If memory serves me right, GALAX has been pumping out graphics cards since the days of the GeForce 6000 Series. Back then, they were known as Galaxy and/or KFA2 – which is basically a skunkwork brand offering some of the most outlandish products ever. That includes the GTX 460 WHDI. A wireless graphics card with five high gain antennas at the back.
Fast forward today, we now introduce you to the GALAX GTX 1660 Super 1-Click OC. This is a 14, 000 Peso value graphics card which makes it one of the more affordable GTX 1660 Super models. Its GPU clock goes all the way up to 1815 MHz with 1-click OC enabled plus with 0dB fan feature as well. This review is exactly going to test the card with the 1-click OC feature enabled.
Technical Specifications
| GPU | |
| Model | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super |
| Cores | 1408 |
| Core Clock | 1530 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1815 MHz |
| Architecture | Turing |
| Manufacturing Process | 12 nm |
| TDP | 125 W |
| Memory | |
| Memory Clock | 3500 MHz |
| Memory Bus Width | 192-bit |
| Memory Capacity | 6 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| Connectivity | |
| Display | DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0b, DVI-D |
| Power | PCIe, 8-Pin |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 228 mm |
| Width | 132 mm |
| Height | 42 mm |
| Weight | NA |
Packaging and Accessories
GALAX used a typical yet well padded triple layer packaging for the GTX 1660 Super 1-Click OC. The product should come with the following items inside:
- MOLEX to 8-pin extension adapter
- Quick installation guide
Design, Layout and Build Quality
Clad in black, the GALAX GTX 1660 Super 1-Click OC is a decent looking card. No harm meant there, it is just not simple yet not so busy at the same time. This is a 9 inch card which is not bad for the majority of systems out there.
Even though this is one of the more budget oriented GTX 1660 Super out there, Galax still managed to add an aluminum back plate to protect and support the card from the elements.
Graphics card’s power is provided by the PCIe and the 8-Pin connector. This setup is capable of providing a total of 225W theoretically yet the card should only be able to output a maximum of 125W according to GALAX.
As for connectivity, you’ve got three choices here: A DVI-D, an HDMI 2.0b port and a DisplayPort 1.4. They are situated at the same row which means the card could accommodate a row for ventilation.
Test Setup and Methodology
The system performance shall be evaluated by various benchmarking tools and applications. We are testing this system with the high-performance settings enabled at the OS, with the default UEFI configuration. Background processes such as anti-viruses and third-party applications are disabled as well. Outlined below are the applications and benchmark tools for reference:
| Test System Specifications | |
| CPU | Intel Core-i5 6600K |
| Motherboard | ASUS Z170-A |
| Cooler | Noctua NH-L9i |
| Memory | ADATA Premier DDR4 |
| GPU | ASUS ROG Strix GTX 1060 OC |
| Storage | Crucial BX200 480GB |
| Case | Thermaltake Core P3 |
| PSU | CORSAIR RM850X |
| Display | DELL U2715H |
| OS | Microsoft Windows 10 Pro |
TEMPERATURE, POWER AND NOISE:
- Aida64 Extreme Edition – Stability Test
SYNTHETIC PERFORMANCE:
- 3DMARK 2013 – Firestrike Presets.
- Luxmark – OpenCL benchmark.
- Aida64 Extreme Edition – GPGPU Benchmark
GAMING PERFORMANCE:
- Overwatch – Ultra Settings, Render Scale 100%, V-SYNC off
- Battlefield 4 – Ultra Settings, V-SYNC off
- DIRT: Rally – Ultra Settings, V-SYNC off
- Project CARS – Maximum Settings, V-SYNC off
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Ultra Settings, FXAA off, V-SYNC off
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Ultra Settings, HairWorks off, V-SYNC off
Temperature, Power and Noise
Graphics card thermal figures are taken during a 15 minute idle and a 15 minute load via the AIDA64 Extreme Edition Stability Test. The ambient temperature is checked at 27°C (±1°C), with values extracted via HWiNFO and GPU-Z.
