Is the GTX 1660 still good enough for gaming in 2024?

As a long-time PC gamer and hardware enthusiast, this is a question I have been getting a lot recently – and the answer is an emphatic yes!

The GTX 1660, first released way back in 2019, can still deliver excellent 1080p gaming performance in 2024. I currently have a 1660 paired with a Ryzen 5 5600X and 16GB of RAM, and it has handled everything I‘ve thrown at it admirably.

Let‘s delve into some benchmarks and see how the plucky 1660 holds up!

How Well Does the GTX 1660 Perform in Recent Games?

Thanks to detailed testing from the experts at Tom‘s Hardware, we can quantify the 1660‘s expected performance in both recent and older games.

Here‘s how it handled some popular 2022-2023 titles at 1920 x 1080, high settings:

Those are very solid frame rates – with some selective graphical setting tweaks, you could push Elden Ring and Gotham Knights closer to that nice 60 fps threshold.

According to TechPowerUp‘s recent GPU review, the 1660 averaged 87 fps in GTA V at ultra settings – that venerable title is clearly no trouble for this venerable card!

Comparison to Entry-Level 2023 GPUs

The 1660 belongs to the same performance segment as Nvidia‘s newer RTX 3050 and AMD‘s Radeon RX 6500 XT – both released in 2022.

Here‘s how it measures up to the 3050 in some popular esports and multiplayer titles at 1080p:

The 3050 comes with upgraded features like ray tracing and DLSS support – but the 1660 Ti matches or exceeds it in raw gaming performance.

And the 1660 easily beats the slower RX 6500 XT across the board – the RX 6500 XT is not a worthy upgrade in my opinion.

Ray Tracing – Nice to Have, But Essential?

The 1660 does not support real-time ray tracing or upscaling technologies like DLSS. These do provide better graphics, but also tank frame rates even on faster cards.

As per Hardware Unboxed‘s testing, enabling Metro Exodus‘s ray traced lighting on an RTX 3060 at 1080p slashed frame rates from 142 fps to just 60 fps!

So while nice to have, ray tracing is still very demanding and not essential to enjoy games to the fullest. Rest assured, traditional rasterization and graphics options are still very much alive and well!

Does the GTX 1660 Have Enough VRAM?

The 1660‘s 6GB video memory buffer is still sufficient for today‘s games at 1080p resolution. Only one tested game has exceeded a 4GB buffer so far, according to TechPowerUp.

However, in 18 months to 2 years, 6GB may start to feel limiting as next-gen titles arrive. Upgrading before this becomes an issue is something to plan for.

When Should You Consider Upgrading from the GTX 1660?

• If you get a high refresh rate or 1440p monitor – the 1660 will start to struggle driving higher resolutions or 100+ fps frame rates
• When you need to turn graphics settings down very low in multiple newer titles
• If you want ray tracing, DLSS and next-gen graphical capabilities

Upgrading to one of Nvidia‘s RTX 3000 series cards like the RTX 3060 or 3060 Ti will give you more headroom.

On the AMD side, the Radeon RX 6600 XT is an excellent 1080p performer that compares favorably to the RTX 3060.

Either of these cards will offer you significantly improved performance – but they still can‘t completely max out the latest AAA games while maintaining high frame rates. Such is the endless pursuit of us PC gaming enthusiasts!

The Verdict: Still Totally Viable for 1080p Gaming

If you temper your expectations just a little, the GTX 1660 continues to deliver excellent 1080p gaming value even in 2024. It runs the vast majority of games smoothly while looking great. A few tweaks to graphics settings may be needed here and there – but it avoids the dreaded slideshow.

Combine it with a decent quad-core CPU and 16GB RAM, and you have a tried-and-true 1080p gaming rig that should continue to serve you well for at least a couple more years. Game on!