Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti vs. GeForce RTX 2060: Which Mainstream GPU to Buy?

From raw numbers alone, the GeForce RTX 2060 takes the trophy, as you'd expect given the pricing. Beyond being right in line with the price-to-performance ratio of the GTX 1660 Ti, it includes those two additional sets of cores that may come in handy in the future, if not today.

Now, bear in mind the pricing in the charts above for the two MSI cards we tested. Realize that it puts these two card families closer than they might seem. Base models of the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti come in at $279 ($30 less than the GTX 1660 Ti card we tested), while base models of the GeForce RTX 2060 start at $349. By that notion, there's a $70 gap between the families rather than the $50 one between our test cards. Each of these MSI cards will give you a boost over a base-clocked card, but know that there's actually more daylight between the GTX 1660 Ti and the RTX 2060 lines than may first seem, if you opt for a lesser sample of either one.

MSI GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Gaming X 6G

Some in the PC-gaming community might see the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, Nvidia's first GTX-branded (versus RTX-branded) "Turing" GPU, as Nvidia's admission that the world wasn't ready so soon for the ray-tracing features in its RTX line. But video cards are roadmapped much further out than just a few months. So while this graphics card takes Nvidia's RTX tech a step backward, removing some of its future-looking flagship elements, that was the plan all along. The result is a chopped-down, smoothed-out Turing-architecture card that emphasizes value for players today. Few can afford $500-plus for a muscle card, and the GTX 1660 Ti fills the needs of a specific subset of gamers (online multiplayer enthusiasts who need high refresh rates) but also holds its own against slightly more expensive cards like the GeForce RTX 2060 with older AAA titles. In its $309 MSI-made form we tested, it's a winner in a price band close to, but discrete from, that of the also-excellent, Editors' Choice-winning RTX 2060 Founders Edition.

Sony SV-GS48

Sony's SV-GS48 is not just any old SSD for any old type of customer. With a retail cost nearly five times as high as other competitors in the SATA SSD space ($315.47 for our 480GB test sample), the SV-GS48 commands a high price for one reason and one reason alone: durability, inside and out. With this family of 2.5-inch SATA SSDs, the increased toughness is meant to offset the considerable upfront investment, but this is still a very specialized drive for a very specific type of user. The vast majority of standard SSD buyers out there can give it a pass, but for those who need a SATA drive that they can insert and reinsert constantly, and write and erase on a massive scale, it's just what the cinematographer ordered.

Turing Goes Mainstream: First Peek at Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1660 Ti

Today, Nvidia (or more accurately, its card partners) dropped its latest graphics cards based on the Turing architecture, the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti family.

The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is Nvidia's attempt to bridge the gap between gamers who are still on GeForce 9XX (or AMD Radeon RX 400-series) cards but still don't want to drop the significant chunk of change they'd need to break into the premium-level GeForce RTX line.

Cards in the GeForce RTX family start at $349, in various GeForce RTX 2060 cards from Nvidia itself and its board partners. (See, for example, our review of the Zotac GeForce RTX 2060 Amp.) The new GeForce GTX 1660 Ti cards start at $279 in reference-card form.

The main idea behind the launch of the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti? Nvidia is offering all the improvements that came with the development of Nvidia's "Turing" (the architecture upon which the GeForce RTX series is also based) without saddling the card with the pricier extras—notably, the deep-learning and ray-tracing cores—that add to the costs associated with RTX cards.

In essence, the card is a bridge between the RTX line and the older "Pascal" cards that have dominated the mainstream market for the past several years.

Crucial BX500

Not long ago, big-capacity SSDs were reserved for well-heeled, hardcore PC enthusiasts. But these days, internal SSD prices are getting low enough to be competitive, for many users, with traditional hard drives. The Crucial BX500 ($64.99 for the 480GB version we tested) is designed for budget-minded buyers, with a lightweight feature set and a low price to match. Its predecessor, the MX500, looms large, however, as an Editors' Choice winner among budget SSDs. Given how aggressive SATA SSD pricing has become, the BX500 doesn't nail its target as cleanly as the MX500 does, due to a lesser feature set and a lower durability rating for close to the same price. The BX500 is certainly solid for mainstream service, but for many buyers, the MX500$64.99 at Amazon will be a better buy at our tested capacity unless the BX500 goes on sale.

