{"id":31410,"date":"2012-08-16T14:25:22","date_gmt":"2012-08-16T13:25:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=31410"},"modified":"2012-08-17T07:01:01","modified_gmt":"2012-08-17T06:01:01","slug":"the-evga-gtx-660-ti-superclocked-edition-arrives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/the-evga-gtx-660-ti-superclocked-edition-arrives\/","title":{"rendered":"The EVGA GTX 660 Ti Superclocked edition arrives"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\/\/ <![CDATA[\n                                                                   google_ad_client = \"pub-7021221536180758\"; \/* 468x60, created 11\/11\/09 *\/ google_ad_slot = \"1949837292\"; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60;\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Nvidia has just released\u00a0its &#8220;value&#8221; $299 GeForce GTX 660 Ti\u00a0based on its 28nm Kepler DX11.1 architecture today. This new GPU is the\u00a0fourth in Nvidia&#8217;s lineup &#8211;\u00a0after the dual-GPU $1000 Flagship GTX 690 and the single-GPU $500 GTX 680, as well after the $400 GTX 670.\u00a0 We will focus primarly on the performance of the GTX 660 Ti as it relates to the current GeForce lineup in performance and price.<\/p>\n<p>We received a EVGA GTX 660 Ti Superclocked video card from EVGA under NDA and for the past week, we have been comparing it to the GTX 560 Ti that it replaces as well as to\u00a0Nvidia&#8217;s existing Kepler line-up.\u00a0 We are also comparing it\u00a0as well as to\u00a0Nvidia&#8217;s flagship of the last generation, the GTX 580 as well as our 4-year old GTX 280\u00a0as a upgrade path for DX10 gamers.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Of course, we will also\u00a0compare\u00a0our reference-clocked PowerColor\u00a0HD 7970 (925\/1375MHz) to see exactly where the new GTX fits in regarding its price to performance.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-31429\" title=\"evgapproboxandcard\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/evgapproboxandcard.jpg?resize=480%2C456\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/evgapproboxandcard.jpg?resize=480%2C456 480w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/evgapproboxandcard-300x285.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>The GTX 660 Ti&#8217;s Competition &#8211; the HD 7870 and the HD 7950<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Nvidia designed the GeForce GTX 660 Ti for gamers who want to enjoy their games with the graphics settings and anti-aliasing (AA) turned up, paired with a 1920&#215;1200 or 1920&#215;1080 display. That means that Nvidia has positioned it directly against the HD 7870 which sits solidly in the $300 price range. It is very likely that the GTX 660 Ti will also be compared against the &#8220;new&#8221; faster HD 7950 that AMD has just this week announced lowered pricing for at about $330.<\/p>\n<p>The GTX 660 Ti is Nvidia&#8217;s replacement for <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=23490\">the GTX 560 Ti which launched at the beginning of 2011 at $249<\/a>. This time, Nvidia is aiming for slightly less than GTX 670 performance in a &#8220;value&#8221; package to directly compete with AMD&#8217;s upper-midrange cards, the HD 7980 and the HD 7950. The reference HD 7870 is now selling for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.newegg.ca\/Product\/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&amp;DEPA=0&amp;Order=BESTMATCH&amp;N=100006663&amp;isNodeId=1&amp;Description=hd+7870&amp;x=0&amp;y=0\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.newegg.ca\/Product\/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&amp;DEPA=0&amp;Order=BESTMATCH&amp;N=100006663&amp;isNodeId=1&amp;Description=hd+7870&amp;x=0&amp;y=0', 'an average price on Newegg for $300']);\" >an average price on Newegg for $300<\/a> with a couple of cards available for as little as $270 after mail-in-rebate. The HD 7950 is available for an average selling price of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.newegg.ca\/Product\/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&amp;DEPA=0&amp;Order=BESTMATCH&amp;N=100006663&amp;isNodeId=1&amp;Description=hd+7950&amp;x=0&amp;y=0\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.newegg.ca\/Product\/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&amp;DEPA=0&amp;Order=BESTMATCH&amp;N=100006663&amp;isNodeId=1&amp;Description=hd+7950&amp;x=0&amp;y=0', '$350 right now']);\" >$350 right now<\/a> on Newegg and the cheapest one on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.newegg.ca\/Product\/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127667\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.newegg.ca\/Product\/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127667', 'Newegg is $304.99']);\" >Newegg is $304.99<\/a> plus $12.24 shipping.<\/p>\n<p><strong>EVGA GTX 660 Ti Pricing<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are going to be many varieties of the GTX 660 Ti with the suggested base price starting at $299. The EVGA Superclocked\u00a0GTX 660 Ti\u00a0that we are testing is priced at $309.99 and it is part of this EVGA 660 Ti lineup that includes 2GB and 3GB versions and they will also include a <em>Borderlands 2<\/em> coupon at participating USA etailers:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\u00b7 EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB &#8211; $299.99<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>\u00b7 EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti Superclocked 2GB -$309.99<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\u00b7 EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti FTW 2GB &#8211; $329.99<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\u00b7 EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti+ 3GB &#8211; $329.99<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\u00b7 EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti Superclocked+ 3GB &#8211; $339.99<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\u00b7 EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti FTW+ 3GB &#8211; $359.99<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Specifications<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The GeForce GTX 660 Ti ships with 1344 CUDA Cores and 7 SMX units.\u00a0 The memory subsystem of the GeForce GTX 660 Ti consists of three 64-bit memory controllers (192-bit) with 2GB of GDDR5 memory.\u00a0 Its specifications are\u00a0virtually identical to the GTX 670\u00a0but on a narrower bus.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31430\" title=\"nVspecs\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/nVspecs.jpg?resize=384%2C452\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/nVspecs.jpg?resize=384%2C452 480w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/nVspecs-254x300.jpg 254w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>.<\/p>\n<p>The base clock speed of the GeForce GTX 660 Ti is 915MHz. The typical Boost Clock speed is 980MHz. The Boost Clock speed is based on the average GeForce GTX 660 Ti card running a wide variety of games and applications. Note that the actual Boost clock will vary from game-to-game depending on actual system conditions.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to GPU Boost, it isn\u2019t uncommon for the GeForce GTX 660 Ti to run at speeds well in excess of 1GHz when gaming. On our own sample, we saw over 1100MHz at stock EVGA factory settings and near 1200MHz when it was overclocked further from EVGA&#8217;s factory overclock.\u00a0\u00a0We expect to see many overclocked SKUs from\u00a0Nvidia board partners as well.\u00a0 EVGA clocked the Superclocked version\u00a0+65MHz over\u00a0Nvidia&#8217;s reference clocks\u00a0and here are its specifications:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31432\" title=\"spec-keyfeat\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/spec-keyfeat.jpg?resize=407%2C235\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/spec-keyfeat.jpg?resize=407%2C235 509w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/spec-keyfeat-300x173.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 407px) 100vw, 407px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Under load, the GeForce GTX 660 Ti typically draws up to 134W of power in most non-TDP apps. This is what you should\u00a0experience with the power target slider set at its default 100% setting.\u00a0For\u00a0our testing of\u00a0the GeForce GTX 660 Ti, we maxed the slider out at +123% as we do for all Kepler cards.\u00a0 Likewise, we also max the PowerTune slider for AMD cards.\u00a0 At this setting, GTX 660 Ti will draw up to 165W in non-TDP apps.<\/p>\n<p>GeForce GTX 660 Ti\u2019s memory speed is 6008MHz data rate, the same rate as for all the Kepler cards.\u00a0 With our GTX 690 and GTX 680 we were able to get overclocks of +500MHz on the memory; about +400MHz on the GTX 670 and we will\u00a0naturally try for the max core and memory overclock possible with our new 660 Ti.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Comparison<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>So you will see us pit the EVGA Superclocked\u00a0GTX 660 Ti\u00a0at EVGA reference clocks\u00a0and further overclocked, against our PowerColor reference design HD 7970 (925\/1375MHz) which will more than stand in for a overclocked HD 7950.