GeForce GTX 1060 vs GeForce GTX 1660

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

2016Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1733 MHz
GTX family
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1660

2019Core: 1530 MHzBoost: 1785 MHz
GTX family
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GeForce GTX 1060 vs GeForce GTX 1660 Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs GeForce GTX 1660 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs GeForce GTX 1660: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Why buy it

  • 10.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Measures 173mm instead of 229mm, a 56mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (10,064 vs 11,639).
  • 2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 13.7% HIGHER MSRP
    $249 MSRPvs$219 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 40.4 vs 53.1 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $219 MSRP).
  • 50% higher power demand at 180W vs 120W.

GeForce GTX 1660

2019

Why buy it

  • +15.6% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Costs $30 less on MSRP ($219 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • Delivers 31.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 53.1 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($219 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • GeForce GTX 1060 is already legacy-tier future-proofing, so GeForce GTX 1660 is the less risky modern option long term.
  • Draws 120W instead of 180W, a 60W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Older hardware, 6 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
  • 32.4% longer card at 229mm vs 173mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GTX 1060 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 10.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 1660 instead at 11,639 vs 10,064, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce GTX 1660 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 12nm process instead of 16nm and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2016. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 1660 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $30 cheaper on MSRP at $219 vs $249, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 31.5% (53.1 vs 40.4), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. GeForce GTX 1060 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs GeForce GTX 1660 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

The GeForce GTX 1060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 27 2016. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1607 MHz to 1733 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 180W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,064 points. Launch price was $599.

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1660

The GeForce GTX 1660 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 14 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1530 MHz to 1785 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 120W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 11,639 points. Launch price was $219.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the GeForce GTX 1660's 11,639 — the GeForce GTX 1660 leads by 15.6%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the GeForce GTX 1660 uses Turing, both on 16 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1,408 (GeForce GTX 1660). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 5.027 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1660). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1785 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060GeForce GTX 1660
G3D Mark Score
10,064
11,639+16%
Architecture
Pascal
Turing
Process Node
16 nm
12 nm
Shading Units
2560+82%
1408
Compute (TFLOPS)
8.873 TFLOPS+77%
5.027 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1733 MHz
1785 MHz+3%
ROPs
64+33%
48
TMUs
160+82%
88
L1 Cache
0.94 MB
1.4 MB+49%
L2 Cache
2 MB+33%
1.5 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060GeForce GTX 1660
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 6 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 and 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1660. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 1660) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060GeForce GTX 1660
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
6 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
192 GB/s
192 GB/s
Bus Width
192-bit
192-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB+33%
1.5 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1660). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060GeForce GTX 1660
DirectX
12
12.1
Vulkan
1.3
1.3
OpenGL
4.5
4.6+2%
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 7th Gen NVENC (GeForce GTX 1660). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs 5th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (GeForce GTX 1660).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060GeForce GTX 1660
Encoder
NVENC (Pascal)
7th Gen NVENC
Decoder
NVDEC (Pascal)
5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the GeForce GTX 1660's 120W — a 40% difference. The GeForce GTX 1660 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 450W (GeForce GTX 1660). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 173mm vs 229mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060GeForce GTX 1660
TDP
180W
120W-33%
Recommended PSU
400W-11%
450W
Power Connector
6-pin
8-pin
Length
173mm
229mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75°C
Perf/Watt
55.9
97.0+74%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 came in at $249, while the GeForce GTX 1660 launched at $219. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 1660 was 12% cheaper ($30 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 53.1 (GeForce GTX 1660) — the GeForce GTX 1660 offers 31.4% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1660 (2019 vs 2016).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060GeForce GTX 1660
MSRP
$249
$219-12%
Performance per Dollar
40.4
53.1+31%
Codename
GP104
TU116
Release
May 27 2016
March 14 2019
Ranking
#137
#231

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