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Message boards : Graphics cards (GPUs) : GTX660Ti - will it be any good on GPUGRID? [yes - very good]

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Message 26568 - Posted: 8 Aug 2012 | 22:17:18 UTC

Looks like the GTX660Ti will be getting released next week and it looks like it will be using the same GPU as the GTX670 (GK104 with 1344 CUDA cores) but with a 192-bit memory bus instead of the 256-bit memory bus used in the 670. Also looks like the TDP is 20W lower than the 670

Will the lower memory bus width have much of an impact on GPUGRID performance?

Thinking of treating myself to a new card, but undecided between the 670 or the 660Ti.

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Message 26584 - Posted: 10 Aug 2012 | 12:28:23 UTC - in response to Message 26568.

It's really a case of wait and see. Even then, without standard output details it will be very difficult to work out the best cards and best setup.
I suspect a 192bit bus won't be a huge loss, especially on a PCIE3 setup. I don't know the details of these cards yet, just the speculation. Other rumors suggested 256bit for the Ti and 192 for the 660... Recent tasks tend not to use the CPU as much, so if this continues perhaps the bus won't matter as much. If the TDP is 20 or 25W lower then that might be an indication of relative performance. Performance per price and per running cost is still unknown, until someone does a real test and publishes. This should happen within the next two weeks.
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Message 26586 - Posted: 10 Aug 2012 | 21:32:49 UTC

16th August is rumoured as being release day so reviews should start coming out then.

Well, the good thing is I won't need to upgrade to a bigger PSU as dual GTX670 would be OK with my current one.

The GTX570 seem to have dropped to bargain prices to get rid of stock prior to the 660 release, but the higher running costs are putting me off and I'd have to invest in a new PSU to run dual 570's.

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Message 26624 - Posted: 16 Aug 2012 | 13:17:37 UTC

Release day has come around and prices in the UK seem to be from around the £245 up to about £320.

At the moment I'm edging towards a GTX670....

Upgrade is planned for the end of the month... with a bit of luck someone might try one GPUGRID before I place my order.

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Message 26625 - Posted: 16 Aug 2012 | 19:20:03 UTC - in response to Message 26624.

I have one on the way and should be able to post some results next week.
For a start I'll be plugging it in to the same system as a GTX670 where both will be running at PCIE2 X8 so we can get a decent baseline.

- PCIE3 systems are kind of hit and miss right now as while they may be electrically capable most are not running at PCIE3 without a reg hack that may or may not work on a model by model basis.
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Message 26626 - Posted: 16 Aug 2012 | 20:28:08 UTC - in response to Message 26625.
Last modified: 17 Aug 2012 | 11:56:38 UTC

Just checked one UK supplier and I can get them from £235 to £260. I expect prices might initially rise and after a month or so, fall (unless AMD have something to say about it). I'm seeing the reference 928MHz up to 1033MHz (manufacturer specific/bespoke versions), but there is no official reference NVidia model. This is good as it means there is a good range of card specs just within the GTX660Ti and GTX670/680 models.

For single card systems I suggest people get a dual fan version, and the bigger the blades the better.

Review at Anandtech by Ryan Smyth

The question as far as here is concerned, is how much was lost in the drop from 32 to 24 ROP's and the drop from 256 to 192bit bus width (which are linked); what does GPUGrid do on the ROP's. For gamers the 192bit bandwidth might be an issue for a single card setup playing some games, but 2GB avoids memory capacity issues (assuming the drivers can adequately accommodate the asymmetry). The competition is HD 7870 to 7950.
The gain is -20W TDP (but around 7W saving in reality), price and competition.
I don't know if these will work straight out of the box, but assuming they do (driver dependent) I can't see them being any worse than 20% less than a reference GTX670. Most likely they will almost be on par (within 5% making the GTX660Ti better value for money). Best case scenario a higher clocked GTX660Ti outperforms a reference GTX670 (for here), and stays within the reference TDP (cheaper, faster, cheaper to run).

BTW. Based on performance (games etc) I consider these cards high end, not mid range. The idea is somewhat akin to the GTX560Ti448.
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Message 26634 - Posted: 17 Aug 2012 | 16:42:43 UTC - in response to Message 26626.

