Best Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti Graphics Card

If you’re looking for a good graphics card that balances price with performance then your best option is either the Nvidia GTX 1660 or 1660 Ti. If you’re reading this guide, you’ve likely decided to go with the latter. As usual, your good friends here at Game Gavel have compiled another comprehensive list; this time detailing the very best GTX 1660 Ti graphics cards.

Top 5 Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti Graphics Cards

The GTX 1660 Ti is a slightly older card, which means it’s now more affordable than it’s ever been. Some so-called experts may advise you to wait a while until NVidia officially launches their range of Ampere-based graphics cards, but only a few of us (with deep pockets) will be able to afford them anyway.

Unless you are planning to wait for their release just to capitalize on Nvidia’s other graphics cards becoming cheaper. I’d advise against this too since stocks are likely to dwindle. Now is the perfect time to replace whatever potato you’re running in your rig with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics card.

In this guide we’ll discuss five of the best and why you should consider purchasing each one (respectively). Near the end of the article, we’ve appended a short buying guide, packed with some simple advice to help you shop for your own graphics card.

In addition to this, we’ve included a short FAQ section where we answer a few questions regarding the GTX 1660 Ti. If you want to learn more about the GTX 1660 Ti and graphics cards in general, we suggest you read on until the end.

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Pros & Cons

• Features sync-able RGB Cooling
• Factory overclocked
• Features a metal black plate
• Comes with a great range of software for tweaking and monitoring

• The fans get loud at high RPM

 Specifications:

• Full Name: MSI GeForce® GTX 1660 Ti GAMING X 6G
• Core Clock Speeds: 1875 MHz (Boost)
• Memory Size: 6 GB
• Memory Type: GDDR6
• Memory Bus: 192-bit
• Memory Speed: 12 GBPS
• Interface: PCI Express x16 3.0
• Max Number of Displays: 4
• Power Usage: 130 Watt
• Card Dimensions: 246 x 127 x 46 mm / 9.68 x 5 x 1.81 inches

Key Features:

• Optimized heat sink
• Dual fan blade design
• Dragon Center
• RGB lighting
• Twin Frozr 7 Thermal Design

MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Review

The MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is one of the heaviest cards on this list. It sits at around 870 grams. You’ll find that compactness is a characteristic that most GTX 1660 Ti graphics cards share. Well, at least the ones on this list. The MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is no different.

Despite having two large fans that appear to be around either 10 mm in diameter, the card is pretty compact. It’s a dual-slot card that seems capable of fitting most form factors.

The MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Ti doesn’t stray away from the color theme of most MSI cards. The shroud uses the neutral colors of black and grey. Which means it can blend in well with most builds. Which should be a plus for those of you with tempered glass PC cases.

Although the color theme is unexciting, you’ll still want to show this thing off thanks to some RGB lighting. You find splashes of lighting on the top of the shroud, on the logo on the front side as well as some light shining through the backplate.

It’s one of the few GTX 1660 Ti with any RGB lighting. The RGB lighting can be customized and synced using MSI’s Dragon Center. Dragon Center is an integrated software suite where you can access MSI’s Mystic Light and Afterburner.

For the I/O, you’ve got three DisplayPort 1.4 outputs and a single HDMI 2.0 port. Unfortunately, as with most of the cards in this series, there’s no USB-C port.

The MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Ti has some of the best boost clock speeds out of the box. They outpace the reference clock speeds by a fine margin. In fact, it has the best boost clock speeds on this list.

It can handle games like Apex Legends and Battlefield V on high settings on a 1440p or 1080p resolution with ease. It may however struggle with 4K. You can still squeeze a performance boost out of the card, using MSI’s Afterburner. You will be able to extract a maximum of 150MHz from the GPU core and 1000MHz of memory speed.

You won’t hear much coil whining but the fans do get loud when you’re stress testing or overclocking the card. However, you’ll find them to be very quiet while your system is idle. The card uses MSI’s Twin Frozr 7 thermal design which means you’ll be getting two TORX 3.0 fans.

The fans are unique in their use of dual-fan blade design. You get a dispersion fan blade built to push airflow more effectively and the traditional fan blade which pushes air into the heatsink below.

