GTX is Nvidia's older GeForce label for graphics cards that focus on traditional raster graphics performance instead of the RTX feature stack. In practice, GTX usually means a card from the pre-RTX era or from the later GTX 16-series, where the main goal was gaming performance without dedicated ray-tracing hardware.
GTX does not describe one exact speed tier by itself. A GTX 1050, GTX 1060, GTX 1080 Ti, and GTX 1660 Super are all GTX cards, but they sit in very different performance classes, memory sizes, and power bands. Today the label mostly signals an older generation, a stronger focus on value, and fewer modern rendering extras than RTX cards.
How do GTX graphics cards compare with RTX models?
GTX graphics cards compare with RTX models as the older and cheaper raster-first option rather than as the more complete modern platform. A strong GTX card can still make sense if you only care about ordinary 1080p or lighter 1440p gaming and you are getting it at a clear discount.
The main technical gap is that GTX cards do not give you the real RTX-era feature stack. Most GTX models have no dedicated ray-tracing hardware, no tensor hardware for DLSS, and usually less long-term headroom for demanding new games or creator workloads.
That means GTX still works as a value choice, but RTX is usually the smarter family if you want newer features, cleaner long-term flexibility, or a more modern all-around GPU platform.