GeForce GTX 1660 Ti vs GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1660 Ti

2019Core: 1500 MHzBoost: 1770 MHz
GTX family
·······
VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

2024Core: 1042 MHzBoost: 1470 MHz
RTX family
·······

GeForce GTX 1660 Ti vs GeForce RTX 3050 6GB 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 Ti vs GeForce RTX 3050 6GB 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 3050 6GB: 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

  • 21.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is the safer long-term pick here because the hardware is newer and the feature stack is stronger.
  • 65.1% HIGHER MSRP
    $279 MSRPvs$169 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 45.7 vs 63.6 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs $169 MSRP).
  • 71.4% higher power demand at 120W vs 70W.

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

2024

Why buy it

  • Costs $110 less on MSRP ($169 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).
  • Delivers 39.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 63.6 vs 45.7 G3D/$ ($169 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • Draws 70W instead of 120W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1660 Ti across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 21.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 18.6% in PassMark G3D (12,747 vs 10,749), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 8nm process instead of 12nm, 18 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2024 generation instead of 2019. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB makes the most sense to buy today. It is $110 cheaper on MSRP at $169 vs $279, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 39.2% (63.6 vs 45.7), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. GeForce GTX 1660 Ti still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 1660 Ti vs GeForce RTX 3050 6GB Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

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.

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 2 2024. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1042 MHz to 1470 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 70W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 18 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,749 points. Launch price was $179.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti scores 12,747 versus the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB's 10,749 — the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti leads by 18.6%. The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is built on Turing while the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB uses Ampere, both on 12 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti) vs 2,304 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB). Raw compute: 5.437 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti) vs 6.774 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB). Boost clocks: 1770 MHz vs 1470 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660 TiGeForce RTX 3050 6GB
G3D Mark Score
12,747+19%
10,749
Architecture
Turing
Ampere
Process Node
12 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
1536
2304+50%
Compute (TFLOPS)
5.437 TFLOPS
6.774 TFLOPS+25%
Boost Clock
1770 MHz+20%
1470 MHz
ROPs
48+50%
32
TMUs
96+33%
72
L1 Cache
1.5 MB
2.3 MB+53%
L2 Cache
1.5 MB
2 MB+33%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is capped at Upscaling support.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660 TiGeForce RTX 3050 6GB
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)

Both cards ship with 6 GB of GDDR6. Memory bandwidth: 288 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti) vs 168 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) — a 71.4% advantage for the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti and 96-bit on the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti) vs 2 MB (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660 TiGeForce RTX 3050 6GB
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
6 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
288 GB/s+71%
168 GB/s
Bus Width
192-bit+100%
96-bit
L2 Cache
1.5 MB
2 MB+33%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660 TiGeForce RTX 3050 6GB
DirectX
12
12 Ultimate
Vulkan
1.4+8%
1.3
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti) vs NVENC (5th Gen) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB). Decoder: NVDEC 4th gen vs NVDEC (7th Gen). Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9 (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti) vs H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660 TiGeForce RTX 3050 6GB
Encoder
NVENC 7th gen
NVENC (5th Gen)
Decoder
NVDEC 4th gen
NVDEC (7th Gen)
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9
H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only)
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti draws 120W versus the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB's 70W — a 52.6% difference. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti) vs 300W (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB). Power connectors: 8-pin vs None. Card length: 229mm vs 160mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 75°C.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660 TiGeForce RTX 3050 6GB
TDP
120W
70W-42%
Recommended PSU
450W
300W-33%
Power Connector
8-pin
None
Length
229mm
160mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75°C
75°C
Perf/Watt
106.2
153.6+45%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti came in at $279, while the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB launched at $169. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3050 6GB was 39.4% cheaper ($110 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 45.7 (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti) vs 63.6 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB offers 39.2% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3050 6GB (2024 vs 2019).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660 TiGeForce RTX 3050 6GB
MSRP
$279
$169-39%
Performance per Dollar
45.7
63.6+39%
Codename
TU116
GA107
Release
February 22 2019
February 2 2024
Ranking
#204
#252

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