GeForce GTX 1660 vs Radeon RX 590
On raw speed the GeForce GTX 1660 comes out ahead: far and away the quicker card, about 43% ahead of the Radeon RX 590. Best performance and best value in one card here — the clear recommendation if you can afford it.
Maximum Capacity Reached. Remove a model to add another. (2/2)
GeForce GTX 1660 vs Radeon RX 590: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: GeForce GTX 1660 vs Radeon RX 590
The GeForce GTX 1660 is dramatically faster, around 43% ahead of the Radeon RX 590. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.
Price & Value
The Radeon RX 590 currently lists from $120 USD, $30 USD less than the GeForce GTX 1660 at $150 USD. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the GeForce GTX 1660 wins on performance-per-dollar by about 14%. The Radeon RX 590 is trading below its $279 USD MSRP — a genuine deal. The GeForce GTX 1660 is trading below its $219 USD MSRP — a genuine deal.
Power & Efficiency
At 120W against 225W, the GeForce GTX 1660 is both the lower-power and the more efficient card, making it the easier build to cool and power. Its more modern Turing architecture on a TSMC 12nm process is part of why it does more with each watt.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
VRAM favors the Radeon RX 590 at 8GB versus 6GB on the GeForce GTX 1660 — that extra 2GB matters most at 4K, with high-res texture packs, and for content-creation/local-AI work.
Features & Ecosystem
Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce GTX 1660 brings NVIDIA DLSS upscaling/frame generation and stronger ray tracing, while the Radeon RX 590 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 590?
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 590 if you find it at a steep discount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the GeForce GTX 1660 better than the Radeon RX 590?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 1660 or the Radeon RX 590?
Is the GeForce GTX 1660 worth the extra $30 USD over the Radeon RX 590?
Does the Radeon RX 590 have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 1660 or Radeon RX 590?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1660 | Radeon RX 590 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Turing | GCN 4.0 (Polaris) |
| Process Node | TSMC 12nm | GloFo 12nm |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 1,408 | 2,304✓ |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1660 | Radeon RX 590 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,530 MHz✓ | 1,469 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1,785 MHz✓ | 1,545 MHz |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1660 | Radeon RX 590 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 6 GB | 8 GB✓ |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bus | 192-bit | 256-bit✓ |
| Memory Speed | 8 Gbps | 8 Gbps |
| Bandwidth | 192 GB/s | 256 GB/s✓ |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1660 | Radeon RX 590 |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| TDP | 120 W✓ | 225 W |
| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin |
| Released | Mar 2019 | Nov 2018 |