You can’t go wrong with products from MSI. They produce some of the best gaming laptops on the market. The MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Ti has everything you’d want from a graphics card in this series. It’s compact, looks great, has impressive cooling and it’s decently priced.

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Pros & Cons

• Tremendous Cooling
• Light-weight
• Easy to install
• Factory overclocked for best performance

• Features a plastic backplate
• Pricey

Specifications:

• Full Name: Gigabyte GeForce® GTX 1660 Ti WINDFORCE OC 6G (GV-N166TWF2OC-6GD)
• Core Clock Speeds: 1845 MHz (Boost)
• Memory Size: 6 GB
• Memory Type: GDDR6
• Memory Bus: 192-bit
• Memory Speed: 12 GBPS
• Interface: PCI Express x16 3.0
• Max Number of Displays: 4
• Power Usage: 130 Watt
• Card Dimensions: 246.9 x 120.58 x 40.41 mm / 9.72 x 4.74 x 1.59 inches

Key Features:

• WINDFORCE 2X Cooling System
• Alternate spinning fans
• 100mm fans
• Protective metal backplate
• Direct touch heat-pipes

GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Windforce Review

The Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 Ti sports a matte black plastic shroud with a few grey accents to interrupt the uniformity and give the card a bit of character. The shroud may be indistinct and simple when compared to the fan blades which have raised markings quite reminiscent to African tribal scars.

This is where the card’s true character lies and it’s one of the biggest reasons anyone would want to buy it. The unremarkable and neutral color palette of the shroud ensures that it will fit into most builds. However, the fan designs give the card enough distinction that even if you were shopping for a graphics card, based on aesthetics, this card would still be worth considering.

The unique fan design has a purpose beyond just looking unique. The angular edges are designed to draw in the surrounding air and coax it through the raised scar-like stripes. This enhances overall airflow.

The fans are fairly large. They’re both 100 mm in diameter. Gigabyte describes them as 3D active fans. They feature partial passive cooling where they remain idle until the GPU Core reaches a certain temperature. This ensures that the graphics card is quiet during low load which also saves on power and increases the fan’s lifespan.

Nevertheless, it can become aggressively loud if you stress the graphics card for long periods.

Another feature that’s completely unique to Gigabyte graphics cards in this class is the fans spin in opposition to each other. The left fan spins counter-clockwise while the right spins clockwise. Gigabyte claims that this ensures better heat dissipation and more stability.

It’s not the smallest graphics card on this list but it’s still remarkably compact. It’s only slightly bulkier than ZOTAC’s dual-fan entry on this list. Nonetheless, it’s a dual-slot card, and thanks to the shroud and backplate being composed mainly of plastic, the graphics card only weighs around 450 grams (15,9 ounces).

On the front of the card, you’ll notice the Gigabyte logo where you’d usually expect some RGB lighting but unfortunately, this card does not come with that feature. This card doesn’t have any RGB lighting at all. A bit disappointing especially when you consider the price tag.

The card boasts boost clock speeds of up to 1845 Mhz which is slightly better than ZOTAC’s and way better than the Nvidia’s reference card. As we’ve previously mentioned, the backplate is made up of plastic and doesn’t come in direct contact with the rear PCB. Which means it doesn’t add to the graphics card’s cooling or heat dissipation.

It’s just there for aesthetic reasons. Without it, the card would look somewhat incomplete. Despite this, the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Windforce is one of the most inventive cards on this list. It has arguably the best cooling and Gigabyte gets the best out of the GTX 1660 Ti GPU core. I see no reason to avoid this card except its price tag.

