GeForce GTX 1060 vs GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1060

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

GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design

2019Core: 1140 MHzBoost: 1335 MHz
GTX family
····

GeForce GTX 1060 vs GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design 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 Ti with Max-Q Design 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 Ti with Max-Q Design: 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

  • 23.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • 2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 200% higher power demand at 180W vs 60W.

GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design

2019

Why buy it

  • GeForce GTX 1060 is already legacy-tier future-proofing, so GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design is the less risky modern option long term.
  • Draws 60W instead of 180W, a 120W reduction.
  • More future proof: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

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.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 40.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

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 23.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 17.2% in PassMark G3D (10,064 vs 8,589), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design 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 1060 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce GTX 1060 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design 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 Ti with Max-Q Design

The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 23 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1140 MHz to 1335 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 60W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,589 points. Launch price was $229.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design's 8,589 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 17.2%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design uses Turing, both on 16 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1,536 (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 4.101 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1335 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design
G3D Mark Score
10,064+17%
8,589
Architecture
Pascal
Turing
Process Node
16 nm
12 nm
Shading Units
2560+67%
1536
Compute (TFLOPS)
8.873 TFLOPS+116%
4.101 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1733 MHz+30%
1335 MHz
ROPs
64+33%
48
TMUs
160+67%
96
L1 Cache
0.94 MB
1.5 MB+60%
L2 Cache
2 MB+33%
1.5 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design
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 video memory. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 288 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design) — a 50% advantage for the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 and 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
6 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
192 GB/s
288 GB/s+50%
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 (12_1) (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design
DirectX
12
12 (12_1)
Vulkan
1.3
1.4+8%
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 Ti with Max-Q Design). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs 4th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design
Encoder
NVENC (Pascal)
7th Gen NVENC
Decoder
NVDEC (Pascal)
4th Gen NVDEC
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC
H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design's 60W — a 100% difference. The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 500W (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design
TDP
180W
60W-67%
Recommended PSU
400W-20%
500W
Power Connector
6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
173mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
85°C
Perf/Watt
55.9
143.2+156%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design (2019 vs 2016).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1060GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design
MSRP
$249
Codename
GP104
TU116
Release
May 27 2016
April 23 2019
Ranking
#137
#299

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