A gamer simply can't get enough graphics power in their rig, which makes the upgrade question omnipresent. To show you whether it makes sense to upgrade from one generation to another we created this series of articles, where we will compare graphics cards from different generations. Today we're having a close look at the differences between the GTX 660 and the GTX 760.
Lets
take a closer look at the results in the games we tested. In this case we can
see, that the performance improvement from the GTX 660 to the GTX 760 varies
between 15 (Dirt) and 22 percent (Battlefield). Something that
becomes very clear is that on average graphical intense titles benefit more from
the GTX 760 than titles which are less demanding. Calculating the average in all
games grants the GTX 760 an advantage of almost 20 percent over the GTX 660, which is
quite something.
Things are starting to get a bit more interesting if we look at the
framerates in absolute numbers. Since we mention average frames per seconds,
this means that minimum framerates, can be up to 50 percent lower. If we now
look at the games, where both cards score less than 60 fps, then 50 percent less
would mean a minimum framerate of 30 fps, which comes dangerously close to
stuttering. Since we have average frame rates as low as 30 fps here, it's to be
expected, that the minimum framerate can dive below 20 fps, where we're
definitely seeing stuttering.
It's these demanding games, where every additional frame makes a difference. But
still an almost 20 percent improvement won't cut it, since the framerates will still be
too low even with the GTX 760. So far we've only been talking about performance
and we haven't spent one word on pricing, which is going to change now.
If you own a GTX 660 and you upgrade to a GTX 760, you will have to pay about
195 Euro for a 20 percent improvement. Should you really be willing to spend this
kind of money just for replacing your "old" graphics card with the latest model,
then
you should definitely consider building an SLI. Adding another GTX 660 to your
setup will give you a 40 to 80 percent performance boost and it will cost you
quite a bit less. In other words the price performance ratio with adding a
second GTX 660 is much better than with simply replacing the GTX 670 with a GTX
770. After checking eBay we found the prices for second hand GTX 660 cards
starting at 150 US-Dollar in the US and 120 Euro in Germany.
Unfortunately an SLI will also come with downsides. First of all the
power consumption will go up, which also means, that the heat produced by the
gaming rig will increase. In winter time this isn't an issue, but during summer,
especially when you're living an a warmer country, an SLI might help to increase
room temperature to a degree where it's not really comfortable anymore. Other
than that you'll have to have a power supply, that can cope with two cards.
Nevertheless if
it was our PC and our money and we wanted to get the highest framerates for the
money, we would go for the SLI option, although power consumption will go up
significantly.
A gamer simply can't get enough graphics power in their rig, which makes the upgrade question omnipresent. To show you whether it makes sense to upgrade from one generation to another we created this series of articles, where we will compare graphics cards from different generations. Today we're having a close look at the differences between the GTX 660 and the GTX 760. 
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