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Pros & Cons

• Compact
• Features low power consumption
• Features easy to use tweaking software (Firestorm utility)
• Affordable (relatively speaking)
• Offers quiet and effective cooling

• Some decorative components and strips look flimsy

Specifications:

• Full Name: ZOTAC GAMING GeForce GTX 1660 Ti AMP
• Core Clock Speeds: 1860 MHz (Boost)
• Memory Size: 6 GB
• Memory Type: GDDR6
• Memory Bus: 192-bit
• Memory Speed: 12 GBPS
• Interface: PCI Express x16 3.0
• Max Number of Displays: 4
• Power Usage: 130 Watt
• Card Dimensions: 209.6 x 119.3 x 41 mm / 8.3 x 4.7 x 1.61 inches

Key Features:

• IceStorm 2.0 Cooling
• Wide array aluminum heatsink
• Wraparound backplate
• Features three 6mm heat-pipes

ZOTAC Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Ti AMP Review

The ZOTAC Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Ti AMP’s shroud looks like it’s a mix between a crumpled up newspaper and a carefully folded origami sculpture. It looks quite distinct and unique.

The color palette is largely black with splashes of grey here and there to ensure that the card mixes well with most builds but it still manages to stand out and be fashionable. Which is a plus if you’re into that type of thing.

But what we like most about the ZOTAC Gaming Geforce GTX 1660 Ti graphics card is that it’s a compact little card. According to ZOTAC, it fits into 99% of systems. Of course, they’re overselling it but despite it being a dual-slot card, it can likely fit into your Mini ITX case.

An advantage the ZOTAC Gaming GeForce Graphics Card has over Nvidia’s reference card is a performance boost thanks to it being factory overclocked. To keep the GPU core cool during heavy stress, the card features ZOTAC’s IceStorm 2.0 cooling.

It features two 90MM fans which take up most of the space on the compact shroud. It also features a lightweight wide array aluminum heatsink connected to three 6mm heat pipes to help transfer heat as efficiently as possible.

Despite the large fans and spaced out heatsink, the cooling on this card is surprisingly quiet. When people talk about budget graphics cards, they usually talk about how cheap it is to purchase. They seldom talk about the other overhead involved in running a graphics card.

For instance, one thing that should always be considered when purchasing a graphics card is its power consumption. One of the best things about the GTX 1660 Ti is it’s a mid-range card with relatively low power consumption. It’s recommended that you run it with a 450 Watt PSU. But since it only consumes just above 100 Watts of electricity, you could probably get away with running it with a PSU with less wattage.

Of course, this depends on the other components you have installed on your computer. To manage the graphics card and tweak it, it comes with ZOTAC’s Firestorm software. It has a rich graphical user interface and is very easy to use.

The entire graphics card’s structure is kept stable through a wraparound metal backplate. Despite the graphics card having an appearance of quality and durability, some users have complained about pieces and strips falling off. One user has even complained about the fans malfunctioning after a years’ worth of use.

This isn’t to say you should avoid it completely. Purchase it with a warranty if possible and pay careful attention to how you make it sit inside your case. Overall, it’s a great graphics card. It’s not too expensive, it’s compact, 4k-ready, VR-ready and quiet. We highly recommend it, especially if it’s on sale. Try to avoid a second-hand purchase of this card.

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Pros & Cons

• Compact
• Affordable
• Factory overclocked
• Quiet
• Well-built
• Very easy to install and set up

• Doesn’t have the best cooling

Specifications:

• Full Name: ASUS Phoenix GeForce® GTX 1660 Ti OC edition (PH-GTX1660TI-O6G)
• Core Clock Speeds: 1815 MHz (Boost)
• Memory Size: 6 GB
• Memory Type: GDDR6
• Memory Bus: 192-bit
• Memory Speed: 12 GBPS
• Interface: PCI Express x16 3.0
• Max Number of Displays: 4
• Power Usage: 130 Watt
• Card Dimensions: 174 x 121 x 39 mm / 6.85 x 4.7 x 1.54 inches

Key Features:

• Single Phoenix fan
• Factory overclocked
• GPU Tweak II
• Created with Super Alloy Power II components

ASUS Phoenix GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Review

The ASUS GeForce GTX 1660 TI is the most compact card on this list. It uses a dual-slot form factor and is perfect for any micro-atx case-based build. The ASUS Phoenix GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is one of the most distinctive-looking cards on this list. It’s not just the single fan. It’s the racing stripe running through the top of the shroud.

But it still uses neutral colors (white, black, and grey) so it won’t stick out from most builds. As you’d expect, it doesn’t come with any RGB lighting. It’s quite understandable for a graphics card this small. Of course, it also means that it will be less expensive than most graphics cards in this series.

