GeForce GTX 1660 vs Radeon HD 7870

Place in the ranking	408	189
Place by popularity	not in top-100	40
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	3.00	47.55
Power efficiency	4.74	17.44
Architecture	GCN 1.0 (2011−2020)	Turing (2018−2022)
GPU code name	Pitcairn	TU116
Market segment	Desktop	Desktop
Release date	5 March 2012 (12 years ago)	14 March 2019 (5 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$349	$219

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

GTX 1660 has 1485% better value for money than HD 7870.

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	1280	1408
Core clock speed	1000 MHz	1530 MHz
Boost clock speed	no data	1785 MHz
Number of transistors	2,800 million	6,600 million
Manufacturing process technology	28 nm	12 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	175 Watt	120 Watt
Texture fill rate	80.00	157.1
Floating-point processing power	2.56 TFLOPS	5.027 TFLOPS
ROPs	32	48
TMUs	80	88

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 3.0 x16
Length	241 mm	229 mm
Width	2-slot	2-slot
Supplementary power connectors	2x 6-pin	1x 8-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	GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount	2 GB	6 GB
Memory bus width	256 Bit	192 Bit
Memory clock speed	1200 MHz	2001 MHz
Memory bandwidth	153.6 GB/s	192.1 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, 2x mini-DisplayPort	1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
Eyefinity	+	-
HDMI	+	+

API compatibility

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

DirectX	12 (11_1)	12 (12_1)
Shader Model	5.1	6.5
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
OpenCL	1.2	1.2
Vulkan	1.2.131	1.2.131
CUDA	-	7.5

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.

HD 7870 12.02

GTX 1660 30.34
+152%

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.

HD 7870 4619

GTX 1660 11661
+152%

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.

HD 7870 6194

GTX 1660 21064
+240%

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.

HD 7870 21348

GTX 1660 71229
+234%

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:

900p	84 −150%	210−220 +150%
Full HD	66 −27.3%	84 +27.3%
1440p	18−21 −183%	51 +183%
4K	10−12 −170%	27 +170%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	5.29 −103%	2.61 +103%
1440p	19.39 −352%	4.29 +352%
4K	34.90 −330%	8.11 +330%

GTX 1660 has 103% lower cost per frame in 1080p
GTX 1660 has 352% lower cost per frame in 1440p
GTX 1660 has 330% lower cost per frame in 4K

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2	21−24 −243%	72 +243%
Cyberpunk 2077	24−27 −196%	71 +196%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5	35−40 −128%	85−90 +128%
Counter-Strike 2	21−24 −167%	56 +167%
Cyberpunk 2077	24−27 −129%	55 +129%
Forza Horizon 4	45−50 −175%	132 +175%
Forza Horizon 5	30−35 −177%	86 +177%
Metro Exodus	30−35 −188%	95 +188%
Red Dead Redemption 2	30−35 −261%	112 +261%
Valorant	45−50 −188%	138 +188%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5	35−40 −128%	85−90 +128%
Counter-Strike 2	21−24 −129%	48 +129%
Cyberpunk 2077	24−27 −87.5%	45 +87.5%
Dota 2	40−45 −249%	150 +249%
Far Cry 5	45−50 −209%	145 +209%
Fortnite	65−70 −109%	140−150 +109%
Forza Horizon 4	45−50 −129%	110 +129%
Forza Horizon 5	30−35 −103%	63 +103%
Grand Theft Auto V	40−45 −167%	115 +167%
Metro Exodus	30−35 −100%	66 +100%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	90−95 −140%	216 +140%
Red Dead Redemption 2	30−35 −29%	40 +29%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	35−40 −183%	100−110 +183%
Valorant	45−50 −35.4%	65 +35.4%
World of Tanks	160−170 −65.1%	270−280 +65.1%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	35−40 −128%	85−90 +128%
Counter-Strike 2	21−24 −105%	43 +105%
Cyberpunk 2077	24−27 −58.3%	38 +58.3%
Dota 2	40−45 −358%	197 +358%
Far Cry 5	45−50 −83%	85−90 +83%
Forza Horizon 4	45−50 −97.9%	95 +97.9%
Forza Horizon 5	30−35 −90.3%	59 +90.3%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	90−95 −96.7%	170−180 +96.7%
Valorant	45−50 −140%	115 +140%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2	16−18 −225%	52 +225%
Grand Theft Auto V	16−18 −206%	52 +206%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	65−70 −87%	129 +87%
Red Dead Redemption 2	10−11 −150%	25 +150%
World of Tanks	85−90 −131%	190−200 +131%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	24−27 −150%	60−65 +150%
Counter-Strike 2	30−35 +19.2%	26 −19.2%
Cyberpunk 2077	9−10 −156%	23 +156%
Far Cry 5	27−30 −248%	90−95 +248%
Forza Horizon 4	27−30 −139%	67 +139%
Forza Horizon 5	18−20 −122%	40 +122%
Metro Exodus	24−27 −136%	59 +136%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	16−18 −200%	45−50 +200%
Valorant	30−33 −140%	72 +140%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2	7−8 −129%	16 +129%
Dota 2	21−24 −123%	49 +123%
Grand Theft Auto V	21−24 −123%	49 +123%
Metro Exodus	7−8 −186%	20 +186%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	35−40 −131%	81 +131%
Red Dead Redemption 2	8−9 −138%	18−20 +138%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	21−24 −123%	49 +123%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	10−12 −200%	30−35 +200%
Counter-Strike 2	7−8 −314%	27−30 +314%
Cyberpunk 2077	3−4 −233%	10 +233%
Dota 2	21−24 −295%	87 +295%
Far Cry 5	14−16 −180%	40−45 +180%
Fortnite	12−14 −208%	40−45 +208%
Forza Horizon 4	16−18 −125%	36 +125%
Forza Horizon 5	9−10 −144%	22 +144%
Valorant	12−14 −217%	38 +217%

This is how HD 7870 and GTX 1660 compete in popular games:

GTX 1660 is 150% faster in 900p
GTX 1660 is 27% faster in 1080p
GTX 1660 is 183% faster in 1440p
GTX 1660 is 170% faster in 4K

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

in Counter-Strike 2, with 1440p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the HD 7870 is 19% faster.
in Dota 2, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the GTX 1660 is 358% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

HD 7870 is ahead in 1 test (2%)
GTX 1660 is ahead in 63 tests (98%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	12.02	30.34
Recency	5 March 2012	14 March 2019
Maximum RAM amount	2 GB	6 GB
Chip lithography	28 nm	12 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	175 Watt	120 Watt

GTX 1660 has a 152.4% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 7 years, a 200% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 133.3% more advanced lithography process, and 45.8% lower power consumption.

The GeForce GTX 1660 is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 7870 in performance tests.

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