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We are also going to compare the\u00a0GTX 680, GTX 670, GTX 580, GTX 560 Ti and GTX 280\u00a0using\u00a022 modern games and 3 synthetic benchmarks using 1920&#215;1200 and 2560&#215;1600 resolutions.<\/p>\n<p>In this way,\u00a0are can compare the performance of the current as well as the last generation\u00a0of GeForce\u00a0video cards to see if the GTX 660 Ti is a worthy upgrade from the GTX 560 Ti and how it compares to last generation&#8217;s flagship GTX 580.\u00a0 And the gamers who still have a GTX 280 from about four years ago might want to know how it compares to Nvidia&#8217;s new $300 card.\u00a0 Of course, the most important comparison might be the EVGA GTX 660 Ti Superclocked against the much more expensive HD 7970 which is selling for well over $400.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">What&#8217;s New with Kepler&#8217;s GTX 660 Ti?<\/h3>\n<p>Nvidia&#8217;s marketing buzzwords for the GTX 680, GTX 690\u00a0and GTX 670 launches were, <em><strong>&#8220;Faster. Smoother. Richer.&#8221; <\/strong><\/em>The GTX 660 Ti\u00a0is also designed for extreme efficiency and high performance.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">Faster<\/h3>\n<p>The GTX 680&#8217;s Kepler architecture has 8 SMX units and 1536 CUDA cores. In comparison, the more affordable GeForce GTX 670 and GTX 660 Ti both\u00a0ship with 1344 CUDA Cores and 7 SMX units.\u00a0\u00a0 The main difference between the GTX 670 and the GTX 660 Ti is that the less expensive card has a narrower bus &#8211; cut down from 256-bit to 192-bit.\u00a0\u00a0 This is a cost-saving feature that should still give great performance at 1920&#215;1200 and 1920&#215;1080 resolutions, the displays at which it is aimed.<\/p>\n<p>The Kepler GTX 660 Ti\u00a0promises better geometry and texture processing than Fermi&#8217;s GTX 560 Ti thanks to its improved instruction throughput and redesign. In addition, Nvidia brings &#8220;GPU Boost&#8221;, a dynamic way to boost clocks speeds and maximize performance for each game.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">Smoother<\/h3>\n<p>New kinds of anti-aliasing &#8211; FXAA and TXAA &#8211; now compete with MSAA in terms of IQ while not sacrificing performance. <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=31233\">TXAA which we evaluated in <\/a><em><a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=31233\">the Secret World<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>brings anti-aliasing without texture crawling or shimmering when the camera is in motion.\u00a0 Also, there is a new &#8220;Adaptive VSync&#8221; that is reduces tearing and stuttering associated with regular VSync. Great hardware needs great software to support it and Nvidia is also a software company.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">Richer<\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;\">For the first time, it is now possible to play games spanning 3 displays in Surround off of a single GeForce GTX 660 Ti just as with the GTX 680 and the GTX 670. And this time, the GTX 670 brings two dual-link DVI connectors, one HDMI and one DisplayPort connector (for a 4th accessor display) so that only one adapter is needed for any DVI-enabled display for 3-panel Surround. In contrast, you will generally need two adapters for the HD 7970 to run the competing 3-panel Eyefinity and you may also experience more tearing with the AMD solution.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-31414\" title=\"Connectors\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Connectors.jpg?resize=300%2C274\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Connectors.jpg?resize=300%2C274 300w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Connectors.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;\">PhysX has also been improved. The GeForce GTX 660 Ti reference board measures 9.5&#8243; in length. Two 6-pin PCIe power connectors are required for operation and if you forget to connect them, you will get an on-screen reminder.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-4disp.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28912\" title=\"SURROUND-4disp\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-4disp.jpg?resize=458%2C235\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-4disp.jpg?resize=458%2C235 763w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-4disp-300x153.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 458px) 100vw, 458px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">How does the $299 GTX 660 Ti compare with AMD&#8217;s reference HD 7970 at over $400, recently down from $550<\/h3>\n<p>This evaluation attempts to analyze and compare GTX 660 Ti, GTX 680 and GTX 670 performance. We also include HD 7970 performance as well as Nvidia&#8217;s fastest card of the last generation, their single-GPU\u00a0GTX 580\u00a0and we may be able to announce a price to performance winner. We will see what this new Nvidia Kepler enthusiast value GPU brings to the table for\u00a0about three\u00a0hundred dollars.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31438\" title=\"3xfaster\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/3xfaster.jpg?resize=432%2C243\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/3xfaster.jpg?resize=432%2C243 480w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/3xfaster-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 432px) 100vw, 432px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>The above chart is from Nvidia.\u00a0 Although we do not have these exact cards, we also believe that it is important to see how much performance increase the GTX 660 Ti has brought over\u00a0last generation&#8217;s\u00a0GTX 560 Ti so as to see if it is a worthy upgrade and we&#8217;d also like to see how a\u00a0flagship GTX 280\u00a0from 4 years ago\u00a0compares.<\/p>\n<p>Since we do not want any chance of our CPU &#8220;bottlenecking&#8221; our graphics, we are testing all of our graphics cards by using our <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=30448\">Ivy Bridge Intel Core i7-3770K at 4.80GHz<\/a>,\u00a08 GB Kingston PC1866 DDR3 and an EVGA\u00a0Z77 FTW motherboard. This new motherboard features 16x + 16x PCIe 3.0 specification for CrossFire\/SLI, and we will have an evaluation of it up this weekend. <img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Next page...\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-includes\/js\/tinymce\/plugins\/wordpress\/img\/trans.gif?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/> The Core i7-3770K at 4.8GHz is more than enough to differentiate even\u00a0high-end video cards at high resolution and high detail settings. <img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Next page...\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-includes\/js\/tinymce\/plugins\/wordpress\/img\/trans.gif?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Before we do performance testing, let&#8217;s take a look at the EVGA GTX 660 Ti and quickly recap its new Kepler DX11.1 architecture and features.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><!--pagetitle: Introduction--><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: Architecture recap &#038; specifications--><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">Architecture and Features<\/h3>\n<p>We have covered Fermi&#8217;s GK104 architecture in a lot of detail previously. You can can read our <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=28910\">GTX 680 introductory article<\/a> and and <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=29157\">its follow-up<\/a>. We also covered the <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=29519\">launch of the GTX 690<\/a> and the laun<a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=29607\">ch of the GTX 670<\/a>. The new Kepler architecture builds on Fermi architecture with some important improvements and refinements that we will briefly cover here before we get into performance testing.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>SMX architecture<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SMX.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28916\" title=\"SMX\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SMX.jpg?resize=471%2C302\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SMX.jpg?resize=471%2C302 785w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SMX-300x192.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 471px) 100vw, 471px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>As Nvidia&#8217;s slide\u00a0for the GTX 680\u00a0indicates, the new architecture is called SMX and it emphasizes 2x the performance per Watt of Fermi. Their multi-threaded engine handles all of the information using four graphics processing clusters including the raster engine and two streaming multi-processors.<\/p>\n<p>The SM is now called the SMX cluster. Each SMX cluster includes a Polymorph 2.0 engine, 192 CUDA cores, 16 texture units and a lot of high-level cache. In the GTX 680, four raster units and 128 Texture units comprise 32 ROPs; eight geometry units each have a tessellation unit, and more lower-level cache.\u00a0 Both the GTX 670 and the GTX 660 Ti each have 4 graphics engines but one less SMX unit and only 24 ROPs.<\/p>\n<p>The other main differentiation between the GTX 670\/680 and the GTX 660 Ti is that the Ti bus is much narrower at 192-bit, cut down from 256-bit.