ZOTAC GTX 1660 Amp Edition Graphics Card Review

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Nauman Siddique

At HI Digital I test and write about different hardware configurations to show other PC users what they can expect from their build. My end goal is to educate the masses to make the right decision when they are looking for new PC parts to buy

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Today, we’re diving into the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1660 Amp Edition. It’s a powerful graphics card with 1408 CUDA Cores, a base clock 1530MHz, and a boost clock of 1845MHz. With 6GB VRAM GDDR6 and a sleek design, let’s see how it performs!

Key Takeaways

• ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1660 Amp Edition is a budget-friendly graphics card offering efficient 1080p gaming performance without dedicated hardware for Ray Tracing and Tensor Cores.
• It is ideal for first-time buyers seeking affordable yet powerful 1080p gaming, particularly those upgrading from GeForce GTX 960 or GeForce GTX 1060 3GB.
• It is not a significant upgrade for current GeForce GTX 1060 6GB or higher owners and lacks Ray Tracing capabilities for users seeking advanced graphics features.

Presented here are the outlined specifications.

Packaging and Unboxing

The graphics card is shipped inside a cardboard box placed inside an exterior paperboard box.

Box Contents

The following is provided inside the box:

• 1x Graphics Card
• 1x Quick Installation Guide
• 1x Driver Pamphlet
• 1x ZOTAC Products Brochure
• 1x Case Badge

Design

Let’s check out the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1660 Amp Edition. Its design is cool, exactly like their GeForce GTX 1660Ti Amp edition. You can’t tell them apart just by holding them. I love the wraparound idea of using a mix of plastic and metal, keeping it light for the motherboard’s PCIe slots. The shroud aggressively mimics ZOTAC’s logo in gray with black fan blades. It’s beautifully designed with a stepped center. The cooling solution, IceStorm 2.0, has 2x 90mm fans for optimal static pressure and airflow. No Auto Fan stop on this card.

The fan blades are spaced to boost airflow. The key part of the cooling system is a broad aluminum heatsink for optimal heat dissipation. Two nickel-plated copper plates directly touch the GPU, VRAM chips, and MOSFETs/VRMs. ZOTAC ensures proper cooling for the power circuitry and VRAM chips with thermal pads. The ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1660 has 3x 6mm nickel-plated copper pipes directly connecting with copper plates. Unfortunately, I can’t open it due to source restrictions.

Now, let’s check the top side of the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1660 Amp edition. It has a wraparound metallic back plate with vents for ventilation. The glossy black middle part features ZOTAC GAMING branding in white but no LED underneath. GEFORCE GTX is printed on the right. Notice the 15mm gap from the top to the PCB to accommodate the protruding heat pipes. One downside: this design makes connecting the power connector to the graphics card tricky.

This site has the wraparound metallic backplate covering half, with the shroud on the rest. The top and bottom of the shroud are sharply protruding for a bold look. The backplate has vents for ventilation. Looking at the bottom, the black PCB has a 39mm gap to the shroud, accommodating the heatsink and another 90mm fan. Multiple colored thermal pads are used, and a PCIe connector with golden pins is visible.

Now, let’s check the back of the graphics card. It has a stunning gray metallic backplate, silver ZOTAC logo, and a “LIVE TO GAME” tagline. The GPU backside is exposed, with no thermal pad, showing a gap. This card lacks SLI or NVLink due to NVIDIA’s Turing architecture in RTX 2070 and below. The ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1660 Amp edition has a single 8-pin power connector, rated for 130W power with a minimum recommended PSU of 450W. Connectivity options include 3x Display Ports 1.4 and 1x HDMI 2.0b.

Testing

Following is the information regarding the test system and drivers that I have used to test this graphics card:

• Intel i7 8700k @ 5.0GHz
• Asus Strix Z390-E Gaming Motherboard
• Ballistix Elite 16GB kit @ 3000MHz
• Asus ROG Ryuo 360 CPU Cooler
• HyperX 120GB SSD
• Seagate Barracuda 3.5” 2 TB HDD
• Thermaltake TP RGB 750W Gold PSU

Drivers

• NVIDIA driver 417.71 for Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060
• NVIDIA driver 411. For other RTX graphics cards
• NVIDIA driver 398.35 for GTX (Pascal) graphics cards
• NVIDIA driver 417.71 for GTX 1080 [Required for Battlefield V]
• NVIDIA driver 430.86 for GTX 1600 Series
• AMD driver Adrenalin 2019 19.4.3 for the RX 570 and RX 580.

