GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER vs GeForce RTX 3050 8GB

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER

2019Core: 1530 MHzBoost: 1785 MHz
GTX family
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3050 8GB

2022Core: 1552 MHzBoost: 1777 MHz
RTX family
·······

GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER vs GeForce RTX 3050 8GB 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 1660 SUPER vs GeForce RTX 3050 8GB 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 1660 SUPER vs GeForce RTX 3050 8GB: 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 1660 SUPER

2019

Why buy it

  • Costs $20 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • Delivers 10.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 55.4 vs 50.3 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • Measures 229mm instead of 242mm, a 13mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3050 8GB across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is the safer long-term pick here because the hardware is newer and the feature stack is stronger.

GeForce RTX 3050 8GB

2022

Why buy it

  • 5.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
  • Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 8.7% HIGHER MSRP
    $249 MSRPvs$229 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 50.3 vs 55.4 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 5.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER instead at 12,692 vs 12,535, 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 RTX 3050 8GB is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 8 GB vs 6 GB of VRAM, the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 8nm process instead of 12nm, and 20 vs 0 ray-tracing units. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER makes the most sense to buy today. It is $20 cheaper on MSRP at $229 vs $249, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 10.1% (55.4 vs 50.3), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and lighter 1440p, GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and lighter 1440p headroom, GeForce RTX 3050 8GB has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER vs GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER

The GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 29 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 125W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 12,692 points. Launch price was $229.

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3050 8GB

The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 4 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1552 MHz to 1777 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 130W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 20 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 12,535 points. Launch price was $249.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER scores 12,692 and the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB reaches 12,535 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is built on Turing while the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB uses Ampere, both on 12 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 1,408 (GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER) vs 2,560 (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB). Raw compute: 5.027 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER) vs 9.098 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB). Boost clocks: 1785 MHz vs 1777 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660 SUPERGeForce RTX 3050 8GB
G3D Mark Score
12,692+1%
12,535
Architecture
Turing
Ampere
Process Node
12 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
1408
2560+82%
Compute (TFLOPS)
5.027 TFLOPS
9.098 TFLOPS+81%
Boost Clock
1785 MHz
1777 MHz
ROPs
48+50%
32
TMUs
88+10%
80
L1 Cache
1.4 MB
2.5 MB+79%
L2 Cache
1.5 MB
2 MB+33%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is capped at Upscaling support.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660 SUPERGeForce RTX 3050 8GB
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER has 6 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB carries 8 GB. GeForce RTX 3050 8GB gives you 33.3% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 336 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER) vs 224 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) — a 50% advantage for the GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER and 128-bit on the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER) vs 2 MB (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) — the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660 SUPERGeForce RTX 3050 8GB
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
8 GB+33%
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
336 GB/s+50%
224 GB/s
Bus Width
192-bit+50%
128-bit
L2 Cache
1.5 MB
2 MB+33%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660 SUPERGeForce RTX 3050 8GB
DirectX
12 (12_1)
12 Ultimate
Vulkan
1.3
1.4+8%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
3
4+33%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Turing) (GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER) vs NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB). Decoder: NVDEC (Turing) vs NVDEC 5th gen. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660 SUPERGeForce RTX 3050 8GB
Encoder
NVENC (Turing)
NVENC 7th gen
Decoder
NVDEC (Turing)
NVDEC 5th gen
Codecs
H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER draws 125W versus the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB's 130W — a 3.9% difference. The GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER) vs 450W (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 229mm vs 242mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 66°C.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660 SUPERGeForce RTX 3050 8GB
TDP
125W-4%
130W
Recommended PSU
450W
450W
Power Connector
8-pin
8-pin
Length
229mm
242mm
Height
111mm
112mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75
66°C-12%
Perf/Watt
101.5+5%
96.4
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER came in at $229, while the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB launched at $249. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER was 8% cheaper ($20 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 55.4 (GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER) vs 50.3 (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) — the GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER offers 10.1% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3050 8GB (2022 vs 2019).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660 SUPERGeForce RTX 3050 8GB
MSRP
$229-8%
$249
Performance per Dollar
55.4+10%
50.3
Codename
TU116
GA106
Release
October 29 2019
January 4 2022
Ranking
#207
#211

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