NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 vs AMD Radeon R9 M280X

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Combined performance score

R9 M280X
2.10

GeForce GTX 1660 outperforms Radeon R9 M280X by 1337% in our combined benchmark results.

General info

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

Place in performance ranking824170
Place by popularitynot in top-10048
Value for moneyno data25.04
ArchitectureGCN (2011−2017)Turing (2018−2021)
GPU code nameSaturn XTTuring TU116
Market segmentLaptopDesktop
Release date1 February 2015 (9 years old)14 March 2019 (5 years old)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$219
Current priceno data$252 (1.2x MSRP)
Value for money

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

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 cores8961408
Core clock speed900 MHz1530 MHz
Boost clock speedno data1785 MHz
Number of transistors2,080 million6,600 million
Manufacturing process technology28 nm12 nm
Power consumption (TDP)no data120 Watt
Texture fill rate61.60157.1
Floating-point performance1,792 gflopsno data

Size and compatibility

Information on Radeon R9 M280X 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 sizelargeno data
Bus supportNot Listedno data
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Lengthno data229 mm
Widthno data2-slot
Supplementary power connectorsno data1x 8-pin

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 typeNot ListedGDDR5
Maximum RAM amount0 MB6 GB
Memory bus widthNot Listed192 Bit
Memory clock speedno data8000 MHz
Memory bandwidth96 GB/s192.1 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 ConnectorsNo outputs1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
HDMIno data+

Technologies

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

AppAcceleration-no data
Enduro-no data
FreeSync1no data
HD3D+no data
PowerTune+no data
DualGraphics1no data
TrueAudio-no data
ZeroCore+no data
Switchable graphics1no data

API support

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

DirectXDirectX® 1112 (12_1)
Shader Model6.36.5
OpenGL4.44.6
OpenCLNot Listed1.2
Vulkanno data1.2.131
Mantle+no data
CUDAno data7.5

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.

R9 M280X 2.10
GTX 1660 30.17
+1337%

GeForce GTX 1660 outperforms Radeon R9 M280X by 1337% 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%

R9 M280X 813
GTX 1660 11692
+1338%

GeForce GTX 1660 outperforms Radeon R9 M280X by 1338% 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%

R9 M280X 9222
GTX 1660 71229
+672%

GeForce GTX 1660 outperforms Radeon R9 M280X by 672% 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%

R9 M280X 4698
GTX 1660 21131
+350%

GeForce GTX 1660 outperforms Radeon R9 M280X by 350% 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%

R9 M280X 3498
GTX 1660 14055
+302%

GeForce GTX 1660 outperforms Radeon R9 M280X by 302% 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%

R9 M280X 23201
GTX 1660 80889
+249%

GeForce GTX 1660 outperforms Radeon R9 M280X by 249% 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 HD27
−219%
86
+219%
1440p3−4
−1500%
48
+1500%
4K18
−55.6%
28
+55.6%

Performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 5−6
−1320%
71
+1320%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 2−3
−2750%
55−60
+2750%
Battlefield 5 3−4
−3033%
90−95
+3033%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 10−12
−918%
112
+918%
Cyberpunk 2077 5−6
−1060%
58
+1060%
Far Cry 5 12
−733%
100
+733%
Far Cry New Dawn 1−2
−9400%
95
+9400%
Forza Horizon 4 4−5
−3200%
132
+3200%
Hitman 3 3−4
−3567%
110
+3567%
Horizon Zero Dawn 3−4
−2633%
82
+2633%
Red Dead Redemption 2 5−6
−1360%
73
+1360%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 8−9
−1063%
93
+1063%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 2−3
−2750%
55−60
+2750%
Battlefield 5 3−4
−3033%
90−95
+3033%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 10−12
−673%
85
+673%
Cyberpunk 2077 5−6
−840%
47
+840%
Far Cry 5 2−3
−4500%
92
+4500%
Far Cry New Dawn 1−2
−8800%
89
+8800%
Forza Horizon 4 4−5
−2975%
123
+2975%
Hitman 3 3−4
−2900%
90
+2900%
Horizon Zero Dawn 3−4
−1933%
61
+1933%
Metro Exodus 3−4
−1800%
57
+1800%
Red Dead Redemption 2 5−6
−700%
40
+700%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 8−9
−875%
78
+875%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 16
−538%
102
+538%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 2−3
−2750%
55−60
+2750%
Battlefield 5 3−4
−3033%
90−95
+3033%
Cyberpunk 2077 5−6
−700%
40
+700%
Far Cry 5 2−3
−4200%
86
+4200%
Far Cry New Dawn 1−2
−8100%
82
+8100%
Forza Horizon 4 4−5
−2350%
98
+2350%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 9
−533%
57
+533%

1440p
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4−5
−1325%
57
+1325%
Hitman 3 5−6
−1040%
57
+1040%
Horizon Zero Dawn 9−10
−344%
40
+344%
Metro Exodus 0−1 33
Red Dead Redemption 2 1−2
−2400%
25
+2400%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 6−7
−700%
48
+700%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 1−2
−2300%
24
+2300%
Far Cry 5 3−4
−1867%
59
+1867%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 2−3
−1850%
35−40
+1850%

4K
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2−3
−1500%
32
+1500%
Hitman 3 2−3
−1450%
31
+1450%
Horizon Zero Dawn 8−9
−37.5%
11
+37.5%
Red Dead Redemption 2 1−2
−1500%
16−18
+1500%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 1−2
−1900%
20−22
+1900%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 1−2
−1400%
15
+1400%
Far Cry 5 3−4
−900%
30
+900%
Far Cry New Dawn 5−6
−520%
31
+520%

This is how R9 M280X and GTX 1660 compete in popular games:

1080p resolution:

  • GTX 1660 is 219% faster than R9 M280X

1440p resolution:

  • GTX 1660 is 1500% faster than R9 M280X

4K resolution:

  • GTX 1660 is 55.6% faster than R9 M280X

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

  • in Far Cry New Dawn, with 1080p resolution and the Medium Preset, the GTX 1660 is 9400% faster than the R9 M280X.

All in all, in popular games:

  • Without exception, GTX 1660 surpassed R9 M280X in all 48 of our tests.

Advantages and disadvantages


Performance score 2.10 30.17
Recency 1 February 2015 14 March 2019
Chip lithography 28 nm 12 nm

The GeForce GTX 1660 is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon R9 M280X in performance tests.

Be aware that Radeon R9 M280X is a notebook card while GeForce GTX 1660 is a desktop one.


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

User ratings

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite graphics card.


AMD Radeon R9 M280X
Radeon R9 M280X
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660
GeForce GTX 1660

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Questions and comments

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