Just checked one UK supplier and I can get them from £235 to £260.
Sorry to hear you guys have to pay that much ... I got mine for USD $299 + shipping ... (total £196). It has shipped and I should have it in hand on Monday. The upshot is I have Monday off from work so I should be able to get it up and running right away! Of course the installation schedule is subject to change without notice as my wife may have plans for me that I don't know about yet :-O
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Message 26638 - Posted: 17 Aug 2012 | 21:20:01 UTC - in response to Message 26634.

Hence the phrase, 'rip-off Britain'.

Have plans back at her, or better still, get in there first :))
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Message 26640 - Posted: 17 Aug 2012 | 21:55:53 UTC - in response to Message 26634.

Just checked one UK supplier and I can get them from £235 to £260.
Sorry to hear you guys have to pay that much ... I got mine for USD $299 + shipping ... (total £196). It has shipped and I should have it in hand on Monday. The upshot is I have Monday off from work so I should be able to get it up and running right away! Of course the installation schedule is subject to change without notice as my wife may have plans for me that I don't know about yet :-O


So which make have you ordered?

Will be interesting to see how it compares with a 670 in the same system


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Message 26642 - Posted: 18 Aug 2012 | 0:44:42 UTC

GIGABYTE GV-N66TWF2-2GD GeForce GTX 660 Ti
Core clock is factory OC'd from stock 915 to 941 but I'll likely go higher.
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Message 26655 - Posted: 22 Aug 2012 | 14:21:23 UTC

Well, after umming and arring for nearly a week I have just pressed the button on an EVGA GTX670, due for delivery tomoorow :-)

Haven't completely ruled out a GTX660Ti, I might get one later this year to replace my GTX550Ti

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Message 26662 - Posted: 22 Aug 2012 | 16:58:40 UTC - in response to Message 26642.

GIGABYTE GV-N66TWF2-2GD GeForce GTX 660 Ti
Core clock is factory OC'd from stock 915 to 941 but I'll likely go higher.

After 1 NATE WU it appears to take slighlty less time that a GTX480 but at roughly half the electricity usage.

A couple of notes of comaprison to a GTX670 ... the power usage % is mid to high 90s where on the 670 it runs in the 70s. Also, the MEM % usage is also a bit higher in the mid 40s (no surprise with the 192 bus) compared to mid 20s.
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Message 26695 - Posted: 25 Aug 2012 | 11:18:42 UTC

The ROPs are the "raster output units". Since we're not actualy rendering anything at GPU-Grid (just crunching numbers), these don't matter at all. The reduced memory bandwidth will have a slight effect, but in the past GPU-Grid hasn't been particularly memory bandwidth starved. This is reflected by Steves measurements: the memory controller is used at ~40% of its capability on the GTX660Ti.

For GPU-Grid (and most other GP-GPU apps) this card should provide significiantly better bang-for-the-buck than a GTX670.

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Message 26700 - Posted: 25 Aug 2012 | 17:17:05 UTC

Sorry to hear you guys have to pay that much ... I got mine for USD $299 + shipping ... (total £196).


The base price is the same. If we paid 17.5 % VAT our cost would be similar.

(Expat Brit for a reason)

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Message 26905 - Posted: 15 Sep 2012 | 12:16:42 UTC

Had my 660Ti running for a week, exclusively for GPUgrid.
All I can say is, fantastic.
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Message 27077 - Posted: 16 Oct 2012 | 11:03:13 UTC - in response to Message 26905.

Guys:

What is the verdict on this card? From the specs, it looks like the 660Ti would be the best GPU for the money. Does the performance approach that of the GTX670? Why pay the extra for the GTX 670? It only has about 18% more shaders.

I am looking to upgrade my GTX 570s so I need some guidance.

Thank you
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Note: Please don't use driver version 295 or 296! Recommended versions are 266 - 285.

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Message 27078 - Posted: 16 Oct 2012 | 13:26:08 UTC - in response to Message 27077.

