GTX 1660 Power Consumption: How Much Power Does The GTX 1660 Use?
The GTX 1660 is the base model for the 1660 cards in the Nvidias 16-series GPU lineup. This is a great card for anyone on a budget who wants a decent graphics card with decent performance, and power draw.
In this article, we will go through the power consumption and TGP requirements for a PC build involving the GTX 1660, that way you understand how much power is being used, and what power supply you might need if you are going to build a PC with this GPU.
How Many Whats Does a GTX 1660 Use?
The Total Graphics Power or TGP of the GTX 1660, standing at 120 Watts, is the standard measure of its power consumption. During intense gaming sessions, it’s expected that the card would operate at around 120 Watts, while during idle moments, the card’s power output drops to approximately 9 Watts.
It’s worth noting, however, that the wattage usage of this graphics card may fluctuate depending on several variables, such as the level of power required by your gaming rig, the types of games or tasks you’re performing, and the extent of their intensity. Therefore, it’s essential to consider these factors when gauging the card’s power consumption level.
If you use more than one monitor expect your graphics card to have a higher idle power consumption. Typically, with an extra monitor the idle power consumption will be just under double what you would see with just one monitor. In this instance, the Geforce GTX 1660 graphics card will produce around 17 Watts of power when idle in a dual monitor setup.
As you delve into the intricacies of GPU power consumption, it becomes crucial to pay close attention to the concept of TGP, or Total Graphics Power. This metric provides insight into the maximum amount of energy your GPU will typically draw when undertaking demanding tasks like immersive gaming experiences.
Interestingly, you may come across another term, “TDP,” (Thermal Design Power) which is often used interchangeably with TGP.
However, it’s essential to understand that TDP represents the overall power consumption of a component, while TGP is solely focused on the power consumption of the GPU itself. By keeping this distinction in mind, you can gain a deeper understanding of the power requirements necessary for optimizing your GPU’s performance.
The TGP is not actually the true maximum of the graphics card. The true maximum of the GTX 1660 is around 130 Watts, but this only happens, when you see a spike in your performance. These power spikes only last a few seconds and will go back down to the max baseline level which in this case is only 120 watts.
This power draw can also be met when you overclock your system.
GTX 1660 Power Consumption Compared To Other GPUs
The GPUs power consumption is compared using TGP. It is very important to know and compare your graphics cards to other similar models because it will help you get a grasp on the amount of power your system is going to use.
Here is a comparison of a few graphics cards that are around the performance range of the GTX 1660.
| GPU | TGP |
| GTX 1660 Super | 125 Watts |
| GTX 1660 | 120 Watts |
| GTX 1650 Super | 100 Watts |
As you can see from this table the GTX 1660 has a pretty low power draw, which is great especially for budget builds.
If you want to compare more graphics cards on their power consumption and TGP I have provided a database where you can look at dozens of different GPUs and their power consumption, that way you don’t have to do the research yourself.
Check out the Database.
I have also provided the average power consumption when gaming, as well as the average power consumption when idle, that way you can get a better understanding.
What Power Supply Do I Need to Use For a GTX 1660?
I would recommend that you try to get a power supply unit that is 500 watts. If you go on Nvidia’s page you can see that they say that the GTX 1660 would be able to run on a 450-watt power supply, however, that is the bare minimum.
When purchasing a power supply for your computer you want to keep in mind that every piece of hardware in your system has a power consumption.
Although not as powerful as a graphics card, all of these little components add up and can exceed the wattage of your PSU very quickly.
That’s why you want to be safe and grab a PSU that has around a 20% increase in extra wattage than you planned for your system.
By doing this you will not only know for sure that your PSU will be able to support powering your whole system but it will also be safe from any power spikes that happen when you are gaming.
If you also want to save on your electricity bill, then you should purchase a power supply that is at least 80 plus Bronze certified, with the best rating being 80 plus Gold certified.
You should read: “How Do Power Supply Ratings Work?”
Best Power Supply For The GTX 1660
The power supply you decide to use for your build will depend not just on your graphics card, but also on the other components you want to use inside your computer.
As a basis, I would recommend the EVGA 500W White Plus Certified.
The reason why I would recommend this PSU is that EVGA is a well-known and well-trusted power supply manufacturer. That way you know you are getting a high-quality product.
On top of that, this power supply is 80 plus white certified meaning it is very efficient when it comes to consuming power, so by paying a little more upfront on the PSU you will be able to save a lot more money on your electrical bill.
What’s The Difference Between The GTX 1660, 1660 Ti, and 1660 Super?
The GTX 1660, 1660 Ti, and 1660 Super are three well-versed mid-tier GPUs. These cards although similar have slight differences that might make you want to choose one over the other.
The main difference that the 1660 Super has over the other two is its memory type. The 1660 Super has an upgraded memory type called GDDR6, which is a little bit faster than GDDR5 which the other two cards use.
The GTX 1660 Ti has a more updated architecture than the base 1660 model which makes it a bit better in the performance category.
So, basically, the GTX 1660 is the base model for these cards, the 1660 Ti is slightly upgraded, and the 1660 super has better memory as well as a higher CUDA core count.
If you want more information on this check out: What Does Ti Mean in a GPU.
