GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design

2019Core: 1140 MHzBoost: 1335 MHz
GTX family
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020Core: 1410 MHzBoost: 1665 MHz
RTX family
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GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 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 with Max-Q Design vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 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 with Max-Q Design vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti: 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 with Max-Q Design

2019

Why buy it

  • Draws 60W instead of 200W, a 140W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 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.
  • 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 50.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Why buy it

  • 93.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • 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

  • 233.3% higher power demand at 200W vs 60W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 93.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 136.5% in PassMark G3D (20,312 vs 8,589), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 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 38 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 RTX 3060 Ti makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design vs GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Technical Specifications

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

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.

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in December 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1410 MHz to 1665 MHz. It has 4864 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 38 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 20,312 points. Launch price was $399.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design scores 8,589 versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 20,312 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads by 136.5%. The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design is built on Turing while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti uses Ampere, both on 12 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design) vs 4,864 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Raw compute: 4.101 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design) vs 16.2 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Boost clocks: 1335 MHz vs 1665 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q DesignGeForce RTX 3060 Ti
G3D Mark Score
8,589
20,312+136%
Architecture
Turing
Ampere
Process Node
12 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
1536
4864+217%
Compute (TFLOPS)
4.101 TFLOPS
16.2 TFLOPS+295%
Boost Clock
1335 MHz
1665 MHz+25%
ROPs
48
80+67%
TMUs
96
152+58%
L1 Cache
1.5 MB
4.8 MB+220%
L2 Cache
1.5 MB
4 MB+167%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design is capped at Upscaling support.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q DesignGeForce RTX 3060 Ti
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 Ti with Max-Q Design has 6 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti carries 8 GB. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 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 with Max-Q Design) vs 448 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — a 55.6% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design and 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q DesignGeForce RTX 3060 Ti
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
8 GB+33%
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
288 GB/s
448 GB/s+56%
Bus Width
192-bit
256-bit+33%
L2 Cache
1.5 MB
4 MB+167%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design) vs 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q DesignGeForce RTX 3060 Ti
DirectX
12 (12_1)
12 Ultimate (12_2)
Vulkan
1.4+8%
1.3
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: 7th Gen NVENC (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design) vs NVENC (Ampere) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Decoder: 4th Gen NVDEC vs NVDEC (Ampere). Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q DesignGeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Encoder
7th Gen NVENC
NVENC (Ampere)
Decoder
4th Gen NVDEC
NVDEC (Ampere)
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1
H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design draws 60W versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 200W — a 107.7% difference. The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design) vs 600W (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 8-pin. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 75.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q DesignGeForce RTX 3060 Ti
TDP
60W-70%
200W
Recommended PSU
500W-17%
600W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
8-pin
Length
242mm
Height
112mm
Slots
0-100%
2
Temp (Load)
85°C
75-12%
Perf/Watt
143.2+41%
101.6
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (2020 vs 2019).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q DesignGeForce RTX 3060 Ti
MSRP
$399
Codename
TU116
GA104
Release
April 23 2019
December 1 2020
Ranking
#299
#73

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