It's got exactly as much runchng power as the GTX670 (same shaders, same clock). GPU-Grid needs a little memory bandwidth, but usually not as much that it would hold a card back. So GTX660Ti performance should be very close to a GTX670 here and hence be an excellent buy.

I can't give you exact numbers, though, as mine crunches only POEM.

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Message 27079 - Posted: 16 Oct 2012 | 13:53:57 UTC

In the next month or so I'll be making some upgrades to my systems and 1 or possibly 2 GTX660TI's will be acquired I'm tempted to upgrade one of my systems to a Asus Crosshair motherboard to utlilse the extra slots.....

Have to wait and see what bonus I'll be getting before Xmas before I make my mind up and then plan deliveries so that the Mrs is at work!!!

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Message 27081 - Posted: 16 Oct 2012 | 20:51:18 UTC - in response to Message 27079.
Last modified: 16 Oct 2012 | 20:57:46 UTC

There is no doubt that the GTX660Ti is great value for money when it comes to crunching here; it costs a lot less than the GTX670 and the running costs are low compared to previous generations.

However, there are many different task types, and with some types, the GTX670 is significantly better. For other types the difference may be less than 3%, making the GTX660Ti a more favourable card due to the substantially reduced purchase outlay.

Unfortunately with so many task types it's too difficult to make a solid percentage comparison of the different cards performances.
System variation is also increasing, so Operating System (Linux, XP, Vista/W7/W8/2003R2/2008R2), CPU, RAM, PCIE, and possibly hard drive performances may now influence the overall crunching performance to an increased extent.

Along with GPU memory bandwidth variations, considerations include non-standard cards (performance can vary by up to ~16%), the lack of Boinc task reporting (to actually show the cards frequencies), and variation in performance between GPU generations for different task types (which can be very large). So the construction of a cross-generation table of performance would be very difficult and quite transient; subject to changes in task types. The construction of a reliable performance per Watt table would be even more difficult, and such tables wouldn't address other considerations such as reliability, warranty, heat or noise.
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Message 27091 - Posted: 18 Oct 2012 | 16:54:22 UTC - in response to Message 27081.

However, there are many different task types, and with some types, the GTX670 is significantly better.

Any hard data?

MrS
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Message 27796 - Posted: 22 Dec 2012 | 6:45:48 UTC

Finally decided to get a GTX660Ti as an Xmas treat..... hopefully it will turn up this morning.

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Message 27802 - Posted: 22 Dec 2012 | 12:51:33 UTC

My one turned up yesterday. Installed and running. Now I just need to be able to download more than one unit at a time to see what the card can do. Only issue so far was the install. Had to move hard drive to another bay , move cables etc as the card is massive, really long.

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Message 27805 - Posted: 22 Dec 2012 | 17:36:39 UTC - in response to Message 27802.

Compared to other high-end cards most GTX660Ti are comparably short. Either you got one with the same PCB as bigger cards (some offer this for supposedly better overclockability) or you've got a rather small case.

GPU-Grid should allow you to download 2 WUs at a time. You don't want to load the 2nd one much earlier than upon completion of the first in order to get the quick-return bonus credits. And running more than one concurent WU wouldn't help at GPU-Grid.

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Message 27807 - Posted: 22 Dec 2012 | 18:55:18 UTC

set your minimum work buffer to 0.1 and max additional work buffer to 0.05 or 0.1. It should download next work unit about 2 hour before current finishes.

the 660 Ti should finish any tasks fast enough that it doesn't really matter if the second task is waiting for several hours, and still get the bonus.
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Message 27810 - Posted: 22 Dec 2012 | 22:53:14 UTC - in response to Message 27802.

My one turned up yesterday. Installed and running. Now I just need to be able to download more than one unit at a time to see what the card can do. Only issue so far was the install. Had to move hard drive to another bay , move cables etc as the card is massive, really long.


I had problems with installing mine.... using it with a Gigabyte MA78LMT-US2H and found the length of EVGA 660Ti SC interfered with half the SATA ports. Luckily I can cope with the loss of those as that cruncher only requires 2 ports.

Nice card.... busily crunching it's first long WU now. :-)

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Message 27812 - Posted: 22 Dec 2012 | 23:26:25 UTC - in response to Message 27810.

