GTX 1660 Super Power Consumption Guide

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If you’re building a PC and you’ve got a tight budget, you might want to look at buying a 16-series graphics card. They’re a little bit older now and don’t have anywhere near as much power as some of the more recent released cards, but they can handle some of the latest games on lower settings. 

And if you’re building a PC for a child who is into Minecraft or Roblox, this is just what you need. The GeForce GTX 1660 Super is one of the best cards in this series, providing a good amount of power without breaking the bank, and should be one of the ones you consider if you’re shopping for a ‘budget’ graphics card.

GTX 1660 Super

You’ll also want to know what power supply you need. After all, it’s no good building a PC on a budget if you either can’t power it properly, or if you waste money buying a bigger PSU than is necessary.

So, let’s take a look at what the power demands of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super are, and the power supply you’re going to need.

How Many Watts Does A GTX 1660 Super Use?

A GTX 1660 Super graphics card uses around 125 watts when gaming, which is a lot lower than some of the latest graphics cards. When the card is idle – when you’re using your PC for a non-graphics based task – it uses around 9 watts.

If you add a second monitor to your PC setup, it will draw slightly more power, but only 12 watts, so it’s not excessive. Of course, that’s just the graphics card – the actual monitor, powered separately, will be drawing a lot more. And if you use the graphics card to stream videos, it has to work slightly harder, so it’ll need 13 watts to run even on a single monitor.

Graphics cards have a maximum wattage rating, which is the 125 watts mentioned above. But this isn’t the absolute highest power draw of the card. Instead, that’s what it will draw as a consistent maximum, but it may have spikes every now and then. 

These are irregular and last milliseconds, but it’s worth being aware of them because this impacts your choice of power supply. A GTX 1660 Super has been recorded at spikes of 135 watts.(source)

How Many Watts Does A GTX 1660 Super Use Per Hour?

A GTX 1660 Super uses 125 watt-hours per hour when you’re using your PC for gaming, which is the same as 0.125 kilowatt-hours per hour. Bearing in mind that the average gamer plays for 8.5 hours a week, that’s a weekly power consumption of just over 1 kilowatt-hour.

Don’t forget though, that’s just for your graphics card. If you want to work out how much power your entire PC requires, you also need to bear in mind the consumption of the other components. Your processor will likely be the second-highest power draw, followed by the motherboard. The RAM, storage and cooling shouldn’t use much power, but you need to factor it all in.

Read more: How Many Watts Does A Gaming PC Use?

What Power Supply Do I Need For A GTX 1660 Super?

The recommended power supply for a GTX 1660 Super graphics card is 450 watts or better. It depends on the rest of your PC specs – if you have a lower spec machine you may get away with a lower power supply.

When working out what power supply you need, you need to calculate the power draw of all your PC’s components and then add an extra 20% to give a little bit of headroom for any power spikes.

With a GTX 1660 Super, this step’s super-important, because it’s the kind of graphics card that you might put into a lower-end PC if you want to push it into basic PC gaming, or you might use it as a budget option in a mid-spec PC where you know you’ll be able to game at low to mid settings on some of the more demanding titles.

If you’re running a mid-spec PC with a GTX 1660 Super then you’ll likely need a 450 watt or better power supply. But a 400 watt or even a 350 watt might be OK if your PC is using older parts.

It’s best to get as large a power supply as you can afford, because this is one less thing to upgrade in future if you want to improve the performance of your PC. But if you’re on a tight budget, I’d suggest a 450 watt PSU will be sufficient for now.

The Best Power Supply For A GTX 1660 Super

If you’re building a budget PC then a 450 watt power supply should be plenty for a GTX 1660 Super graphics card. You could play it safe by buying one rated 500 watts or more, but when you need to keep prices low then 450 watts should do the job.

When you’re buying a lower-end power supply like a 450 watt model, you’re not going to get some of the better features that you’d find in ones designed for higher power ratings. Fully modular power supplies at this power spec are rare, as are any rated 80+ Gold or better.

Read more: Power Supply Ratings Explained

This is why this ASUS gaming power supply is a solid budget option. It’s 80+ Bronze so it doesn’t have bad efficiency. It isn’t modular, but it’s from a reputable brand and will be plenty for what you need. It also has a 6-year warranty included, so it’ll easily last as long as you’ll want to use it before upgrading.

What GTX 1660 Super Power Cable Do I Need?

While some graphics cards have different pin connectors depending on the model, it’s a lot more simple with a GTX 1660 Super. You’ll need a single 8-pin connector. Often PSUs have a 6+2 connector – just slot these together and they’ll be the perfect fit.

GTX 1660 Super FAQs

Is 400 watts enough for GTX 1660 Super?

400-watt power supplies are probably not the right choice for a GTX 1660 Super graphics card, unless you’re using it in a really low-spec PC with an older generation processor that doesn’t need a lot of power. It’s better to aim for a 450 watt PSU or better.

Is 450 watts enough for GTX 1660 Super?

A 450-watt PSU is a good choice for a GTX 1660 Super in most cases. However, if you have a high-spec PC that could draw a lot of power in other areas, then you may be better off choosing a 500-watt model to be on the safe side.

Is a 550 W PSU enough for GTX 1660 Super?

A 550-watt power supply is a great choice for a GTX 1660 Super if you have the spare budget. It will easily have enough power for the graphics card, and leaves you some wiggle room to upgrade in future too without needing a new PSU.

Can A GTX 1660 Super Be Used For Crypto Mining?

You can use a GTX 1660 Super to mine some cryptocurrencies but bear in mind the returns are likely to be low. You’ll need to calculate how much you think you’ll earn, and weigh that up against the (low) cost of running your PC 24/7 when mining.

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