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GeForce GTX 1660 vs Radeon RX 580

Quick Verdict

Performance-wise the GeForce GTX 1660 is out front, dramatically faster, roughly 67% up on the Radeon RX 580. It is also the stronger value pick here, so it's the easy recommendation if your budget allows.

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VS
NVIDIA GeForce
GTX 1660
Price
€72
Performance
10/100
VRAM
6 GB GDDR5
Key Specs Advantage
+33% Boost Clock (1,785 MHz vs 1,340 MHz)
AMD Radeon
RX 580
Price
€150
Performance
6/100
VRAM
8 GB GDDR5
Key Specs Advantage
+64% Stream Processors (2,304 vs 1,408)
+33% Bandwidth (256 GB/s vs 192 GB/s)
+33% Memory Bus (256-bit vs 192-bit)

GeForce GTX 1660 vs Radeon RX 580: In-Depth Breakdown

Performance: GeForce GTX 1660 vs Radeon RX 580

The GeForce GTX 1660 is dramatically faster, around 67% ahead of the Radeon RX 580. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.

Price & Value

Right now the GeForce GTX 1660 starts at $72 EUR against $150 EUR for the Radeon RX 580. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the GeForce GTX 1660 wins on performance-per-dollar by about 247%. The GeForce GTX 1660 is trading below its $219 EUR MSRP — a genuine deal. The Radeon RX 580 is trading below its $229 EUR MSRP — a genuine deal.

Power & Efficiency

The GeForce GTX 1660 sips power at 120W next to the Radeon RX 580's 185W, and still leads on performance-per-watt — quieter, cooler, and gentler on your PSU. Its more modern Turing architecture on a TSMC 12nm process is part of why it does more with each watt.

VRAM & Future-Proofing

The Radeon RX 580's 8GB (vs 6GB on the GeForce GTX 1660) gives it more room for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative or AI workloads.

Generation & Longevity

The GeForce GTX 1660 is roughly 2 years newer than the Radeon RX 580 (Turing vs GCN 4.0 (Polaris)), so it generally benefits from a more modern architecture and longer driver-support runway.

Features & Ecosystem

Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce GTX 1660 brings NVIDIA DLSS upscaling/frame generation and stronger ray tracing, while the Radeon RX 580 offers AMD FSR upscaling and strong rasterization value. If you lean on upscaling or ray tracing, that ecosystem difference can matter as much as the frame-rate gap.

Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 1660 or Radeon RX 580?

The GeForce GTX 1660 is the all-round winner here — it's faster and the better value, so buy it if it fits your budget. Only consider the Radeon RX 580 if you find it at a steep discount.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the GeForce GTX 1660 better than the Radeon RX 580?

The GeForce GTX 1660 is dramatically faster, roughly 67% ahead. If your budget allows, it's the stronger pick.

Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 1660 or the Radeon RX 580?

Neither is a dedicated 4K card; both are best at entry-level 1080p. For 4K you'd want a faster GPU, or lean on upscaling.

Is the Radeon RX 580 worth the extra $78 EUR over the GeForce GTX 1660?

Only if you need the extra performance or features; on pure value the GeForce GTX 1660 comes out ahead.

Does the Radeon RX 580 have enough VRAM advantage to matter?

Its 8GB (vs 6GB) gives real headroom for 4K, heavy texture mods, and creative/AI work. At 1080p the gap matters less.

Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 1660 or Radeon RX 580?

The GeForce GTX 1660 is the all-round winner here — it's faster and the better value, so buy it if it fits your budget. Only consider the Radeon RX 580 if you find it at a steep discount.

Technical Specifications Comparison

Architecture & Cores

Architecture & Cores specifications comparison between GeForce GTX 1660 and Radeon RX 580
SpecificationGeForce GTX 1660Radeon RX 580
ArchitectureTuringGCN 4.0 (Polaris)
Process NodeTSMC 12nmGloFo 14nm
CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors)1,4082,304

Clock Speeds

Clock Speeds specifications comparison between GeForce GTX 1660 and Radeon RX 580
SpecificationGeForce GTX 1660Radeon RX 580
Base Clock1,530 MHz1,257 MHz
Boost Clock1,785 MHz1,340 MHz

Memory

Memory specifications comparison between GeForce GTX 1660 and Radeon RX 580
SpecificationGeForce GTX 1660Radeon RX 580
VRAM Capacity6 GB8 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5
Memory Bus192-bit256-bit
Memory Speed8 Gbps8 Gbps
Bandwidth192 GB/s256 GB/s

Connectivity & Power

Connectivity & Power specifications comparison between GeForce GTX 1660 and Radeon RX 580
SpecificationGeForce GTX 1660Radeon RX 580
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
TDP120 W185 W
Power Connectors1x 8-pin1x 8-pin
ReleasedMar 2019Apr 2017