\u00a0 Nvidia has really improved their memory controller over last generation as there is a 192-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface at 6Gbps declared throughput.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/6gbpsDDR5.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-28958\" title=\"6gbpsDDR5\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/6gbpsDDR5.jpg?resize=300%2C239\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/6gbpsDDR5.jpg?resize=300%2C239 300w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/6gbpsDDR5.jpg 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>GeForce GTX 660 Ti\u2019s memory speed is 6008MHz data rate. The base clock speed of the GeForce GTX 670 and the GTX\u00a0660\u00a0Ti\u00a0is 915MHz. The typical Boost Clock speed is 980MHz.<\/p>\n<p>The GeForce GTX 680 reference board measures 11&#8243; in length whereas the GTX 670 and GTX 660 Ti\u00a0are 9.5&#8243;.\u00a0 Display outputs include two dual-link DVIs, HDMI and one mini-DisplayPort connector. Two 6-pin PCIe power connectors are required for both the GTX 660 Ti&#8217;s and the GTX 670&#8217;s operation.<\/p>\n<p>This is a very brief overview of Kepler architecture as presented to the press at Kepler Editor&#8217;s Day in San Francisco a\u00a0few months ago. We also attended Nvidia&#8217;s GPU Technology Conference (GTC) and you can\u00a0find a lot more details about the architecture in <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=29692\">our GTC 2012 report<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>GPU Boost<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>GPU Boost was invented by Nvidia to improve efficiency and to raise the GTX 660 Ti\u00a0clocks automatically in response to dynamically changing power requirements. Up until now, Nvidia engineers had to select clock speeds on a specific &#8220;worst case&#8221; power target &#8211; often a benchmark.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, all apps are not equal in their power requirements and some applications are far more power-hungry than others. That means that in some games with lower power requirements, the game is not optimized for higher core frequency because it is limited by a global power target.<\/p>\n<p>With GPU Boost, there is real time dynamic clocking with polling every millisecond. In this way, clocks can be ramped up to meet the power target of each application &#8211; not held back by the most stressful application, which is usually a benchmark, not a game.<\/p>\n<p>As we found with the GTX 680 and the GTX 670, GPU Boost goes hand-in-hand with overclocking and it delivers additional frequency in addition to the clocks set by the end user. GPU Boost continues to work with the GTX 660 Ti while overclocking to the maximum allowed by the ever-changing power envelope.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GPUBOOST-oc.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28940\" title=\"GPUBOOST-oc\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GPUBOOST-oc.jpg?resize=480%2C269\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GPUBOOST-oc.jpg?resize=480%2C269 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GPUBOOST-oc-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Moving the voltage higher also moves the frequency and boost higher. In practice, if you monitor the frequencies, they constantly change up and down.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Adaptive VSync<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Traditional VSync is great for eliminating tearing until the frame rate drops below the target &#8211; then there is a severe drop from usually 60 fps down to 30 fps if it cannot meet exactly 60. When that happens, there is a noticeable stutter.<\/p>\n<p>Nvidia&#8217;s solution is to dynamically adjust VSync &#8211; to turn it on and off instantaneously. In this way VSync continues to prevent tearing but when it drops below 60 fps, it shuts off VSync to reduce stuttering instead of drastically dropping frame rates from 60 to 30 fps or even lower. When the minimum target is again met, VSync kicks back in. In gaming, you never notice Adaptive VSync is happening; you just notice less stutter (especially in demanding games).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/AdaptiveVSynch.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28932\" title=\"AdaptiveVSynch\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/AdaptiveVSynch.jpg?resize=480%2C269\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/AdaptiveVSynch.jpg?resize=480%2C269 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/AdaptiveVSynch-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Adaptive VSync is a good solution that works well in practice. We spent more time with Adaptive VSync\u00a0by playing games and it is very helpful although we never use it when benching.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>FXAA &amp; TXAA<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>TXAA<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>There is a need for new kinds of anti-aliasing as many of the modern engines use differed lighting which suffers a heavy performance penalty when traditional MSAA is applied. The alternative, to have jaggies is unacceptable. TXAA &#8211; Temporal Anti-Aliasing is a mix of hardware mult-sampling with a custom high quality AA resolve that use temporal components (samples that are gathered over micro-seconds are compared to give a better AA solution).\u00a0 It&#8217;s main advantage is that it reduces shimmering and texture crawling when the camera is in motion.<\/p>\n<p>There is TXAA 1 which extracts a performance cost similar to 2xMSAA which under ideal circumstances give similar results to 8xMSAA. Of course, from what little time we have spent with it, it appears to be not quite as consistent as MSAA but works well in areas of high contrast. TXAA 2 is supposed to have a similar performance penalty to 4xMSAA but with higher quality than 8xMSAA.<\/p>\n<p>TXAA was the subject of <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=31233\">a short\u00a0IQ analysis of <em>the Secret World<\/em><\/a> &#8211; the first game to use it.\u00a0 So far, it appears to be a great option for situations where MSAA doesn&#8217;t work efficiently and it almost completely\u00a0eliminates shimmering and texture crawling when the camera is in motion.\u00a0 It works particularly well for <em>the Secret World<\/em> as the slight blur gives the game a cinematic look.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>FXAA<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Nvidia has already implemented FXAA &#8211; Fast Approximate Anti-Aliasing. In practice, it works well in some games <em>(Duke Nukem Forever\/Max Payne 3)<\/em>, while in other games text or other visuals\u00a0may be a bit blurry<em>. <\/em> FXAA is a great option to have when MSAA kills performance. We plan to devote a entire evaluation to comparing IQ between the HD 7000 series and the GTX 600 series as well as comparisons with the older series video cards.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Specifications<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Here are\u00a0Nvidia&#8217;s specifications for the reference\u00a0GTX 660 Ti:<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-31430\" title=\"nVspecs\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/nVspecs.jpg?resize=480%2C565\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/nVspecs.jpg?resize=480%2C565 480w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/nVspecs-254x300.jpg 254w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>As discussed,\u00a0everything is very similar to the GTX 670 but on a narrower bus. The GeForce GTX 660 Ti\u00a0was also designed from the ground up to deliver exceptional tessellation performance which Nvidia claims is\u00a0several times the HD 7950&#8217;s tessellation performance. Tessellation is the key component of Microsoft&#8217;s DirectX 11 development platform for PC games.<\/p>\n<p>Tessellation allows game developers to take advantage of both GeForce GTX 660 Ti&#8217;s GPU&#8217;s tessellation ability to increase the geometric complexity of models and characters to deliver far more realistic and visually rich gaming environments. Needless to say, the new GTX 660 Ti\u00a0brings a lot of features to the table that current Nvidia&#8217;s customers will appreciate, including improved CUDA&#8217;s PhysX, 2D and 3D Surround plus the ability to drive up to 3 LCDs plus a 4th accessory display from a single GTX 660 Ti; superb tessellation capabilities and a really fast and power efficient GPU in comparison to their previous GTX 560 Ti.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Surround plus an Accessory display from a single card<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>One of the criticisms that Kepler has addressed from Fermi was that two video cards in SLI are required to run 3-panel Surround or 3D Vision Surround. From a single card, the GTX 670, 680, the GTX 690 and now the GTX 660 Ti\u00a0now can run three displays plus an accessory display. Interestingly, Nvidia has changed their taskbar from the left side to the center screen. We now prefer the taskbar in the center; it might be more convenient for some users rather than clicking all the way over to the left for the start menu as with Eyefinity.