GeForce GTX 660 Ti vs GTX 590

VS

Aggregate performance score

We've compared GeForce GTX 590 and GeForce GTX 660 Ti, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.

GTX 590
2011
3072 MB (1536 MB per GPU) GDDR5, 365 Watt
8.69

GTX 660 Ti outperforms GTX 590 by a substantial 32% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in the ranking496418
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.783.20
Power efficiency1.645.29
ArchitectureFermi 2.0 (2010−2014)Kepler (2012−2018)
GPU code nameGF110GK104
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Release date24 March 2011 (13 years ago)16 August 2012 (12 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$699 $299

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

GTX 660 Ti has 310% better value for money than GTX 590.

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores10241344
Core clock speed607 MHz915 MHz
Boost clock speedno data980 MHz
Number of transistors3,000 million3,540 million
Manufacturing process technology40 nm28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)365 Watt150 Watt
Maximum GPU temperature97 °Cno data
Texture fill rate38.91109.8
Floating-point processing power1.244 TFLOPS2.634 TFLOPS
ROPs4824
TMUs64112

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Bus support16x PCI-E 2.0PCI Express 3.0
InterfacePCIe 2.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Length279 mm241 mm
Height4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm)4.376" (11.1 cm)
Width2-slot2-slot
Supplementary power connectors2x 8-pin2x 6-pin
SLI options++

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeGDDR5GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount3072 MB (1536 MB per GPU)2 GB
Memory bus width768-bit (384-bit per GPU)192-bit GDDR5
Memory clock speed1707 MHz6.0 GB/s
Memory bandwidth327.7 GB/s144.2 GB/s
Shared memory--

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display ConnectorsThree Dual Link DVI-IMini DisplayPortOne Dual Link DVI-I, One Dual Link DVI-D, One HDMI, One DisplayPort
Multi monitor support+4 displays
HDMI++
HDCP-+
Maximum VGA resolution2048x15362048x1536
Audio input for HDMIInternalInternal

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

3D Blu-Ray-+
3D Gaming-+
3D Vision-+

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX12 (11_0)12 (11_0)
Shader Model5.15.1
OpenGL4.24.3
OpenCL1.11.2
VulkanN/A1.1.126
CUDA++

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

GTX 590 8.69
GTX 660 Ti 11.49
+32.2%

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

GTX 590 3341
GTX 660 Ti 4419
+32.3%

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

GTX 590 9167
+8.9%
GTX 660 Ti 8415

3DMark Vantage Performance

3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.

GTX 590 25720
+8.4%
GTX 660 Ti 23726

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

GTX 590 6680
+23%
GTX 660 Ti 5432

GeekBench 5 OpenCL

Geekbench 5 is a widespread graphics card benchmark combined from 11 different test scenarios. All these scenarios rely on direct usage of GPU's processing power, no 3D rendering is involved. This variation uses OpenCL API by Khronos Group.

GTX 590 12811
GTX 660 Ti 15338
+19.7%

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

900p47
−27.7%
60−65
+27.7%
Full HD108
+42.1%
76
−42.1%
1200p112
−25%
140−150
+25%

Cost per frame, $

1080p6.47
−64.5%
3.93
+64.5%
  • GTX 660 Ti has 65% lower cost per frame in 1080p

