NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480

Comparative analysis of NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 videocards for all known characteristics in the following categories: Essentials, Technical info, Video outputs and ports, Compatibility, dimensions and requirements, API support, Memory, Technologies. Benchmark videocards performance analysis: PassMark - G3D Mark, PassMark - G2D Mark, Geekbench - OpenCL, CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s), CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s), CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s), CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s), CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s), GFXBench 4.0 - Car Chase Offscreen (Frames), GFXBench 4.0 - Manhattan (Frames), GFXBench 4.0 - T-Rex (Frames), GFXBench 4.0 - Car Chase Offscreen (Fps), GFXBench 4.0 - Manhattan (Fps), GFXBench 4.0 - T-Rex (Fps), 3DMark Fire Strike - Graphics Score.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480

Differences

Reasons to consider the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660

Videocard is newer: launch date 2 year(s) 5 month(s) later
Around 40% higher core clock speed: 980 MHz vs 700 MHz
Around 87% higher texture fill rate: 78.4 billion / sec vs 42 billion / sec
2x more pipelines: 960 vs 480
Around 47% better floating-point performance: 1,981 gflops vs 1,345.0 gflops
A newer manufacturing process allows for a more powerful, yet cooler running videocard: 28 nm vs 40 nm
Around 79% lower typical power consumption: 140 Watt vs 250 Watt
Around 33% higher maximum memory size: 2 GB vs 1536 MB
Around 13% better performance in PassMark - G2D Mark: 487 vs 430
Around 16% better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s): 35.416 vs 30.405
Around 1% better performance in GFXBench 4.0 - Manhattan (Frames): 3690 vs 3658
Around 1% better performance in GFXBench 4.0 - T-Rex (Frames): 3365 vs 3320
Around 1% better performance in GFXBench 4.0 - Manhattan (Fps): 3690 vs 3658
Around 1% better performance in GFXBench 4.0 - T-Rex (Fps): 3365 vs 3320

Specifications (specs)
Launch date	6 September 2012 vs 26 March 2010
Core clock speed	980 MHz vs 700 MHz
Texture fill rate	78.4 billion / sec vs 42 billion / sec
Pipelines	960 vs 480
Floating-point performance	1,981 gflops vs 1,345.0 gflops
Manufacturing process technology	28 nm vs 40 nm
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	140 Watt vs 250 Watt
Maximum memory size	2 GB vs 1536 MB
Benchmarks
PassMark - G2D Mark	487 vs 430
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s)	35.416 vs 30.405
GFXBench 4.0 - Manhattan (Frames)	3690 vs 3658
GFXBench 4.0 - T-Rex (Frames)	3365 vs 3320
GFXBench 4.0 - Manhattan (Fps)	3690 vs 3658
GFXBench 4.0 - T-Rex (Fps)	3365 vs 3320

Reasons to consider the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480

308x more memory clock speed: 1848 MHz (3696 data rate) vs 6.0 GB/s
Around 3% better performance in PassMark - G3D Mark: 4121 vs 4017
Around 16% better performance in Geekbench - OpenCL: 13143 vs 11364
Around 13% better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s): 34.483 vs 30.505
Around 38% better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s): 4.245 vs 3.085
Around 70% better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s): 106.875 vs 62.69
Around 43% better performance in GFXBench 4.0 - Car Chase Offscreen (Frames): 5110 vs 3581
Around 43% better performance in GFXBench 4.0 - Car Chase Offscreen (Fps): 5110 vs 3581

Specifications (specs)
Memory clock speed	1848 MHz (3696 data rate) vs 6.0 GB/s
Benchmarks
PassMark - G3D Mark	4121 vs 4017
Geekbench - OpenCL	13143 vs 11364
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)	34.483 vs 30.505
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s)	706.104 vs 705.293
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s)	4.245 vs 3.085
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s)	106.875 vs 62.69
GFXBench 4.0 - Car Chase Offscreen (Frames)	5110 vs 3581
GFXBench 4.0 - Car Chase Offscreen (Fps)	5110 vs 3581

Compare benchmarks

GPU 1: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660
GPU 2: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480

