EVGA Geforce GTX 660 review

Nvidia's latest makes Kepler even sweeter with a lower price tag

TechRadar Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Affordable price

  • +

    Runs quietly

  • +

    SLI and 3D support

Cons

  • -

    Doesn't blow 500-series away

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Ever since Nvidia debuted its new Kepler architecture with the GeForce GTX 690 and the GeForce GTX 680, the GPU mogul has been working its way down the price point tree. At $1,000 and $500, prices ranged from jaw dropping to still pretty unaffordable. The GeForce GTX 670 came next, but at $400, it was still above the reach of the average gamer's wallet.

When the Geforce GTX 660Ti hit shelves last month at $300, pricing for Nvidia's new Kepler cards finally hit a sweet spot of affordability and graphical horsepower. Now the fashionably late Geforce GTX 660 has arrived, with a release date of Sept. 13 and $229 price tag, how does this latecomer stack up against the earlier arrivals in terms of power versus price?

The Geforce GTX 660 may be the most affordable member of Nvidia's 600-series, but it's still packing serious hardware. It has 2GB of memory, just like its bigger brothers, and has 960 CUDA cores spread across five SMX units, which is not a big step down from the 1,344 found in the 660Ti, considering the price.

It's a card designed to run the latest shooters and RPG adventures at a crisp 1080p HD resolution like 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 at reliable frame rates. The 2560x1600 resolution, which looks so awesome on mammoth displays, will remain out of your reach, at least with a single 660 in your rig (the 660 is SLI ready).

In hard numbers, the 660 hasn't been chopped down much from the 670. Just like the 660Ti, it sports 24 ROPs, a 384KB L2 Cache, a 192-bit memory interface and 144.2 GB/s of total memory bandwidth. Console gamers may have to wait a bit for the next generation of gaming to hit their television, but for PC gamers, it's here.

EVGA Geforce GTX 660 review

EVGA Superclocked

In addition to SLI capabilities, the GTX 660 can be overclocked, and EVGA has done so, releasing a card with a base clock of 1046 Mhz, and a boost clock of 1111Mhz. If you're nervous about overclocking a card and voiding your warranty, a card that's already cranked up right out of the box should help your nerves.

Better yet, EVGA backs its work with a three-year warranty, which can be upgraded to 10 years if you register and drop a $30 fee. Basically, there's no reason to worry that the tweaking they've done will end up burning your card and your bank account.

TOPICS
Latest in GPU
Zotac Gaming RTX 5090 Graphics Card
Nvidia Blackwell stock woes are compounded by price hikes as more RTX 5090 GPUs soar in pricing, and I’m sick and tired of it all at this point
Nvidia app
Tired of manually optimizing your games? Nvidia's new G-Assist could save you time
Nvidia RTX 5080 against a yellow TechRadar background
RTX 5080 24GB version teased by MSI - is it time to admit that 16GB isn't enough for 4K?
Nvidia AMD
Nvidia rumors suggest it's working on two affordable GPUs to spoil AMD's party
An Nvidia RTX 5080 vs RTX 4080 Super against a two-tone background
Nvidia RTX 5080 vs RTX 4080 Super: should you upgrade to the latest Blackwell GPU?
An Intel Arc B580 vs Nvidia RTX 4060 against a two-tone background
Intel Arc B580 vs Nvidia RTX 4060: Which mainstream GPU is right for you?
Latest in Reviews
Product shots for the Xiaomi Poco X7 Ultra review
I spent a month testing the Xiaomi Poco F7 Ultra, a top-end mid-ranger that masquerades as a flagship
The Kiwi design K4 Boost Battery strap being worn by Hamish
I test VR headsets for a living, and this affordable headstrap is the first Meta Quest 3 accessory you should buy
Both Kiwi design G4 Pro Performance Controller Grips
I thought VR controller grips were pointless until this Meta Quest 3 accessory proved me wrong
The Kiwi design H4 Boost Halo Battery Strap
Want to upgrade your VR headset? Look no further than my new favorite Meta Quest 3 headstrap
WithSecure Elements EPP and EDR main image
I tested the WithSecure Elements EPP and EDR - read how I rated this Endpoint Protection for small business
The RIG M2 Streamstar.
I wanted to love the new RIG M2 Streamstar, but this pricey gaming microphone fails to deliver