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 1660

2019

Why buy it

✅Costs $180 less on MSRP ($219 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Draws 120W instead of 200W, a 80W reduction.
✅Measures 229mm instead of 242mm, a 13mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (11,639 vs 20,312).
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 6 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Why buy it

✅+74.5% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌
82.2% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$219 MSRP
❌66.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 120W.

GeForce GTX 1660

2019

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Why buy it

✅Costs $180 less on MSRP ($219 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Draws 120W instead of 200W, a 80W reduction.
✅Measures 229mm instead of 242mm, a 13mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Why buy it

✅+74.5% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (11,639 vs 20,312).
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 6 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.

Trade-offs

❌
82.2% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$219 MSRP
❌66.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 120W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 Ti better than GeForce GTX 1660?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 74.5% higher PassMark G3D performance, DLSS 2 Super Resolution, and 8 GB vs 6 GB of VRAM. It also comes from 2020 instead of 2019, which helps its case as the more complete modern gaming card.

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

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2019, 74.5% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 6 GB, and better upscaling support with DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.

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

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is about 82.2% more expensive on MSRP at $399 MSRP versus $219 MSRP, and you are getting 74.5% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 1660 still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium. If you are comfortable paying the premium for the stronger gaming result, GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the one to buy. If staying closer to budget matters more, GeForce GTX 1660 still makes more sense on price alone, but the performance trade-off is much harder to justify by current standards.

Is GeForce GTX 1660 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1660 is still a strong gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. This mostly comes down to price. If you want to stay closer to $219 MSRP, it remains a strong choice; if you are comfortable paying more, GeForce RTX 3060 Ti earns that extra money with a clearly stronger gaming result and a more complete overall package.

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 1660 Benchmark Check

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1660	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
1080p
low	125 FPS	152 FPS
medium	112 FPS	137 FPS
high	96 FPS	118 FPS
ultra	72 FPS	100 FPS
1440p
low	115 FPS	131 FPS
medium	98 FPS	107 FPS
high	83 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	62 FPS	82 FPS
4K
low	51 FPS	77 FPS
medium	47 FPS	65 FPS
high	35 FPS	50 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	43 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1660 Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1660	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
1080p
low	206 FPS	425 FPS
medium	174 FPS	366 FPS
high	143 FPS	296 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	248 FPS
1440p
low	132 FPS	272 FPS
medium	105 FPS	229 FPS
high	85 FPS	190 FPS
ultra	64 FPS	156 FPS
4K
low	61 FPS	133 FPS
medium	49 FPS	114 FPS
high	47 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	73 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1660 Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1660	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
1080p
low	524 FPS	859 FPS
medium	419 FPS	693 FPS
high	349 FPS	602 FPS
ultra	262 FPS	457 FPS
1440p
low	393 FPS	658 FPS
medium	314 FPS	529 FPS
high	262 FPS	452 FPS
ultra	196 FPS	343 FPS
4K
low	262 FPS	434 FPS
medium	210 FPS	346 FPS
high	175 FPS	275 FPS
ultra	131 FPS	221 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1660 Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1660	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
1080p
low	394 FPS	580 FPS
medium	328 FPS	514 FPS
high	271 FPS	424 FPS
ultra	233 FPS	373 FPS
1440p
low	314 FPS	478 FPS
medium	261 FPS	427 FPS
high	205 FPS	335 FPS
ultra	166 FPS	290 FPS
4K
low	159 FPS	285 FPS
medium	122 FPS	266 FPS
high	110 FPS	234 FPS
ultra	88 FPS	195 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1660 Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1660 and GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

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.

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 scores 11,639 versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 20,312 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads by 74.5%. The GeForce GTX 1660 is built on Turing while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti uses Ampere, both on 12 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 1,408 (GeForce GTX 1660) vs 4,864 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Raw compute: 5.027 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1660) vs 16.2 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Boost clocks: 1785 MHz vs 1665 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1660	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
G3D Mark Score	11,639	20,312+75%
Architecture	Turing	Ampere
Process Node	12 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	1408	4864+245%
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.027 TFLOPS	16.2 TFLOPS+222%
Boost Clock	1785 MHz+7%	1665 MHz
ROPs	48	80+67%
TMUs	88	152+73%
L1 Cache	1.4 MB	4.8 MB+243%
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 is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1660	GeForce 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 comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has 8 GB. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers 33.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1660) vs 448 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — a 133.3% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. Bus width: 192-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 1660) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1660	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	8 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s	448 GB/s+133%
Bus Width	192-bit	256-bit+33%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB	4 MB+167%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1660) vs 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1660	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
DirectX	12.1	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Vulkan	1.3	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: 7th Gen NVENC (GeForce GTX 1660) vs NVENC (Ampere) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Decoder: 5th Gen NVDEC vs NVDEC (Ampere). Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (GeForce GTX 1660) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1660	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Encoder	7th Gen NVENC	NVENC (Ampere)
Decoder	5th Gen NVDEC	NVDEC (Ampere)
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9	H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1660 draws 120W versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 200W — a 50% difference. The GeForce GTX 1660 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (GeForce GTX 1660) vs 600W (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 229mm vs 242mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 75.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1660	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
TDP	120W-40%	200W
Recommended PSU	450W-25%	600W
Power Connector	8-pin	8-pin
Length	229mm	242mm
Height	111mm	112mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	75°C	75
Perf/Watt	97.0	101.6+5%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1660 launched at $219 MSRP, while the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti launched at $399. The GeForce GTX 1660 costs 45.1% less ($180 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 53.1 (GeForce GTX 1660) vs 50.9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) — the GeForce GTX 1660 offers 4.3% better value. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the newer GPU (2020 vs 2019).