AMD Radeon 540X vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660

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Combined performance score

GTX 1660
30.17
+722%

GeForce GTX 1660 outperforms Radeon 540X by 722% in our combined benchmark results.

General info

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in performance ranking170667
Place by popularity48not in top-100
Value for money25.044.04
ArchitectureTuring (2018−2021)GCN 4.0 (2016−2020)
GPU code nameTuring TU116Lexa
Market segmentDesktopLaptop
Release date14 March 2019 (5 years old)12 August 2019 (4 years old)
Launch price (MSRP)$219 no data
Current price$252 (1.2x MSRP)$421
Value for money

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

GTX 1660 has 520% better value for money than Radeon 540X.

Technical specs

General performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. These parameters indirectly speak of performance, but for precise assessment you have to consider their benchmark and gaming test results. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores1408512
Core clock speed1530 MHzno data
Boost clock speed1785 MHz1219 MHz
Number of transistors6,600 million2,200 million
Manufacturing process technology12 nm14 nm
Power consumption (TDP)120 Watt50 Watt
Texture fill rate157.133.47

Size and compatibility

Information on GeForce GTX 1660 and Radeon 540X compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop video cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility). For notebook video cards it's notebook size, connection slot and bus, if the video card is inserted into a slot instead of being soldered to the notebook motherboard.

InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x8
Length229 mmno data
Width2-slotno data
Supplementary power connectors1x 8-pinNone

Memory

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 typeGDDR5GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount6 GB2 GB
Memory bus width192 Bit64 Bit
Memory clock speed8000 MHz6000 MHz
Memory bandwidth192.1 GB/s112.0 GB/s
Shared memory--

Video outputs and ports

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 Connectors1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
HDMI++

API support

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

DirectX12 (12_1)12 (12_0)
Shader Model6.56.4
OpenGL4.64.6
OpenCL1.22.0
Vulkan1.2.1311.2.131
CUDA7.5no data

Synthetic benchmark performance

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


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance 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 30.17
+722%
Radeon 540X 3.67

GeForce GTX 1660 outperforms Radeon 540X by 722% in our combined benchmark results.


Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark, part of Passmark PerformanceTest suite. 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.

Benchmark coverage: 25%

GTX 1660 11692
+721%
Radeon 540X 1424

GeForce GTX 1660 outperforms Radeon 540X by 721% in Passmark.

3DMark Vantage Performance

3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.

Benchmark coverage: 17%

GTX 1660 71229
+517%
Radeon 540X 11545

GeForce GTX 1660 outperforms Radeon 540X by 517% in 3DMark Vantage Performance.

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

Benchmark coverage: 17%

GTX 1660 21131
+416%
Radeon 540X 4097

GeForce GTX 1660 outperforms Radeon 540X by 416% in 3DMark 11 Performance GPU.

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

Benchmark coverage: 14%

GTX 1660 14055
+406%
Radeon 540X 2779

GeForce GTX 1660 outperforms Radeon 540X by 406% in 3DMark Fire Strike Graphics.

3DMark Cloud Gate GPU

Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid.

Benchmark coverage: 14%

GTX 1660 80889
+433%
Radeon 540X 15167

GeForce GTX 1660 outperforms Radeon 540X by 433% in 3DMark Cloud Gate GPU.

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 HD86
+330%
20
−330%
1440p48
+860%
5−6
−860%
4K28
+833%
3−4
−833%

Performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 71
+689%
9
−689%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 55−60
+256%
16
−256%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 59
+392%
12
−392%
Battlefield 5 90−95
+262%
26
−262%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 112
+409%
22
−409%
Cyberpunk 2077 58
+729%
7−8
−729%
Far Cry 5 100
+1567%
6−7
−1567%
Far Cry New Dawn 95
+494%
16
−494%
Forza Horizon 4 132
+1100%
10−12
−1100%
Hitman 3 110
+547%
17
−547%
Horizon Zero Dawn 82
+645%
11
−645%
Red Dead Redemption 2 73
+943%
7−8
−943%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 93
+520%
15
−520%
Watch Dogs: Legion 78
+500%
13
−500%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 55−60
+375%
12
−375%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 42
+2000%
2−3
−2000%
Battlefield 5 90−95
+370%
20
−370%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 85
+844%
9
−844%
Cyberpunk 2077 47
+571%
7−8
−571%
Far Cry 5 92
+1433%
6−7
−1433%
Far Cry New Dawn 89
+493%
15
−493%
Forza Horizon 4 123
+1018%
10−12
−1018%
Hitman 3 90
+1186%
7
−1186%
Horizon Zero Dawn 61
+917%
6−7
−917%
Metro Exodus 57
+850%
6
−850%
Red Dead Redemption 2 40
+471%
7−8
−471%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 78
+550%
12
−550%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 102
+538%
16
−538%
Watch Dogs: Legion 66
+2100%
3−4
−2100%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 55−60
+850%
6−7
−850%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 37
+1750%
2−3
−1750%
Battlefield 5 90−95
+422%
18
−422%
Cyberpunk 2077 40
+471%
7−8
−471%
Far Cry 5 86
+1333%
6−7
−1333%
Far Cry New Dawn 82
+486%
14
−486%
Forza Horizon 4 98
+791%
10−12
−791%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 57
+470%
10
−470%
Watch Dogs: Legion 29
+867%
3−4
−867%

1440p
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 57
+850%
6−7
−850%
Hitman 3 57
+714%
7−8
−714%
Horizon Zero Dawn 40
+300%
10−11
−300%
Metro Exodus 33
+1550%
2−3
−1550%
Red Dead Redemption 2 25
+1150%
2−3
−1150%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 48
+586%
7−8
−586%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 30−35
+3200%
1−2
−3200%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 27
+800%
3−4
−800%
Battlefield 5 65−70
+725%
8−9
−725%
Cyberpunk 2077 24
+1100%
2−3
−1100%
Far Cry 5 59
+883%
6−7
−883%
Far Cry New Dawn 59
+5800%
1−2
−5800%
Forza Horizon 4 76
+2433%
3−4
−2433%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 35−40
+1200%
3−4
−1200%
Watch Dogs: Legion 19
+850%
2−3
−850%

4K
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 32
+967%
3−4
−967%
Hitman 3 31
+675%
4−5
−675%
Horizon Zero Dawn 11
+37.5%
8−9
−37.5%
Metro Exodus 20
+900%
2−3
−900%
Red Dead Redemption 2 16−18
+700%
2−3
−700%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 24 0−1
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 35
+775%
4−5
−775%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 20−22
+900%
2−3
−900%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 15
+1400%
1−2
−1400%
Battlefield 5 35−40
+800%
4−5
−800%
Cyberpunk 2077 10 0−1
Far Cry 5 30
+650%
4−5
−650%
Far Cry New Dawn 31
+417%
6−7
−417%
Forza Horizon 4 50
+4900%
1−2
−4900%
Watch Dogs: Legion 12
+1100%
1−2
−1100%

This is how GTX 1660 and Radeon 540X compete in popular games:

1080p resolution:

  • GTX 1660 is 330% faster than Radeon 540X

1440p resolution:

  • GTX 1660 is 860% faster than Radeon 540X

4K resolution:

  • GTX 1660 is 833% faster than Radeon 540X

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

  • in Far Cry New Dawn, with 1440p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the GTX 1660 is 5800% faster than the Radeon 540X.

All in all, in popular games:

  • Without exception, GTX 1660 surpassed Radeon 540X in all 59 of our tests.

Advantages and disadvantages


Performance score 30.17 3.67
Recency 14 March 2019 12 August 2019
Maximum RAM amount 6 GB 2 GB
Chip lithography 12 nm 14 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 120 Watt 50 Watt

The GeForce GTX 1660 is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon 540X in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce GTX 1660 is a desktop card while Radeon 540X is a notebook one.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

User ratings

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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660
GeForce GTX 1660
AMD Radeon 540X
Radeon 540X

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