In this article we will talk about one of the most popular and hottest video cards from Nvidia. It’s also known as “GTX” series after its model number i.e GTX 10xx or 1080x.
This particular generation started in 2017 with the introduction of Maxwell architecture-based GPUs which was specifically built to increase gaming performance by up to 80% over previous generations. In this article, we will talk specifically about the GTX 1660 Ti and let you know exactly what PSU you should get for it & why.
Best PSU For GTX 1660 Ti
Corsair CX Series 450 Watt 80 Plus Bronze | 450w | |
EVGA 100-BR-0450-K1 450 BR, 80+ BRONZE | 450w | |
Corsair RM550x 80+ Gold | 550w | |
EVGA SuperNOVA 550 Ga, 80 Plus Gold | 550w |
The Corsair CX Series CX450 is 80 PLUS Bronze certified, and delivers reliable power without increasing your electricity bill. A thermally controlled fan allows the user to enjoy near silent operation at low and medium loads. Peripheral components are protected by a set of over-temperature, over-current, over-voltage, and short circuit protections making this unit a safe bet for piece of mind.
Reliable, continuous and stable performance. The Corsair CX450 is designed and tested to meet Magus’ stringent quality standards. Tested across multiple system builds, you can be confident in the five year warranty offered by Corsair. Continuous output rated temperature of 40°C will run cool and quiet even when your system demands peak performance.
The EVGA 450 BR 450W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified power supply is an excellent choice for basic system builds and desktop computer systems. This reliable power supply delivers 450 watts of continuous power to your system, with a single +12V rail design. The EVGA 450 BR complies with the latest ATX12V v2.3 standards and is supported by a 3-year warranty and unparalleled EVGA Customer Support.
The EVGA 450 BR features heavy-duty protections, including OVP (Over Voltage Protection), UVP (Under Voltage Protection), OCP (Over Current Protection), OPP (Over Power Protection), SCP (Short Circuit Protection), and OTP (Over Temperature Protection) to ensure solid, stable performance.
The EVGA SuperNOVA 550 G2 power supply is 80 Plus Gold certified, with 90% efficiency or higher under typical loads. A fully modular design reduces case clutter and improves airflow. The new ECO Thermal Control Fan System offers fan modes to provide zero fan noise during low load operations.
EVGA SuperNOVA 550 Ga power supplies have all Japanese capacitors, LLC resonant circuit design +DC-DC converter design to improve 3.3V./ 5V. Stability, Double ball Bearing fan and EVGA eco mode for exceptional reliability and quiet operation. These units also come with a hybrid fan, which stops if any problem occurs or at low operating temperature, thus reducing noise significantly. By using a single powerful +12V rail provides up to 83% efficiency. Get reliable power that exceeds the most demanding expectations with the EVGA SuperNOVA 550 Ga power supply!
The Corsair RMX550x 80PLUS Gold certified power supply is an ideal choice for high performance PCs where reliability and efficiency are the highest priority.
Designed to deliver ample power with low noise and cool operating temperatures, the RMX550x features a thermally controlled 135mm double ball bearing fan for even quieter operation. To further reduce noise output, it’s tuned for low noise operation even at full load, and includes fanless mode operation at lower loads.
Designed for PCI Express® based systems, this modular power supply offers dual 8-pin EPS connectors, four 6+2 pin PCIe connectors, ten SATA connectors and six Molex connectors which ensures ample power distribution for multi-core processors.
The CORSAIR RM550x power supply gives you 100% Japanese capacitors, ultimate reliability, and quiet operation. A fully modular cable design means you only connect the cables your system needs for clean look, improved airflow, and better system acoustics.
This power supply fits any ATX case and comes with flexible flat modular cables for effortless cable routing and an included cable bag to keep it all in order.
New from Corsair: Designed for gamers, the 550 watt 80 Plus Gold certified RM550x is an excellent choice for your next custom or upgrade build that demands performance with low noise and high efficiency.