There are SATA connectors angled by 90° - these cables might work for some of your blocked sockets, should you ever need them.

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Message 27817 - Posted: 23 Dec 2012 | 14:23:11 UTC - in response to Message 27812.
Last modified: 23 Dec 2012 | 14:26:02 UTC

When buying a motherboard for GPU crunching its a good idea to check the position and angle of the SATA connectors. If the connectors are pointed straight up they will probably make it difficult to fit the GPU, and prevent you adding a second GPU.
Take a Z68A-G45 MS7750 for example,


I have one and could not add a second GPU. This one is a bad design because even if you try to use angled SATA cables, you find they force the cable into the motherboard/under the GPU, rather than away from it!

In slightly newer boards such as an MS7752, the connectors are pointed horizontally, towards the HDD's, and don't interfere when adding a second GPU,



You can zoom in on this image,
https://thunderbolttechnology.net/sites/default/files/Z77A-G45%20Thunderbolt%20_MS-7752%20V2_0_3D1%20%282%29.jpg
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Message 27818 - Posted: 23 Dec 2012 | 19:06:50 UTC - in response to Message 27817.

When buying a motherboard for GPU crunching its a good idea to check the position and angle of the SATA connectors. If the connectors are pointed straight up they will probably make it difficult to fit the GPU, and prevent you adding a second GPU.


The motherboard came long before I started crunching GPUGRID and was about the only mATX boards that could take 125W Phenom X6 CPUs and as such made a nice wallet friendly cruncher. As it's not a main rig it can survive with just 1 HDD and an optical and it looks like I might be able to fit 1 right angled SATA cable if I needed to add a 2nd HDD.

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Message 27821 - Posted: 24 Dec 2012 | 11:52:02 UTC - in response to Message 27818.

Disconnect the optical drive if not needed to save a little more electricity ;)

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Message 27826 - Posted: 24 Dec 2012 | 22:20:35 UTC

Oh dear, after a few failed WU's and a bit of testing, it looks as though I was sent a faulty card. The system it was in tested OK with a GTX 670.

Amazon will have a replacement out to me by Friday with a bit of luck.

I've also decided to upgrade the motherboard in the GTX660Ti system with an updated version of the Gigabyte MA78LMT which features a more robust VRM stage plus SATA ports that don't interfere with the PCI-E X16 slot ( it will be a belated Xmas present to myself and SWMBO thinks I'm replacing a faulty motherboard)

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Message 27868 - Posted: 28 Dec 2012 | 18:02:46 UTC

Replacement GTX660Ti is now happily crunching away... cheers Amazon - they dispatched it on Boxing day and it arrived yesterday!!!

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Message 28083 - Posted: 19 Jan 2013 | 20:41:58 UTC

I am reliably crunching NOELIA Long Runs on a GTX660Ti (Gigabyte TOC version - 1111MHz Boost Clock) in just under 12 hours. This card is not a full length card. I had a EVGA GTX480 in this same machine and it was much longer than this Gigabyte card.

Note that I am running Ubuntu 12.10 64-bit with Nvidia 304.51 drivers. This driver is a supported install in Ubuntu, so I have not upgraded drivers (it is somewhat painful to do in Linux). The system is stable and workunits process without error so I am not inclined to upgrade drivers, at least not until Ubuntu packages them for use with apt-get

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Message 28087 - Posted: 20 Jan 2013 | 0:38:31 UTC - in response to Message 27868.

Replacement GTX660Ti is now happily crunching away... cheers Amazon - they dispatched it on Boxing day and it arrived yesterday!!!


Not had a single failed unit with my replacement GTX660Ti.... Tempted to get a second one.

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Message 29218 - Posted: 22 Mar 2013 | 17:29:45 UTC
Last modified: 22 Mar 2013 | 17:30:23 UTC

After waiting for the price of the 660ti to come down a bit, I finally pulled the trigger and bought a Gigabyte 2Gig OC'ed to 1032 (but GPUid says it is running at 1200)

On GPUGRID it has done short runs in 2:30 hours but I am not sure if it is any quicker than the 560ti. It uses 10 less watts so not bad but I thought it would be 20-30% faster. Maybe I should try a long run.