Synthetic Benchmarks

Gaming Benchmarks

The ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1660 performs decently in 1080p gaming. It falls behind the Sapphire RX 580 Nitro OC and Gigabyte G1 Gaming GeForce GTX 1060 6GB in some titles.

In most games, it sits between the GeForce GTX 1060 6GB and the GeForce GTX 1070, with an average performance boost of around 13% over the GTX 1060 6GB. It could be an upgrade for GTX 960 users but not compelling for GTX 1060 6GB users. NVIDIA targets it as an upgrade for the GTX 1060 3GB.

If you have a GTX 1070 or 1070Ti, there’s not much reason to switch. However, for a better 1080p gaming experience without ray tracing from the Turing architecture, the GeForce GTX 1660 is a good choice.

VRAM Analysis

The ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1660 Amp Edition has 6GB GDDR6 onboard memory from Micron. I tested at 1080p, 1440p, and 2160p with maximum graphics settings. Most games didn’t go beyond the 6GB limit, especially on 1080p and 1440p. The 6GB memory should be sufficient for these resolutions.

Boost Clocks

After checking gaming benchmarks, VRAM analysis, and synthetic results, let’s look at the maximum boost clocks. The ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1660 Amp Edition reached 1935MHz out of the box. Sustained clocks averaged 1905MHz, which is impressive.

Overclocking

I used MSI Afterburner for overclocking. Started by pushing the VRAM clock by +900MHz, which went well. Trying to go further or increasing voltage didn’t improve scores. Managed to set the Memory to +900MHz and the Core clock to +130MHz.

Power Consumption

To measure power draw, I used HWInfo64 to show GPU Power instead of the overall system power. For idle power, the system stayed idle for 30 minutes with minimal background apps and a Balanced Power Profile in Windows. I used a 30-minute 4k run of The Witcher 3 for max power, recording power draw from HWInfo64. This card didn’t hit the power target as often as other RTX cards I tested. Its max power target is 111%.

Thermal Performance

I check thermal performance using gaming, not stress apps like Furmark. Recorded temperatures during a 30-minute 4k gaming session with The Witcher 3 using MSI Afterburner. The ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1660 Amp Edition idled at 37°C. On stock clocks, it reached 69°C; with overclocking, it hit 73°C at 29°C ambient.

Software

ZOTAC provides the Fire Storm utility for their graphics cards. The revamped design is user-friendly, with options for Auto, Manual, and Advanced fan modes. Advanced mode allows custom fan curve profiles. The main interface shows fan speed, GPU thermals, Core Clock, and Memory Clock. Multiple GPU support is available with profile saving. Advanced options enable overclocking and power target/voltage adjustments. The application provides monitoring, settings, and graphics card information. The OC Scanner determines optimal performance settings but encountered an error in testing. Overall, the ZOTAC FireStorm application is easy to use and hiccup-free.

Final Words

NVIDIA introduces the GTX 1660 graphics card, targeting cost-effective 1080p gaming within the Turing architecture. ZOTAC’s GeForce GTX 1660 Amp Edition, based on TU116 GPU, features Icestorm 2 cooling with 90mm fans and a wide heatsink for efficient heat dissipation. The card lacks LED lighting, SLI support, and NVLink.

With a single 8-pin power connector, it’s rated at 130W power. Performance testing shows a 13% boost over GeForce GTX 1060 6GB, targeting first-time buyers and those upgrading from GTX 960 or GTX 1060 3GB for 1080p gaming. NVIDIA’s GTX 1660 is a cost-effective option for budget users.

Nauman Siddique

[How-To Guides Expert]

Laiba, our tech guru at HI Digital, simplifies and crafts How-To Guides with a Google IT Support Certificate. Beyond tech, she captures the city’s aesthetics through her lens. Join her journey where tech meets creativity!

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