RTX 3060 vs GTX 1660 Super: Which Is Better for Gaming?

Short answer: The RTX 3060 is about 79% faster at 1440p across nine demanding games (53 vs 29 FPS on High). At 1080p the RTX 3060 is about 60% faster, and at 4K the RTX 3060 is about 94% faster. The RTX 3060 has more video memory (12 GB vs 6 GB), which matters at 1440p and with high textures. The GTX 1660 Super uses about 45 W less power.

RTX 3060GTX 1660 Super
Average FPS, 1080p High7446
Average FPS, 1440p High5329
Average FPS, 4K High3116
Cyberpunk 2077, 1440p Ultra + ray tracing22 FPSNo RT hardware
Video memory12 GB GDDR66 GB GDDR6
Board power170 W125 W
FPS per 100 W (1440p)31.023.5
Averages across nine demanding games from our FPS model with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D, native resolution, no ray tracing unless stated. Expect real results within about ±12%.
Table of ContentsShow or hide all 5 sectionsShowHide
GameRTX 3060 1080pGTX 1660 Super 1080pRTX 3060 1440pGTX 1660 Super 1440p
Counter-Strike 2238160170115
Valorant324219231156
Fortnite101687249
Call of Duty: Black Ops 771395021
Battlefield 679445731
ARC Raiders86586234
Marvel Rivals61414424
Cyberpunk 207768384927
Black Myth: Wukong47323319
Hogwarts Legacy65364626
Baldur's Gate 386586234
Elden Ring60464933
Average FPS on High, native resolution, Ryzen 7 9800X3D, 16 GB RAM. Elden Ring is capped at 60 FPS.
Compare FPS in any game with the FPS calculator

RTX 3060 vs GTX 1660 Super: specs compared

SpecRTX 3060GTX 1660 Super
ArchitectureAmpereTuring
Release year20212019
Video memory12 GB GDDR66 GB GDDR6
Board power170 W125 W
Upscaling and frame generationDLSS 4 upscaling (no DLSS Frame Generation; FSR Frame Generation works)FSR and XeSS only (no DLSS, no hardware ray tracing)
Ray tracing speed kept55% of raster FPS0% of raster FPS
Suggested power supply450 W450 W
Manufacturer specifications. Power supply suggestion assumes a Ryzen 5 7600 class CPU and 25% headroom.

RTX 3060 vs GTX 1660 Super: which CPU do they need?

ProcessorRTX 3060 (1080p / 1440p)GTX 1660 Super (1080p / 1440p)
Ryzen 5 56006% CPU / 14% GPU15% GPU / 29% GPU
Core i5-12400F8% CPU / 12% GPU13% GPU / 28% GPU
Ryzen 5 76007% GPU / 23% GPU24% GPU / 35% GPU
Ryzen 7 7800X3D18% GPU / 31% GPU31% GPU / 40% GPU
Bottleneck from our calculator, default settings. Up to 10% is balanced.

Full lists: best CPU for the RTX 3060 and best CPU for the GTX 1660 Super.

RTX 3060 vs GTX 1660 Super: which one should you buy?

  • Buy the RTX 3060 if you want the most raw FPS at 1440p, you want more video memory for high textures and future games or you play with ray tracing on.
  • Buy the GTX 1660 Super if you want lower power draw and a smaller power supply.

Prices change week to week, so compare the cost per frame: divide the price by the 1440p average above. A card that is 10% faster is only worth up to about 10% more money.

RTX 3060 vs GTX 1660 Super: frequently asked questions

Is the RTX 3060 better than the GTX 1660 Super?

For gaming at 1440p, the RTX 3060 is about 79% faster in our nine-game average (53 vs 29 FPS).

How much faster is the RTX 3060?

About 60% at 1080p, 79% at 1440p and 94% at 4K on High settings, native resolution.

Which one is better for ray tracing?

Only one of these cards has hardware ray tracing, so it is the clear choice for ray-traced games.

Is 8 GB of VRAM enough in 2026?

For 1080p on High in most games, yes. At 1440p, with Ultra textures or ray tracing, several new games need more than 8 GB, which causes stutter. 12–16 GB is the safer choice.

More comparisons

Sources: Tom’s Hardware GPU hierarchy, Tom’s Hardware CPU hierarchy, TechSpot CPU and GPU scaling tests, TechPowerUp GPU database, and manufacturer specifications from AMD, Intel and NVIDIA. Bottleneck and FPS figures come from our own bottleneck and FPS models.