PassMark - G3D Mark

GPU 1

GPU 2

4017

4121

PassMark - G2D Mark

GPU 1

GPU 2

487

430

Geekbench - OpenCL

GPU 1

GPU 2

11364

13143

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)

GPU 1

GPU 2

30.505

34.483

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s)

GPU 1

GPU 2

705.293

706.104

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s)

GPU 1

GPU 2

3.085

4.245

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s)

GPU 1

GPU 2

35.416

30.405

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s)

GPU 1

GPU 2

62.69

106.875

GFXBench 4.0 - Car Chase Offscreen (Frames)

GPU 1

GPU 2

3581

5110

GFXBench 4.0 - Manhattan (Frames)

GPU 1

GPU 2

3690

3658

GFXBench 4.0 - T-Rex (Frames)

GPU 1

GPU 2

3365

3320

GFXBench 4.0 - Car Chase Offscreen (Fps)

GPU 1

GPU 2

3581

5110

GFXBench 4.0 - Manhattan (Fps)

GPU 1

GPU 2

3690

3658

GFXBench 4.0 - T-Rex (Fps)

GPU 1

GPU 2

3365

3320

Name	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480
PassMark - G3D Mark	4017	4121
PassMark - G2D Mark	487	430
Geekbench - OpenCL	11364	13143
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)	30.505	34.483
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s)	705.293	706.104
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s)	3.085	4.245
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s)	35.416	30.405
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s)	62.69	106.875
GFXBench 4.0 - Car Chase Offscreen (Frames)	3581	5110
GFXBench 4.0 - Manhattan (Frames)	3690	3658
GFXBench 4.0 - T-Rex (Frames)	3365	3320
GFXBench 4.0 - Car Chase Offscreen (Fps)	3581	5110
GFXBench 4.0 - Manhattan (Fps)	3690	3658
GFXBench 4.0 - T-Rex (Fps)	3365	3320
3DMark Fire Strike - Graphics Score	1307	0

Compare specifications (specs)

	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480
Essentials
Architecture	Kepler	Fermi
Code name	GK106	GF100
Launch date	6 September 2012	26 March 2010
Launch price (MSRP)	$229	$499
Place in performance rating	740	742
Price now	$349.99	$71.99
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Value for money (0-100)	14.35	61.35
Technical info
Boost clock speed	1033 MHz
Core clock speed	980 MHz	700 MHz
CUDA cores	960	480
Floating-point performance	1,981 gflops	1,345.0 gflops
Manufacturing process technology	28 nm	40 nm
Pipelines	960	480
Texture fill rate	78.4 billion / sec	42 billion / sec
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	140 Watt	250 Watt
Transistor count	2,540 million	3,100 million
Maximum GPU temperature		105 °C
Video outputs and ports
Audio input for HDMI	Internal	Internal
Display Connectors	One Dual Link DVI-I, One Dual Link DVI-D, One HDMI..., 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort	2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI, Two Dual Link DVI, Mini HDMI
G-SYNC support
HDCP
HDMI
Maximum VGA resolution	2048x1536	2048x1536
Multi monitor support
Compatibility, dimensions and requirements
Bus support	PCI Express 3.0	16x PCI-E 2.0
Height	4.376" (11.1 cm)	4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm)
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x16	PCIe 2.0 x16
Length	9.5" (24.1 cm)	10.5" (267 mm) (26.7 cm)
Supplementary power connectors	One 6-pin	6-pin & 8-pin
SLI options		2-way, 3-way
API support
DirectX	12.0 (11_0)	12.0 (11_0)
OpenGL	4.3	4.2
Memory
Maximum RAM amount	2 GB	1536 MB
Memory bandwidth	144.2 GB / s	177.4 GB / s
Memory bus width	192-bit GDDR5	384 Bit
Memory clock speed	6.0 GB/s	1848 MHz (3696 data rate)
Memory type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Shared memory		0
Technologies
3D Blu-Ray
3D Gaming
3D Vision
Adaptive VSync
CUDA
FXAA
GPU Boost
SLI
TXAA
DirectX 11		DirectX 11