<\/p>\n<p>One thing that we did notice. Suround and 3D Vision Surround are now just as easy to configure as AMD&#8217;s Eyefinity. And AMD has no real answer to 3D Vision or 3D Vision Surround &#8211; HD3D lacks basic support in comparison.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-taskbarCenter.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28945\" title=\"SURROUND-taskbarCenter\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-taskbarCenter.jpg?resize=480%2C207\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-taskbarCenter.jpg?resize=480%2C207 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-taskbarCenter-300x129.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>One new option with the GTX 660 Ti\/670\/680\/690 is in the bezel corrections. In the past, the in-game menus would get occluded by the bezels and it was annoying if you use the correction. Now with Bezel Peek, you can use hotkeys to instantly see the menus hidden by the bezel. However, this editor does not ever use bezel correction in gaming.<\/p>\n<p>One thing that we\u00a0still note &#8211; Surround suffers from less tearing than Eyefinity although AMD appears to be working on a solution with their latest drivers. The only true solution to tearing in Eyefinity is to have all native DisplayPort displays or opt for the much more expensive active adapters. And you will need two adapters for Eyefinity for most HD 7970s to run Eyefinity, whereas you only need one for Surround\u00a0with the GTX 660 Ti, GTX 670 and the GTX 680.<\/p>\n<p>Nvidia also claims a faster experience with the custom resolutions because of a faster center display acceleration.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>A look at the EVGA GTX 660 Ti Superclocked<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31421\" title=\"gtx660ti-6\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/gtx660ti-6.jpg?resize=480%2C344\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/gtx660ti-6.jpg?resize=480%2C344 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/gtx660ti-6-300x214.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>The reference GTX 660 Ti is on a short 9.5&#8243;\u00a0PCB especially compared to the GTX 680. With the GeForce GTX 660 Ti, Nvidia&#8217;s board partners have the option to produce custom GTX 660 Ti\u00a0boards on launch day.\u00a0Just like\u00a0the GeForce GTX 670 was made into a\u00a0smaller form factor chassis, Nvidia made a number of adjustments to the 660 Ti\u00a0reference board to save space by moving the power supply closer to GPU.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Display outputs include two dual-link DVIs, one HDMI, and one DisplayPort connector. Two 6-pin PCIe power connectors are required for operation.\u00a0 If\u00a0a user fails to connect the power connectors properly, a brief message is displayed at boot-up instructing them to plug-in the power connectors.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31425\" title=\"gtx660ti-obv-3\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/gtx660ti-obv-3.jpg?resize=480%2C314\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/gtx660ti-obv-3.jpg?resize=480%2C314 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/gtx660ti-obv-3-300x195.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>With the GTX 660 Ti\u2019s power circuitry moved to the other side of the board, the area on the right side of the PCB was removed to save board space. The same cooling fan used on the GeForce GTX 670 is adapted for the GTX 660 Ti and it is fitted with acoustic dampening material to minimize unwanted tones in the fan noise. It is a pretty quiet card although not as quiet as the GTX 680.<\/p>\n<p>The GTX 660 Ti\u2019s blower fan exhausts hot air from the GPU outside the system chassis helping to reduce temperature inside the PC. This feature is particularly useful for small form factor PCs including possibilities for home theater PC (HTPC).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>SLI<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The GTX 660 Ti is set up for SLI or TriSLI\u00a0by using two or three GTX 660 Tis. We hope to bring you a follow-up evaluation comparing GTX 660 Ti SLI performance scaling over a single GTX 660 Ti.\u00a0 We received our second GTX too late to do any SLI benching although we installed them into our case.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Super-Widescreen 5760 x1080, Surround, 3D Vision Surround, and PhysX<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The EVGA GTX 660 Ti is set up exactly the same way\u00a0as the more expensive GTX 670 and GTX 680.\u00a0 Since the GTX 660 Ti is almost 15% slower than the GTX 670 overall, one can reasonably expect the performance delta to be about the same for super-widescreen resolutions as well as for Surround, 3D Vision Surround and for PhysX as in our <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=29607\">last evaluation of the GTX 670 in May<\/a>.\u00a0 The HD 7970 is a stronger performer than the GTX 670 in some games at the highest resolutions, and it will even more\u00a0evident because of the GTX 660 Ti&#8217;s narrow bus.<\/p>\n<p>For 3D Vision and for Surround, several games need to have their settings reduced. Just remember that you are playing across three screens and are also rendering each scene twice for 3D Vision!!\u00a0\u00a0And turning on PhysX on a GTX 660 Ti, although affecting the frame rate, it is enough to play the game with fully maxed out details and FXAA or AAA compared to the GTX 560 Ti it replaces.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Overclocking<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Our EVGA GTX 660 Ti Superclocked edition is already overclocked +65MHz over the Nvidia reference clocks.\u00a0 We were able to overclock a further +70MHz with complete stability even though we did not adjust the\u00a0voltage nor our fan profile.\u00a0 We also managed +190MHz on the memory clocks which were considerably\u00a0lower than the +400MHz we managed on the GTX 670\u00a0and the +550MHz on the GTX 680 and the GTX 690.<\/p>\n<p>Even with overclocking further, temperatures stayed below 80C and the fan rarely exceeded 30%.\u00a0 The EVGA GTX 660 Ti Superclocked is a quiet card very similar to the reference GTX 670.<\/p>\n<p>Check out the performance summary charts and particularly the overclocking charts to note how well the GTX 660 Ti\u00a0scales.\u00a0The specifications look extraordinary with solid improvements over the Fermi-based GTX 560 Ti. Let&#8217;s check out performance after unboxing our EVGA GTX 660 Ti Superclocked.\u00a0 Head to the next page for the unboxing and then to the test configuration\u00a0.<\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: The EVGA GTX 660 Ti Superclocked exposed--><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Next page...\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-includes\/js\/tinymce\/plugins\/wordpress\/img\/trans.gif?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>TheEVGA GTX 660 Ti Superclocked<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31418\" title=\"gtx660ti-3\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/gtx660ti-3.jpg?resize=480%2C267\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/gtx660ti-3.jpg?resize=480%2C267 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/gtx660ti-3-300x167.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>The EVGA GTX 660 Ti Superclocked is an interesting card but there is nothing fancy to see from the outside.\u00a0 It is a physically small card as its dimensions are 4.4 wide x 9.5 inches long.\u00a0 EVGA has moved\u00a0the PCIe connectors\u00a0from on the end of the card on the GTX 560 Ti to the side of the card on the 660 which is much more convenient for small cases.\u00a0 The card arrives in a typical EVGA box that advertises the card without its specifications on its outside other than it is &#8220;SC &#8211; Superclocked&#8221;.\u00a0 It mentions PCIe 3.o, PhysX, 3-way SLI, DirectX11 and 3D Vision Surround.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31411\" title=\"Box\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Box.jpg?resize=480%2C425\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Box.jpg?resize=480%2C425 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Box-300x265.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The back of the EVGA box goes into more detail about support for 4 concurrent displays and we see the key features of the card as well as EVGA&#8217;s premium 3 year warranty is highlighted:<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31412\" title=\"Box-obv\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Box-obv.jpg?resize=480%2C381\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Box-obv.jpg?resize=480%2C381 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Box-obv-300x237.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Great utilities are included, including <a href=\"http:\/\/www.evga.com\/precision\/\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.evga.com\/precision\/', 'EVGA&#8217;s Precision overclocking utility']);\" >EVGA&#8217;s Precision overclocking utility<\/a> which includes an improved GPU voltage tuner.\u00a0 The box doesn&#8217;t mention that if you purchase this card, you can also get a free digital download of the soon-to-be-released DX11\u00a0<em>Borderlands 2<\/em>\u00a0which is a sixty dollar value.