GTX 660 2GB Card or GTX 560 TI 1GB Card??

[Aunnix]

Hey all,

I'm in the market for a graphics card on a new rig I've recently built. The system specs are:

(3rd Gen) Core i5 3570 3.4 Quad Core CPU
OCZ 600W Mod Xstream Pro PSU
24 GB Crucial Ballastix Sport RAM
ASUS P8Z77-V LK 1155 ATX MOBO
HAF 912 ATX Gaming Case


First of all, I'm only an average (maybe even a little less than average) gamer. At the moment, on PC I only really care about the Starcraft franchise. I'm mostly an RTS guy, but there are a few games (such as Mass Effect or Quake - just examples!) that I prefer to play on PC rather than a console. I use my system, first and foremost, for website design (using Adobe CS6 web/design premium). I want to invest in a nice video card in case (over the next few years) a new game grabs my attention and I will be able to play it on pretty high settings, but I don't want to drain my bank account, haha.


I've been waiting to conjure up the cash to purchase a GTX 560 TI 1GB card. I'd like to spend between $150-$200 on a graphics card. After a couple rebates, blah blah, the GTX 560 will put me around $150-$180... (yes, I've considered a GTX 550 but I figured I'd drop an extra $50-$100 and get a card I won't need to upgrade for a good 3-5 years..) The GTX 560 TI card that I would be picking up would probably be (at least similar to) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130604 as this will put me closer to my $150 range. If this card will remain a high end card over the next 4 years, it would probably be perfect.


But today, I came across this deal on a GTX 660 2GB card on Newegg.com. (I'm pretty sure it isn't a "TI" version). With a $15 instant savings and $30 rebate, it will put me around the $200 range. Here is the link... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127699&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL092812&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL092812-_-EMC-092812-Index-_-DesktopGraphicsVideoCards-_-14127699-L07A


Just for kicks... here are a couple other cards that would be comparable to the GTX 660's price that I think would be worthy of opinions...

EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 2GB 256-bit = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130683

MSI 448 Twin Frozr III PE/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti - 448 Cores (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127615

MSI Twin Frozr II GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127682



Thanks much for the help!

 

[JackNaylorPE]

If the 660 Ti, I'd get the MSI 660 Ti Power Edition or Asus DCII ... short version ...they outperform the competition.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_660_Ti_Power_Edition/33.html

What I find surprising is that MSI's card is faster than many other GTX 660 Ti cards reviewed today even though it's running lower base and boost clocks. .... It seems that MSI has added some secret sauce, no other board partner has, to their card's BIOS.

Since the article, Asus updated their BIOS in a similar manner ... but the MSI is cheaper.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=-1&IsNodeId=1&Description=msi%20660%20ti&bop=And&CompareItemList=-1|14-127-696^14-127-696-TS%2C14-127-697^14-127-697-TS

If the 560 Ti, the Asus DCII or Gigabyte 900 MHz version .... same deal .... with more phases on their VRM's, they outperform the competition.... 30% OC's

http://www.pureoverclock.com/review.php?id=1201&page=17

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=-1&isNodeId=1&Description=560+Ti+900Mhz&x=0&y=0

Which you get is a budget decision.

I'd avoid the 448 entirely.....it's just a repackaged 'broken" 570

BTW, confused about the 24 GB RAM .... Z77 is designed for RAM modules to be installed in multiples of 2 ..... X58 was multiples of 3. Common configurations:

2 x 4GB = 8GB
2 x 8GB = 16GB

4 x 4GB = 16GB
4 x 8GB = 32GB

 

[Aunnix]

If the 660 Ti, I'd get the MSI 660 Ti Power Edition or Asus DCII ... short version ...they outperform the competition.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_660_Ti_Power_Edition/33.html

What I find surprising is that MSI's card is faster than many other GTX 660 Ti cards reviewed today even though it's running lower base and boost clocks. .... It seems that MSI has added some secret sauce, no other board partner has, to their card's BIOS.

Since the article, Asus updated their BIOS in a similar manner ... but the MSI is cheaper.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=-1&IsNodeId=1&Description=msi%20660%20ti&bop=And&CompareItemList=-1|14-127-696^14-127-696-TS%2C14-127-697^14-127-697-TS

If the 560 Ti, the Asus DCII or Gigabyte 900 MHz version .... same deal .... with more phases on their VRM's, they outperform the competition.... 30% OC's

http://www.pureoverclock.com/review.php?id=1201&page=17

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=-1&isNodeId=1&Description=560+Ti+900Mhz&x=0&y=0

Which you get is a budget decision.

I'd avoid the 448 entirely.....it's just a repackaged 'broken" 570

BTW, confused about the 24 GB RAM .... Z77 is designed for RAM modules to be installed in multiples of 2 ..... X58 was multiples of 3. Common configurations:

2 x 4GB = 8GB
2 x 8GB = 16GB

4 x 4GB = 16GB
4 x 8GB = 32GB

Yeah, the 660 I was looking is not a TI version. The TI version will cost me an extra $100, and I know I don't want to go over $200 (give or take $10)... I thought maybe since the 660 I listed a link to in my post was a 2GB card, that it would be worth buying instead of 560 TI card. I've been told that the 560 will last me a good couple of years and if I decided I needed more power I can always throw a second in the rig and run them in SLI mode. But, I've been told that SLI doesn't really give THAT much more of a performance boost...


As for the RAM... I'm running 2 x 4GB sticks (8GB) and 2 x 8GB sticks (16GB) for a total of 24GB. The board has 4 DIMM slots...

 

[Aunnix]

The 660 is noticeably faster and has the extra vram... get that. $200 is a nice deal for it and the MSI Twin Frozr is a solid cooler.

