GeForce GTX 660 vs Radeon R9 270 / R7 370

CPU

GPU

GeForce GTX 660

2012Core: 980 MHzBoost: 1033 MHz

Similar parts

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Radeon R9 270 / R7 370

2015Core: 925 MHzBoost: 975 MHz

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GeForce GTX 660 vs Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 660

3 GB 140

4,040

0.0%

GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design

GeForce GTX TITAN X

TITAN V CEO Edition

GeForce RTX 2080 Ti

Radeon R9 270 / R7 370

2 GB 110

4,260

+5.4%

Radeon RX 550X

Radeon HD 6970

Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire

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 R9 270 / R7 370 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 R9 270 / R7 370: 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

✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (3 GB vs 2 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 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.
❌
53.7% HIGHER MSRP
$229 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 17.6 vs 28.6 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
❌27.3% higher power demand at 140W vs 110W.

Radeon R9 270 / R7 370

2015

Why buy it

✅57.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $80 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
✅Delivers 62.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 28.6 vs 17.6 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
✅Draws 110W instead of 140W, a 30W reduction.
✅Measures 220mm instead of 241mm, a 21mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 3 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2015 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 57.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 5.4% in PassMark G3D (4,260 vs 4,040), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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?

Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $80 cheaper on MSRP at $149 vs $229, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 62.1% (28.6 vs 17.6), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 660 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 660 vs Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 Technical Specifications

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

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.

Radeon R9 270 / R7 370

The Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 5 2015. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 925 MHz to 975 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 110W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,260 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 660 scores 4,040 versus the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370's 4,260 — the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 leads by 5.4%. The GeForce GTX 660 is built on Kepler while the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 960 (GeForce GTX 660) vs 1,280 (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370). Raw compute: 1.981 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 660) vs 2.496 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370). Boost clocks: 1033 MHz vs 975 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 660	Radeon R9 270 / R7 370
G3D Mark Score	4,040	4,260+5%
Architecture	Kepler	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	960	1280+33%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.981 TFLOPS	2.496 TFLOPS+26%
Boost Clock	1033 MHz+6%	975 MHz
ROPs	24	32+33%
TMUs	80	80
L1 Cache	80 KB	384 KB+380%
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 R9 270 / R7 370 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 660	Radeon R9 270 / R7 370
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 660 has 3 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 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 179.2 GB/s (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370) — a 24.3% advantage for the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 660 and 256-bit on the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370. L2 Cache: 384 KB (GeForce GTX 660) vs 512 KB (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370) — the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 660	Radeon R9 270 / R7 370
VRAM Capacity	3 GB+50%	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	144.2 GB/s	179.2 GB/s+24%
Bus Width	192-bit	256-bit+33%
L2 Cache	384 KB	512 KB+33%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 660) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 660	Radeon R9 270 / R7 370
DirectX	12	12 (11_1)
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st Gen (GeForce GTX 660) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370). Decoder: NVDEC 1st Gen vs UVD 4.0. Supported codecs: H.264 (GeForce GTX 660) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370).

Feature	GeForce GTX 660	Radeon R9 270 / R7 370
Encoder	NVENC 1st Gen	VCE 1.0
Decoder	NVDEC 1st Gen	UVD 4.0
Codecs	H.264	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 660 draws 140W versus the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370's 110W — a 24% difference. The Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (GeForce GTX 660) vs 450W (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 241mm vs 220mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 660	Radeon R9 270 / R7 370
TDP	140W	110W-21%
Recommended PSU	450W	450W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	241mm	220mm
Height	—	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	—	70
Perf/Watt	28.9	38.7+34%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 660 came in at $229, while the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 launched at $149. On MSRP, Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 was 34.9% cheaper ($80 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 17.6 (GeForce GTX 660) vs 28.6 (Radeon R9 270 / R7 370) — the Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 offers 62.5% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R9 270 / R7 370 (2015 vs 2012).

Feature	GeForce GTX 660	Radeon R9 270 / R7 370
MSRP	$229	$149-35%
Performance per Dollar	17.6	28.6+63%
Codename	GK106	Trinidad
Release	September 6 2012	May 5 2015
Ranking	#490	#456

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