Index
Overclocking
Gainward GTX 660 Ti Phantom ran at very high clocks. We managed to set the Base clock at 1136MHz (221MHz overclock), where maximum Boost clock was 1292MHz. After our 250MHz memory overclock (1000MHz effectively), we’ve seen the card outperform the GTX 670 by 5 percent in Crysis 2. We sped up the fan to 90 percent and while we could hear the cooler it well, it still wasn’t too loud.
Thermals and Noise
Thermals are good when the fan is in AUTO mode and temperatures are 5-7°C lower than on the reference card.
Once the fans are sped up, temperatures can be kept at about 66°C. This was enough for 1292MHz Boost clock.
When idle, the Phantom cooling is inaudible. Two fans and the large heatsink are enough to keep the thermals in check. Note that the cooler remains quiet even after long gaming sessions and we couldn’t hear the fans until we went for our overclock.
Power Consumption
More extreme overclocking takes its toll on consumption. While the GTX 660 Ti Phantom OC managed to outrun the GTX 670, it also ended up consuming more power. Note however that when running at its factory clocks, the GTX 660 Ti Phantom won’t consume more than your average, mildly-overclocked GTX 660 Ti.