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31413\" title=\"Box-panel-1\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Box-panel-1.jpg?resize=158%2C491\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Box-panel-1.jpg?resize=158%2C491 330w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Box-panel-1.jpg 420w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 158px) 100vw, 158px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>EVGA wants to remind everyone that they are Nvidia&#8217;s Number 1 partner in many areas and also have many well-deserved awards for product excellence.\u00a0 They also include a EVGA poster in the box with a Borderlands-style theme.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31426\" title=\"poster\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/poster.jpg?resize=480%2C463\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/poster.jpg?resize=480%2C463 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/poster-300x289.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The video card comes well-protected in an anti-static injection molded plastic shell instead of last year&#8217;s anti-static bags.\u00a0 It is far easier to reuse, recycle and store bags.\u00a0 However, the plastic shell is more protective of its contents.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31427\" title=\"unpacked\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/unpacked.jpg?resize=442%2C491\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/unpacked.jpg?resize=442%2C491 922w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/unpacked-270x300.jpg 270w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/unpacked.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 442px) 100vw, 442px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Inside the box besides the new GTX, we find a driver CD, manual, warning label, plastic EVGA decal, DVI to VGA connector and two dual Molex to 6-Pin PCI-E power connectors.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31416\" title=\"gtx660ti-1\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/gtx660ti-1.jpg?resize=480%2C358\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/gtx660ti-1.jpg?resize=480%2C358 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/gtx660ti-1-300x224.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The SLI connectors are\u00a0covered in the above image with a plastic protector.\u00a0Superclocked GTX 660 Ti is set up for 2- or 3-way SLI with one or two other 660 Ti&#8217;s.\u00a0 You can mix cards from different vendors with different clock speeds but you cannot mix cards with different amounts of cores or different framebuffers as you can with AMD&#8217;s competing multi-GPU solution, CrossFire.<\/p>\n<p>Here are the connectors; 2 dual-link DVI, 1 HDMI 1.4a and 1 DisplayPort 1.1a<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31414\" title=\"Connectors\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Connectors.jpg?resize=480%2C438\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Connectors.jpg?resize=480%2C438 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Connectors-300x274.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s turn it over.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31424\" title=\"gtx660ti-obv-2\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/gtx660ti-obv-2.jpg?resize=480%2C334\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/gtx660ti-obv-2.jpg?resize=480%2C334 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/gtx660ti-obv-2-300x208.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Let\u2019s look at what EVGA offers us over the reference and other partner versions with their\u00a0Superclocked GTX 660-Ti:<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31433\" title=\"UevgaSpecs\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/UevgaSpecs.jpg?resize=560%2C204\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/UevgaSpecs.jpg?resize=560%2C204 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/UevgaSpecs-300x109.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-31428\" title=\"Evgafeatures\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Evgafeatures.jpg?resize=576%2C152\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Evgafeatures.jpg?resize=576%2C152 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Evgafeatures-300x79.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Overclocked out of the box<\/strong> \u2013 This card offers a +65MHz core speed increase out of the box.<\/li>\n<li><strong>EVGA PrecisionX <\/strong>\u2013 This utility allows overclocking, monitoring and fanspeed adjustments as well as voltage adjustments with the latest version. It is located on the DVD that ships with the card. For more information, please visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.evga.com\/precision\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.evga.com\/precision', 'http:\/\/www.evga.com\/precision']);\" >http:\/\/www.evga.com\/precision<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>EVGA OC Scanner <\/strong>\u2013 EVGA OC Scanner is fully supported by the\u00a0Superclocked EVGA GTX 660 Ti. This utility allows you to benchmark, monitor and stress test your EVGA card. For more information, please visit <a href=\"www.evga.com\/ocscanner\">www.evga.com\/ocscanner<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>EVGA Customer Support<\/strong> \u2013 EVGA\u2019s acclaimed customer support can be contacted by support ticket, email, and phone. For more information, please visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.evga.com\/support\/warranty\/\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.evga.com\/support\/warranty\/', 'http:\/\/www.evga.com\/support\/warranty\/']);\" >http:\/\/www.evga.com\/support\/warranty\/<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>EVGA Community<\/strong> \u2013 Active game servers, thriving forums, integrated chat and social networks allow users to ask questions or get help wherever they feel the most comfortable. For more information, please visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.evga.com\/community\/\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.evga.com\/community\/', 'www.evga.com\/community\/']);\" target=\"_blank\">www.evga.com\/community\/<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>EVGA Warranty<\/strong> \u2013 EVGA offers a variety of warranties to fit their customer&#8217;s needs. This card comes with a basic 3 year warranty which may be extended.\u00a0 For more information, please visit <a href=\"www.evga.com\/warranty\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.evga.com\/warranty\/<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>EVGA Advanced RMA Program<\/strong> \u2013 EVGA offers this service to help reduce the downtime of a customer\u2019s system by shipping a replacement product first and lets\u00a0their customer deal with EVGA directly for quick and efficient service. For more information, please visit <a href=\"www.evga.com\/ear\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.evga.com\/ear\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The EVGA GTX 660 Ti Superclocked is factory overclocked and warrantied for at least 3 years and it is transferrable as it is now tied to the serial number, not the customer. EVGA has included their PrecisionX overclocking software on the driver DVD or as a download on their site and you can even raise the voltage. This is a tool that we use with great results including overclocking our new GTX beyond the factory overclock. With a great warranty and advanced RMA\u2019s optional, EVGA offers great service!<\/p>\n<p>Because of consumer demand\u00a0EVGA recently made the following changes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Most EVGA products now carry a 3 Year Warranty (also upgradable to 5 or 10 years upon registration).<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Product warranty covers the product, not the user.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Registration is no longer required for RMAs with the EVGA\u00a0Guest RMA process.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Step-Up and Extended Warranties will be available for all original owners registered with the new global RMA system within 30 days of the purchase.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 If you move, you can send your product back to your local warranty center no matter what region you purchased it in.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A new Standard Cross-Shipping RMA service is available.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-31434\" title=\"warranty\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/warranty.jpg?resize=480%2C69\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/warranty.jpg?resize=480%2C69 480w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/warranty-300x43.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We can&#8217;t wait to test out our new card, but before we begin the testing, head over to our testing configuration.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: Test Configuration, Power Draw, Noise &#038; Overclocking--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\"><strong>Test Configuration &#8211; Hardware<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Intel Core i7-3770K reference 3.50 GHz\/Turbo to 3.7GHz<\/span>, overclocked to 4.8 GHz<span style=\"font-size: small;\">; HyperThreading is on, supplied by Intel.