NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 represent two distinct generations of mid-range graphics cards, with the GTX 660 emerging as the more capable performer in the recorded data. The benchmark results show the GTX 660 leading in the only shared test, but the two cards occupy different positions in the performance hierarchy, with the GTX 560 Ti holding a higher overall percentile ranking despite its lower raw score in that single test.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 660 claims the only direct head-to-head victory in the database, winning the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 11,347 against the GTX 560 Ti's 10,690, a margin of 5.8 percent. This makes the GTX 660 the clear choice for compute workloads that rely on OpenCL acceleration, as it delivers higher throughput across the board in that specific benchmark.

The GTX 560 Ti, however, wins in relative standing among all GPUs. It sits at the 49th percentile, four points above the GTX 660's 45th percentile. This indicates that while the GTX 560 Ti loses the direct comparison, it outperforms a larger share of the overall GPU population. The GTX 560 Ti's average benchmark score of 10,690 also exceeds the GTX 660's average of 9,022, though that average for the GTX 660 is dragged down by its Metal and Vulkan scores, which are lower than its OpenCL result.

For gaming-specific workloads, the GTX 660 demonstrates versatility across multiple APIs. The database records three separate benchmark results for the GTX 660: Geekbench OpenCL at 11,347, Geekbench Vulkan at 11,415, and Geekbench Metal at 4,305. The Vulkan score is the highest recorded for either card, suggesting the GTX 660 has an edge in modern cross-platform graphics APIs. The GTX 560 Ti has no Vulkan or Metal scores recorded, meaning its compatibility with those APIs is unverified in the database.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural generations. The GTX 560 Ti uses the GF114 chip built on Fermi 2.0 architecture, while the GTX 660 uses the GK106 chip built on Kepler architecture. This generational shift brings substantial changes in transistor density and process technology.

The manufacturing process improved from 40 nm on the GTX 560 Ti to 28 nm on the GTX 660, both produced by TSMC. The GTX 660 packs more transistors into a smaller die: 2,540 million transistors on a 221 mm² die, compared to the GTX 560 Ti's 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die. This results in a transistor density of 11.5 million transistors per square millimeter for the GTX 660, nearly double the GTX 560 Ti's 5.9 million per square millimeter.

The streaming processor layout differs significantly. The GTX 560 Ti has 384 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation pipelines. The GTX 660 more than doubles the shading units to 960, increases texture units to 80, but reduces ROPs to 24. Memory configurations also diverge: the GTX 560 Ti uses 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, while the GTX 660 uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus. Despite the narrower bus, the GTX 660 achieves higher memory bandwidth at 144.2 GB/s versus 128.3 GB/s, thanks to its faster memory clock of 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective) compared to 1002 MHz (4 Gbps effective) on the GTX 560 Ti.

Clock speeds tell a similar story. The GTX 660 has a base clock of 980 MHz and a boost clock of 1032 MHz, while the GTX 560 Ti has no base or boost clock listed in the database. The GTX 660's memory clock is also higher, as noted above. Power characteristics favor the newer card as well: the GTX 660 draws 140 W with a single 6-pin connector and a recommended 300 W power supply, while the GTX 560 Ti draws 170 W with two 6-pin connectors and a recommended 450 W power supply.

Interface support differs too. The GTX 660 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the GTX 560 Ti uses PCIe 2.0 x16. Display outputs reflect the newer card's broader compatibility: the GTX 660 offers 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2, whereas the GTX 560 Ti offers 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a. The GTX 660 also lists Vulkan support at version 1.2.175, while the GTX 560 Ti has no Vulkan support recorded. Both cards support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6.

The Verdict

The data points to the GTX 660 as the stronger card for most modern workloads. It wins the OpenCL benchmark decisively, offers higher memory capacity and bandwidth, supports newer APIs like Vulkan, and does so with lower power consumption and a smaller physical footprint in terms of power requirements. The reduction in ROPs from 32 to 24 is a potential concern for pixel-heavy workloads, but the higher pixel rate of 20.64 GPixel/s versus 13.17 GPixel/s on the GTX 560 Ti suggests the Kepler architecture compensates for the lower ROP count.

The GTX 560 Ti retains a niche for users who prioritize overall GPU population standing, as its 49th percentile beats the GTX 660's 45th percentile. However, this is a narrow advantage that does not translate into actual performance wins in the recorded benchmarks. The GTX 560 Ti's lack of Vulkan and Metal results also limits its appeal for users running applications built on those APIs.

For a buyer choosing between these two end-of-life cards, the GTX 660 is the better investment in raw performance and feature support. The GTX 560 Ti's higher percentile ranking is a statistical artifact of its single benchmark score, not evidence of superior real-world capability. The GTX 660's three recorded benchmark scores provide a more complete picture, and it wins the only direct comparison.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The GTX 560 Ti has an average benchmark score of 10,690, which is higher than the GTX 660's average of 9,022. However, the GTX 660's average includes three different benchmark tests, while the GTX 560 Ti only has one recorded score.