Total system power consumption are taken during a 15 minute idle and a 15 minute load via the AIDA64 Extreme Edition Stability Test. The measurements are taken by a watt-meter.
Graphics card noise levels are taken during a 15 minute idle and a 15 minute load via the AIDA64 Extreme Edition Stability Test. The ambient sound level is 34dBA (±1dBA), with measurements taken by a sound level meter situated exactly 12 inches away from the card.
The GALAX GTX 1660 Super 1-Click OC is off to a promising start, featuring a nice balance between temperature and noise. Power consumption is a bit higher compared to the MSI variant though even without the RGB lighting and with a lower boost clock.
Synthetic Performance
3DMark 2013 is a suite of benchmarks catered for the gamers and enthusiasts. The total system scores from each presets will be used.
LuxMark is an OpenCL cross-platform benchmark tool. The software has become one of the most popular OpenCL benchmarks over the past years.
The Aida64 Extreme Edition GPGPU Benchmark is designed to measure GPGPU computing performance via different workloads.
Benchmark performance renders about 0.7 to 2.4% difference compared to again, the MSI card. That’s not bad at all considering its price.
Gaming Performance
Overwatch is Blizzard Entertainment’s critically acclaimed First Person Shooter, running on a custom game engine utilizing the DirectX 11 API. Settings are set to Ultra with a Render Scale set to 100%.
Battlefield 4 is Electronic Art’s popular First Person Shooter, running on the Frostbite 3 game engine developed by DICE utilizing the DirectX 11 and the Mantle API. Settings are set to Ultra.
DIRT: Rally is CODEMASTER’s take on the rally racing game genre. It utilizes the EGO game engine with support for the DirectX 11 API. Settings are set to Ultra.
Project CARS is Slightly Mad Studios’ latest simulation racing game, running on the Madness game engine utilizing DirectX 11 support. Settings are set to maximum.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is Bethesda’s critically acclaimed Action Adventure RPG. Skyrim utilizes the Creation Engine with DirectX 10 support. Settings are set to Ultra with V-SYNC turned off.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is CDProjekt RED’s award winning Action Adventure RPG. The Witcher 3 utilizes the REDengine 3 with DirectX 11 support. Settings are set to Ultra.
Gaming performance wise, you’re going to get more out of your hard earned money with the GALAX GTX 1660 Super 1-Click OC. Trailing just right behind the MSI variant by a few FPS.
Software, Lighting and Special Features
Software isn’t GALAX’s strong suit judging purely from a design perspective. Still, the XTREME TUNER allows you to change the card’s GPU and memory voltage plus clock speeds like what most GPU tuners do. It is also required if you wish to utilize the card’s main feature which is the 1-click OC.
Final Thoughts
The GALAX GTX 1660 Super 1-Click OC is a great card in terms of performance and price point. Coming in hot at around 14, 000 Pesos, its main purpose is to appeal those who require a rock solid 1080P gaming performance with enough room for 1440P gaming.
Now the card isn’t perfect. Styling for an instance could be a bit better which is something I’d love to see for GALAX’s budget offerings. Display ports could also be more than what’s specified but I wager the current config has to do something with frugality and functionality in mind.
If looks and the lack of RGB lighting doesn’t bother you at all, then the GTX 1660 Super 1-Click OC is worthy of your attention. Much so if you’re the kind of guy or gal who prefers performance over form. Words to live by if you’re a gamer and an enthusiast combined.
GALAX GTX 1660 Super 1-Click OC Review
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Performance - 9/10
9/10
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Build Quality - 8/10
8/10
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Features - 7/10
7/10
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Design - 7/10
7/10
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Value - 9/10
9/10
Summary
The GALAX GTX 1660 Super 1-Click OC is a great card in terms of performance and price point. Coming in hot at around 14, 000 Pesos, its main purpose is to appeal those who require a rock solid 1080P gaming performance with enough room for 1440P gaming.
Pros
- Strong 1080P gaming performance
- Good 1440P gaming performance
- Power and noise levels
- 1-click OC mode
- Price point
Cons
- Software UI
- Limited display options
