Gaming, PC

The Nvidia GTX 1660 Is the Default GPU for Budget Gamers

Nvidia is releasing one graphics card after another in quick succession. It wasn’t that long ago when the company unveiled the GTX 1660 Ti, and now, we have the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 – an even more affordable GPU with Nvidia’s Turing architecture.

Yes, the GTX 1660 is a Turing-based GPU, and it is the cheapest one with this architecture. If you’re building a gaming PC, and you’re working with a limited budget, the GTX 1660 should be your default choice – it offers good performance level at an affordable price point.

So where does the GTX 1660 sit in Nvidia’s portfolio? Right below the GTX 1660 Ti, and above its direct predecessor, the GTX 1060. According to Nvidia, the GTX 1660 is about 35% faster than the 3GB variant of the GTX 1060. When compared to the GTX 1060 6GB, you can expect to see around 15% boost in performance.

These are not amazing figures, of course, but the GTX 1660 will definitely bring noticeable performance gain. This is especially the case for those who are upgrading from much older graphics cards. Take the two-generation-old GTX 960: Nvidia said the GTX 1660 is over 130% faster.

In comparison to the GTX 1660 Ti, the GTX 1660 uses the same TU116 GPU, though the latter is equipped with slower GDDR5 memory than the Ti version. Aside from that, the GTX 1660 also has less CUDA cores, but it still comes with 6GB of video RAM – there will be no 3GB version of the card.

What makes the GTX 1660 particularly enticing is its price tag. For the Malaysian market, this graphics card retails from as low as RM999. Taking into consideration the card’s performance level, this is really good value for money.

In the past, this price range is mostly dominated by GTX 1060, and even GTX 1050 Ti cards. As far as raw performance is concerned, it’s no question the GTX 1660 is superior. This makes it a much, much better buy than any other cards in this price range.

That is, unless you’re willing to spend slightly more to get the higher-end GTX 1660 Ti, which cost about RM200 more than a standard GTX 1660 (give or take). In AnandTech’s in-depth review of the GTX 1660, the site mentioned that the GTX 1660 Ti is about 14% faster; that’s quite a noticeable gap in performance.

However, this performance difference may not be enough for some folks to justify the price difference, and it may be a significant amount for budget PC builders.

But say you’re planning to save even more money by getting the much more affordable GTX 1050 Ti. In this case, I’d argue it’s worth saving up for the GTX 1660. You’re getting a lot more bang for your buck with the GTX 1660, and if you’re gaming at 1080p, it will have little to no trouble at maxing out most modern games’ graphics settings. The GTX 1050 Ti, on the other hand, won’t be able to do so.

If you absolutely need to save up, the GTX 1060 6GB is worth looking into, but only if you can get a good deal on it. Now that the GTX 1660 is introduced, prices for the GTX 1060 should drop steadily. In fact, we found a retailer listing a Gigabyte GTX 1060 6GB for only RM790 now. That’s a really good price for the 6GB version of the GTX 1060.

That being said, we expect stocks of the GTX 1060 to run out in the near future – the GTX 1660 will eventually replace it. If you absolutely want to get the GTX 1060, it’s best to act fast.

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 may not be a drastic improvement over its predecessor, but it’s still a plenty good graphics card at an affordable price point. Anyone that is building a budget gaming PC should really consider getting the GTX 1660 just for its sheer value for money.

With the introduction of the GTX 1660, it’s a great time to build a budget-oriented gaming PC. It’s also ideal for those who want to put together a reasonably good gaming machine without breaking the bank.

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