1fps at 1080p, an impressive 71fps at 1440p and 31fps at 4k.

There was also significant overclocking headroom, up to 2027MHz, bringing a significant increase in 8fps to Shadow of the Tomb Raider, which will delight gamers.

Overclocking still produced great temperatures, but the fans became very noisy.

Overall it manages to get close to the more expensive MSI Gaming X, which runs only 1C cooler, 57MHz faster and 1-2fps faster in gaming.

Where it falls down slightly is noise. Peak noise levels were 43.1dBA. This isn’t noisy by any means, but it’s certainly audible. By comparison, the MSI was near silent.

Evidently, the fans are working harder and spinning faster to keep it at such a low temperatures due to the inferior cooler.

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