The ASUS Phoenix GeForce GTX 1660 Ti uses a single fan with a diameter of 9/10 mm. It’s not the most unique looking fan on this list but it gets the job done. It’s positioned just above the GPU core and some of the memory modules.

The fan uses a double-ball bearing design which is known to last at least twice as long as the average sleeve bearing design. This also means that they’re quieter than your average fan.

The fan-blades use ASUS’s proprietary Wing-blade design. They’re shaped in such a way that elongates the fan-blades without taking up additional space on the shroud. The fan blades also sport dangling tips to reduce drag and help increase fan speed.

As with most ASUS graphics cards, this graphics card is built through ASUS’s auto-extreme process. According to ASUS, this rigorous process ensures that cards will be long-lasting and resilient.

In terms of GPU core-speed, it’s not the best performing card on this list, despite being factory overclocked. It still outperforms Nvidia’s reference card and you can always optimize it and perform your own overclocking through ASUS’s GPU Tweak II.

Thanks to the rich graphical interface, you can overclock the ASUS Phoenix GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with just a few clicks on the mouse. But because it’s a single fan graphics card, you’ll have to be careful when overclocking it.

All in all, it’s a great compact graphics card. Perfect for anyone trying to save a bit of space. It’s one of the few graphics cards in this class that have an old-school DVI-D output and two HDMI ports. Which is perfect for those trying to upgrade their systems incrementally.

You won’t have to replace your monitors or purchase adapters that convert DisplayPort 1.4 connections to DVI or HDMI inputs. It’s a powerful little video display board and undoubtedly one of the best GTX 1660 Ti graphics cards on the market.

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Pros & Cons

• Compact
• Affordable
• Well-built
• Easy to install
• Impressive cooling

• Fans can be a bit loud

Specifications:

• Full Name: MSI GeForce® GTX 1660 Ti VENTUS XS 6G OC
• Core Clock Speeds: 1830 MHz (Boost)
• Memory Size: 6 GB
• Memory Type: GDDR6
• Memory Bus: 192-bit
• Memory Speed: 12 GBPS
• Interface: PCI Express x16 3.0
• Max Number of Displays: 4
• Power Usage: 130 Watt
• Card Dimensions: 204 x 128 x 42 mm / 8 x 5 x 1.6 inches

Key Features:

• Two Torx 2.0 fans
• Back black metal plate
• Overclocked
• MSI Afterburner

MSI GTX 1660 Ti Ventus XS Review

Once again MSI makes another appearance on this list. But this time it’s with a more understated iteration of the GTX 1660 Ti. Although it’s a double-slot card too, the Ventus has a lower profile than the Gaming X. It’s also missing any RGB lighting.

This makes it a cheaper option than the Gaming X. The design and color palette is also a lot more exciting. The shroud sports silver rings and flourishes around the fans. There’s also splashes of grey, yellow and white all over the card.

The Ventus is overclocked too but doesn’t deliver the same out of the box power that the Gaming X does. Once again, you can always change this by manually overclocking the card yourself using MSI Afterburner software.

The GTX 1660 Ti was designed as a high-performance mid-range card. It’s a Turing card with no ray-tracing. It’s Nvidia’s attempt to claw back some of the market share stolen by AMD. MSI has one of the best implementations of this chip.

Another reason that this version of the MSI GTX 1660 Ti is cheaper is because it uses TORX 2.0 fans while the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Gaming X uses TORX 3.0 fans. The TORX 2.0 fans still have MSI’s patented dual-fan design. You have the dispersion fan blade mixed in with the classic fan design.

In addition to MSI Afterburner, you have access to the MSI App Player which allows you to optimize and play mobile games on your PC. This is perfect for gamers who can’t afford high-end Android phones to play their favorite games on.

The card also comes with a hard metal backplate to protect the card’s PCB and keep it stable. In all other departments, it performs as well as the MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Ti. It’s a great alternative to the other entries on this list and one of the most balanced cards in terms of price and performance.