About the 1660 Ti
The new 1660Ti has been introduced with an updated Turing architecture that delivers up to 80% better performance while using less power than ever before. With the help of RT Cores, Deep Learning Core, High Bandwidth memory, Tensor cores, GDDR6X VRAM, and NVLink 2.0, the 1660Ti packs incredible computing power into a tiny package.
The chip comes equipped with 4352 CUDA cores (Cuda cores refer to parallel processing units), 192 SMs (streaming multiprocessors), 64 TMUs (texture mapping units), 32 ROPs (raster operation pipelines), 8 DPIs (display output interconnect ports), 256MB L2 Cache, 3GB 384bit GDDR5X RAM, 1120MHz core clock speed, 5500 MHz boost clock rate, PCIe Gen4 x8 slot, HDMI 2.1a port, DisplayPort 1.4, USB3 Type-A, dual LAN connectors, support for Thunderbolt 4, Bluetooth 5.0 BLE, WiDi technology, etc.
Though there have already been several versions released since then, all of them still use NVIDIA reference design of PCB layout and cooling solution. The only things they differ in terms of features are driver availability and firmware updates.
PSU Importance
Nowadays, many people don’t even understand what their PC components do. They just buy whatever product appears cheapest at retail stores without understanding any technical details about it.
One such example would be buying a computer with a motherboard branded ASUS PRIME X570 PRO because it seems cheap but not knowing if it supports SLI or CrossFire technologies. Well, I think now you can clearly see that quality brand names like Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, EVGA, Corsair, Biostar, ZOTAC, GIGABYTE, Patriot, Cooler Master, etc., mean nothing when compared to price tags alone.
You should always go for high end brands instead of low cost ones when shopping online because these higher priced products tend to come with better warranties and customer service options when something goes wrong. Now coming back to our topic, you must also realize that PSUs play very crucial roles in boosting overall system performance. If you want to get the maximum out of your budgeted investment, make sure you purchase top class PSUs that provide excellent efficiency ratings.
Here are some tips and tricks regarding choosing the right PSUs:
First off, check your existing PSU. Most modern computers today ship with either 550W or 650W power supplies. These larger capacity models usually offer enough wattage to run multiple devices simultaneously. However, if you’re planning on installing multiple monitors and building a multi-GPU setup, you might need additional power supply units.
For instance, if you plan to connect two external displays via VGA cables, both of them may require 75 watts each. That means you’d need 750W total consumption capacity. But if you were to install three additional monitors, say 25″, 30″, and 40″ HD screens connected through MST hubs, you could easily exceed 500W requirement limit. Therefore, it’s good practice to add extra 100-150W worth of power supplies whenever possible.
Next thing to consider is whether your chosen PSU provides enough headroom to handle future upgrades. Since newer video cards often feature higher frequencies, especially those based on Pascal architecture, you might need to upgrade to a bigger PSU sooner rather than later. Also, keep in mind that unlike CPU processors where frequency scaling happens naturally, GPU architectures cannot dynamically adjust themselves according to workload demands so faster clocks speeds result in increased power requirements. To avoid overheating issues, look for PSUs featuring efficient thermal designs and plenty of ventilation holes. Some manufacturers include heatsinks inside their power supplies.
Another great way to improve heat dissipation capabilities is to invest in liquid cooled power supplies. Lastly, choose a PSU that offers ample protection against voltage spikes and brownouts. Make sure there aren’t too many dead spots within its circuitry.
Lastly, you shouldn’t forget about electrical safety concerns. Always ensure proper grounding points on every component. Avoid using non-rated extension cords unless absolutely necessary. Finally, remember that most PSUs nowadays feature integrated fan control systems.
Before making purchases, read user reviews carefully to learn real experiences users had with different models. Never assume that the manufacturer says everything about their products’ reliability. After all, you wouldn’t want to spend thousands of dollars on faulty electronics.
So now you’ve got the basics down and hopefully learned how essential PSUs really are. Take advantage of Google search engine and type in keywords like “Best Power Supply Brand Name,” “Power Supply Efficiency Ratings” or other similar questions that pop up during research projects. All of these topics fall under the category of general knowledge, so feel free to ask anything related to this field. Good luck!