The 560ti is only worth a purchase if you can find it around $150-160 right now.

Yeah, that is what I thought about the 560... I can get it at Microcenter (after rebates) for around like $160 (maybe pushing $170??) so that's why I was wondering about the 660 NON TI version because it would only be like an extra $30-$40...

 

[ojas]

i think the 660 is the better choice. more efficient as well.

missed the res you're playing at. for the games you mentioned, i think the 660 should keep you covered till 1080p.

 

[Guest]

Hey all,

I'm in the market for a graphics card on a new rig I've recently built. The system specs are:

(3rd Gen) Core i5 3570 3.4 Quad Core CPU
OCZ 600W Mod Xstream Pro PSU
24 GB Crucial Ballastix Sport RAM
ASUS P8Z77-V LK 1155 ATX MOBO
HAF 912 ATX Gaming Case


First of all, I'm only an average (maybe even a little less than average) gamer. At the moment, on PC I only really care about the Starcraft franchise. I'm mostly an RTS guy, but there are a few games (such as Mass Effect or Quake - just examples!) that I prefer to play on PC rather than a console. I use my system, first and foremost, for website design (using Adobe CS6 web/design premium). I want to invest in a nice video card in case (over the next few years) a new game grabs my attention and I will be able to play it on pretty high settings, but I don't want to drain my bank account, haha.


I've been waiting to conjure up the cash to purchase a GTX 560 TI 1GB card. I'd like to spend between $150-$200 on a graphics card. After a couple rebates, blah blah, the GTX 560 will put me around $150-$180... (yes, I've considered a GTX 550 but I figured I'd drop an extra $50-$100 and get a card I won't need to upgrade for a good 3-5 years..) The GTX 560 TI card that I would be picking up would probably be (at least similar to) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130604 as this will put me closer to my $150 range. If this card will remain a high end card over the next 4 years, it would probably be perfect.


But today, I came across this deal on a GTX 660 2GB card on Newegg.com. (I'm pretty sure it isn't a "TI" version). With a $15 instant savings and $30 rebate, it will put me around the $200 range. Here is the link... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127699&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL092812&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL092812-_-EMC-092812-Index-_-DesktopGraphicsVideoCards-_-14127699-L07A


Just for kicks... here are a couple other cards that would be comparable to the GTX 660's price that I think would be worthy of opinions...

EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 2GB 256-bit = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130683

MSI 448 Twin Frozr III PE/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti - 448 Cores (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127615

MSI Twin Frozr II GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127682



Thanks much for the help!

Just read through the nice article Toms Hardware just did on the 650 and 660.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-660-geforce-gtx-650-benchmark,3297.html

Compares to the 560 ti & 570.

 

[Aunnix]

i think the 660 is the better choice. more efficient as well.

missed the res you're playing at. for the games you mentioned, i think the 660 should keep you covered till 1080p.

My dual 22 inch monitors recommend a display resolution of 1920x1280... not sure what the "1080" type resolution would be..

 

[Aunnix]

As you can see - the price/$$ is basically the same at those prices for both cards so the only real question is how much you want to spend. I also think that 2GB vram on the 660 is a reason to spend more.

I agree.. The 2GB is what drawed me to it. My main concern now would be the 192-bit (660 card) vs the 256-bit on the 560 card...

 

[Aunnix]

Makes no difference because the 560 is so much slower. You can't compare specs quite like that.

Ok. I assumed the bit rate was lower since it was 2GB card instead of 1GB, but I wanted to be sure. I think the 660 will be the one I go with.. It will be worth the extra $30-$40 to ensure the extra year or so performance, lol.

 

[yialanliu]

Everyone here is talking in terms of games.
However, I have found in compute and real world usage that Fermi is better than Keplar, as shown by 580>680 in compute performance even though 680>580 in gaming..
Thus, for a 50 dollar price premium, I don't think it's worth it, especially since the games you play aren't that graphcis intensive and you said the main purpose is not gaming.

 

[Aunnix]

Everyone here is talking in terms of games.
However, I have found in compute and real world usage that Fermi is better than Keplar, as shown by 580>680 in compute performance even though 680>580 in gaming..
Thus, for a 50 dollar price premium, I don't think it's worth it, especially since the games you play aren't that graphcis intensive and you said the main purpose is not gaming.

hmm.. Yeah, gaming is not my MAIN purpose but in case there is a new game that comes out and strikes my fancy I'd like to think the card I have will be well suited for it. The games I currently play are not very graphics intensive, but I want to prevent having to upgrade again in a couple years in case a game franchise I do play (or might want to play) is graphics intensive.

When it comes to the video card, I figured I'd gear it more towards gaming rather than everyday use because the card I buy for gaming has to have better computing performance than the on board. I wouldn't think I'd need to buy a graphics card just to do web design and internet browsing (as I am fine with the video for this stuff the way it is now), therefore I want the card to be geared toward any gaming I currently, and may want to do in the future.

 

[Aunnix]

I have committed to the MSI GTX 660... After the opinions here, from the guys at Microcenter, and http://pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-660-2GB-Review-Kepler-GK106-229/Retail-Card-Performance, it seems like the best choice since I'm able to get a $30 rebate and $15 Instant Savings.

Thanks to you all!

 

[Aunnix]

I've gotten the GTX 660 card and installed it last night. I haven't had much time with it, but I got an hour or so in on it. Everything seems to be working great.

Currently, I have the settings for Starcraft 2 set to extreme, lol, and it didn't seem to lag hardly at all. I plan to download some demos over the weekend to try to test it thoroughly, lol.

Thanks again, and hopefully this card keeps me updated for gaming over the next few years.