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We analyze the MSI GTX 1660 Gaming X graphics card, a graphics card to play 1080p without any problem and with an almost ridiculous consumption.
More and more users demand cheap graphics cards to be able to enjoy games. Above all, graphics are demanded that can offer good performance at 1080p resolutions and at most at 1440p resolutions. NVIDIA is aware of this and that is why it has released the GeForce GTX 16 Series based on the Turing architecture. These graphics are very similar to the GeForce RTX but without Tensor Cores and RT Cores, therefore no DLSS and RayTracing capability. Now comes the GTX 1660, which will not have a Founders Edition model, although we have gotten an MSI GTX 1660 Gaming X.
NVIDIA Turing architecture silicon
We want to talk a bit about this Turing architecture silicon from NVIDIA. The company has developed a powerful architecture that surpasses, how could it be otherwise, the Pascal architecture. Although Turing comes with Tensor Core and RT Cores for RayTracing and DLSS, this graph does not implement them. This allows to reduce consumption, temperatures and, of course, the price.
This GTX 1660 is based on TU116-300-A1 silicon and has been manufactured by TSMC under 12nm lithography. It has 6.600 billion transistors and the DIE is 284mm square in size. This GPU has 1408 CUDA Cores, 88 TMU and 48 ROP.
In addition to the CUDA Cores and other aspects, the GTX 1660 differs from the GTX 1660 Ti, in that it carries GDDR5 memory (the GTX 1660 Ti uses GDDR6 memory). Specifically, this graphic has 6GB GDDR5 with a 192-bit data bus that offers a bandwidth of 192.1GB / s.
MSI GTX 1660 Gaming X overview
The graphics card that MSI brings us in general does not break with the aesthetics of the company, using the cooling system that we have seen in other NVIDIA models. Its heatsink is the MSI TWIN FROZR (which we will talk about later) in gray colors. Due to the heatsink, this graphic occupies two PCI slots, something that is already becoming common. The graphic is 250mm long and 140mm wide.
Features of the MSI GTX 1660 Gaming X
This graphics card implements the excellent MSI TWIN FROZR heatsink, one of the best heatsinks on the market. It has been developed by MSI to be as efficient as possible, to avoid any temperature problems. For this, it has a block of aluminum fins crossed by two heatpipes that pass directly over the GPU.
Highlight the TORX 3.0 fans, which are specially designed to be highly efficient. It has special blades developed to create a flow of air that is pushed into the aluminum fin block with strong static pressure to maximize heat dissipation. These two fans are 90mm.
This graphics card has a brushed aluminum backplate, which in this case, being a more compact model, is practically aesthetic. We must remember that the function of this element is not to dissipate heat (although it helps minimally), but to prevent the graphic from bending and thus avoid possible damage to the PCB that could cause component breakage or malfunction.
Additionally, the heatsink has support for MSI's own RGB Mystic Light LED technology. This allows us to offer a large dose of customization and if we have the rest of the company's components, synchronize them and make them work in unison.
MSI GTX 1660 Gaming X Specifications
It has surprised us on several points, especially in performance and energy efficiency. It should be noted that this graph reaches a base frequency of 1530MHz and its memories at 2.000MHz. The graphic has a Boost mode that increases the frequency to 1860MHz, but it is also that in gaming this graphic reaches 1980MHz without problems. This allows it to be highly competitive and perfect for gaming enthusiasts.
We want to emphasize that this graphics card hardly exceeds 60ºC, working normally at a stable temperature of 55-58ºC. One aspect that has left us very surprised is that the average load consumption is 115W, reaching 140-150W in very specific peak loads. Without a doubt it is a true beast. Hence, this graphics card only has an 8-pin PCIe connector.
Regarding the video outputs, this graphics card has an HDMI 2.0b and three DisplayPort 1.4. USB Type-C is dispensed with for virtual reality glasses, since it is not designed for this type of device. The DVI-D connector is also ignored, completely obsolete and the HDMI is left to improve compatibility, although it is a connector that is beginning to fall into disuse.
Synthetics and gaming benchmarks
We are talking about an entry-level graphics card, quite simple, but that can perfectly fight higher graphics. It is much better than the GTX 1060 and in some cases it is very close to the GTX 1070. We are also talking about beta drivers that in later versions should offer much better performance in games.
Conclusion
The MSI GTX 1660 Gaming X is a true gaming beast. It is one of the best solutions for users looking to play 1080p @ 60FPS in high quality without major problems. But the most impressive thing about this graph is its consumption, which is minimal, something impressive. This graphic that is not yet for sale should be around € 250, so we have a brutal graphic with an excellent price.
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