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>EVGA\u00a0Z77 FTW motherboard\u00a0(latest Beta BIOS, USB\/PCIe 3.0 specification; CrossFire\/SLI 16x+16x), supplied by EVGA<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">8\u00a0GB OCZ DDR3 PC 1866 Kingston RAM (2&#215;2 GB, tri-channel at 1866 MHz; supplied by Kingston)<\/span><\/li>\n<li>EVGA\u00a0GTX 660 Ti Superclocked, 2 GB (EVGA base clocks of 980\/3004MHz and also overclocked, +70MHz\/+190MHz), supplied by Nvidia<\/li>\n<li>GeForce GTX 680,\u00a02 GB reference clocks, supplied by Nvidia.<\/li>\n<li>GeForce GTX 670,\u00a02 GB reference design and clocks, supplied by Nvidia<\/li>\n<li>GeForce GTX 580, 1.5GBreference design and clocks, supplied by Nvidia<\/li>\n<li>GeForce GTX 560 Ti, 1GB reference design and clocks, supplied by Nvidia<\/li>\n<li>BFG GTX 280, reference design and clocks<\/li>\n<li>PowerColor Radeon HD 7970, 3 GB with custom cooling at stock clocks (925\/1375MHz)<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Onboard Realtek Audio<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">2 x\u00a0500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200-12 HDDs; one for AMD and one for Nvidia<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Thermaltake ToughPowerXT 775W power supply unit supplied by Thermaltake<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Thermaltake Overseer RX-I Full Tower case, supplied by Thermaltake<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Thermaltake Water2.0 Pro\u00a0CPU watercooler, supplied by Thermaltake<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Philips DVD SATA writer<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">HP LP3065 2560&#215;1600 thirty inch LCD. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">Test Configuration &#8211; Software<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Nvidia GeForce 305.37 Beta drivers for all GTXes. High Quality<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span>AMD 12.7\u00a0 Beta\u00a0Catalyst drivers; latest CAPs. High Quality &#8211; optimizations off; use application settings<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Windows 7 64-bit; very latest updates<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Latest DirectX<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">All games are patched to their latest versions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">VSync is off in the control panel.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">AA enabled as noted in games<\/span><span style=\"font-size: small;\">; all in-game settings are specified with 16xAF always applied; 16xAF forced in control panel for <em>Crysis.<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">All results show average, minimum and maximum frame rates except as noted.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Highest quality sound (stereo) used in all games.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Windows 7 64, all DX10 titles were run under DX10 render paths; DX11 titles under DX11 render paths.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">The Benchmarks<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Synthetic<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Vantage<\/li>\n<li>3DMark 11<em><\/em><\/li>\n<li>Heaven 3.0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div><strong>DX9 <\/strong><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Left 4 Dead 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Serious Sam 3 BFE<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div><strong>DX10<\/strong><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Crysis<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Far Cry 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><\/em><em>Just Cause 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><\/em><em>World-in-Conflict<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Resident Evil 5<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div><strong>DX11<\/strong><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><em>BattleForge<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Alien vs. Predator<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>STALKER, Call of Pripyat<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Metro 2033<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>F1 2010<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>H.A.W.X. 2<\/em><em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><\/em><em>Lost Planet 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Shogun II<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Civilization V<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><em>Crysis 2<\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><\/em><em>Dirt 3<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Deus Ex: Human Revolution<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><em>Batman: Arkham City<\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Max Payne 3<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>the Secret World<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Before we get to the EVGA GTX 660 TI Superoverclock&#8217;s performance charts, let&#8217;s look at overclocking, power draw and temperatures.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Overclocking, Power Draw, Noise\u00a0and Temperatures<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Overclocking the GTX 660 Ti\u00a0is just as easy as overclocking the GTX 670, 680 and 690.\u00a0\u00a0 What is not surprising is that we could not\u00a0match the GTX 670 overclock since\u00a0the EVGA Superclocked edition is already overclocked +65MHz on the core.\u00a0 We were able to add an additional +70MHz for a total offset of +135MHz over the base clocks that Nvidia set for the reference GTX 660 Ti.\u00a0 On top of that, we were able to get +190MHz on the memory, about half what we achieved with the GTX 670.<\/p>\n<p>We did not adjust the GTX 660 Ti&#8217;s voltage. Temperatures were never an issue and the fan profile remained at stock which meant that the GTX 660 Ti is also extraordinarily quiet at maximum load &#8211; the fan profile rarely went over 30% and the temperatures remained well under 80C under the most stressful conditions and highest load.\u00a0 In contrast, the PowerColor HD 7970 is much more noticeable when it ramps up under load even though it uses custom cooling.<\/p>\n<p>Kepler is extraordinarily power efficient &#8211; much more so than Tahiti.\u00a0 Under load, the GeForce GTX 660 Ti typically draws up to 134W of power in most non-TDP apps. This is what you should experience with the power target slider set at its default 100% setting. For our testing of the GeForce GTX 660 Ti, we maxed the slider out at +123% as we do for all Kepler cards.\u00a0 Likewise, we also max the PowerTune slider for AMD cards.\u00a0 At this setting, GTX 660 Ti will draw up to 165W in non-TDP apps.\u00a0 There is absolutely no comparison with the HD 7970 or even the HD 7950\u00a0as they use much more power.<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s head to the performance charts and graphs to see how the EVGA Superclocked GTX 660 Ti compares with the rest of the Kepler family &#8211; the GTX 680 and GTX 670, as well as the last generation GTX 560 Ti that it replaces\u00a0and the former flagship\u00a0GTX 580 as well as against the stock (original, 925\/1375MHz) \u00a0AMD HD 7970.\u00a0 As an added bonus, we are going to look at Nvidia&#8217;s flagship from four years ago &#8211; the GTX 280 &#8211; to see how it stacks up against the modern cards.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: Performance Summary Charts--><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Performance summary charts &amp; graphs<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Here are the summary charts of\u00a022 modern PC\u00a0games and 3 synthetic tests. The highest settings are always chosen and it is DX11 when there is a choice; DX10 is picked above DX9, and the settings are ultra or maxed. Specific settings are listed on the Main Performance chart at the beginning of this page. The benches are run at 1920&#215;1200 and 2560&#215;1600 with separate charts devoted to\u00a0 dividing games up into easy to read charts by their DX pathway and by resolution.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Main Overall Summary chart<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong><\/strong>In the first three columns of the main performance summary chart, the GTX 660 Ti Superclocked is tested at EVGA factory clocks and also overclocked further with a single stock\u00a0GTX 670\u00a0in-between for comparison; next is a single\u00a0HD 7970\u00a0and then the GTX 680 is next.\u00a0 In the sixth column, the last generation\u00a0GTX\u00a0580\u00a0is featured.\u00a0 In the last two columns,\u00a0the GTX 560 Ti\u00a0and the GTX 280 are\u00a0tested mostly at 1680&#215;1050 instead of 2560&#215;1600 and it is noted on the chart by an asterisk (*).\u00a0 The GTX 280 is an older generation video card that cannot run DX11\u00a0and it is limited to DX10 which is far less demanding and it is noted by a double asterisk (**).