GeForce GTX 1660 vs GeForce RTX 4070

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1660

2019Core: 1530 MHzBoost: 1785 MHz

Popular choices:

RTX 4070
VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4070

2023Core: 1920 MHzBoost: 2475 MHz

Popular choices:

Performance Spectrum - GPU

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.

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 $380 less on MSRP ($219 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
  • Delivers 18.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 53.1 vs 44.9 G3D/$ ($219 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
  • Draws 120W instead of 200W, a 80W reduction.
  • Measures 229mm instead of 304mm, a 75mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 4070 across 13 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 6 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.

GeForce RTX 4070

2023

Why buy it

  • 113.8% more average FPS across 13 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 6 GB).
  • More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 173.5% HIGHER MSRP
    $599 MSRPvs$219 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 44.9 vs 53.1 G3D/$ ($599 MSRP vs $219 MSRP).
  • 66.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 120W.
  • 32.8% longer card at 304mm vs 229mm.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 4070 better than GeForce GTX 1660?
Yes. GeForce RTX 4070 is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 4070 averages 113.8% more FPS across 13 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 26,919 vs 11,639 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 4070 is a 2023 card with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation, while GeForce GTX 1660 is a 2019 model from an older generation with no meaningful modern upscaling stack. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.
Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 4070 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2019, 131.3% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 12 GB instead of 6 GB, and better upscaling support with DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution (2023) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack and better frame-generation support with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023) 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 4070 is about 173.5% more expensive on MSRP at $599 MSRP versus $219 MSRP, and you are getting 113.8% more estimated average FPS across 13 tracked games in our benchmark data and 131.3% 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 4070 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 4070 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.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce GTX 1660GeForce RTX 4070
1080p
low101 FPS183 FPS
medium89 FPS167 FPS
high78 FPS151 FPS
ultra64 FPS131 FPS
1440p
low91 FPS150 FPS
medium78 FPS124 FPS
high67 FPS110 FPS
ultra56 FPS101 FPS
4K
low47 FPS92 FPS
medium44 FPS78 FPS
high33 FPS65 FPS
ultra29 FPS58 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce GTX 1660GeForce RTX 4070
1080p
low197 FPS544 FPS
medium168 FPS454 FPS
high138 FPS353 FPS
ultra99 FPS299 FPS
1440p
low130 FPS351 FPS
medium105 FPS288 FPS
high86 FPS235 FPS
ultra64 FPS197 FPS
4K
low60 FPS172 FPS
medium50 FPS144 FPS
high48 FPS125 FPS
ultra39 FPS101 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce GTX 1660GeForce RTX 4070
1080p
low524 FPS884 FPS
medium419 FPS713 FPS
high346 FPS643 FPS
ultra262 FPS569 FPS
1440p
low393 FPS684 FPS
medium314 FPS549 FPS
high262 FPS483 FPS
ultra196 FPS424 FPS
4K
low262 FPS467 FPS
medium210 FPS373 FPS
high164 FPS326 FPS
ultra124 FPS277 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce GTX 1660GeForce RTX 4070
1080p
low364 FPS751 FPS
medium301 FPS612 FPS
high251 FPS536 FPS
ultra216 FPS497 FPS
1440p
low296 FPS615 FPS
medium243 FPS500 FPS
high192 FPS433 FPS
ultra156 FPS395 FPS
4K
low150 FPS384 FPS
medium113 FPS324 FPS
high102 FPS301 FPS
ultra81 FPS272 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1660 and GeForce RTX 4070

NVIDIA

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.

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4070

The GeForce RTX 4070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 12 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 1920 MHz to 2475 MHz. It has 5888 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 26,919 points. Launch price was $599.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1660 scores 11,639 versus the GeForce RTX 4070's 26,919 — the GeForce RTX 4070 leads by 131.3%. The GeForce GTX 1660 is built on Turing while the GeForce RTX 4070 uses Ada Lovelace, both on 12 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 1,408 (GeForce GTX 1660) vs 5,888 (GeForce RTX 4070). Raw compute: 5.027 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1660) vs 29.15 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4070). Boost clocks: 1785 MHz vs 2475 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660GeForce RTX 4070
G3D Mark Score
11,639
26,919+131%
Architecture
Turing
Ada Lovelace
Process Node
12 nm
5 nm
Shading Units
1408
5888+318%
Compute (TFLOPS)
5.027 TFLOPS
29.15 TFLOPS+480%
Boost Clock
1785 MHz
2475 MHz+39%
ROPs
48
64+33%
TMUs
88
184+109%
L1 Cache
1.4 MB
5.8 MB+314%
L2 Cache
1.5 MB
36 MB+2300%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the GeForce RTX 4070 is support for DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The GeForce GTX 1660 lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce RTX 4070 supports the newer DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 1660 is capped at Upscaling support.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660GeForce RTX 4070
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution
Frame Generation
Not Supported
DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction
No
Yes (DLSS 3.5)
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 1660 comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 4070 has 12 GB. The GeForce RTX 4070 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1660) vs 504 GB/s (GeForce RTX 4070) — a 162.5% advantage for the GeForce RTX 4070. Bus width: 192-bit vs 192-bit. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 1660) vs 36 MB (GeForce RTX 4070) — the GeForce RTX 4070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660GeForce RTX 4070
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
12 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6X
Memory Bandwidth
192 GB/s
504 GB/s+163%
Bus Width
192-bit
192-bit
L2 Cache
1.5 MB
36 MB+2300%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1660) vs 12.2 (GeForce RTX 4070). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660GeForce RTX 4070
DirectX
12.1
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 8th Gen NVENC (2x) (GeForce RTX 4070). Decoder: 5th Gen NVDEC vs 5th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (GeForce GTX 1660) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 4070).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660GeForce RTX 4070
Encoder
7th Gen NVENC
8th Gen NVENC (2x)
Decoder
5th Gen NVDEC
5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1660 draws 120W versus the GeForce RTX 4070's 200W — a 50% difference. The GeForce GTX 1660 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (GeForce GTX 1660) vs 650W (GeForce RTX 4070). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 229mm vs 304mm, occupying 2 vs 3 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 80°C.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660GeForce RTX 4070
TDP
120W-40%
200W
Recommended PSU
450W-31%
650W
Power Connector
8-pin
8-pin
Length
229mm
304mm
Height
111mm
137mm
Slots
2-33%
3
Temp (Load)
75°C-6%
80°C
Perf/Watt
97.0
134.6+39%
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1660 launched at $219 MSRP, while the GeForce RTX 4070 launched at $599. The GeForce GTX 1660 costs 63.4% less ($380 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 53.1 (GeForce GTX 1660) vs 44.9 (GeForce RTX 4070) — the GeForce GTX 1660 offers 18.3% better value. The GeForce RTX 4070 is the newer GPU (2023 vs 2019).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1660GeForce RTX 4070
MSRP
$219-63%
$599
Performance per Dollar
53.1+18%
44.9
Codename
TU116
AD104
Release
March 14 2019
April 12 2023
Ranking
#231
#32