Q: Does the GTX 660 support Vulkan?

A: Yes, the GTX 660 lists Vulkan support at version 1.2.175. The GTX 560 Ti has no Vulkan support recorded in the database.

Q: Which card has more memory?

A: The GTX 660 has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory, double the GTX 560 Ti's 1024 MB. The GTX 660 also has higher memory bandwidth at 144.2 GB/s versus 128.3 GB/s.

Q: How do the power requirements compare?

A: The GTX 660 has a TDP of 140 W and requires a single 6-pin power connector with a recommended 300 W power supply. The GTX 560 Ti has a TDP of 170 W, requires two 6-pin connectors, and recommends a 450 W power supply.

Q: What are the release dates for these cards?

A: The GTX 560 Ti was released on January 24, 2011, and the GTX 660 was released on September 5, 2012. Both are marked as end-of-life products.

Q: Which card has a higher pixel rate?

A: The GTX 660 has a pixel rate of 20.64 GPixel/s, which is significantly higher than the GTX 560 Ti's 13.17 GPixel/s, despite having fewer ROPs (24 versus 32).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records exactly one direct comparison between these two cards: the Geekbench OpenCL test. In this test, the GTX 660 scores 11,347 while the GTX 560 Ti scores 10,690, giving the GTX 660 a 5.8 percent advantage. This is a meaningful gap in compute performance, indicating that the Kepler architecture's higher shading unit count (960 versus 384) delivers real benefits in OpenCL workloads.

The GTX 660's additional benchmark results provide context for its overall capability. Its Vulkan score of 11,415 is the highest single score recorded for either card, and it even slightly exceeds its own OpenCL result. Its Metal score of 4,305 is considerably lower, which suggests that on Apple platforms, the card's performance may be less impressive, though no direct comparison with the GTX 560 Ti is available for that API.

The GTX 560 Ti's single score of 10,690 places it in a competitive range with several other GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600S at 10,629 (0.6 percent behind), the NVIDIA Quadro K2200 at 10,761 (0.7 percent ahead), the AMD Radeon R9 M275X at 10,582 (1 percent behind), and the AMD Radeon Pro 450 at 10,804 (1.1 percent ahead). This tight clustering shows the GTX 560 Ti sits squarely in a mid-range performance band.

The GTX 660's average score of 9,022, when compared to its nearest rivals, shows a different picture. The NVIDIA TITAN V CEO Edition scores 9,037 (0.2 percent ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 scores 9,058 (0.4 percent ahead), the AMD Radeon 550X scores 8,918 (1.2 percent behind), and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 scores 8,863 (1.8 percent behind). The GTX 660's average is pulled down by its Metal score, which is less than half of its OpenCL score.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification category. The GTX 560 Ti uses the GF114 chip on Fermi 2.0 architecture, manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. The GTX 660 uses the GK106 chip on Kepler architecture, manufactured on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. Transistor counts jump from 1,950 million to 2,540 million, while die size shrinks from 332 mm² to 221 mm², yielding a density improvement from 5.9 million transistors per square millimeter to 11.5 million.

Memory specifications diverge in capacity, bus width, and clock speed. The GTX 560 Ti has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with a memory clock of 1002 MHz (4 Gbps effective) and bandwidth of 128.3 GB/s. The GTX 660 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus with a memory clock of 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective) and bandwidth of 144.2 GB/s. The GTX 660's narrower bus is compensated by its faster memory.

Core configuration differences are stark. The GTX 560 Ti has 384 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The GTX 660 has 960 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. Pixel rate improves from 13.17 GPixel/s to 20.64 GPixel/s, and texture rate improves from 52.67 GTexel/s to 82.56 GTexel/s. FP32 performance rises from 1,263.4 GFLOPS to 1.981 TFLOPS.

Power and physical requirements favor the GTX 660. It has a TDP of 140 W versus 170 W, requires one 6-pin connector versus two, and recommends a 300 W power supply versus 450 W. Both cards are dual-slot, but the GTX 560 Ti measures 229 mm (9 inches) in length, while the GTX 660 is longer at 241 mm (9.5 inches). The GTX 660 supports PCIe 3.0 x16, while the GTX 560 Ti is limited to PCIe 2.0 x16. Display outputs also differ, with the GTX 660 offering HDMI 1.4a and DisplayPort 1.2 in addition to dual DVI, while the GTX 560 Ti offers only dual DVI and mini-HDMI 1.3a. The GTX 660 supports Vulkan 1.2.175; the GTX 560 Ti does not list Vulkan support. Both support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6.