Best Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti Graphics Card Buying Guide

If you’re curious as to how we made our selections and you want some tips on what to look for when shopping for a graphics card in the future, then this section is for you.

With all the options out there and all the specs that graphics cards come with, shopping for one without a little help can be a little daunting. So in this section, we’ll list and detail a few things you should look out for when purchasing your next graphics card.

Power Consumption: Can Your PSU Handle It?

One of the biggest mistakes that noobs make when upgrading their graphics cards is not checking if they have a power supply unit with enough wattage to run the graphics card along with their other components.

Usually, a graphics card manufacturer will recommend a PSU. For instance, it’s recommended that you run a PSU with 450 Watts of power. This is especially important if you plan to overclock the graphics card. You can learn more about PSUs by checking out our PSU tier list.

I/O Ports and Interfaces: Can You Connect It to Your Screen?

Finding a graphics card with a VGA or DVI input is quite rare these days. VGA inputs accommodate analog signals. They’re obsolete because monitors these days don’t support analog input. If your monitor still has a VGA output then maybe it’s to upgrade it. You don’t have to break the bank either, there are a lot of good budget gaming monitors out there.

You may still find graphics cards with DVI ports but it’s another unnecessary and obsolete standard. They output digital signals which are often compressed and lossy.

These days, graphics cards use either HDMI or DisplayPort outputs. These deliver lossless uncompressed digital signals. The latest graphics card will have multiple DisplayPort outputs and at least one HDMI port.

Upon purchasing a graphics card, you’ll need to ensure you have the right cables and compatible screens to connect the graphics card to. With most modern graphics cards, you’ll be able to connect up to four different screens. This is something you’ll need to consider when purchasing a graphics card.

Factory Overclocked: Is It Worth Paying Extra For?

Graphics card manufacturers have become savvier over the years. They’ve observed the popularity of overclocking and integrated methods to make it more accessible and safe through specialized software.

To incentivize the purchase of their graphics cards over Nvidia or AMD’s reference cards, many manufacturers sell factory overclocked versions. This means that manufacturers will overclock the GPU core and memory speed before packaging and selling it.

It’s still possible to overclock the graphics card even more, despite it being factory overclocked. But is a factory overclocked graphics card worth paying more for. That’s up to you. Are you willing to risk overclocking the graphics card yourself or do you trust the manufacturer? This is something else you’ll need to consider when purchasing a graphics card.

Best Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti Graphics Card FAQ

How long will a GTX 1660 Ti last?

The GTX 1660 Ti’s GPU is designed and stress-tested to last several thousand hours of usage. The lifespan of the other components on the graphics card will depend on which manufacturer you purchase the card from. Manufacturers such as ASUS claim to use automated production processes that fortify all the components of the graphics card. This allows the graphics card to last longer.

Can a GTX 1660 Ti run 4K?

The GTX 1660 Ti can run games in 4K. However, it depends on the game you’re trying to play. But in most cases, you’ll need to put the settings on low or medium before you attempt to run it on 4K lest you want to suffer through some very inconsistent and low frame-rates.

In conclusion, the GTX 1660 Ti can run games in 4K but it’s not really suited to it. You’d be better off purchasing a different card for that.

Can the 1660 TI Do 144hz?

The GTX 1660 Ti has enough power to accommodate smooth gameplay on a 144hz gaming monitor. Though the differences wouldn’t be noticeable between playing with a  GTX 1660 Ti on a 120hz screen and a 144hz screen.

Therefore, it’s suggested that you purchase a screen based on its resolution with a minimum of 60Hz if you plan on playing casual games. It might be a different story if you’re planning to compete online.

How Much Power Does the GTX 1660 Ti Use?

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti uses 120/130 Watts of power. It is recommended that you use a PSU with a 450-Watt power rating.

Final Thoughts

The GTX 1660 Ti is one of the best price-performance balanced graphics cards on the market. It’s also one of the most compact. It’s ideal for gamers trying to construct compressed custom builds. In fact, it can power a rig of nearly any size. In this guide, we covered five of the very best GTX 1660 Ti graphics cards. We hope you can use this guide to upgrade or purchase a new graphics card for your gaming PC. As always, thank you for reading.