The best news is running HCC GPU for WCG. It is using 35 less watts and finishes a WU in 30-60 secs less time. The wattage is based on looking at my Killawatt at the wall. It also uses 10 less watts during the CPU phase of running HCC GPU so another bonus.

If anyone wants to buy my Gigabyte 560ti let me know before it goes on Ebay this weekend. It is a great card.

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Message 29219 - Posted: 22 Mar 2013 | 18:55:24 UTC
Last modified: 22 Mar 2013 | 18:57:59 UTC

Hi, mymbtheduke:

That's good news. But don't you find there's an enormous amount of network traffic with HCC GPU tasks?

I don't find this with POEM or GPUGrid tasks.

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Message 29220 - Posted: 23 Mar 2013 | 3:01:20 UTC - in response to Message 28087.

Replacement GTX660Ti is now happily crunching away... cheers Amazon - they dispatched it on Boxing day and it arrived yesterday!!!


Not had a single failed unit with my replacement GTX660Ti.... Tempted to get a second one.


GTX 660 Ti now at Canada Computers for $269, was $319.....

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Message 29225 - Posted: 23 Mar 2013 | 14:09:23 UTC - in response to Message 29219.

Hi, mymbtheduke:

That's good news. But don't you find there's an enormous amount of network traffic with HCC GPU tasks?

I don't find this with POEM or GPUGrid tasks.



Network traffic doesn't concern me as I have cable internet. I quit crunching POEM GPU when I found out that it isn't for Medical research. It is for crystalline display technology. They brush over that on their home page. I think that it is misleading.

Correct me if I am wrong.

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Message 29226 - Posted: 23 Mar 2013 | 14:55:30 UTC - in response to Message 29225.
Last modified: 23 Mar 2013 | 14:56:07 UTC

Hi, mymbtheduke:

That's good news. But don't you find there's an enormous amount of network traffic with HCC GPU tasks?

I don't find this with POEM or GPUGrid tasks.



Network traffic doesn't concern me as I have cable internet. I quit crunching POEM GPU when I found out that it isn't for Medical research. It is for crystalline display technology. They brush over that on their home page. I think that it is misleading.

Correct me if I am wrong.


You are not wrong, but POEM is no longer exclusively for medical research. A while ago, I and some others forced a modification to the web page for better disclosure and it now shows, in part:

By joining this project you will contribute to a computational approach to

-predict the biologically active structure of proteins
-understand the signal-processing mechanisms when the proteins interact with one another
-understand diseases related to protein malfunction or aggregation
-develop new drugs on the basis of the three-dimensions structure of biologically important proteins.
-simulate miscellaneous nanoscale systems, which are of importance for current biological or physical research

So, I now crunch GPU tasks as these become available.

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Message 29240 - Posted: 25 Mar 2013 | 15:55:40 UTC

Well.. POEM GPU is researching crystallization of organic molecules. The best possible application scenario they could think of are LCDs. However, being fundamental research you never know what else might come up :)

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Message 29256 - Posted: 26 Mar 2013 | 18:01:02 UTC - in response to Message 29240.

Does anyone know if the long runs have changed recently? When I ran them on my 560ti they would take 15 hours. On my 660ti they run in 5.5 hours. Is it the 660 or did they change in the past two months?

Thanks as always.

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Message 29257 - Posted: 26 Mar 2013 | 20:42:06 UTC - in response to Message 29256.
Last modified: 26 Mar 2013 | 20:42:52 UTC

You are probably seeing the change from Noelias to Nathans. The Noelias took about 18 to 20 hours on my GTX 560, and maybe 12 hours on my GTX 660s. But the Nathans take about 9.5 hours on my GTX 560, and around 6 hours on my GTX 660s.

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Message 29261 - Posted: 27 Mar 2013 | 12:46:41 UTC - in response to Message 29257.

Ok, very helpful thanks.

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Message boards : Graphics cards (GPUs) : GTX660Ti - will it be any good on GPUGRID? [yes - very good]

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