<\/p>\n<p>(<em>Left 4 Dead 2<\/em> has a typo in the GTX 560 Ti column; at 1920&#215;1200, the correct fps is 94, not 194)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/MainCht-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-31458\" title=\"MainCht-1\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/MainCht-1.jpg?resize=600%2C479\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/MainCht-1.jpg?resize=600%2C479 600w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/MainCht-1-300x239.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/MainCht-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-31459\" title=\"MainCht-2\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/MainCht-2.jpg?resize=600%2C479\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/MainCht-2.jpg?resize=600%2C479 600w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/MainCht-2-300x239.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This is the master chart and although it has not been made into a graph as there is too much information to put onto a single graph, there are many other charts and sub-graphs that are based on it.<\/p>\n<p>All results, except for Vantage and 3DMark11, show average framerates and higher is always better. In-game settings are fully maxed out and they are identically high or ultra across all platforms. As usual, we begin with the synthetics.<\/p>\n<h2>Futuremark &amp; Heaven synthetic tests<\/h2>\n<p>3DMark11 is Futuremark&#8217;s latest DX11-only benchmark and Vantage is DX10. Unfortunately, scores are completely meaningless when they are presented in this way but they do offer supporting data to accompany our game benches. Here is the chart with Vantage and 3D Mark11:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Vantage-3DMark11.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-31460\" title=\"Vantage-3DMark11\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Vantage-3DMark11.jpg?resize=482%2C605\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Vantage-3DMark11.jpg?resize=482%2C605 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Vantage-3DMark11-239x300.jpg 239w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The EVGA GTX 660 Ti comes close to the GTX 670 &#8211; especially in 3DMark11 &#8211;\u00a0and the HD 7970 and pulls way ahead of the other older\u00a0cards; and when it is overclocked +70\/+190MHz, it is a beast!\u00a0 The GTX 280 cannot run 3DMark11 as it is DX11 only.<\/p>\n<p>Heaven 3.0 is a very demanding benchmark and here it is expressed in a chart.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Heaven.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-31461\" title=\"Heaven\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Heaven.jpg?resize=482%2C605\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Heaven.jpg?resize=482%2C605 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Heaven-239x300.jpg 239w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Again, synthetic tests are interesting but they are not necessarily indicative of real world gaming performance. In all three cases, the overclocked GTX 680 &#8220;wins&#8221; over everything else except by a fair margin. The GTX 280 cannot run DX11 at all.\u00a0 Next up, let&#8217;s look at DX9 games.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>DX9 Games<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>We test the popular Source Engine represented by <em>Left 4 Dead 2<\/em> and also a demanding DX9 game, <em>Serious Sam 3, BFE <\/em>with both at completely maxed out settings.\u00a0\u00a0 It was pointless to run the GTX 280 at 2560&#215;1600 in <em>Serious Sam 3<\/em> as it is a slideshow.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/DX9-games.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-31462\" title=\"DX9-games\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/DX9-games.jpg?resize=482%2C797\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/DX9-games.jpg?resize=482%2C797 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/DX9-games-181x300.jpg 181w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Both <em>Left 4 Dead 2<\/em> and <em>Serious Sam 3 BFE<\/em> are faster on the overclocked GTX 680 than any of the other cards. The GTX 660 Ti\u00a0improves strongly over the GTX 580 and especially\u00a0over the GTX 560 Ti. The further overclocked Superclocked EVGA GTX 660 Ti gets fairly close to the HD 7970 in Serious Sam 3 at 1920&#215;1200 but falls further behind at 2560&#215;1600.\u00a0 Let&#8217;s check out DX10 games<\/p>\n<h3><strong>DX10 Games<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>We test four DX10 games &#8211; <em>Just Cause 3, Far Cry 2, Crysis <\/em>and<em> World in Conflict, Soviet Assault<\/em>. Here are 2560&#215;1600 and 1920&#215;1200\u00a0resolutions on a single chart.\u00a0 For most games it was pointless to run the GTX 280 and the GTX 560 Ti at 2560&#215;1600.\u00a0 Refer to the main performance summary charts above for performance of these older video cards at 1680&#215;1050.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/DX10-games.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-31463\" title=\"DX10-games\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/DX10-games.jpg?resize=482%2C1805\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/DX10-games.jpg?resize=482%2C1805 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/DX10-games-80x300.jpg 80w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Out of these four DX10 games, the GTX 660 Ti actually\u00a0goes toe to toe with the HD 7970, beating it in<em> Far Cry 2 <\/em>and\u00a0coming close\u00a0in<em>\u00a0Resident Evil 5\u00a0<\/em>and in<em> Just Cause 2, <\/em>depending on the resolution.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>DX11 Games<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Most of our testing emphasizes DX11 games and we bench 12. Since the charts\u00a0would get\u00a0too long, we break them up into charts of 6 games each.<\/p>\n<p>First up are the older DX11 games at 2560&#215;1600<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/DX11-old-25x16.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-31464\" title=\"DX11-old-25x16\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/DX11-old-25x16.jpg?resize=482%2C1303\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In most of these games, the overclocked GTX 660 Ti\u00a0loses to the far more expensive\u00a0stock HD 7970 although the\u00a0GeForce is faster in <em>Lost Planet 2<\/em> and comes close in <em>HAWX 2<\/em>. Now those same games at 1920&#215;1200:<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/DX11-old-19x12.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-31466\" title=\"DX11-old-19x12\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/DX11-old-19x12.jpg?resize=482%2C1204\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/DX11-old-19x12.jpg?resize=482%2C1204 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/DX11-old-19x12-120x300.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>The gap narrows a bit at the lower resolution and now the EVGA GTX 660 Ti beats the HD 7970 in <em>HAWX 2<\/em>. \u00a0Now the newer DX11 games at 2560&#215;1600:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/DX11-new-25x16.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-31465\" title=\"DX11-new-25x16\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/DX11-new-25x16.jpg?resize=482%2C1301\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/DX11-new-25x16.jpg?resize=482%2C1301 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/DX11-new-25x16-111x300.jpg 111w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/DX11-new-25x16-379x1024.jpg 379w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Although the gap narrows at lower resolution, the HD 7970 is faster when clocks are stock. This time, the GTX 660 Ti\u00a0at\u00a0EVGA Superclocked speeds\u00a0clocks is\u00a0now\u00a0trading blows with\u00a0the HD 7970, depending on game\u00a0 The Radeon puts in a dismal showing in <em>the Secret World<\/em>.\u00a0 Now the same newer DX11 games at 1920&#215;1200:<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-31467\" title=\"DX11-new-19x12\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/DX11-new-19x12.jpg?resize=482%2C1403\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/DX11-new-19x12.jpg?resize=482%2C1403 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/DX11-new-19x12-103x300.jpg 103w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Again, at the lower resolution, the GTX 660 Ti\u00a0is beating\u00a0the HD 7970, depending on the game.\u00a0 We were very surprised by these results as Nvidia hit their target for the GTX 660 Ti at 1920&#215;1200 resolution, taking on a much more expensive card with good results.<\/p>\n<p>The EVGA GTX 660 Ti Superclocked performs very close to its big brother the GTX 670, somewhat closer than 15%; and it comes very close in some games in performance to the stock HD 7970, matching or beating it in some games but losing to it in a few more in our benching suite.<\/p>\n<p>We would not be surprised to see the EVGA GTX 660 Ti\u00a0Superclocked\u00a0run away from the HD 7870 and also generally outclass the HD\u00a07950 which is in a higher price bracket.\u00a0Let&#8217;s head for our conclusion.