The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 officially launched on September 13, 2012, with partner cards starting at $229. Built on NVIDIA’s Kepler architecture and GK106 GPU, it was a midrange desktop card designed primarily for smooth 1080p DirectX 11 gaming. In 2026 it remains useful for retro systems, older games and inexpensive repairs, but its 2 GB of VRAM, legacy driver position and lack of modern graphics features make it a poor general-purpose gaming purchase.
Release date and launch price
NVIDIA introduced the GeForce GTX 660 on September 13, 2012, alongside the GeForce GTX 650, and said add-in-board partner cards were available immediately. The announced starting price was $229. NVIDIA’s launch announcement is the best source for the public launch and availability date.
Some specification databases, including TechSpot, list September 6, 2012. That earlier date may reflect an announcement, review-sample timing or regional availability rather than the official public launch. For release-date purposes, September 13 is the defensible date.
What the GTX 660 is
The GTX 660 is a desktop GeForce GTX 600-series card using NVIDIA’s Kepler architecture and the GK106 GPU. It sat below the GTX 660 Ti and above the GTX 650 family, targeting mainstream 1080p gaming rather than enthusiast resolutions. NVIDIA’s product overview presents it as a performance-and-efficiency option for contemporary DirectX 11 games.
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- Item Package Dimension -10.699999989086L X 3.699999996226W X 2.49999999745H Inches
- Item Package Weight - 2.1495070545 Pounds
- Item Package Quantity - 1
- Product Type - Video Card
“GTX 660” does not identify one identical physical board. Retail partners sold factory-overclocked cards with different coolers, circuit boards, BIOS settings, dimensions, outputs and sometimes power connectors. NVIDIA also has a separate GTX 660 OEM page; OEM configurations should not be assumed to match retail reference specifications.
The GTX 660 Ti is a materially different, faster model, not simply a higher-clocked GTX 660. Used listings should therefore be checked carefully for the exact model name.
Reference specifications
The following figures describe NVIDIA’s reference design. Partner cards can differ.
| Specification | GeForce GTX 660 reference design |
|---|---|
| Architecture | Kepler |
| GPU | GK106 |
| CUDA cores | 960 |
| Base clock | 980 MHz |
| Boost clock | 1,033 MHz |
| Memory | 2 GB GDDR5 |
| Memory interface | 192-bit |
| Memory speed | 6.0 Gbps |
| Memory bandwidth | 144.2 GB/s |
| Maximum GPU temperature | 97°C |
| Reference board power | 140 W |
| NVIDIA minimum system PSU recommendation | 450 W |
| Auxiliary power | One six-pin PCIe connector |
| Bus | PCI Express 3.0 |
| Maximum supported displays | Four |
| Reference size | 9.5-inch length; dual-slot width |
These specifications come from NVIDIA’s reference specification page. NVIDIA labels the 140 W figure as maximum graphics-card power and warns that add-in-card specifications vary, so it is not a universal consumption figure for every brand or cooler.
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Features and display connectivity
For its time, the GTX 660 supported GPU Boost, CUDA, PhysX, TXAA, FXAA, Adaptive VSync, SLI and NVIDIA 3D Vision. NVIDIA also described it as G-SYNC-ready and listed DirectX 12 API support and OpenGL 4.3. Those capabilities are documented on the product page and specification page.
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- Powered by the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 graphics processing unit (GPU)
- 8GB GDDR5 (256-bit) on-board memory
- PCI Express 3.0 x16 interface
- NVIDIA CUDA technology
- VR-ready
DirectX 12 support should not be confused with the feature set of a modern DirectX 12 GPU. The GTX 660 does not provide hardware ray tracing, mesh shaders, variable-rate shading or current-generation upscaling and media features. API compatibility alone does not guarantee that a current game will run acceptably.
The reference outputs are one dual-link DVI-I, one dual-link DVI-D, one HDMI connector and one DisplayPort connector, with up to four displays. A partner card may rearrange or replace these ports, so inspect the actual bracket before buying.
Performance when it was new
The GTX 660’s original job was 1080p gaming in the DirectX 11 era. It generally targeted medium-to-high settings, depending on the game, processor, driver and anti-aliasing choice. NVIDIA’s launch material claimed large gains over much older cards such as the GeForce 9800 GT; those were NVIDIA’s own benchmark claims, not independent testing. Read the launch claims in context here.
Independent reviews provide better historical context. Tom’s Hardware examined the GK106 board and its market position, while PC Perspective reviewed the 2 GB card at its $229 launch price. Results varied by game engine, CPU bottleneck, factory overclock, resolution, anti-aliasing, PhysX setting, operating system and driver version. Historical averages should therefore be treated as period-specific evidence, not guarantees for a present-day system.
How it compared with nearby cards
GTX 660 Ti
The GTX 660 Ti used a different configuration and was generally faster. A listing that says “660 Ti” is not describing the standard GTX 660.
