Original Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/446

Gigabyte GA-660 Plus TNT2-Pro

by Matthew Witheiler on January 15, 2000 3:13 PM EST



In an effort that proved to be an easy transition, Gigabyte, the same company well known on the motherboard market, has revamped their GA-600 to produce the GA-660 Plus.  As with many of the smaller card upgrades, this enhancement in the Plus lies in the details.  The Gigabyte 660 Plus actually performs a little trick on the graphics chip itself, opting for the use of the TNT2-Pro processor as opposed to the standard TNT2 that its predecessor used.  As it turns out, the switch appears to be a choice well made.

Specifications (courtesy of Gigabyte)

Key Features

NVIDIA’s RIVA TNT2-Pro, 128 bit, 2D/3D graphics processor

32/16MB ultra-fast DRAM with 128-bit interface

AGP 2x/4x with sideband addressing

300MHz palette RAMDAC

Single-pass multi-texturing

Per-pixel mip-mapping


Advanced 3D Features

Hardware triangle setup engine

Complete DirectX 6.X support

TwiN Texel (TNT) 32-bit graphics pipeline

2 texture-mapped, lit pixels per clock

Single pass multi-texturing

Square and non-square texture support

Texture blending support

Per-pixel, perspective-correct, texture mapping, including: Fog, Light, Mip mapping

24-bit or 16-bit Z-buffer and 8-bit stencil buffer

Anti-aliasing (full scene and order independent)


2D Acceleration

128-bit graphics engine, optimized for single cycle operation

Internal 256-bit data paths for high speed Windows acceleration

Execution of all 256 Raster Operations

Multi-buffering (double, triple, and quad) for smooth animation


TV Out Option

Digital video output by integrated NTSC/PAL encoders

Complete S-VHS and Composite Video-Output Ports support

Up to 800 x 600 TV-out resolutions


Flat Panel Option

Silicon Image PanelLink Sil-154 digital transmitter

Auto-expansion and centering for VGA text and graphics modes

Support for resolutions up to 1280 x 1024

2D Video Modes

Resolutions

Color Depth (bbp)

Refresh Rate (Hz)

640 x 480

8/16/32

240

800 x 600

8/16/32

240

960 x 720

8/16/32

200

1024 x 768

8/16/32

200

1152 x 864

8/16/32

170/170/150

1280 x 1024

8/16/32

150/150/120

1600 x 900

8/16/32

120/120/100

1600 x 1200

8/16/32

100/100/85

1920 x 1200

8/16/32

85/85/75

2048 x 1536

8/16

60/60


Available Models

GA-660 Plus: 32/16 MB with standard monitor output

GA-660 Plus TV: 32/16 MB with standard monitor output TV-out support

GA-660 Plus DFP: 32/16 MB with support for both standard monitors and digital flat panels

GA-660 Plus FT: 32/16 MB with monitors, digital panels, and TV-out support



As is the current trend with NVIDIA, they decided not to set a maximum limit on the TNT2-Pro’s speed but rather they gave it a default speed and let the manufacturers take it from there.  The suggested stock core speed on the .22 micron TNT2-Pro is 143MHz while the memory is supposed to push 166MHz.  This provides a moderate speed boost from the .25 micron TNT2 which leaves the shop running at 125/150, however still lags a bit behind the TNT2-Ultra which clocks in at 150/183.  The one item that sets the TNT2-Pro apart from the rest is its cool running temperature.  Gigabyte, using its “dual cooling system”, takes full advantage of the Pro’s cooler temperature by setting the chip at a default speed of 150/166 and maxium “turbo” speed of 170/180.  For more information regarding the TNT2-Pro chipset, see our TNT2-Pro review.

Reacting in a manner that most of our readers would, upon seeing the word
“turbo” we at the AnandTech lab just knew we wanted that setting turned on.  This being the case, the first thing that we did was to remove the jumper
preventing “turbo” operation, a seeming overcautious device that defaults
the card in a speed of 150/166 MHz, a bit over NVIDIA's suggested speed.  We were all quite shocked (and equally pleased) when we saw that in turbo mode Gigabyte choose a default setting of 170/180, speeds that easily rival those of the Ultra.  A beautifully laid out configuration utility provided the means to everything that we at AnandTech look for: over clocking utilities, color adjustments, Direct3D settings, OpenGL settings, the works.
Rather than publish benchmarks over and over again, check out our TNT2-Pro review for complete test benchmarks.

Driver Pictures:

 
The taskbar settings provided easy access to all commonly used features.



Overclocking could not be easier.



The standard color adjustment screen.



D3D settings could be easily changed and tweeked.



The OpenGL settings are sufficient for must users.



Next was to push the processor and memory speeds even further.  By playing with core and memory settings that were easily accessible via Gigabyte’s included utility, we were able to push the chip even higher than the already fast 170 MHz.  Unfortunately, doing so resulted in a running temperature that was apparently too hot, based on the fact that ghost images began to appear and minutes later our 3D testing programs stopped responding.  The most likely culprit here is the 32 MB (four 8MB chips mounted on the front of the board) of 6ns SEC SDRAM used on the card.  Having RAM that is supposed to run at 166 MHz going all the way up to 180+ with a super fast core is likely to cause many problems when pushed over the edge.  Gigabyte seems to have done their homework on the RAM quality, allowing for the turbo mode to take full advantage of the higher quality product.  Thus it seems that Gigabyte made a good choice in setting the speed at 170/180, a speed upgrade that would make any overclocker drool.

After pushing the card in 3D tests, we put the computer in a loop mode and went to see how hot the chip was running.  It was a bit disheartening to find that even with the efficient cooling system we had laid out at the lab, the chip was running rather hot.  This can, however, be expected considering the fact that the processor is running at 27 MHz above that which NVIDIA suggests.  We would be weary, however, of running the card at the default turbo speed without adequate system cooling.


The front

The back
Keep in mind that Gigabyte did a good job keeping this card cool.  Using the same ”dual cooling system” that was introduced in the GA-660, Gigabyte was able to keep the chip cooler at higher megahertz.  The system used is essentially the same theory that rebel overclockers have been claming for years: If you cool both sides of a chip, the chip will run at a lower temperature.  By slapping on a very low profile heatsink directly on the PCB underside of the processor with some thermal tape, a considerably cooler card was produced.  On the front side you will find the generic low profile heatsink and fan, also held in place with thermal tape. While thermal tape may not be as effective at heat transfer as thermal grease, it is still better and much more efficient than improperly applied thermal grease that is seen in the majority of cards that pass through the AnandTech lab.



Gigabyte has produced a high quality TNT2 card once again.  It also, coincidentally, is one of the first TNT2-Pro based cards to hit the market.  If you are looking for a video powerhouse for your incredibly fast, new machine, this is not the card for you: opt instead for a GeForce or Rage Fury MAXX.  However, for those of us where the CPU is not capable of keeping up with the newest GeForces, no incredible amount of speed will be gained by having a video card that can outperform the CPU.

As far as the TNT2 chips go, they have well proved themselves in the market and the TNT2-Pro seems to be no exception.  If you simply want to upgrade your video card and do not want to spend massive amounts of cash, the GA-660 Plus is definitely the card for you.  The GA-660 Plus is also a perfect match for those who have aging processors not capable of keeping  pace with the current power of video cards now being unleashed.  Just be wary of lesser quality Super7 motherboards, as they may not be able to put out the voltage required by such a fast video processor.  As far as TNT2-Pro cards go, not many cards based on this chip are on the market now.  However, if you are looking for one of these beasts, the Gigabyte, with its extremely high clock and memory speeds, is a very serious contender for the speed needy among us.

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