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Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Gaming OC review: A decent upgrade for mainstream gamers

By Koh Wanzi - 30 Mar 2019
Launch SRP: S$519

Conclusion

Kind of okay

Image Source: Gigabyte

The Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Gaming OC is an okay card. I can't think of any other way to describe it. Compared to the ASUS ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Gaming OC, it wins in certain benchmarks while losing in others, so it's difficult to tease out a clear winner.

That said, it does run slightly hotter than the ASUS card, albeit by just a few degrees Celsius. All things considered, the ASUS and Gigabyte cards perform very closely to each other, and you can't really go wrong with either. Ultimately, they're both triple-fan cards and they both turn out really similar performance. However, the ASUS card does have a metal backplate, which helps convey a more premium and reassuring feel, so it wins in terms of design and build quality.

Still, the Gigabyte card isn't too shabby in its own right. It serves up decent performance, and there's really not much to complain about. I feel like this is going to be the case for many custom cards on the market, and whatever card you get will come down to a matter of personal preference in terms of brand, design, and probably price. At S$519, the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Gaming OC is priced toward the higher end of the scale for custom GeForce GTX 1660 Ti cards, but what you're really paying for is the beefier triple-fan cooler and extra large heat sink. 

However, its clock speeds aren't the most aggressive for its price. For example, the MSI GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Gaming X has a boost clock of 1,875MHz, has a metal backplate, and costs S$499. However, it also has a smaller, more compact cooler, so the Gigabyte card's main advantage really lies in its cooling potential. 

Having said that, I feel like Gigabyte's choice to opt for improved cooling has left it in an odd position. The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti and its 120W TDP makes it possible for board partners to implement more affordable cooling solutions, thus making it an attractive option for gamers on a budget. However, the more premium cooling design pushes the price over S$500, which puts it in an awkward spot, especially since you could shell out less than a hundred bucks more and get select models of the GeForce RTX 2060. It's worth mentioning that Gigabyte does have the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti OC which costs just S$459, but it remains to be seen if the pricier model will successfully find an audience among the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti's target audience. Ultimately, this feels like a budget card that has been pushed over its intended price point by a cooling solution it doesn't necessarily need.

Stay tuned to our weekly retailer price updates to see if you can get it under S$500.

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8.0
  • Performance 8.5
  • Features 8.5
  • Value 7
The Good
Runs cool and quiet
Will run any game at 1080p
The Bad
Expensive for this class of cards
Plastic backplate feels slightly cheap
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