GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design
Radeon RX 480
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design vs Radeon RX 480 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 Radeon RX 480 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 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design vs Radeon RX 480: 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
2019Why buy it
- ✅Radeon RX 480 is already legacy-tier future-proofing, so GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design is the less risky modern option long term.
- ✅Draws 60W instead of 150W, a 90W reduction.
- ✅More future proof: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 480 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.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 37.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
Radeon RX 480
2016Why buy it
- ✅2.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 37.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
- ✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
Trade-offs
- ❌2016 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
- ❌150% higher power demand at 150W vs 60W.
Quick Answers
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GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design vs Radeon RX 480 Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
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.
Radeon RX 480
The Radeon RX 480 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 29 2016. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1120 MHz to 1266 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,546 points. Launch price was $229.
Graphics Performance
The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design scores 8,589 and the Radeon RX 480 reaches 8,546 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design is built on Turing while the Radeon RX 480 uses GCN 4.0, both on 12 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX 480). Raw compute: 4.101 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design) vs 5.834 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 480). Boost clocks: 1335 MHz vs 1266 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design | Radeon RX 480 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 8,589 | 8,546 |
| Architecture | Turing | GCN 4.0 |
| Process Node | 12 nm | 14 nm |
| Shading Units | 1536 | 2304+50% |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 4.101 TFLOPS | 5.834 TFLOPS+42% |
| Boost Clock | 1335 MHz+5% | 1266 MHz |
| ROPs | 48+50% | 32 |
| TMUs | 96 | 144+50% |
| L1 Cache | 1.5 MB+168% | 0.56 MB |
| L2 Cache | 1.5 MB | 2 MB+33% |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon RX 480 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design | Radeon RX 480 |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling Tech | Upscaling support | FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 |
| Frame Generation | Not Supported | Not Supported |
| Ray Reconstruction | No | No |
| Low Latency | NVIDIA Reflex | AMD Anti-Lag |
Video Memory (VRAM)
The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 480 carries 8 GB. Radeon RX 480 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 256 GB/s (Radeon RX 480) — a 12.5% advantage for the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design and 256-bit on the Radeon RX 480. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX 480) — the Radeon RX 480 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design | Radeon RX 480 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 6 GB | 8 GB+33% |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 288 GB/s+13% | 256 GB/s |
| Bus Width | 192-bit | 256-bit+33% |
| L2 Cache | 1.5 MB | 2 MB+33% |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design) vs 12.0 (Radeon RX 480). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design | Radeon RX 480 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 (12_1) | 12.0 |
| 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 VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 480). Decoder: 4th Gen NVDEC vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon RX 480).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design | Radeon RX 480 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | 7th Gen NVENC | VCE 3.4 |
| Decoder | 4th Gen NVDEC | UVD 6.3 |
| Codecs | H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 | MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design draws 60W versus the Radeon RX 480's 150W — a 85.7% 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 500W (Radeon RX 480). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 8-pin. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 85°C.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design | Radeon RX 480 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 60W-60% | 150W |
| Recommended PSU | 500W | 500W |
| Power Connector | PCIe-powered | 8-pin |
| Length | — | 240mm |
| Height | — | 95mm |
| Slots | 0-100% | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 85°C | 85°C |
| Perf/Watt | 143.2+151% | 57.0 |
Value Analysis
The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design (2019 vs 2016).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design | Radeon RX 480 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | — | $229 |
| Codename | TU116 | Ellesmere |
| Release | April 23 2019 | June 29 2016 |
| Ranking | #299 | #305 |
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