Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 6GB with board partner cards from MSI - Something is moving (not just the pixels) | Page 8

New Baby-Turing, New Opportunity? AMD is putting pressure on low Polaris prices and Nvidia is following in the way. Performance-wise and - you will rub your eyes - also at the price. How quickly the GeForce GTX 1060 could get into disarray must (and will) show in this test. So it's really exciting...

Overclocking

The cards can both be overclocked until they go. Due to the comparatively high power target and maximum limits of 140 watts, the two MSI cards clock up to 2115 MHz each. And even after 30 minutes in a completely warmed-up state in the closed housing! Cold it goes up to 2160 MHz and the absolute peak value was 2190 MHz and 40 °C chip temperature, because I had cooled the room to 12 °C and the fans had run at 100%.

But the astonishment came during the counter-test with Furmark, where the cards usually clock significantly lower. With the two MSI cards, the very high power limit beats the boost and the clock runs absolutely stable with also 2115 MHz. And even after 30 minutes! But nothing more could be done without the freeze.

Temperature gradients and normal boost cycle in detail

The cooler of the MSI GTX 1660 Gaming X is identical to that of the bigger sister and honors its name. It keeps the card cool enough. After all, 65 °C in an open structure (Ventus XS 74 °C) and a maximum of 66° (Ventus XS 75 °C) in the closed housing are now nothing that would have to scare you somehow, on the contrary. The beat plays really well, because as we know, the power target of the smaller chip is on that of the bigger card. All three cards run like hell and 1965 MHz (both MSI cards) and 1935 MHz after 30 minutes full load are really fixed.

During the stress test, the clock rates hardly break down, which is also due to the comparatively high power target:

And now the whole thing again in sober numbers in table form:

	Initial MSI GeForce GTX 1660 Gaming X (Ventus X)	Final value MSI GeForce GTX 1660 Gaming X (Ventus X)
Open Benchtable
GPU Temperatures	40 °C	65 °C (74 °C)
GPU clock	2025 MHz	1965 MHz (1965 to 1980 MHz)
Ambient temperature	22 °C	22 °C
Closed Case
GPU Temperatures	41 °C	66°C (75°C)
GPU clock	2025 MHz	1965 MHz (1965 to 1980 MHz)
Air temperature in the housing	24°C	45°C

Board Analysis: Infrared Images

The following infrared images show the gaming and torture loops in the open structure and in the closed housing. The differences are hardly visible and the cooler acts very confidently. Of course, the measured almost 130 watts are also nothing that you could not cool with a wet finger

In the closed case, the drama remains, the card hardly lays. The 1 to 2 degrees more can still be given nonchalantly, it does not change the solid overall picture.

The stress test produces a very similar picture, whether it's a gaming or torture loop.

But even in the torture loop, the memory remains cool, as well as the VRM even in the shot case still acceptablely hot. But not too hot, because everything below 90 °C is completely harmless.