GeForce GTX 660 vs Radeon HD 7800-serie

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 660

2012Core: 980 MHzBoost: 1033 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 7800-serie

2012Core: 1000 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce GTX 660 vs Radeon HD 7800-serie 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 660 vs Radeon HD 7800-serie 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 660 vs Radeon HD 7800-serie: 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 660

2012

Why buy it

  • Costs $120 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
  • Delivers 52.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 17.6 vs 11.5 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
  • 50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (3 GB vs 2 GB).
  • Draws 140W instead of 200W, a 60W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7800-serie across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2012 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 7800-serie

2012

Why buy it

  • 60.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 3 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2012 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 52.4% HIGHER MSRP
    $349 MSRPvs$229 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 11.5 vs 17.6 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
  • 42.9% higher power demand at 200W vs 140W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 7800-serie is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 60.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 660 instead at 4,040 vs 4,029, 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 GTX 660 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 3 GB vs 2 GB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 660 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $120 cheaper on MSRP at $229 vs $349, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 52.8% (17.6 vs 11.5), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 7800-serie still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 660 vs Radeon HD 7800-serie Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 660

The GeForce GTX 660 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 6 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 980 MHz to 1033 MHz. It has 960 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 140W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,040 points. Launch price was $229.

AMD

Radeon HD 7800-serie

The Radeon HD 7800-serie is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 5 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,029 points. Launch price was $349.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 660 scores 4,040 and the Radeon HD 7800-serie reaches 4,029 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 660 is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 7800-serie uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 960 (GeForce GTX 660) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 7800-serie). Raw compute: 1.981 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 660) vs 2.56 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7800-serie).

FeatureGeForce GTX 660Radeon HD 7800-serie
G3D Mark Score
4,040
4,029
Architecture
Kepler
GCN 1.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
960
1280+33%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.981 TFLOPS
2.56 TFLOPS+29%
ROPs
24
32+33%
TMUs
80
80
L1 Cache
80 KB
320 KB+300%
L2 Cache
384 KB
512 KB+33%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 660 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7800-serie leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 660Radeon HD 7800-serie
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
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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 660 has 3 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7800-serie carries 2 GB. GeForce GTX 660 gives you 50% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 144.2 GB/s (GeForce GTX 660) vs 153.6 GB/s (Radeon HD 7800-serie) — a 6.5% advantage for the Radeon HD 7800-serie. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 660 and 256-bit on the Radeon HD 7800-serie. L2 Cache: 384 KB (GeForce GTX 660) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 7800-serie) — the Radeon HD 7800-serie has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 660Radeon HD 7800-serie
VRAM Capacity
3 GB+50%
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
144.2 GB/s
153.6 GB/s+7%
Bus Width
192-bit
256-bit+33%
L2 Cache
384 KB
512 KB+33%
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 660 draws 140W versus the Radeon HD 7800-serie's 200W — a 35.3% difference. The GeForce GTX 660 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (GeForce GTX 660) vs 500W (Radeon HD 7800-serie). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin.

FeatureGeForce GTX 660Radeon HD 7800-serie
TDP
140W-30%
200W
Recommended PSU
450W-10%
500W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
2x 6-pin
Length
241mm
Slots
2
Perf/Watt
28.9+44%
20.1
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 660 came in at $229, while the Radeon HD 7800-serie launched at $349. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 660 was 34.4% cheaper ($120 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 17.6 (GeForce GTX 660) vs 11.5 (Radeon HD 7800-serie) — the GeForce GTX 660 offers 53% better value.

FeatureGeForce GTX 660Radeon HD 7800-serie
MSRP
$229-34%
$349
Performance per Dollar
17.6+53%
11.5
Codename
GK106
Pitcairn
Release
September 6 2012
March 5 2012
Ranking
#490
#460

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