GeForce GTX 480 vs GTX 660

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Aggregate performance score

We've compared GeForce GTX 660 and GeForce GTX 480, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.

GTX 660
2012
2 GB GDDR5, 140 Watt
10.37

GTX 480 outperforms GTX 660 by a minimal 3% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in the ranking433427
Place by popularity89not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation3.281.59
Power efficiency5.343.07
ArchitectureKepler (2012−2018)Fermi (2010−2014)
GPU code nameGK106GF100
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Release date6 September 2012 (12 years ago)26 March 2010 (14 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$229 $499

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

GTX 660 has 106% better value for money than GTX 480.

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores960480
Core clock speed980 MHz700 MHz
Boost clock speed1033 MHzno data
Number of transistors2,540 million3,100 million
Manufacturing process technology28 nm40 nm
Power consumption (TDP)140 Watt250 Watt
Maximum GPU temperatureno data105 °C
Texture fill rate82.5642.06
Floating-point processing power1.981 TFLOPS1.345 TFLOPS
ROPs2448
TMUs8060

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Bus supportPCI Express 3.016x PCI-E 2.0
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 2.0 x16
Length241 mm267 mm
Height4.376" (11.1 cm)4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm)
Width2-slot2-slot
Supplementary power connectors1x 6-pin1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
SLI options++

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeGDDR5GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount2 GB1536 MB
Memory bus width192-bit GDDR5384 Bit
Memory clock speed6.0 GB/s1848 MHz (3696 data rate)
Memory bandwidth144.2 GB/s177.4 GB/s
Shared memory--

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display ConnectorsOne Dual Link DVI-I, One Dual Link DVI-D, One HDMI, One DisplayPortTwo Dual Link DVI, Mini HDMI
Multi monitor support4 displays+
HDMI++
HDCP++
Maximum VGA resolution2048x15362048x1536
Audio input for HDMIInternalInternal

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

3D Blu-Ray+-
3D Gaming+-
3D Vision+-

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX12 (11_0)12 (11_0)
Shader Model5.15.1
OpenGL4.34.2
OpenCL1.21.1
Vulkan1.1.126N/A
CUDA++

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

GTX 660 10.37
GTX 480 10.64
+2.6%

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

GTX 660 4001
GTX 480 4106
+2.6%

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

GTX 660 5040
+38.1%
GTX 480 3650

GeekBench 5 OpenCL

Geekbench 5 is a widespread graphics card benchmark combined from 11 different test scenarios. All these scenarios rely on direct usage of GPU's processing power, no 3D rendering is involved. This variation uses OpenCL API by Khronos Group.

GTX 660 11370
GTX 480 13113
+15.3%

Octane Render OctaneBench

This is a special benchmark measuring graphics card performance in OctaneRender, which is a realistic GPU rendering engine by OTOY Inc., available either as a standalone program, or as a plugin for 3DS Max, Cinema 4D and many other apps. It renders four different static scenes, then compares render times with a reference GPU which is currently GeForce GTX 980. This benchmark has nothing to do with gaming and is aimed at professional 3D graphics artists.

GTX 660 33
GTX 480 54
+63.6%

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD47
+4.4%
45−50
−4.4%

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Battlefield 5 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Far Cry 5 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Far Cry New Dawn 30−33
+0%
30−33
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 70−75
+0%
70−75
+0%
Hitman 3 20−22
+0%
20−22
+0%
Horizon Zero Dawn 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%
Metro Exodus 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 30−33
+0%
30−33
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 65−70
+0%
65−70
+0%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Battlefield 5 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Far Cry 5 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Far Cry New Dawn 30−33
+0%
30−33
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 70−75
+0%
70−75
+0%
Hitman 3 20−22
+0%
20−22
+0%
Horizon Zero Dawn 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%
Metro Exodus 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 30−33
+0%
30−33
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 27−30
+0%
27−30
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 65−70
+0%
65−70
+0%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Far Cry 5 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 70−75
+0%
70−75
+0%
Hitman 3 20−22
+0%
20−22
+0%
Horizon Zero Dawn 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 27−30
+0%
27−30
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 65−70
+0%
65−70
+0%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 30−33
+0%
30−33
+0%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Far Cry New Dawn 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 10−12
+0%
10−12
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 5−6
+0%
5−6
+0%
Far Cry 5 12−14
+0%
12−14
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
Hitman 3 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
Horizon Zero Dawn 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Metro Exodus 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 65−70
+0%
65−70
+0%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%
Far Cry New Dawn 8−9
+0%
8−9
+0%
Hitman 3 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%
Horizon Zero Dawn 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
Metro Exodus 9−10
+0%
9−10
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 8−9
+0%
8−9
+0%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 6−7
+0%
6−7
+0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 5−6
+0%
5−6
+0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 5−6
+0%
5−6
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 1−2
+0%
1−2
+0%
Far Cry 5 6−7
+0%
6−7
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 12−14
+0%
12−14
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 8−9
+0%
8−9
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 4−5
+0%
4−5
+0%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%

This is how GTX 660 and GTX 480 compete in popular games:

  • GTX 660 is 4% faster in 1080p

All in all, in popular games:

  • there's a draw in 72 tests (100%)

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 10.37 10.64
Recency 6 September 2012 26 March 2010
Maximum RAM amount 2 GB 1536 MB
Chip lithography 28 nm 40 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 140 Watt 250 Watt

GTX 660 has an age advantage of 2 years, a 33.3% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 42.9% more advanced lithography process, and 78.6% lower power consumption.

GTX 480, on the other hand, has a 2.6% higher aggregate performance score.

Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between GeForce GTX 660 and GeForce GTX 480.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660
GeForce GTX 660
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480
GeForce GTX 480

Comparisons with similar GPUs

We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.

Community ratings

Here you can see the user ratings of the compared graphics cards, as well as rate them yourself.


3.7 4224 votes

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3.3 207 votes

Rate GeForce GTX 480 on a scale of 1 to 5:

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about this comparison, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.