Rank #3
- New Turing Architecture
- 6GB 192-bit GDDR6
- Super Compact 8.3-Inch card, fits 99% of systems
- Dual slot, 4K ready, ice storm 2.0 cooling
- 3 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0B
GTX 650 Ti Boost
The 650 Ti Boost was the more relevant lower-tier comparison. The ordinary GTX 650 was a substantially different, lower-performance product and should not be treated as equivalent.
Radeon HD 7850
The Radeon HD 7850 was a historically relevant value competitor. Which card led depended on the game, driver and test settings; there is no single universal ratio.
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Contemporary testing found the Radeon HD 7870 close enough to be a meaningful alternative in some workloads, with game-by-game variation documented by PC Perspective.
Modern entry-level GPUs
A newer entry-level card may be preferable even when raw frame-rate comparisons are unclear because it usually offers more VRAM, current drivers, better video encoding and decoding, lower energy use per frame, warranty coverage and, on some models, ray tracing or modern upscaling. Current prices and availability are not established here and must be checked for your region.
Power, cooling and compatibility
The reference design specifies 140 W board power, one six-pin PCIe connector, a 450 W minimum system-power recommendation, dual-slot clearance and a 9.5-inch length. The 450 W figure is NVIDIA’s recommendation for the complete system, not a guarantee that every generic 450 W-labelled supply is safe. Partner boards may be longer, use different connectors or draw more power.
Rank #4
- Base Clock: 980 MHz
- Boost Clock: 1059 MHz
- Memory Clock: 6008 MHz
- CUDA Cores: 1344
- PCI-Express 3.0
- Measure the case’s available GPU length and confirm two expansion slots are free.
- Check for a native six-pin PCIe connector and verify that the PSU is a genuine, functioning unit.
- Confirm the motherboard firmware and operating system can initialize a legacy PCIe graphics card.
- Match the monitor to the card’s actual DVI, HDMI or DisplayPort outputs.
- Inspect fans, capacitors, the PCB and bracket for corrosion, damage or overheating evidence.
Drivers and operating-system status
The GTX 660 is legacy hardware. NVIDIA’s archived 306.23 driver, released September 13, 2012, added GTX 660 support. The 381.65 Windows 10 64-bit driver, released April 6, 2017, also listed the card. These examples prove historical support; they do not establish the final driver for every Windows or Linux release, nor do they imply current Game Ready support.
Expect compatibility problems when software requires newer feature levels, codecs or driver branches. Check the operating system and application requirements before relying on this card.
Is it still good for gaming in 2026?
Reasonable uses
- DirectX 9, 10 and older DirectX 11 games.
- Retro PC gaming and a temporary troubleshooting card.
- Older esports titles whose current requirements remain modest.
- Basic multi-monitor display output in an older computer.
Poor uses
- New AAA games, high-resolution texture packs and 1440p or 4K gaming.
- Ray-traced games and modern GPU-compute, CUDA or AI workloads.
- Applications requiring current media features such as AV1 encoding or decoding.
- Any system where warranty-backed reliability is important.
The 2 GB VRAM limit is often more restrictive than the shader count. Modern textures and game engines can cause stutter, forced-low texture settings, crashes or failure to meet minimum requirements. A later Tom’s Hardware test showed that even upscaling could not rescue a very demanding modern workload on a GTX 660; it is useful contemporary context, not a universal result for every game. See that test here.
Used-card inspection and testing
- Inspect the hardware: look for corrosion, burned areas, missing screws, bent brackets and damaged fan blades.
- Verify the identity: use GPU-Z or equivalent software to confirm GTX 660, VRAM capacity and the 192-bit bus.
- Install an appropriate clean driver: remove a previous vendor’s driver when changing brands.
- Run a short graphics test: watch for artifacts, black screens, driver resets and abnormal fan behavior.
- Monitor temperature behavior: rapid spikes, grinding bearings or shutdowns indicate possible cooling failure; there is no universal safe temperature for every cooler and BIOS.
- Test every required output: verify the DVI, HDMI or DisplayPort connection you intend to use.
- Check power: seat the six-pin connector firmly and avoid improvised adapters from weak or questionable PSUs.
- Prefer return protection: a tested listing with a return period is safer than an untested card.
Buy, keep or replace?
Keep an existing GTX 660 if it still runs the older games you play, temperatures and fans are healthy, and the rest of the system is compatible. Buy one used only when the price is very low, the seller permits testing or returns, your case and PSU fit it, and your workload is deliberately limited to older games or basic display duties.
Replace it when the card is untested, the PSU is generic or lacks suitable PCIe power, the asking price approaches that of a newer used GPU, or you need modern games, media features, current drivers or warranty coverage. A newer used mainstream card, a new entry-level GPU, integrated graphics or even a console may be more practical depending on the goal. Official catalogs for current products include NVIDIA GeForce, AMD Radeon and Intel Arc; verify current specifications, prices and warranty terms before purchasing.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
