GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design
GeForce GTX 1660
GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design 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 1080 with Max-Q Design 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.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design 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 1080 with Max-Q Design
2017Why buy it
- ✅11.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
Trade-offs
- ❌2017 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 53.1 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $219 MSRP).
- ❌25% higher power demand at 150W vs 120W.
GeForce GTX 1660
2019Why buy it
- ✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 53.1 vs 0 G3D/$ ($219 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
- ✅GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design is already legacy-tier future-proofing, so GeForce GTX 1660 is the less risky modern option long term.
- ✅Draws 120W instead of 150W, a 30W reduction.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌Older hardware, 6 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
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GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design vs GeForce GTX 1660 Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design
The GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 27 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1290 MHz to 1468 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 11,566 points.
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
The GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design scores 11,566 and the GeForce GTX 1660 reaches 11,639 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design is built on Pascal while the GeForce GTX 1660 uses Turing, both on 16 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 1,408 (GeForce GTX 1660). Raw compute: 7.516 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 5.027 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1660). Boost clocks: 1468 MHz vs 1785 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design | GeForce GTX 1660 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 11,566 | 11,639 |
| Architecture | Pascal | Turing |
| Process Node | 16 nm | 12 nm |
| Shading Units | 2560+82% | 1408 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 7.516 TFLOPS+50% | 5.027 TFLOPS |
| Boost Clock | 1468 MHz | 1785 MHz+22% |
| 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)
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design | GeForce 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)
The GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design has 8 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GTX 1660 carries 6 GB. GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design gives you 33.3% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 256 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1660) — a 33.3% advantage for the GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design and 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1660. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 1660) — the GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design | GeForce GTX 1660 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 8 GB+33% | 6 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5X | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 256 GB/s+33% | 192 GB/s |
| Bus Width | 256-bit+33% | 192-bit |
| L2 Cache | 2 MB+33% | 1.5 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1660). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design | GeForce GTX 1660 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12.1 | 12.1 |
| Vulkan | 1.1 | 1.3+18% |
| OpenGL | 4.5 | 4.6+2% |
| Max Displays | 4 | 4 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC 4.0 (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 7th Gen NVENC (GeForce GTX 1660). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs 5th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (GeForce GTX 1660).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design | GeForce GTX 1660 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 4.0 | 7th Gen NVENC |
| Decoder | PureVideo HD VP6 | 5th Gen NVDEC |
| Codecs | MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC | MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design draws 150W versus the GeForce GTX 1660's 120W — a 22.2% difference. The GeForce GTX 1660 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design) vs 450W (GeForce GTX 1660). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 229mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 75°C.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design | GeForce GTX 1660 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 150W | 120W-20% |
| Recommended PSU | 500W | 450W-10% |
| Power Connector | PCIe-powered | 8-pin |
| Length | 0mm | 229mm |
| Height | 0mm | 111mm |
| Slots | 0-100% | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 80°C | 75°C-6% |
| Perf/Watt | 77.1 | 97.0+26% |
Value Analysis
The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1660 (2019 vs 2017).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1080 with Max-Q Design | GeForce GTX 1660 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | — | $219 |
| Codename | GP104 | TU116 |
| Release | June 27 2017 | March 14 2019 |
| Ranking | #257 | #231 |
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