Benchmarks: GPU
The arrival of the GeForce GTX 660 Ti fills an important void in NVIDIA's high-end range. The new card is comfortably quicker than the previous generation's range-topping GeForce GTX 580, and it gives Scan's 3XS Z77 Performance Q10 the ability to leapfrog last year's Dell Alienware Aurora R4 with consummate ease.
But PC gaming is rarely straightforward. The synthetic 3DMark 11 benchmark suggests that the GeForce GTX 660 Ti has plenty of power under the hood, but that potential isn't fully realised in Aliens vs. Predator; this particular title is known to prefer AMD Radeon hardware.
Normal service is resumed in Just Cause 2, with the 660 Ti-powered Scan 3XS Performance Q10 slotting in right where it should be - it's beaten only by systems armed with the top-of-the-range GeForce GTX 680.
The PC feels ultra-responsive and it makes light work of 1080p gaming, but Scan knows how to do performance so the machine's 2D and 3D capabilities should come as no surprise. What's arguably more interesting is how the 3XS Performance Q10 fares in regards to power consumption, temperature and, most importantly, noise.
