GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB vs GTX 1660

Place in the ranking	187	310
Place by popularity	40	25
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	47.69	37.56
Power efficiency	17.44	13.66
Architecture	Turing (2018−2022)	Ampere (2020−2024)
GPU code name	TU116	GA107
Market segment	Desktop	Desktop
Release date	14 March 2019 (5 years ago)	27 January 2022 (2 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$219	$199

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

GTX 1660 has 27% better value for money than RTX 3050 4 GB.

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores	1408	2048
Core clock speed	1530 MHz	1545 MHz
Boost clock speed	1785 MHz	1740 MHz
Number of transistors	6,600 million	8,700 million
Manufacturing process technology	12 nm	8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	120 Watt	90 Watt
Texture fill rate	157.1	111.4
Floating-point processing power	5.027 TFLOPS	7.127 TFLOPS
ROPs	48	32
TMUs	88	64
Tensor Cores	no data	64
Ray Tracing Cores	no data	16

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Interface	PCIe 3.0 x16	PCIe 4.0 x8
Length	229 mm	242 mm
Width	2-slot	2-slot
Supplementary power connectors	1x 8-pin	1x 6-pin

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount	6 GB	4 GB
Memory bus width	192 Bit	128 Bit
Memory clock speed	2001 MHz	1500 MHz
Memory bandwidth	192.1 GB/s	192.0 GB/s
Shared memory	-	-

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors	1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort	1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
HDMI	+	+

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX	12 (12_1)	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model	6.5	6.7
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
OpenCL	1.2	3.0
Vulkan	1.2.131	1.3
CUDA	7.5	8.6

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

GTX 1660 30.33
+70.2%

RTX 3050 4 GB 17.82

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

GTX 1660 11664
+70.2%

RTX 3050 4 GB 6853

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD	84 +86.7%	45−50 −86.7%
1440p	51 +88.9%	27−30 −88.9%
4K	27 +92.9%	14−16 −92.9%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	2.61 +69.6%	4.42 −69.6%
1440p	4.29 +71.6%	7.37 −71.6%
4K	8.11 +75.2%	14.21 −75.2%

GTX 1660 has 70% lower cost per frame in 1080p
GTX 1660 has 72% lower cost per frame in 1440p
GTX 1660 has 75% lower cost per frame in 4K

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2	72 +80%	40−45 −80%
Cyberpunk 2077	71 +77.5%	40−45 −77.5%
Elden Ring	84 +86.7%	45−50 −86.7%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5	85−90 +78%	50−55 −78%
Counter-Strike 2	56 +86.7%	30−33 −86.7%
Cyberpunk 2077	55 +83.3%	30−33 −83.3%
Forza Horizon 4	132 +76%	75−80 −76%
Metro Exodus	95 +72.7%	55−60 −72.7%
Red Dead Redemption 2	112 +72.3%	65−70 −72.3%
Valorant	138 +72.5%	80−85 −72.5%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5	85−90 +78%	50−55 −78%
Counter-Strike 2	48 +77.8%	27−30 −77.8%
Cyberpunk 2077	45 +87.5%	24−27 −87.5%
Dota 2	150 +76.5%	85−90 −76.5%
Elden Ring	90 +80%	50−55 −80%
Far Cry 5	145 +70.6%	85−90 −70.6%
Fortnite	140−150 +80%	80−85 −80%
Forza Horizon 4	110 +83.3%	60−65 −83.3%
Grand Theft Auto V	115 +76.9%	65−70 −76.9%
Metro Exodus	66 +88.6%	35−40 −88.6%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	216 +80%	120−130 −80%
Red Dead Redemption 2	40 +90.5%	21−24 −90.5%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	100−110 +85.5%	55−60 −85.5%
Valorant	65 +85.7%	35−40 −85.7%
World of Tanks	270−280 +71.3%	160−170 −71.3%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	85−90 +78%	50−55 −78%
Counter-Strike 2	43 +79.2%	24−27 −79.2%
Cyberpunk 2077	38 +81%	21−24 −81%
Dota 2	197 +79.1%	110−120 −79.1%
Far Cry 5	85−90 +88.9%	45−50 −88.9%
Forza Horizon 4	95 +72.7%	55−60 −72.7%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	170−180 +77%	100−105 −77%
Valorant	115 +76.9%	65−70 −76.9%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2	52 +73.3%	30−33 −73.3%
Elden Ring	47 +74.1%	27−30 −74.1%
Grand Theft Auto V	52 +73.3%	30−33 −73.3%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	129 +72%	75−80 −72%
Red Dead Redemption 2	25 +78.6%	14−16 −78.6%
World of Tanks	190−200 +78.2%	110−120 −78.2%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	60−65 +71.4%	35−40 −71.4%
Counter-Strike 2	26 +85.7%	14−16 −85.7%
Cyberpunk 2077	23 +91.7%	12−14 −91.7%
Far Cry 5	90−95 +70.9%	55−60 −70.9%
Forza Horizon 4	67 +91.4%	35−40 −91.4%
Metro Exodus	59 +96.7%	30−33 −96.7%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	45−50 +77.8%	27−30 −77.8%
Valorant	72 +80%	40−45 −80%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2	16 +77.8%	9−10 −77.8%
Dota 2	49 +81.5%	27−30 −81.5%
Elden Ring	21 +75%	12−14 −75%
Grand Theft Auto V	49 +81.5%	27−30 −81.5%
Metro Exodus	20 +100%	10−11 −100%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	81 +80%	45−50 −80%
Red Dead Redemption 2	18−20 +90%	10−11 −90%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	49 +81.5%	27−30 −81.5%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	30−35 +83.3%	18−20 −83.3%
Counter-Strike 2	27−30 +81.3%	16−18 −81.3%
Cyberpunk 2077	10 +100%	5−6 −100%
Dota 2	87 +74%	50−55 −74%
Far Cry 5	40−45 +75%	24−27 −75%
Fortnite	40−45 +90.5%	21−24 −90.5%
Forza Horizon 4	36 +71.4%	21−24 −71.4%
Valorant	38 +81%	21−24 −81%

This is how GTX 1660 and RTX 3050 4 GB compete in popular games:

GTX 1660 is 87% faster in 1080p
GTX 1660 is 89% faster in 1440p
GTX 1660 is 93% faster in 4K

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	30.33	17.82
Recency	14 March 2019	27 January 2022
Maximum RAM amount	6 GB	4 GB
Chip lithography	12 nm	8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	120 Watt	90 Watt