NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Review | 118 Data compared

The TechSpot review of the GeForce GTX 1660 presents a 33-game mega-benchmark identifying the Turing-based GPU as a superior 1080p budget option, outperforming competitors like the RX 580 and 590 at its $220 price point. It offers excellent power efficiency, low operating temperatures, and solid overclocking headroom, though it lacks Ray Tracing/DLSS and is limited by GDDR5 memory, failing to deliver high-tier 1440p performance.

Antony Leather's review for Forbes positions the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 as a competitive, budget-friendly replacement for older Pascal-generation cards, boasting a 30% frame rate improvement over the GTX 1060 at 1080p. Key advantages include its $220 price, high power efficiency, low noise, and strong 1080p performance in rasterized titles, outperforming the AMD Radeon RX 590 in tests. However, the card is limited by the lack of dedicated RT and Tensor cores, resulting in no hardware-accelerated ray tracing or DLSS support, and utilizes older GDDR5 memory rather than the faster GDDR6 found in the Ti variant. Furthermore, while highly capable for 1080p, the GTX 1660 faces performance limitations in higher-resolution settings, according to the review.

The Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 is hailed as an exceptional value-driven choice for 1080p gaming, consistently delivering smooth 60fps performance in modern titles and outperforming the older GTX 1060. Key pros include high-quality build and strong mainstream performance, often exceeding 60fps in 1440p for less demanding games. However, the review notes significant cons, such as the marginally more expensive GTX 1660 Ti offering better performance value, making the base 1660 hard to recommend for budget-flexible buyers. Furthermore, the lack of dedicated RT and Tensor cores means the card misses out on hardware-accelerated ray tracing and DLSS, limiting its future-proofing for high-end titles.

The HotHardware review of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 highlights it as a highly capable, entry-level graphics card built on the 12nm "TU116" Turing architecture that strips out costly RT and Tensor cores to deliver high performance at a lower price point of $219. Evaluated through partner designs like the EVGA XC Black and the Gigabyte OC 6G, the GPU features 1,408 CUDA cores, a 1530MHz base clock, and 6GB of GDDR5 memory across a 192-bit bus. Benchmark testing across demanding titles such as Far Cry 5, F1 2018, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider demonstrates that the GTX 1660 consistently outperforms older Pascal-generation cards like the GTX 1060 and comfortably outpaces rival products such as AMD's Radeon RX 590 at 1080p resolutions. The primary pros identified in the review include its exceptional value proposition, high power efficiency, and quiet operation, alongside the inclusion of the advanced NVENC video encoding engine for seamless streaming. The graphics card also serves as a perfect, budget-friendly upgrade path for gamers moving away from older hardware like the GTX 960. Conversely, the core cons...

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 is a solid mainstream graphics card launched at a base price of $219, utilizing the Turing TU116 architecture with 1,408 CUDA cores and 6GB of VRAM. To hit this lower price point, Nvidia opted for more affordable, readily available GDDR5 memory instead of GDDR6, resulting in a card that delivers excellent 1080p gaming performance but struggles to stay relevant at 1440p or 4K resolutions. While the GPU features modern architectural enhancements like improved color compression and concurrent FP and INT pipelines, it strips away the high-end real-time ray tracing and deep learning cores found in more expensive Turing models. It serves best as a major performance boost for newcomers building budget PCs or users upgrading from older architectures, like the GTX 960, rather than a necessary upgrade for current GTX 1060 owners. A major highlight of the card is its exceptional thermal efficiency, quiet operations, and a compact design that easily fits into smaller cases. In benchmark tests, it outpaces the older GTX 1060 6GB by roughly 12 percent at 1080p medium settings, offering a...

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 is a budget-friendly graphics card built on the 12nm "Turing" TU116 architecture, stripping away the premium RT and Tensor cores found in the RTX line to focus purely on traditional rasterized gaming performance. Compared to its faster sibling, the 1660 Ti, this model loses two Streaming Multiprocessors—leaving it with 1,408 active CUDA cores and 88 texture units. Crucially, Nvidia swapped out fast GDDR6 memory for slower 8 Gb/s GDDR5 memory on a 192-bit bus, which drops the overall memory bandwidth by 33% down to 192 GB/s. Operating at a base clock of 1,530 MHz and a boost clock of 1,785 MHz, the card targets mainstream gamers looking for a highly capable, entry-level component. Pros and Cons The primary strengths of the GeForce GTX 1660 lie in its excellent 1080p performance and highly attractive $220 entry price, making high-quality Full HD gaming very accessible. Furthermore, its modest 120W power rating ensures that both heat output and fan noise remain comfortably low during intense gaming sessions. However, the GPU falls short for higher-tier setups, as it is...

The Expert Reviews assessment indicates that the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 and GTX 1660 Ti are highly reliable and affordable entry points into mainstream PC gaming. Built on a 12nm Turing architecture, these GPUs drop the premium real-time ray tracing and DLSS AI cores to maintain accessible launch pricing of £200 and £260 respectively. Pros include exceptional, smooth 1080p performance across demanding modern single-player titles like Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Battlefield V, as well as effortless, triple-figure frame rates in esports titles. The GTX 1660 Ti efficiently clears the 100fps mark in older titles to satisfy high-refresh-rate 144Hz G-Sync monitors, and both options keep power requirements modest with a 120W TDP on a single eight-pin connector. However, the review highlights distinct architectural and performance bottlenecks that serve as the main cons. Neither card possesses the dedicated horsepower required for stable 1440p gaming, resulting in patchy frame-rate drops down to 20fps or 23fps in demanding games like Metro: Exodus unless graphical settings are significantly compromised. Physical omissions include a complete lack of modern USB Type-C connectivity. Furthermore, the lack...

The Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 OC 6G is a highly affordable, entry-level graphics card based on Nvidia's Turing architecture, designed to replace the older GTX 1060. Priced at $219 / £219 / AU$389, it lowers the financial barrier for PC gaming while heavily undercutting competitors like the AMD Radeon RX 590. While it lacks premium Turing features such as ray-tracing cores, Tensor cores, and faster GDDR6 memory—sticking instead to 8Gbps GDDR5 memory—it compensates with an impressive 1,830MHz factory overclock and dual Windforce 2X cooling fans. Furthermore, it integrates Nvidia's new NVENC encoder, which delivers 15% to 25% bitrate savings, making it an excellent budget choice for aspiring content creators looking to start live streaming. Performance benchmarks demonstrate significant generational leaps, particularly in Full HD (1080p) gaming, where titles like Hitman 2 easily reach a smooth 90 to 100 frames per second. However, performance at higher resolutions is a notable mixed bag; playing at QHD (1440p) or UHD (4K) can vary wildly, with heavier titles like Anthem chugging at a clunky 20 to 30 frames per second. In summary, the card's...

The MSI GeForce GTX 1660 Gaming X is a premium, factory-overclocked 1080p graphics card based on the Turing TU116 architecture, offering excellent performance over the GTX 1060. Key features include the highly effective and silent Twin Frozr 7 cooling system, a metal backplate, RGB lighting, and an idle fan-stop feature. However, the card faces stiff competition from the superior GTX 1660 Ti, as the premium pricing of this model narrows the cost gap to the higher-performing card. Furthermore, the GTX 1660 lacks dedicated RT/Tensor cores for ray tracing or DLSS, uses 8 Gbps GDDR5 memory, and does not support SLI.