The NVIDIA GTX 1660, first released back in 2019, may seem like an odd choice for a new GPU purchase in 2023. However, this reliable graphics card continues to deliver excellent 1080p gaming performance four years later, especially considering its very reasonable price point.
In the sub $300 market for video cards, the GTX 1660 and its marginally faster 1660 Super variant remain viable options that outpace what AMD currently offers. Excellent optimization for modern games and robust driver support from NVIDIA also work in the GTX 1660‘s favor.
If you‘re building or upgrading a gaming rig on a tight budget, read on below for 10 compelling reasons why buying a GTX 1660 in 2023 is a savvy move worth serious consideration.
GTX 1660 Overview and Benchmarks
Before detailing why this Turing-architecture card deserves a spot in budget gaming PCs even in 2023, let‘s quickly recap the GTX 1660‘s key specs and how it stacks up against the competition performance-wise:
- Launch Date: March 2019
- GPU: TU116
- CUDA Cores: 1408
- Memory: 6GB GDDR5 / GDDR6
- Memory Bus: 192-bit
- Base Clock: 1530 MHz
- Boost Clock: 1785 MHz
- MSRP: $219 (GDDR5) / $229 (GDDR6)
Benchmarks compiled by reliable sources like Tom‘s Hardware and Technical City showcase the GTX 1660‘s prowess versus older budget cards and AMD alternatives:
- 12% faster on average versus the GTX 1060 6GB
- On par with the RX 590 while using less power
- 35%+ better 1080p gaming performance than GTX 1060 3GB
- Over 2x faster than GTX 960 from 2015
The value prospect becomes even more compelling when reviewing current prices. GTX 1660 models from top manufacturers like Asus, MSI, and EVGA can readily be found brand new for under $250 in early 2023. Considering the age of the platform, that represents fantastic bang for your buck.
Now let‘s get into those 10 great reasons to purchase a GTX 1660 graphics card this year.
1. Superb 1080p Gaming
The primary reason to grab a GTX 1660 is smooth, high fidelity 1080p gaming in 2023 and beyond. This GPU was built for Full HD resolutions and excels there.
Across popular titles like Fortnite, Apex Legends, Valorant, God of War, Spiderman, Horizon Zero Dawn and many more, you can expect 60+ fps gameplay on high or even maxed out settings in most instances. This holds true on demanding AAA single player adventures and fast-paced competitive multiplayer games alike.
For esports and shooters where chasing frames per second matters, using the GTX 1660‘s power efficiency to overclock can extract even faster speeds. We‘ll revisit boosting performance later on.
And thanks to steady optimization efforts from NVIDIA and active driver support, the aging GTX 1660 continues running modern games quite well. Recent examples where it maintains strong 1080p playability include 2022‘s Cyberpunk 2077 expansion Phantom Liberty and the Dead Space remake.
2. Good Value Starting at Under $250
Value is always subjective, but at current pricing the GTX 1660 undoubtedly gives buyers excellent cost per frame as a 1080p gamer. Models regularly sell brand new from $230 to $250 at major e-tailers like Amazon and Newegg, with occasional dips lower during promotions.
Considering cards like the RX 6600 go for 100% higher cost at $400+ and aren‘t even twice as fast, the GTX 1660 is arguably one of the category leaders for budget video card ROI in 2023. The similarly priced RX 6500XT is slower while lacking features by comparison too.
Naturally prices and availability fluctuate, so keeping an eye out for GTX 1660 sales can further maximize your hardware budget. For under $300 though, nothing touches the 1660 for 1080p prowess right now.
3. Efficient Turing Architecture
A key reason why the GTX 1660 ages well is NVIDIA‘s Turing architecture. This GPU platform introduced concurrently with their flagship 2000 series cards revolutionized graphics tech on multiple fronts.
Turing brought real-time ray tracing for advanced lighting and reflections to consumer cards for the first time. It also improved shader and AI compute power enormously. Cards like the GTX 1660 reaped these benefits too.
For instance, Turing enhances efficiency via concurrent floating point and integer execution. There are also concurrent matrix math operations and adaptive shading scaling. Together these innovations do more graphics work per watt of power versus past platforms.
So in plain terms, the GTX 1660 runs faster, cooler, and quieter thanks to NVIDIA Turing under the hood. That bodes well for performance sustainability as more demanding next-gen games release.
4. Newer Than the GTX 1000 Series
Another compelling reason to choose the GTX 1660 over previous generation 1000 series cards is support for modern rendering techniques and hardware/software features. The GTX 1660‘s Turing DNA gives it advantages.
As one example, this GPU supports variable rate shading. VRS selectively reduces shading rate in areas that won‘t impact visual quality. This optimization cuts workload to improve fps. VRS gets implemented more often in new games, leaving older GPUs unable to leverage it.
The GTX 1660 also handles demanding rendering techniques like screen space reflections better than earlier cards. It encodes video faster too thanks to a dedicated engine for streaming and recording gameplay.
Bottom line is while still budget-oriented, the GTX 1660 utilizes a much more advanced, efficient architecture than previous value offerings from NVIDIA. It pays noticeable dividends.
5. Lower Power Draw for Cool, Quiet Operation
According to NVIDIA, the entire GTX 1660 lineup sips a mere 120 watts of total board power during gaming sessions and less while idle. Compared to the last-gen GTX 1060‘s similar 120W spec that‘s impressive, considering the 1660‘s large performance lead at the same TDP.
But when pitted against other viable current generation budget cards like the RX 6500 XT (107W) and RX 580 (185W), the GTX 1660 looks even more compelling for users favoring cool, quiet systems. Lower power draw directly translates to less fan noise and heat.
