Conclusion
Today we reviewed the highly overclockable ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce GTX 1660 Ti O6G OC Edition video card. This video card represents the top-end of what ASUS has to offer based on the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, a $279 MSRP GPU. Though the ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1660 Ti O6G carries a high price premium of $329, it allows us to push the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti to its limits to see if this GPU still has any relevance in 2020.
You see, the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti just got some competition in the market with the recent launch of the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT video card at $279 MSRP. We reviewed the XFX Radeon RX 5600 XT THICC II Pro, and also re-tested that video card with the new BIOS. We even performed a full overclocking review on that video card.
What we did not do yet though, until this review, is to directly compare a highly factory overclocked GeForce GTX 1660 Ti video card to the Radeon RX 5600 XT. We also wanted to take this further and push both video cards to do a direct competition of an overclocked GeForce GTX 1660 Ti versus an overclocked Radeon RX 5600 XT. We showed you how to overclock the video card and take it to its highest performance.
We also wanted to look at the gameplay experience and potential for real-world gameplay on the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti at 1080p and 1440p. This is what we did today, and I think the results are quite interesting.
Performance
There was a trend that formed in this review. First, though, that trend did not reveal itself on the first game we tested. In Red Dead Redemption 2 we actually found the ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce GTX 1660 Ti O6G OC Edition to provide higher performance in the game compared to the XFX Radeon RX 5600 XT THICC II Pro. Whether the card was overclocked or not, the GTX 1660 Ti beat the Radeon RX 5600 XT in that game. However, that game seemed to be the anomaly. In every other game, the XFX Radeon RX 5600 XT THICC II Pro video card was faster. Though it was faster, that doesn’t tell the whole story.
Even though our ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1660 Ti O6G OC Edition video card was highly factory overclocked, our manual overclock did help performance to a noticeable degree in every game. We saw between 7-12% performance increases at 1080p and 1440p by overclocking the video card. This helped bump it up to playable levels with smoother performance at high game settings. It also helped bring the performance of the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti much closer, if not similar to, the default factory overclock performance on the XFX Radeon RX 5600 XT THICC II Pro.
This is very important; you must remember that the XFX Radeon RX 5600 XT THICC II Pro is a factory overclocked card itself. That video card is far from the stock/default performance of a Radeon RX 5600 XT. In fact, this is with the new BIOS which increases the GPU frequency well over what the original intended performance profile was. The fact that an overclocked GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is coming close to the performance of the new BIOS on the XFX Radeon RX 5600 XT THICC II Pro is impressive. If this were standard/default stock Radeon RX 5600 XT performance than the overclocked GeForce GTX 1660 Ti would be beating it left and right.
Playable Performance
Beyond just the raw performance differences is the actual gameplay experience and what is playable. In several games, the ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1660 Ti O6G OC Edition video card was very playable at high to ultra in-game settings at 1080p. Games like Gears 5, Call of Duty Modern Warfare, NFS Heat, even The Division 2 were all playable at the highest settings at 1080p even if the Radeon RX 5600 XT was faster. You have to look at the performance delivered, and when you see it’s above 60FPS, it’s plenty fast to be enjoyable.
What’s more, by lowering some game settings to medium to high you can have a playable 1440p experience in these games as well on the ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1660 Ti O6G OC Edition. The only couple of games that continue to be a booger are Red Dead Redemption 2 and Metro Exodus. Though they can be made to be more playable simply by lowering the game settings. Though, the Radeon RX 5600 XT clearly allows a higher level of gameplay experience in Metro Exodus.
Final Points
The ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce GTX 1660 Ti O6G OC Edition is at the top-end of GeForce GTX 1660 Ti overclocking. We were impressed how high it could be pushed on GPU and memory. If you are interested in the GTX 1660 Ti GPU this video card has what it takes to push the GPU and memory as far as possible. ASUS comes through again with awesome engineering, custom configuration and incredible cooling that does not hold back the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti.
It comes down to this, the Radeon RX 5600 XT is faster (with a high factory overclock) even to the overclocked ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1660 Ti O6G OC Edition video card. Overclocking the ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1660 Ti O6G OC Edition video card does give it more room to stand on for gaming in 2020. If you have a card like this that can push the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti as high as possible you are still going to have a good gameplay experience in many games that are out today.
The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti isn’t completely irrelevant, as long as it is highly factory overclocked, or manually overclocked like this card. For the long-term though, getting a robust overclockable Radeon RX 5600 XT and pushing it should get you more from gaming in the long-run.
The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti was a great GPU, it’s been out a year now and has provided many people a great gameplay experience. It has incredible overclocking potential and is a fun enthusiast GPU to play within those regards. It is not completely irrelevant just yet, but with the Radeon RX 5600 XT on the table now its days are numbered unless you see it discounted or on sale at a good price. If you could grab a card like this under $280 it’d be worth it for the overclocking potential.