Difference between GTX 680/660

[AyoItzYu]

When speaking to people that have no idea what graphic cards are, or how they are named/priced, how do you explain the difference between the 680/660 without saying that it's just 'better'?

[Glenwing]

The graphics processor on the card is more powerful.  The 680 has more cores and can complete more calculations per second than the 660, so it can handle more complex image processing at higher framerates than the 660 can.

[CoolBeans]

One is faster

[technovore]

there's three major brands of graphics card producers: AMD, Intel and Nvidia
Intel does mainly IGPU's, the higher the number the better.

AMD uses a 4-digit-based system to designate a card, the first number indicates what series it's from, the higher the number in a serie, the more memory and processing power the card has.
Nvidia uses a simular 3-digit-based system, the first number indicates what series it's from, the higher the number in a serie, the more memory and processing power the card has.

Sometimes two different graphics cards can have the same memory but different processing power, thus creating the difference.

[MrSuperb]

car analogy.

One has a 200hp motor, the other one has a 400hp motor :D

[CoolBeans]

The graphics processor on the card is more powerful.  The 680 has more cores and can complete more calculations per second than the 660, so it can handle more complex image processing at higher framerates than the 660 can.

They use the same graphics core though GK104

[Glenwing]

They use the same graphics core though GK104

 

The GTX 660 has SMX units disabled.  GK104 is the overall design, but like "Ivy Bridge" or other codenames, it only refers to the overall design, not the exact specification.  Some parts may be binned lower, with more processing components disabled or underclocked, than others, and still both be "GK104" parts.  The 660 also sacrifices memory bus width.

 

(EDIT: Also, the GTX 660 is GK106 anyway, not 104.  The 660 Ti, 670, and 680 are the GK104 parts).

[Stonep11]

You could just say its about 75% as good?

[CoolBeans]

The GTX 660 has SMX units disabled.  GK104 is the overall design, but like "Ivy Bridge" or other codenames, it only refers to the overall design, not the exact specification.  Some parts may be binned lower, with more processing components disabled or underclocked, than others, and still both be "GK104" parts.  The 660 also sacrifices memory bus width.

 

(EDIT: Also, the GTX 660 is GK106, not 104.  The 660 Ti, 670, and 680 are the GK104 parts).

Ahh I didn't know that.

[Askew]

The cards are all made using the same processor chip, when the chips are being made some of them come out perfect and some do not, the perfect ones will become the top of the range cards that use the chip, the 680 in this case, and some of the imperfect ones still work, but are not able to be as powerful, so rather than throw them away, they put them in to a card with a lower number, and make it cheaper!

 

 

I'm not including the 700 series in this because as the enthusiasts among us will know, the 780 uses a different chip to the rest of the 700 series.