Asus‘s top-rated TUF Gaming GTX 1660 illustrates why this matters, with its giant heatsink and dual fans that remain off until the GPU reaches 60 Celsius. Testers found the card extremely quiet even when gaming thanks to this cool, passive design. Less power drain gives manufacturers more thermal headroom.
For small form factor builds or users who prefer their PC silent, NVIDIA‘s power sipping Turing GPUs like this outshine the competition.
6. Ray Tracing Support
When NVIDIA launched its RTX graphics cards back in 2018, ray tracing stole the show as the next evolution in lighting and reflections. This computationally demanding rendering method makes lighting, shadows, and reflections far more realistic by simulating the physical behavior of light rays.
Up until Turing however, ray tracing remained exclusive to high-end professional GPUs. But the GTX 1660 and Turing platform finally brought viable real-time ray traced effects to a mid-range price point once reserved for rasterization only.
Admittedly given the card‘s entry-level specs compared to RTX models, ray tracing hits frame rates hard on a GTX 1660. You‘ll want to tweak settings carefully. But the point is support now exists in dozens of games where previously absent.
Consider ray tracing an added future-proofing bonus rather than a marquee feature at this budget card‘s capability level. Either way the GTX 1660 gives buyers a taste of it versus older comparably priced competitors.
7. GDDR5 / GDDR6 Memory Options
The GTX 1660 originally shipped with speedy 6GB of GDDR5 video memory clocked at 8Gbps with a 192-bit bus, already excellent for 1080p gaming. But its subsequent "Super" refresh upgraded to even faster 6GB GDDR6 at 14Gbps widening the lead.
Both variants offer ample onboard memory, but GDDR6 proves demonstrably faster with double the bandwidth. Cards packing it benchmark just a few frames higher on average.
Either GTX 1660 memory spec handles high resolution texture packs or image enhancing mods well. There‘s also enough bandwidth to supplement integrated graphics via the card‘s video outputs for extra monitors. Overall the memory specs sit perfectly aligned with a strong 1080p gaming focus.
For buyers watching budgets closely, snagging remaining new old stock GTX 1660 GDDR5 editions makes sense. But prioritizing the reliably faster GDDR6 versions less than $30 higher gives a little more future-proofing.
8. VR Ready
Virtual reality gaming using either the cheaper Oculus Quest 2 standalone headset or premium enthusiast rigs like the Valve Index benefit greatly from GPU horsepower. Running VR introduces performance demands well beyond standard 1080p displays.
Fortunately the GTX 1660, whether GDDR5 or GDDR6 equipped, drives perfectly enjoyable VR experiences. It meets the baseline requirements for both the Quest 2 and Valve Index HMDs. You‘ll want to manage expectations around max settings, but medium presents no issues.
And by all accounts from actual VR gamers, a GTX 1660 handles popular titles like Half-Life Alyx, Beat Saber, Superhot VR, Pavlov and Arizona Sunshine smoothly. There‘s definitely enough overhead left for future VR-exclusive releases down the road too.
For anyone seeking to dip their toes into PC virtual reality on a tight budget, the GTX 1660 remains a capable steward into that world.
9. Multi-Monitor Output Support
Sometimes basic video output capability gets overlooked when evaluating graphics cards for gaming performance. But for buyers wanting to connect multiple displays for productivity or a surround gaming setup, having ample ports matters.
Here the GTX 1660 again fits well aligned to its budget price position. NVIDIA configures these GPUs with three DisplayPort 1.4 interfaces plus an HDMI 2.0b output. Those provide enough real estate to run dual, triple or even quadruple monitor arrays without any splitter accessories to integrate additional panels.
And thanks to ample memory plus a 192-bit bus, the GTX 1660 handles multi-display configurations smoothly. Whether working across varied Excel sheets or spanning a cockpit view around three 1080p displays in a racing sim, this card handles surround well.
Just keep graphical settings realistic if expecting high frame rates. But no matter the usage model, the GTX 1660‘s display connectivity itself impresses among its competitive peer group.
10. Excellent Overclocking Potential
Savvy buyers can extract even more value from a purchased GTX 1660, because this GPU overclocks very well out of the box. Various professional third party reviews demonstrated most cards easily hitting almost 2GHz on boost clocks from the 1.7-1.8GHz range stock.
Matched with fast GDDR6 memory tweaked above 15Gbps in some cases, a tuned GTX 1660 provides up to 10% higher frame rates in games for 10-15 minutes of easy tuning work. That‘s free extra performance left unused otherwise.
Tools like EVGA Precision X1 or popular MSI Afterburner software simplify GPU overclocking dramatically. Don‘t leave frames unused by not spending a few minutes bumping clocks and fans speeds on an installed GTX 1660!
When chasing maximum value in a budget card, that handy OC headroom pushes the GTX 1660 farther ahead of its peers lacking similar flexibility.
GTX 1660 Still Going Strong in 2023
If the above reasons to select NVIDIA‘s trusty GTX 1660 convinced you it remains an excellent value graphics card years after launch, I‘d wholeheartedly agree! This capable GPU continues punching well above its weight class even four years post release.
No other sub-$300 video card on the market realistically matches the GTX 1660 for delivering smooth 60 fps (or better) 1080p gaming, support for next-gen effects like ray tracing and DLSS, quiet and cool thermals, plus handy interfaces like VR and multiple monitors. And used prices dip even lower than retail if buying secondhand.
While no longer the shiny new kid on the block, I‘d argue the GTX 1660 holds up better long term for budget gamers than most value graphics card series ever achieve. Here‘s hoping your frame rates stay high and temperatures low should you grab one!
Article featured image by Gil C/Shutterstock.com
