Next-gen gaming
If you can stretch your budget an extra $100 or can wait for an additional month to save, the RTX 2060 is simply the better choice. For around the same amount of money, you get a far more powerful GPU with ray tracing, DLSS, and other handy features.
For
- Good value
- Ray tracing and DLSS
- Better cooling options
- More ports
Against
- Not many games support ray tracing yet
Budget Turing
The GTX 1660 Ti is the really the only viable option if you simply can't afford the RTX 2060 and need a GPU right now. It's a good budget card that comes with some Turing advantages, but you won't be able to enjoy ray tracing or DLSS tech.
For
- Good upgrade from 9-series
- Turing architecture
- Budget-friendly price
Against
- Worse cooling solutions
- No ray tracing or DLSS
- Fewer DisplayPorts
If you're on a tight budget and need a capable GPU right now, you'll find the GTX 1060 Ti offers a fair amount of bang for your buck. However, if you can stretch your budget to cover the RTX 2060 and need a GPU for 1440p gaming, you should do so.
Showcasing the power of Turing
NVIDIA launched the GTX 1660 Ti to sit in between the GTX 1060 and GTX 1070 and on paper, this is exactly the case. However, the new card has been shown in benchmarks to even match the performance of the GTX 1070 in certain titles, which showcases the improvements made in Turing.
While the GTX 1660 Ti gnaws at the heels of the RTX 2060, the latter is simply a better GPU overall, which is reflected in the price. The RTX family of GPUs come rocking support for ray tracing — essentially fancier methods of lighting objects and scenes in games — and DLSS processing. I've written about these new technologies, should you be unfamiliar with the terms, but to sum it up: NVIDIA is hoping these features will signal the future of visual fidelity in games.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | ZOTAC RTX 2060 | EVGA GTX 1660 Ti |
|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA Cuda Cores | 1,920 | 1,536 |
| Clock speeds | 13651680 | 15001770 |
| VRAM | 6GB GDDR6 | 6GB GDDR6 |
| Memory interface | 192-bit | 128-bit |
| Memory bandwidth | 336 GB/s | 288 GB/s |
| Memory speed | 14 Gb/s | 6 Gb/s |
| Power | 160 W | 120 W |
| Ray tracing | ✓ | - |
| DLSS | ✓ | - |
| 1440p gaming | Great | Great |
| 4K gaming | Mediocre | Poor |
| Ports | HDMI 2.0b3x DisplayPort 1.4 | HDMI 2.0bDisplayPort 1.4DVI |
At a resolution of 1080p or 1440p, both the GTX 1660 Ti and RTX 2060 are some of the best graphics card options with the latter coming on top with more CUDA cores and faster memory. At 4K, the 1660 Ti will struggle to keep up and while the RTX 2060 won't provide a butter smooth experience, but it'll still be able to power through.
The GTX 1660 Ti is a powerful card, there's no doubt about it. For the price of less than $300, you're getting plenty of features and capabilities, but with the RTX 2060 in range with all of its advantages and improvements, it makes recommending the GTX 1660 Ti difficult, especially if you can afford the more powerful RTX card.
Better in-game performance
The RTX 2060 is the better GPU. Not only are the aftermarket cards of higher quality with better cooling solutions, but you're also getting faster memory, more CUDA cores, and better overall performance. Add on top of all this support for ray tracing and NVIDIA's DLSS and you've got quite the GPU.
A great GPU for 1440p and even some 4K gaming
RTX 20-series NVIDIA GPUs are powerful gaming cards. The RTX 2060 is the successor to the excellent GTX 1070, offering ray tracing and DLSS, among other features. While slightly more expensive than the GTX 1060 Ti, you'll not be disappointed with the results.
For tighter budgets
The GTX 1660 Ti is a solid GPU and really shook up the GTX 10-series family. The GTX 1070 is not so hot looking when a GPU that costs almost half as much is capable of matching it in terms of performance in games. The RTX 2060 is a whole other beast, coming with similar Turing advantages and better components. You'll only choose the GTX 1660 Ti if you're looking to save.
The new GTX 1660 Ti can even match the GTX 1070
The GTX 1660 Ti is great for budget-conscious buyers. The included Turing architecture and addition of GDDR6 VRAM allows the card to outperform the GTX 1060 and even match the GTX 1070 in some games. The downside is the lack of reference cards and cheaper build quality.
