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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

Why buy it

✅Measures 173mm instead of 229mm, a 56mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (10,064 vs 11,639).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
13.7% HIGHER MSRP
$249 MSRPvs$219 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 40.4 vs 53.1 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $219 MSRP).
❌50% higher power demand at 180W vs 120W.

GeForce GTX 1660

2019

Why buy it

✅+15.6% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $30 less on MSRP ($219 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
✅Delivers 31.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 53.1 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($219 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
✅Less risky long-term buy than GeForce GTX 1060: it remains the more sensible modern option while GeForce GTX 1060 is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅Draws 120W instead of 180W, a 60W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 6 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌32.4% longer card at 229mm vs 173mm.

GeForce GTX 1060

2016

GeForce GTX 1660

2019

Why buy it

✅Measures 173mm instead of 229mm, a 56mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Why buy it

✅+15.6% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $30 less on MSRP ($219 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
✅Delivers 31.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 53.1 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($219 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
✅Less risky long-term buy than GeForce GTX 1060: it remains the more sensible modern option while GeForce GTX 1060 is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅Draws 120W instead of 180W, a 60W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (10,064 vs 11,639).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
13.7% HIGHER MSRP
$249 MSRPvs$219 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 40.4 vs 53.1 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $219 MSRP).
❌50% higher power demand at 180W vs 120W.

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 6 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌32.4% longer card at 229mm vs 173mm.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1660 better than GeForce GTX 1060?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 10,064 vs 11,639 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GeForce GTX 1660 is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (120W vs 180W).

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 1660 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2019 generation instead of 2016, 15.6% more raw performance headroom, and a 12nm process instead of 16nm. That extra performance headroom should help it hold higher settings and newer game demands for longer.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce GTX 1660 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce GTX 1660 is about $30 cheaper on MSRP at $219 MSRP versus $249 MSRP, and you are getting 15.6% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 31.5%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is GeForce GTX 1060 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $249 MSRP, even if GeForce GTX 1660 is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce GTX 1060 Benchmark Check

GeForce GTX 1660 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	GeForce GTX 1660
1080p
low	117 FPS	125 FPS
medium	105 FPS	112 FPS
high	91 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	72 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	115 FPS
medium	87 FPS	98 FPS
high	76 FPS	83 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	62 FPS
4K
low	55 FPS	51 FPS
medium	49 FPS	47 FPS
high	41 FPS	35 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	31 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open GeForce GTX 1660

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	GeForce GTX 1660
1080p
low	216 FPS	206 FPS
medium	181 FPS	174 FPS
high	148 FPS	143 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	102 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	132 FPS
medium	107 FPS	105 FPS
high	87 FPS	85 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	64 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	61 FPS
medium	51 FPS	49 FPS
high	49 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	38 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open GeForce GTX 1660

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	GeForce GTX 1660
1080p
low	453 FPS	524 FPS
medium	362 FPS	419 FPS
high	302 FPS	349 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	262 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	393 FPS
medium	272 FPS	314 FPS
high	226 FPS	262 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	196 FPS
4K
low	226 FPS	262 FPS
medium	181 FPS	210 FPS
high	151 FPS	175 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	131 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open GeForce GTX 1660

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060	GeForce GTX 1660
1080p
low	358 FPS	394 FPS
medium	302 FPS	328 FPS
high	260 FPS	271 FPS
ultra	226 FPS	233 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	314 FPS
medium	254 FPS	261 FPS
high	208 FPS	205 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	166 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	159 FPS
medium	133 FPS	122 FPS
high	123 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	88 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 Open GeForce GTX 1660

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 and GeForce GTX 1660

GeForce GTX 1060

The GeForce GTX 1060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 27 2016. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1607 MHz to 1733 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 180W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,064 points. Launch price was $599.

GeForce GTX 1660

The GeForce GTX 1660 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 14 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1530 MHz to 1785 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 120W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 11,639 points. Launch price was $219.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the GeForce GTX 1660's 11,639 — the GeForce GTX 1660 leads by 15.6%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the GeForce GTX 1660 uses Turing, both on 16 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1,408 (GeForce GTX 1660). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 5.027 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1660). Boost clocks: 1733 MHz vs 1785 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	GeForce GTX 1660
G3D Mark Score	10,064	11,639+16%
Architecture	Pascal	Turing
Process Node	16 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	2560+82%	1408
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS+77%	5.027 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1733 MHz	1785 MHz+3%
ROPs	64+33%	48
TMUs	160+82%	88
L1 Cache	0.94 MB	1.4 MB+49%
L2 Cache	2 MB+33%	1.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	GeForce GTX 1660
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 6 GB of GDDR5. Bus width: 192-bit vs 192-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 1660) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	GeForce GTX 1660
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	6 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s	192 GB/s
Bus Width	192-bit	192-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+33%	1.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1660). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	GeForce GTX 1660
DirectX	12	12.1
Vulkan	1.3	1.3
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 7th Gen NVENC (GeForce GTX 1660). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs 5th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (GeForce GTX 1660).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	GeForce GTX 1660
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	7th Gen NVENC
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the GeForce GTX 1660's 120W — a 40% difference. The GeForce GTX 1660 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 450W (GeForce GTX 1660). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 173mm vs 229mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	GeForce GTX 1660
TDP	180W	120W-33%
Recommended PSU	400W-11%	450W
Power Connector	6-pin	8-pin
Length	173mm	229mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	—	75°C
Perf/Watt	55.9	97.0+74%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1060 launched at $249 MSRP, while the GeForce GTX 1660 launched at $219. The GeForce GTX 1660 costs 12% less ($30 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 53.1 (GeForce GTX 1660) — the GeForce GTX 1660 offers 31.4% better value. The GeForce GTX 1660 is the newer GPU (2019 vs 2016).