ADATA HD830 External Hard Drive

Whether you're logging shots on a film set, bringing blueprints to a construction site, or just seeking a storage solution that can stand up to the bumps of everyday (or extraordinary) travel, the need for a rugged, durable external hard drive will always vary from person to person. With this in mind, you'd be pressed to find a mainstream model that can withstand more punishment for the money than the HD830 External Hard Drive from ADATA ($109.99 for the 2TB model we tested). Being able to withstand bumps is only part of the equation; this model is as aggressively priced as it is designed. It holds up well versus much of its crack-proof competition on the key twin factors of toughness and value.

ADATA HD710M Pro External Hard Drive

In the world of rugged external storage, you'll see a lot of potential reasons why someone might need a drive that can survive extreme exposure. Construction sites, film sets, wildlife photography, or, in the case of ADATA's HD710M Pro External Hard Drive, military environs—or at least, situations encountered by hunters and weekend warriors. Though it's never explicitly stated that this hard drive was made for battlefield applications, its camouflage exterior and rough-and-ready design point to a drive made for the soldier, or at least the soldier at heart. And it's not just window dressing. The HD710M Pro ($119.99 for the 2TB version tested here) offers up a solid set of ruggedization features that will cater to any customer, whether they truly need the stealth look, or are simply sticking it in a bag for the next wargaming session or paintball match.

AMD Radeon VII vs. Nvidia RTX 2080: Which High-End Gaming Card to Buy?

Much as the story has been for the past several years, no matter how hard AMD tries to find a way to beat Nvidia, the GPU behemoth stays a step ahead of the curve. The Radeon VII doesn't have VirtualLink, it isn't capable of real-time ray tracing, it doesn't have a current answer to DLSS, and it is loud in your living room. Add all these factors up, and it's clear the modest number of bonus frames you get in certain 4K games isn't enough to justify the Radeon VII's hefty upfront investment cost, no matter how badly AMD might want it to.

How Does a Wireless Router Work?

We’ve all got one somewhere in our homes, and we’ve been buying them up by the barrel-full for years – but do any of us know how wireless routers actually work? As far as most people are concerned, how a router is able to get a physical internet connection converted into bits and bytes that fly through the air might as well be magic, right?

How Do Projectors Work?

In the simplest terms, a projector is a device which uses a series of chips, lenses, color wheels and various other gadgets and gizmos to take a beam of light and turn it into our favorite movies and TV shows in glorious high definition detail.

It wasn’t always like that, though. The consumer projectors of today barely even resemble the original concept, invented in 1894 by Charles Francis Jenkins. 

Best Standing Desks 2017

There are several options and features we assessed when picking the best standing desk 2017 for our top five comparison. The staff at Gadget Review have all made the switch because we love the standing desk benefits, as it can help you burn calories, improve your posture, and help your focus during tasks where your mind might start to wander.

How to Setup a Wireless Router

With so many new routers hitting the scene last year packed to the brim with features like 802.11ad transmission and mesh range extenders, figuring out how to setup a wireless router isn’t always as straightforward as you might think. Buying the router is only half the battle, and knowing how to set up your new device is imperative to getting your home WiFi network up, running, and secured in 20 minutes or less!

Acer Chromebook R13 Review

Convertible Chromebooks are nothing new, with year-old models like the ASUS Flip C100P leading the market on devices that can double as a laptop and tablet at the same time. Now, however, the Acer Chromebook R 13 is here to change the perception that these devices are more than a one trick pony, thanks in due part to the addition of full Google Play Store/Android app compatibility.

Best Stainless Steel Cookware

In this guide, we’re going to break down everything you need to know about the best stainless steel cookware, from what it’s made out of to how you can preserve as long as possible. What is the stainless steel cookware? Well stainless steel cookware is a lot of things: durable, easy to clean, and even easier to cook with – but what sets top of the line pots and pans apart from the rest?