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2 16−18
−23.5%
21−24
+23.5%
Cyberpunk 2077 16−18
−29.4%
21−24
+29.4%
Elden Ring 24−27
−41.7%
30−35
+41.7%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5 27−30
−35.7%
35−40
+35.7%
Counter-Strike 2 16−18
−23.5%
21−24
+23.5%
Cyberpunk 2077 16−18
−29.4%
21−24
+29.4%
Forza Horizon 4 35−40
−31.4%
45−50
+31.4%
Metro Exodus 21−24
−34.8%
30−35
+34.8%
Red Dead Redemption 2 24−27
−25%
30−33
+25%
Valorant 30−35
−41.9%
40−45
+41.9%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5 27−30
−35.7%
35−40
+35.7%
Counter-Strike 2 16−18
−23.5%
21−24
+23.5%
Cyberpunk 2077 16−18
−29.4%
21−24
+29.4%
Dota 2 30−35
−32.3%
40−45
+32.3%
Elden Ring 24−27
−41.7%
30−35
+41.7%
Far Cry 5 35−40
−21.6%
45−50
+21.6%
Fortnite 50−55
−29.4%
65−70
+29.4%
Forza Horizon 4 35−40
−31.4%
45−50
+31.4%
Grand Theft Auto V 30−35
−32.3%
40−45
+32.3%
Metro Exodus 21−24
−34.8%
30−35
+34.8%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 65−70
−26.1%
85−90
+26.1%
Red Dead Redemption 2 24−27
−25%
30−33
+25%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 24−27
−34.6%
35−40
+34.6%
Valorant 30−35
−41.9%
40−45
+41.9%
World of Tanks 120−130
−48.8%
192
+48.8%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 27−30
−35.7%
35−40
+35.7%
Counter-Strike 2 16−18
−23.5%
21−24
+23.5%
Cyberpunk 2077 16−18
−29.4%
21−24
+29.4%
Dota 2 30−35
−32.3%
40−45
+32.3%
Far Cry 5 35−40
−21.6%
45−50
+21.6%
Forza Horizon 4 35−40
−31.4%
45−50
+31.4%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 65−70
−26.1%
85−90
+26.1%
Valorant 30−35
−41.9%
40−45
+41.9%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2 10−11
−50%
14−16
+50%
Elden Ring 12−14
−41.7%
16−18
+41.7%
Grand Theft Auto V 10−12
−45.5%
16−18
+45.5%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 40−45
−42.9%
60−65
+42.9%
Red Dead Redemption 2 7−8
−42.9%
10−11
+42.9%
World of Tanks 60−65
−30.2%
80−85
+30.2%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 16−18
−43.8%
21−24
+43.8%
Counter-Strike 2 10−11
−10%
10−12
+10%
Cyberpunk 2077 6−7
−33.3%
8−9
+33.3%
Far Cry 5 18−20
−44.4%
24−27
+44.4%
Forza Horizon 4 18−20
−44.4%
24−27
+44.4%
Metro Exodus 14−16
−53.3%
21−24
+53.3%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 10−11
−40%
14−16
+40%
Valorant 21−24
−27.3%
27−30
+27.3%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2 3−4
−100%
6−7
+100%
Dota 2 18−20
−15.8%
21−24
+15.8%
Elden Ring 5−6
−40%
7−8
+40%
Grand Theft Auto V 18−20
−15.8%
21−24
+15.8%
Metro Exodus 4−5
−75%
7−8
+75%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 24−27
−36%
30−35
+36%
Red Dead Redemption 2 6−7
−16.7%
7−8
+16.7%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 18−20
−15.8%
21−24
+15.8%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 7−8
−42.9%
10−11
+42.9%
Counter-Strike 2 3−4
−100%
6−7
+100%
Cyberpunk 2077 2−3
−50%
3−4
+50%
Dota 2 18−20
−15.8%
21−24
+15.8%
Far Cry 5 10−11
−40%
14−16
+40%
Fortnite 9−10
−33.3%
12−14
+33.3%
Forza Horizon 4 10−11
−50%
14−16
+50%
Valorant 8−9
−50%
12−14
+50%

This is how GTX 590 and GTX 660 Ti compete in popular games:

  • GTX 660 Ti is 28% faster in 900p
  • GTX 590 is 42% faster in 1080p
  • GTX 660 Ti is 25% faster in 1200p

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

  • in Counter-Strike 2, with 4K resolution and the High Preset, the GTX 660 Ti is 100% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

  • Without exception, GTX 660 Ti surpassed GTX 590 in all 63 of our tests.

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 8.69 11.49
Recency 24 March 2011 16 August 2012
Maximum RAM amount 3072 MB (1536 MB per GPU) 2 GB
Chip lithography 40 nm 28 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 365 Watt 150 Watt

GTX 590 has a 50% higher maximum VRAM amount.

GTX 660 Ti, on the other hand, has a 32.2% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, a 42.9% more advanced lithography process, and 143.3% lower power consumption.

The GeForce GTX 660 Ti is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 590 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590
GeForce GTX 590
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti
GeForce GTX 660 Ti

Other comparisons

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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