GeForce GTX 1660 Ti vs GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design

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 Ti vs GeForce RTX 2080 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 1660 Ti vs GeForce RTX 2080 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 1660 Ti

2019

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 45.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 2080 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.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌50% higher power demand at 120W vs 80W.

GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design

2019

Why buy it

✅14.9% 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).
✅Draws 80W instead of 120W, a 40W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 45.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $279 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 14.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.1% in PassMark G3D (12,766 vs 12,747), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design 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, and 46 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 Ti makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and lighter 1440p, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and lighter 1440p headroom, GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 1660 Ti vs GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 1660 Ti

The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 22 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1500 MHz to 1770 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 120W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 12,747 points. Launch price was $279.

GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design

The GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 29 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 735 MHz to 1095 MHz. It has 2944 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 12,766 points.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti scores 12,747 and the GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design reaches 12,766 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is built on Turing while the GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design uses Turing, both on a 12 nm process. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti) vs 2,944 (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design). Raw compute: 5.437 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti) vs 6.447 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design). Boost clocks: 1770 MHz vs 1095 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1660 Ti	GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design
G3D Mark Score	12,747	12,766
Architecture	Turing	Turing
Process Node	12 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	1536	2944+92%
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.437 TFLOPS	6.447 TFLOPS+19%
Boost Clock	1770 MHz+62%	1095 MHz
ROPs	48	64+33%
TMUs	96	184+92%
L1 Cache	1.5 MB	2.9 MB+93%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB	4 MB+167%

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1660 Ti	GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti has 6 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design carries 8 GB. GeForce RTX 2080 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: 288 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti) vs 384 GB/s (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design) — a 33.3% advantage for the GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti and 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design) — the GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1660 Ti	GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	8 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	288 GB/s	384 GB/s+33%
Bus Width	192-bit	256-bit+33%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB	4 MB+167%

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Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti) vs 12 (12_2) (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1660 Ti	GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design
DirectX	12	12 (12_2)
Vulkan	1.4+8%	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

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Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti) vs NVENC 6 (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design). Decoder: NVDEC 4th gen vs NVDEC 4. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9 (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1660 Ti	GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design
Encoder	NVENC 7th gen	NVENC 6
Decoder	NVDEC 4th gen	NVDEC 4
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9	H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti draws 120W versus the GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design's 80W — a 40% difference. The GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti) vs 0W (GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q Design). Power connectors: 8-pin vs None. Card length: 229mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 80.