Gigabyte GA-660 TNT2

Performance

The performance of the Gigabyte GA-660 is virtually identical to that of other TNT2 cards out there at the same clock speed. Rather than publishing the same benchmarks over and over again, we encourage you to check out AnandTech's Dynamite TNT2 Ultra Review, our original NVIDIA RIVA TNT2 Review, and the latest July 1999 TNT2 Roundup. Just remember that the Gigabyte GA-660 is clocked at a default of 125/150, with the optional turbo mode enabling 156/156 operation. Going even further, our sample was able to hit 175/160 core/memory and remain completely stable.

Final Words

As things often go with products manufactured by Taiwanese OEM's, it won't be possible to go down to your local Best Buy and pick up the Gigabyte GA-660. Instead, you'll need to find a distributor or VAR that carries Gigabyte products, either via mail order or at a local computer shop. If you can find the GA-660, it is an excellent choice as a standard TNT2. The turbo jumper on board locks the card into 156/156 MHz operation, without the need of any software. With such a jumper in place, Gigabyte is virtually guaranteeing that the GA-660 will run at that speed. The dual heatsink design ensures that the TNT2 core will stay nice and cool as our sample ran up to 175 MHz. The only thing holding this card back from obtaining even higher speeds is the Samsung 7ns memory that limits the memory clock to 160MHz.

Nevertheless, for those looking for a relatively inexpensive 32MB TNT2, the Gigabyte GA-660 does an excellent job. With 156/156 operation virtually guaranteed, it's also one of the faster standard TNT2's right out of the box. Once again, Gigabyte has come up with another solid product that gets the job done with no questions asked - all at a reasonable price.