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: The Conclusion--><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">This has been quite an enjoyable, if far too short, 1-week exploration for us in evaluating our new GTX 660 Ti. It did extraordinarily well performance-wise comparing it to the the GTX 580 and GTX 670 where it brings good performance value compared to the faster Kepler card and better efficiency and performance\u00a0than the older Fermi flagship. We are totally impressed with this cool-running &#8220;value&#8221; enthusiast card which is able in\u00a0many games\u00a0to go nearly head to head against or beat\u00a0the more expensive HD 7970 in a few games.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">We can see that the EVGA GTX 660 Ti Superclocked is an excellent replacement for the GTX 560 Ti which is not even in the same class.\u00a0 Although they are both aimed at 1920&#215;1200 resolution, the new card can also handle 2560&#215;1600 whereas the old card just falls flat even in older titles.\u00a0 And gamers\u00a0upgrading from a\u00a0GTX 280 will notice\u00a0a big jump in\u00a0the performance of this new card in DX9 and DX10 games\u00a0to say noting of playing\u00a0with tessellation in DX11 games which will noticeably improve the visuals.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">We see good overclockability with\u00a0reasonable quietness at stock voltage and fan profile even when the GTX 660 Ti Superclocked\u00a0is overclocked even beyond EVGA&#8217;s factory overclock and it scales well in performance.\u00a0 It is definitely quieter than the PowerColor HD 7970 and it uses relatively little power compared to the HD 79&#215;0 and the difference widens as\u00a0each overclock goes up.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">For its $299 price, it gives more than 85% of the performance of the GTX 670 which is priced at $400 and the\u00a0it comes\u00a0dangerously close to HD 7970&#8217;s performance territory at 1920&#215;1200.\u00a0\u00a0 From our results, we can expect\u00a0Ti will be a bit faster than the HD 7950 and beat up on the HD 7870.\u00a0 At $300 it is priced to match the HD 7870 while challenging and beating the more expensive HD 7950 in performance.\u00a0 And for ten dollars more, the EVGA GTX 660 Ti offers better performance than the reference Tis while giving the gamer EVGA&#8217;s excellent support and warranty as well as a great community.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\">Pros<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The EVGA\u00a0GTX 660\u00a0Ti Superclocked provides excellent performance for a $309 card and for the third time in a few months, makes the reference HD 7970 again appear\u00a0overpriced.<\/li>\n<li>TDP and power draw is superb. Performance per watt is better than its competitor&#8217;s flagship 28nm\u00a0offerings (to say nothing about beating the last generation) and it is quiet in comparison to the older cards.<\/li>\n<li>Overclockability is excellent &#8211; GPU Boost works as advertised.<\/li>\n<li>The\u00a0cooling design is quiet and efficient; the card and well-ventilated case stay cool even well-overclocked.<\/li>\n<li>It is possible to use two or three of these cards for SLI performance without needing a massive PSU<\/li>\n<li>3D Vision 2 and PhysX enhance gaming immersion and both are improved using the GTX 660 Ti compared to the GTX 560 Ti which is not in the same performance class &#8211; upgrading from the GTX 560 Ti to the GTX 660 Ti brought a solid improvement.<\/li>\n<li>Surround and 3D Vision Surround plus an accessory display can now be driven off of a single GTX\u00a0660 Ti\u00a0by requiring a single passive adapter; HD 7970 requires two, and tearing is noticeably better with Surround, compared to Eyefinity<\/li>\n<li>New AA allows for high performance without jaggies in deferred shading lighting engines; TXAA solves the shimmering and crawling when the camera is in motion<\/li>\n<li>Adaptive VSync reduces stuttering while retaining the advantages of minimizing tearing.<\/li>\n<li><em>Borderlands 2<\/em> coupon is included with all the EVGA GTX 660 Ti editions.\u00a0 It is a $60 value and likely to be very popular.<\/li>\n<li>The EVGA GTX 660 Ti Superclocked is a great value for just ten dollars more than the reference version.\u00a0 You get a 3+ year warranty backed by Nvidia&#8217;s number 1 USA partner with great support from service and community.\u00a0 EVGA comes highly recommended!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Cons<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>None<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>The Verdict:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>If you are buying a powerful upper-midrange video card right now that is perfect for 1920&#215;1200 resolutions while still being able to handle 2560&#215;1600 as well as\u00a0being great\u00a0bang for buck, the EVGA GTX 660 Ti Superclock is an easy choice for only ten dollars more than\u00a0the\u00a0reference design.\u00a0We feel it deserves ABT&#8217;s Great Value award since it performs\u00a0well against competing\u00a0cards that are currently priced out of its class.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/t3.gstatic.com\/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRxfBInukmNMVXQcYJY0wCMOdhHwRU0JTDjOyJ9ndAkl47y1hm2mW-KUQ\" alt=\"\" width=\"120\" height=\"200\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>We do not know what the future will bring, but the GTX 660 Ti brings good value and a great performer to the 28nm GeForce Kepler family. With great features like PhysX and the second generation of 3D Vision, you can be assured of immersive gaming by picking this card for 1920&#215;1080, 1920&#215;1200, or even higher resolutions.\u00a0 We also showed it is possible to play at 2560&#215;1600, something you can not do with its immediate predecessor, the GTX 560 Ti.<\/div>\n<p>If you currently game on an older generation video card such as a GTX 280, you will do yourself a big favor by upgrading. The move to a GTX 660 Ti will give you better visuals on the DX11.1 pathway especially over DX10, and you are no doubt thinking of SLI if you want to get nearly the ultimate in gaming performance without breaking the bank with a GTX 690.\u00a0\u00a0 The GTX 560 Ti is struggling in many modern games to say nothing of the GTX 280 which cannot even run DX11&#8217;s improved visuals over DX1o, especially including tessellation.<\/p>\n<p>The competition is hot and AMD offers their own set of features including Eyefinity and the recently faster and\u00a0lower-priced\u00a0GHz editions.\u00a0We are interested to see if there will be any further downward adjustments in AMD&#8217;s pricing regarding the HD 7870 and HD 7950\u00a0and how they will counter this new GTX 660 Ti release.<\/p>\n<p>Stay tuned, there is a lot coming from us at ABT. Next up is an evaluation of the EVGA Z77 FTW motherboard which has allowed us to increase our Core i7-3770K to 5.0GHz! \u00a0And you can expect more great reviews from\u00a0Mario\u00a0for our new mobile section; also expect a Thermaltake mid-tower review and Water2.0 Pro and Performer versus high-end air-cooling!\u00a0 And don&#8217;t forget to check our forums! Our tech discussions are becoming among the best to be found anywhere!!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 60px;\">Mark Poppin<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 60px;\">ABT Senior Editor<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px; text-align: left;\">Please join us in our <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/abt\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\">Forums<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px; text-align: left;\">Become a Fan on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142', 'Facebook']);\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px; text-align: left;\">Follow us on <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech', 'Twitter']);\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px; text-align: left;\">For the latest updates from ABT, please <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?feed=rss2\" target=\"_blank\">join our RSS News Feed<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px; text-align: left;\">Join our Distributed Computing teams<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 120px;\">\n<li>Folding@Home &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech &#8211; 164304<\/li>\n<li>SETI@Home &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech &#8211; 138705<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldcommunitygrid.org\/reg\/viewRegister.do?teamID=3P39R3SRV1\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.worldcommunitygrid.org\/reg\/viewRegister.do?teamID=3P39R3SRV1', 'World Community Grid &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech']);\" target=\"_blank\">World Community Grid &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=31410\"><img decoding=\"async\" align=top title=\"Author: Mark Poppin\" src=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/EVGAgtx660tiIMAGELINK.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":31472,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2533,7814,5],"tags":[589,5607,4506,4259,5211,5122,5121,121,5606],"class_list":["post-31410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abt-news","category-articles","category-gaming","tag-evga","tag-gtc-660-ti","tag-gtx-560-ti","tag-gtx-580","tag-gtx-670","tag-gtx-680","tag-kepler","tag-nvidia","tag-superoverclocked"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31410"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31410\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}