The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Review: GK106 Fills Out The Kepler Family
by Ryan Smith on September 13, 2012 9:00 AM ESTBattlefield 3
Its popularity aside, Battlefield 3 may be the most interesting game in our benchmark suite for a single reason: it’s the first AAA DX10+ game. It’s been 5 years since the launch of the first DX10 GPUs, and 3 whole process node shrinks later we’re finally to the point where games are using DX10’s functionality as a baseline rather than an addition. Not surprisingly BF3 is one of the best looking games in our suite, but as with past Battlefield games that beauty comes with a high performance cost.
BF3 has always favored NVIDIA’s architectures, so it comes as no surprise here that this is another good showing for the GTX 660. Realistically speaking MSAA is out of the question here since the minimum framerates would drop into the 20s, but performance is still high enough for 1920 on Ultra quality with FXAA. Here the GTX 660 trails the GTX 660 Ti by 12% while stopping just short of completely clobbering the 7800 series. At 71fps it can beat the 7870 by 19% and even beats the 7950 by 14%. Much like Portal 2 this is a game where the 7950 should by all rights be winning, so it’s curious just what is going on under the hood that has NVIDIA’s architectures doing so well here.
Even among NVIDIA cards however this is another strong showing for the GTX 660. Here it improves on the performance of the GTX 460 by 76%, a difference so large that it sees the GTX 660 crack 60fps at 1920 when the GTX 460 can’t crack 60fps at 1680.
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Amgal - Friday, September 14, 2012 - link
A little off topic, but does anandtech have an article explaining TU's, SMXes, ROPs, shader clock, etc- basically explaining the new age graphics card architectures? I really enjoy their informative articles, and am having some trouble finding one on that area that isn't littered with incomprehensible computer science macroes. Thanks.pattycake0147 - Friday, September 14, 2012 - link
If the majority of cards available for sale have custom coolers, why are noise measurements taken for only the reference card? Especially when you've stated that you have custom cards in the lab.Jad77 - Friday, September 14, 2012 - link
but shouldn't AMD be releasing their next generation sometime soon?Patflute - Friday, September 14, 2012 - link
Months from now.rarson - Friday, September 14, 2012 - link
Can we please stop pretending that Nvidia's supply issues are anybody's fault but their own? Is it just a coincidence that Fermi and Kepler both were huge, horrible misfires or is it possible that Nvidia has struggled to design things that actually yield decently? Can we stop ignoring the fact that AMD has had an entire lineup of 28nm parts since March (you know, like 2 months before Kepler ever appeared in reasonable quantities)? Yeah, 28nm IS constrained, but other companies are still putting out parts. Nvidia can't put out parts because they have to throw them away. They're eating the wafers (they must be eating a lot of them if it took them this long to bring out a $300 part).I hope Nvidia can pull it together because at this rate, AMD's going to start launching a generation ahead of them (they already have all of the console business).
CeriseCogburn - Thursday, November 29, 2012 - link
nVidia dropped it production purchased spots, so you amd fanboys could blow giant dollars on nearly unavailable amd crap overpriced crashing non pci-e3 gen compliant video card trashyou did so
Well not you, but you know what I mean
Then nVidia released and 2 days before amd "magically" had supply in the channels.
If you're too stupid to know that - well - sorry since it's obvious
Then amd crashed it's prices 4 times, and amd fanboys were left raped
Then amd fired 10% more and now 15% more
I hope the amd golden parachutes for the criminal executives pleased you
What's your guess on the amd buyout rumors ?
My guess is that 3G of ram you fools tried to lie about having an advantage with the totaled and incapable gpu choking on dirt below it at frame rates no Skyrim player could possibly stand, won't be recieving "driver updates" for that "glorious future" when "new games" that "can make use of it" "become available" !
right fan boy ?
RIGHT
LOL
Have a nice cry, err I meant day.
Lepton87 - Friday, September 14, 2012 - link
This card is obviously slower than 7870.http://tpucdn.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_660_Twin_Frozr_I...
Just look at performance summaries from other sites. But the most glaring flaw of this review is NOT comparing it to OC'ed AMD cards. After OC even 7850 is going to obliterate this overpriced card with almost no clock headroom.
Lepton87 - Friday, September 14, 2012 - link
Unfortunately Anandtech is playing favourites. It's the only site that I know that has somewhat decent reputation that just couldn't admit that 7970GE is simply a faster card than GTX680 and now this....CeriseCogburn - Thursday, November 29, 2012 - link
Oh come on quarky, Crysis Warhead and Metro first on every review doesn't do it for you ?The alphabet here goes A for amd first, then C, the jumps to M, for amd , again and again.
Why so sour, because amd is almost toast ?
CeriseCogburn - Thursday, November 29, 2012 - link
100%, vs 103%, at a single resolution, the 1920x1200, when 1920x1080 shows another story, and the 7850 is down low at 85%.LOL - yeah amd fanboy, you sure are telling this amd fanboy site..
Can we count how CRAPPY amd drivers are ? Can we count no adaptive v-sync on amd crap cards, can we count no 4 monitors out of the box on amd cards, can we count no auto overclocking, can we count amd slashing it's staff and driver writers aka catalusy maker issues ?
Can we count any of that, or should we just count 3% ? LOL
Oh wait fair and above it all amd fanboy, I know the answer...
We will just count 3 more frames per 100 frame rate, at a single resolution, at your single link, and ignore everything else.
LOL
Thank you for your support.