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Nvidia has been expanding its line of GPUs and AIBs since Siggraph 2018 when it introduced the revolutionary RTX 2080 and 2080 Ti. Since then the company has introduced three base versions, and five Super versions (maybe more). The latest to the list is the GTX 1660 Super, which looks and feels very much like a discounted GTX 1660 Ti. The GTX 1660 Super is a Turing GPU based AIB running at a higher clock (than the GTX 1660 Ti) and consumes a few more watts as a result.
The dual-slot GTX 1660 Super has three outputs (like the GTX 1660 It and base 1660): a DVI, an HDMI, and a DisplayPort. The DVI connector suggests the AIB is targeted at people who have older monitors and maybe older PCs.
The AIB has just one 8-pin power connector and the EVGA version comes with iCX cooling solution that makes everything detected and utilizes interactive cooling; the GPU fan speed is determined by GPU temperature, power and memory fan speed is determined by power and memory temperatures.
Performance
We ran five tests, TimeSpy, The Division II (High Pre-set), Civ Vi (High preset), Shadows of the Tomb Raider (High preset), and Metro Exodus (High preset), averaged their FPS scores and generated the Pmark.
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| Pmark results for five popular AIBs including EVGA’s new GTX 1660 Super |
The result, shown in the above chart, shows that the GTX 1660 Super is best of class, but just barely. The lower price and higher performance over the GTX 1660 are offset by the higher power consumption, as indicated in the table below.
| GTX 1060 | GTX 1660 | GTX 1660 Super | GTX 1660 TI | AMD RX 590 | |
| Pmark Score | 1,255 | 2,226 | 2,275 | 2,006 | 1,080 |
| Pmark FPS | 996 | 1,756 | 1,796 | 1,565 | 918 |
| Avg FPS | 35.75 | 46.15 | 51.4 | 52.4 | 44.8 |
| Price (at time of release) | $299 | $219 | $229 | $279 | $279 |
| TDP (W) | 120 | 120 | 125 | 120 | 175 |
| Shaders | 1280 | 1408 | 1408 | 1536 | 2304 |
| Base Core Clock | 1506 | 1530 | 1530 | 1500 | 1470 |
| Memory Clock | 2000 | 2000 | 1750 | 1500 | 2000 |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 | GDDR6 | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Size (GB) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 |
Nvidia is positioning the GTX 1660 Super as a replacement for the previous generation (2017) GTX 1060, and if you were to purchase one today, you could find it for as low as $199 (Newegg).
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| Comparison of GTC 1660 Super to GTX 1060 |
An average 80% improvement in performance for 13% less cost (time of introduction pricing) is one helluva deal in our book.
But wait, there’s more
As part of the package, Nvidia and its partners like EVGA, are including some game-enhancing software features.
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| Software enhancements for games of all ages (Source Nvidia) |
The enhanced image sharpening and scaling features and integrated support for ReShade filters into GeForce Experience, and is an expansion of Nvidia’s ultra-low latency mode, which will now work with G-Sync display. These featues are built into the driver and invoked through the GeForce Experience.
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| Nvidia’s image sharping enhances new and old games (Source Nvidia) |
The Image Sharpening post-processing filter, released with Nvidia’s Freestyle is in the driver control panel, along with controls for fine-tuning its output. The Image Sharpening tool offers per-game profiles, so one can tailor the level of sharpness for each game. We think this is a really cool feature.
The Image Sharpening tool also offers GPU upscaling, which uses the GPU to render at a lower resolution and then scale the output to the display’s native resolution to improve performance. The Image Sharpening tool supports all DirectX 9/11/12 games, and Nvidia says Vulkan and OpenGL support is coming soon in a future driver update.
What do we think?
The GTX 1660 Super is a better deal than any of the comparable or competitive AIBs, and for a midrange AIB, it has a lot to offer. The factory-overclocked EVGA GTX 1660 Super SC Ultra we tested out preforms the more-expensive GTX 1660 Ti, and EVGA’s patented cooling system provides as quiet an operation while gaming as is possible.
For now, the GTX 1660 Super has the edge in mid-range AIBs. We’re looking forward to seeing what surprises AMD shows up within the next two months., the GTX 1660 Super could be the midrange AIB of the year, but the competition will be tough.