GeForce GTX 1660 vs 970M SLI

Place in performance ranking	208	171
Place by popularity	not in top-100	43
Value for money	6.81	25.03
Architecture	Maxwell (2014−2018)	Turing (2018−2021)
GPU code name	no data	Turing TU116
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop
Release date	7 October 2014 (9 years old)	14 March 2019 (5 years old)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$219
Current price	$1326	$252 (1.2x MSRP)

Value for money

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

GTX 1660 has 268% better value for money than GTX 970M SLI.

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 cores	2560	1408
Core clock speed	924 MHz	1530 MHz
Boost clock speed	1038 MHz	1785 MHz
Number of transistors	2x 5200 Million	6,600 million
Manufacturing process technology	28 nm	12 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	162 Watt	120 Watt
Texture fill rate	no data	157.1

Size and compatibility

Information on GeForce GTX 970M SLI and GeForce GTX 1660 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.

Laptop size	large	no data
Interface	no data	PCIe 3.0 x16
Length	no data	229 mm
Width	no data	2-slot
Supplementary power connectors	no data	1x 8-pin
SLI options	+	no data

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 type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount	2x 6 GB	6 GB
Memory bus width	2x 192 Bit	192 Bit
Memory clock speed	5000 MHz	8000 MHz
Memory bandwidth	no data	192.1 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 Connectors	no data	1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
HDMI	no data	+

Technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

Optimus

no data

API support

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

DirectX	12_1	12 (12_1)
Shader Model	no data	6.5
OpenGL	no data	4.6
OpenCL	no data	1.2
Vulkan	no data	1.2.131
CUDA	+	7.5

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 970M SLI 24.22

GTX 1660 30.18
+24.6%

1660 outperforms 970M SLI by 25% based on our aggregated benchmark results.

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 970M SLI 36119

GTX 1660 71229
+97.2%

1660 outperforms 970M SLI by 97% 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 970M SLI 18870

GTX 1660 21131
+12%

1660 outperforms 970M SLI by 12% 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 970M SLI 14760
+5%

GTX 1660 14055

970M SLI outperforms 1660 by 5% 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 970M SLI 96944
+19.8%

GTX 1660 80889

970M SLI outperforms 1660 by 20% in 3DMark Cloud Gate GPU.

3DMark Ice Storm GPU

Ice Storm Graphics is an obsolete benchmark, part of 3DMark suite. Ice Storm was used to measure entry level laptops and Windows-based tablets performance. It utilizes DirectX 11 feature level 9 to display a battle between two space fleets near a frozen planet in 1280x720 resolution. Discontinued in January 2020, it is now superseded by 3DMark Night Raid.

Benchmark coverage: 8%

GTX 970M SLI 256573

GTX 1660 524782
+105%

1660 outperforms 970M SLI by 105% in 3DMark Ice Storm 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 HD	88 +2.3%	86 −2.3%
1440p	35−40 −37.1%	48 +37.1%
4K	39 +39.3%	28 −39.3%

Performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077

35−40

−82.1%

71
+82.1%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	45−50 −18.8%	55−60 +18.8%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	40−45 −37.2%	59 +37.2%
Battlefield 5	75−80 −19%	90−95 +19%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	60−65 −75%	112 +75%
Cyberpunk 2077	35−40 −48.7%	58 +48.7%
Far Cry 5	60−65 −56.3%	100 +56.3%
Far Cry New Dawn	60−65 −48.4%	95 +48.4%
Forza Horizon 4	80−85 −63%	132 +63%
Hitman 3	70−75 −52.8%	110 +52.8%
Horizon Zero Dawn	50−55 −57.7%	82 +57.7%
Red Dead Redemption 2	35−40 −87.2%	73 +87.2%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	50−55 −75.5%	93 +75.5%
Watch Dogs: Legion	45−50 −66%	78 +66%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	45−50 −18.8%	55−60 +18.8%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	40−45 +2.4%	42 −2.4%
Battlefield 5	75−80 −19%	90−95 +19%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	60−65 −32.8%	85 +32.8%
Cyberpunk 2077	35−40 −20.5%	47 +20.5%
Far Cry 5	60−65 −43.8%	92 +43.8%
Far Cry New Dawn	60−65 −39.1%	89 +39.1%
Forza Horizon 4	80−85 −51.9%	123 +51.9%
Hitman 3	70−75 −25%	90 +25%
Horizon Zero Dawn	50−55 −17.3%	61 +17.3%
Metro Exodus	40−45 −42.5%	57 +42.5%
Red Dead Redemption 2	35−40 −2.6%	40 +2.6%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	50−55 −47.2%	78 +47.2%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	85 −20%	102 +20%
Watch Dogs: Legion	45−50 −40.4%	66 +40.4%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	45−50 −18.8%	55−60 +18.8%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	40−45 +16.2%	37 −16.2%
Battlefield 5	75−80 −19%	90−95 +19%
Cyberpunk 2077	35−40 −2.6%	40 +2.6%
Far Cry 5	60−65 −34.4%	86 +34.4%
Far Cry New Dawn	60−65 −28.1%	82 +28.1%
Forza Horizon 4	80−85 −21%	98 +21%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	48 −18.8%	57 +18.8%
Watch Dogs: Legion	45−50 +62.1%	29 −62.1%

1440p
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	35−40 −54.1%	57 +54.1%
Hitman 3	40−45 −42.5%	57 +42.5%
Horizon Zero Dawn	30−35 −25%	40 +25%
Metro Exodus	24−27 −37.5%	33 +37.5%
Red Dead Redemption 2	18−20 −38.9%	25 +38.9%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	30−35 −50%	48 +50%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	24−27 −26.9%	30−35 +26.9%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	24−27 −12.5%	27 +12.5%
Battlefield 5	50−55 −22.2%	65−70 +22.2%
Cyberpunk 2077	14−16 −60%	24 +60%
Far Cry 5	40−45 −40.5%	59 +40.5%
Far Cry New Dawn	45−50 −25.5%	59 +25.5%
Forza Horizon 4	50−55 −52%	76 +52%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	27−30 −34.5%	35−40 +34.5%
Watch Dogs: Legion	18−20 −5.6%	19 +5.6%

4K
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	18−20 −68.4%	32 +68.4%
Hitman 3	21−24 −34.8%	31 +34.8%
Horizon Zero Dawn	16−18 +45.5%	11 −45.5%
Metro Exodus	14−16 −33.3%	20 +33.3%
Red Dead Redemption 2	12−14 −23.1%	16−18 +23.1%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	16−18 −41.2%	24 +41.2%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	28 −25%	35 +25%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	14−16 −33.3%	20−22 +33.3%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	12−14 −15.4%	15 +15.4%
Battlefield 5	27−30 −24.1%	35−40 +24.1%
Cyberpunk 2077	6−7 −66.7%	10 +66.7%
Far Cry 5	20−22 −50%	30 +50%
Far Cry New Dawn	24−27 −29.2%	31 +29.2%
Forza Horizon 4	30−35 −47.1%	50 +47.1%
Watch Dogs: Legion	10−12 −9.1%	12 +9.1%

This is how GTX 970M SLI and GTX 1660 compete in popular games:

1080p resolution:

GTX 970M SLI is 2.3% faster than GTX 1660

1440p resolution:

GTX 1660 is 37.1% faster than GTX 970M SLI

4K resolution:

GTX 970M SLI is 39.3% faster than GTX 1660

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

in Watch Dogs: Legion, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the GTX 970M SLI is 62.1% faster than the GTX 1660.
in Red Dead Redemption 2, with 1080p resolution and the Medium Preset, the GTX 1660 is 87.2% faster than the GTX 970M SLI.

All in all, in popular games: