Key Points:
- Prices and scarcity for graphics cards have come back down to earth (somewhat).
- The 1660-Ti is best for a tighter budget, but it lacks the strength of the GTX 1070.
- Having the correct power requirements for these pieces of hardware are important, so make sure you check to see what your machine is capable of before purchasing.
In today’s article, we are going to check out two entry-level gaming graphics cards from Nvidia: The GTX 1070 vs 1660-Ti. Even though they may be a bit older, these GPUs still pack a punch. Whether you are gaming, streaming, editing videos, or doing graphic design work, it is important to have a graphics card up to the task. If you are considering one of these graphics cards, you may be wondering: How do they compare, and which one is better?
We’re going to start with a full side-by-side comparison to see just how these two GPUs stack up against each other. Then we’ll discuss some important differences and see how they perform when put to the test in gaming benchmarks.
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Nvidia GTX 1070 vs 1660-Ti: Side-By-Side Comparison
Knowing the specs of your graphics card is extremely important, especially if you want to know which one is better. While the GTX 1070 are similar graphics cards, they also have their differences that make each one ideal for a different set of tasks. Check out the comparison below:
| Specs | GTX 1070 | GTX 1660-Ti |
|---|---|---|
| Graphics Processor: | GP104 | GA102 |
| Shader Cores: | 1920 | 1536 |
| TMUs: | 120 | 96 |
| ROPs: | 64 | 48 |
| VRAM Type: | DDR5 | DDR6 |
| VRAM Capacity: | 8 GB | 6 GB |
| Bus Width: | 256 bit | 192 bit |
| GPU Clock: | 1506 MHz | 1500 MHz |
| Boost Clock: | 1683 MHz | 1770 MHz |
| Memory Clock: | 2002 MHz | 1500 MHz |
| Texture Fill Rate: | 202 GTexel/s | 169.9 GTexel/s |
| Pixel Rate: | 107.7 GPixel/s | 84.9 GPixel/s |
| Double Floating-point Performance: | 202 GFLOPS | 169.9 GFLOPS |
As you can see from the comparison, the GTX 1070 is the clear leader when it comes to raw specs, outshining the GTX 1660-Ti in almost every way. But does this difference translate to a noticeable increase in performance when it comes to real-world use?
Nvidia GTX 1070 vs 1660-Ti: What’s the Difference?
- New Pascal architecture
- 8GB 256-bit GDDR5
- Virtual reality ready, 4K Gaming
- 1x Dual-link DVI-I, 3x DisplayPort (version 1.4), 1x HDMI
- Boost Clock 1683 MHz
Nvidia released the GTX 1070 in June 2016, and it was one of the first graphics cards based on the new 16nm Pascal architecture. At the time, it was one of the best GPUs on the market, following closely behind the Nvidia GTX 1080 series cards. Designed to replace the GTX 970, the GTX 1070 was an improvement over the previous generation in every way, providing gamers with remarkable levels of performance for the latest games.
The only competition from AMD that could stand up to the GTX 1070 was the RX 580 or the RX Vega 56. Neither one of these offered the performance-enhancing utilities that Nvidia offered such as G-Sync, Nvenc, and more advanced Ray Tracing capabilities.
Nvidia created the GTX 1060 as a step down in performance from the GTX 1070. When the GTX 1660-Ti came out in 2019, it was designed as a replacement for the GTX 1060. Being about three years newer, the GTX 1660-Ti was a pretty big upgrade from the GTX 1060, with more VRAM, a higher shader core count, and higher boost clock speeds. With these upgrades, this GPU falls somewhere between the old 1060 and the newer 2060 in levels of performance
The closest competitor from AMD was the RX 5600 XT, which was released a few months after the GTX 1660-Ti. Being dubbed as the “ultimate 1080p gaming experience” AMD also made the Radeon RX 590, which provided some competition to the GTX 1660-Ti.
Both graphics cards also launched to completely different price segments. The GTX 1070 was released with an MSRP of $379, targeting the higher end of the entry-level gaming market. The GTX 1660-Ti on the other hand was released with a much lower MSRP of just $279, aimed at the more budget-minded entry-level gamer.
Please Note: As of July 19, 2023, the Nvidia Founders Edition GeForce GTX 1070 is currently unavailable on Amazon. If you are unable to locate this product elsewhere, please check back later.
Nvidia makes some of the industry’s best and fastest graphics cards.
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Nvidia GTX 1070 vs 1660-Ti: Seven Must-Know Facts
- The GTX 1070 and GTX 1660-Ti are designed as entry-level gaming cards.
- Both the GTX 1070 and 1660-Ti support DirectX-12 for gaming.
- Both cards have full support for the latest Open GL.
- The GTX 1660-Ti is a much newer graphics card.
- Both cards have a DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort connectors.
- The GTX 1070 and GTX 1660-Ti can both be used for crypto mining.
- Both GPUs require additional PCI-e power.
Nvidia GTX 1070 vs 1660-Ti: Power Requirements, Size, and Connectivity
One of the most important factors when choosing a graphics card is the power requirements. If your PC does not meet the recommended power rating, then you simply won’t be able to use the card without upgrading your power supply. We checked out some of the power requirements on both graphics cards to find out just how much power is needed for each one.
The GTX 1070 is the more power-hungry card, with a TDP rating of 150 watts. This means you will need at least a 450-watt or higher power supply to support this GPU. In contrast, the GTX 1660-Ti is a little more power-efficient. With a TDP rating of just 120 watts, you will need at least a 300-watt power supply to run this graphics card.
The good news is almost every prebuilt and custom PC out there has a power supply with higher wattages than these cards demand. Odds are, that as long as you have a spare 8-pin power connector, your current power supply is enough to support either one of these graphics cards.
As for size, both the GTX 1070 and GTX 1660-Ti are relatively small compared to some of the higher-performance graphics cards on the market. The GTX 1070 comes in at about 10 inches, which is still fairly large, especially if you have a smaller PC case. The GTX 1660–Ti is more manageable, measuring around nine inches in length.
Both GPUs offer the same connectivity options, although the GTX 1070 can support a higher number of additional monitors. With DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort connectors on each card, you will be able to run at least 3 monitors with either of these GPUs.
Nvidia GeForce graphic chip on motherboard.
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Nvidia GTX 1070 vs 1660-Ti: Which One Is Better For Gaming?
When it comes to graphics cards, gaming performance is usually one of the most important factors in determining which one is a better buy. Since both the GTX 1070 and 1660-Ti are designed specifically as gaming GPUs, they both far exceed the minimum requirements for almost every game out there, and they exceed the recommended requirements for about 80% of all games on the market right now.
We’ve compiled some benchmarks from the most popular games to determine what you can expect when gaming on these graphics cards.
| GTX 1070 | GTX 1660-Ti | |
|---|---|---|
| Fortnite | 116+ FPS | 120+ FPS |
| PUBG | 109+ FPS | 93+ FPS |
| Overwatch | 112+ FPS | 99+ FPS |
| GTA V | 87+ FPS | 86+ FPS |
| CSGO | 251+ FPS | 240+ FPS |
Both the GTX 1070 and 1660-Ti show some pretty impressive results when put to the test, but the clear winner is the GTX 1070. With higher frame rates across the board, the GTX 1070 definitely delivers higher gaming performance. The only game that ran better on the GTX 1660-Ti was Fortnite. If you are a big Fortnite player, the 1660-Ti may be your ideal graphics card, otherwise, the GTX 1070 is definitely the way to go.
Which One Should You Choose?
- New Pascal architecture
- 8GB 256-bit GDDR5
- Virtual reality ready, 4K Gaming
- 1x Dual-link DVI-I, 3x DisplayPort (version 1.4), 1x HDMI
- Boost Clock 1683 MHz
With a clear distinction in performance, it is no doubt that the GTX 1070 is the winner here. Despite being a few years older, the GTX 1070 packs more powerful hardware under the hood to stand up to your demands. With more VRAM, higher shader core count, and higher clock speeds, the GTX 1070 outshines the GTX 1660-Ti by a good margin.
The difference in gaming performance is not that great, however, and if you are on a budget, the GTX 1660-Ti may be for you. If you can put up with having slightly lower frame rates, and not running all of the latest games on the highest settings, then you will be more than satisfied with the GTX 1660-Ti.
It all comes down to price vs performance. The GTX 1070 delivers better performance but at a slightly higher cost. The GTX 1660-Ti on the other hand does not match the level of performance found in the GTX 1070. It makes up for this by being a little bit cheaper. Ultimately either card is an excellent choice for an entry-level gaming PC.
*Currently, there are no available Nvidia GTX 1660-Ti graphics cards available on Amazon. We recommend a compatible card from EVGA.
Up Next…
Didn’t read what you wanted to know about graphics cards? Check these out below.
- Support Brackets Needed for the Gigantic RTX 4090 Graphics Cards. Make sure you get the correct brackets for this beast.
- AMD RX 6600-XT vs Nvidia RTX 3060: Which Mid-Tier Graphics Card is Best? We break down these two from top to bottom.
- Nvidia GTX 1050-Ti vs 1650: Which Entry-Level Graphics Card is Better? Trying to decide? No worries; we have the pros and cons for you here!
- Real Boost Clock: 1860 MHz
- 6GB GDDR6
- Dual HDB fan offers higher performance cooling and much quieter acoustic noise
- Built for EVGA Precision x1, EVGA all new tuning utility monitors your graphics card and gives you the power to overclock like a Pro
- Operating System Support Windows 10 (64bit), Windows 7 (64bit)
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Kiklas/Shutterstock.com.
