Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti vs AMD RX 580

A good graphics card is an essential component of a gaming PC.

When it comes to GPU’s, there are a few contenders in the current market that you should consider. The two we are going to be focusing on in more depth are Nvidia and AMD.

In this article, we are pitting the Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti against the AMD RX 580 to see which one comes out on top. We will be delving into specifications such as architecture, fps, resolution, and VRAM.

When it comes to a good graphics card, there is one company that cannot be ignored. Nvidia created the first-ever GPU and their standards have never dropped. When looking for a reliable graphics card, Nvidia’s products are second to none.

Nvidia’s most advanced and powerful GPUs cannot be rivaled by any other company currently. Their quality and fps are fantastic. When looking for a top of the range, solid, and futureproof card, Nvidia wins every time.

However, other companies have come into the race in recent years. While AMD is better known for their CPUs, they have solidified their position in the GPU game.

While the top tier AMD graphics cards are not quite on the same level as Nvidia’s yet, they offer some fantastic and affordable options. When looking at their mid-range GPUs, AMD has significantly bridged the gap with Nvidia.

Here are the core speed and boost clock specs for both cards:

1660 Ti

• Core speed – 1500MHz
• Boost clock – 1800MHz

RX 580

• Core speed – 1257MHz
• Boost clock – 1380MHz

The Nvidia 1660 Ti GPU uses Nvidia Turing architecture. It provides 1.4x better power efficiency in comparison to its predecessors. The cache is 2x larger compared to previous models, which significantly improves gameplay.

The gaming experience will be quick and the Turing shading technology improves the image quality during gameplay. This architecture is specific to Nvidia.

AMD RX 580 uses Polaris 4th Gen GCN architecture. This provides fantastic image quality and works well with the majority of gaming PCs.

The clock speeds of the RX 580 are 1.12x faster in comparison to AMD’s previous graphics card, the RX 480. The clock speeds of the RX 580 run slightly higher than stated, which puts AMD in a position to match Nvidia’s technology at this level.

When looking at power efficiency, the RX 580 is better than the RX 380. However, the Nvidia 1660 Ti is far more efficient. Both graphics cards have good specifications, but the Nvidia is far better than the AMD when you compare the boost clock and core speed.

The cooling system used by the Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti is Windforce 2X. It uses 90mm cooling fans to improve the overall airflow. The AMD RX 580 uses a limited edition Nitro+ cooler. It uses PWM-controlled axial fans, which keep the GPU cool.

The recommended power supply for the Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti is 450W in comparison to the AMD RX 580, which requires 500W minimum. You will need a larger cooling system for the RX 580 if you are looking to overclock.

The overall power consumption of the 1660 Ti is 120W in comparison to the RX 580’s 185W. When comparing both, the power consumption of the 1660 ti is far better and requires less additional cooling if you were to overclock it.

When choosing a graphics card, the correct dimensions are essential to ensure it is suitable for your build.

The Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti has the following dimensions – 229mm x 111mm x 35mm. It uses a PCI-E 3.0 x16 interface. It is 2-slot in width. When looking at the AMD RX 580, it measures 241mm in length and is also 2-slot in width.

Given that the AMD RX 580 does run larger overall, this is something you should consider before purchasing. The power used from both cards being 2-slot is from a 1x 8-pin connector. You will need to ensure that the 2-slot width is the correct size for your gaming PC.

When it comes to the fps of each graphics card, the Nvidia 1660 Ti proved better during almost all of the games we benchmarked. When looking at the effective 3D speed, the 1660 ti was 39% faster in comparison to the RX 580.

The overall benchmark performance of the Nvidia proved better than the AMD, especially when both GPUs were run at 1440p. The average fps for the 1660 Ti was 55-60 fps at this resolution, in comparison to 40-45 fps for the RX 580.

If you are looking for a graphics card with better futureproofing, the 1660 Ti would be the better option.

Even when the RX 580 was benchmarked at 1080p, its fps was still not on par with the 1660 Ti. Looking at the high 1080p resolution, the RX580 ran at 80-85fps, in comparison to the 110-120fps of the 1660 Ti. The MRender of the 1660 Ti was 53% faster than the RX 580.

While the RX 580 provides more than sufficient fps when run on 1080p, the 1660 Ti has a quicker fps overall.

Ray tracing is an important aspect to consider if you want to improve your overall gameplay and future proof your build. This rendering will help to improve the lighting in-game.

One downside to these graphics cards is their lack of ray tracing. However, given their price, this is understandable. Ray tracing is compatible with the higher-spec GPUs.

If you are looking for a graphics card with ray-tracing capabilities embedded into its software, you will need to be looking at a higher price range. Despite the lack of ray-tracing, these GPUs still provide exceptional performance.

A good graphics card will need at least 8GB to run at 1080p. If you are looking to future proof and game at 4K resolution, the VRAM will need to be higher again.

The memory speed of the GTX 1660 Ti is 12Gbps and 8Gbps for the RX 580. This is another specification where Nvidia excels above AMD. While the RX 580 has enough Gbps to run games efficiently, the GTX 1660 Ti is noticeably higher.

When looking at the video memory of the RX 580, it runs on GDDR5. While this memory is sufficient, with talks of GDDR7, this graphics card will become significantly outdated.

GTX 1660 Ti runs with GDDR6 video memory, which is currently the highest spec and therefore the more future proof.

Overall, the Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti is the better option of the two. It performs significantly better in-game and it provides better graphics. In addition to this, it runs on the most recent video memory, unlike the AMD RX 580.

Though it is more expensive, it is worth looking into. However, if you are on more of a budget, the AMD RX 580 still performs well and is more than sufficient to run games with no noticeable issues.