Just as Nvidia has been dominating the higher-end market with their high-end graphics cards like the 3090 Ti, they have also been giving tough competition to Team Red in the Mid ranger market.
One of the best graphics cards that Nvidia released, which became the definition of bang for the buck, was the GTX 1060, and for many years remained and still is the most used GPU on Steam hardware survey.
The RTX 3050 Ti and the GTX 1660 Ti are the spiritual successors of that legendary GPU and are slowly becoming popular among value-conscious laptop gamers worldwide.
So here in this 3050 Ti Vs 1660 Ti, we will compare these graphics cards and figure out which one is the best and whether you should buy a laptop that sports any of these two GPUs.
Technical Specifications:
| GPU Name | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti (Mobile) | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (Mobile) |
|---|---|---|
| CUDA Cores | 2560 Units | 1536 Units |
| Base Clock | 735 MHz | 1455 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1035 MHz | 1590 MHz |
| Video Memory | 4GB GDDR6 | 6GB GDDR6 |
| RT Cores | 20 | N/A |
| Bus Width | 128-bit | 192-bit |
| Architecture | Ampere | Turing |
| Process Size | 8 nm | 12 nm |
3050 Ti vs 1660 Ti: Specs And Features
The RTX 3050 Ti is a Laptop GPU based on the Ampere architecture fabricated on an 8 nm chip. It has 4 GB of GDDR6 video memory, clocked at 1500 Mhz with a memory bandwidth of 195 GB/s. The 3050 Ti has a clock speed of 1222 MHz which boosts to 1485 MHz while gaming. It has a TDP of 60 watts.
The RTX 3050 Ti has many features, like the ability to do Ray tracing and DLSS. For streamers, it is equipped with Nvidia Broadcast and Shadowplay. You can also connect a G-SYNC monitor to your laptop to play your games at a high frame rate with no screen tearing.
On the other hand, The GTX 1660 Ti is based on the Turing architecture, which is fabricated on a 12 nm chip making it less efficient than its ampere counterpart as it has a TDP of 80 watts. It has 6 GB of GDDR6 video memory. The base clock speed is 1455 MHz which boosts to 1590 Mhz while gaming.
With the 1660 Ti, you will not be getting Ray tracing or DLSS as it only works on RTX cards; however, you will have most of what Nvidia offers, like G-force experience and G-SYNC.
Related article: RX 6600 XT vs RTX 3060 GPUs
3050 Ti vs 1660 Ti: Gaming Benchmarks (1080p Ultra)
Testing Setup
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
- GPU 1: RTX 3050 Ti (Mobile)
- GPU 2: GTX 1660 Ti (Mobile)
- RAM: 2x16GB DDR4 3600MHz G.Skill Trident Z Series
- Storage: Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD 1TB – M.2 NVMe
#1- Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
The first game on my list is Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, which I have not gotten around to completing yet. The 3050 Ti did hold its own in this game as it gave me 97 frames per second on average, with a 1% low of 90.
The 1660 Ti also did not disappoint me; however, it does lag behind its competitor quite a bit, as it could muster 65 frames per second on average. The 1% low recorded in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla on this card was 60 FPS.
#2- Call of Duty Modern Warfare
Call of Duty Modern Warfare running at 1080p with all the settings cranked to Ultra gave me phenomenal results. The RTX 3050 Ti ran the game at an average frame rate of 198 with a 1% low of 189 frames per second.
On the other hand, the 1660 Ti lost some frames as it ran at 155 frames per second on average, with a 1% low of 148 FPS. Both these cards ran this game at high frame rates, which is a testament to their power under the hood and the optimization of this game, making it accessible to run on many configurations.
#3- Red Dead Redemption 2
Moving on to the next game on my list, Red Dead Redemption 2, I am unashamed to admit that I have completed more than I should.
Running through the hardware-intensive city of Saint-Denis, the RTX 3050 Ti gave me 85 frames per second on average, with a 1% low of 71.
The 1660 Ti, on the other hand, lagged as I got 55 frames per second on average moving through the same city. The RTX 3050 Ti has a solid edge over this card.
#4- Horizon Zero Dawn
Horizon Zero Dawn was hot garbage released due to its micro stuttering and crashing issues. However, it has been fixed after many patch updates and is fully playable without immersion-breaking bugs.
Testing the game on the RTX 3050 Ti with all the settings cranked to Ultra nets me a result of 125 frames per second on average, with a 1% low of 113.
The 1660 Ti still managed to give me a more than playable experience with an average frame rate of 92 with a 1% low of 88 frames per second.
#5- Cyberpunk 2077
Now to test the latest game from CD Projekt Red, Cyberpunk 2077, which unfortunately has underwhelmed me for a game made by the same people who created the Witcher 3.
Anyways, the RTX 3050 Ti does not struggle here as I got an average frame rate of 75 with a 1% low of 67 frames per second.
The 1660 Ti, however, did disappoint me a little bit in this game as it could only muster 45 frames per second on average, with a 1% low of 35.
I would shave down some eye candy on this card and turn the settings to high or medium because 60 frames per second is an essential number to all PC master-race communities.
3050 Ti vs 1660 Ti: GPU Architecture
The RTX 3050 Ti is a graphics card based on the Ampere architecture, which can produce Ray Tracing in games. Even though enabling Ray tracing will significantly tank your frame rates, the capability is there for you to enjoy on such an entry-level card.
The GTX 1660 Ti is from the older turing lineup of graphics cards which is meant to be the successor of the GTX 1060. 1060 has a wide legacy because it is one of the best “bangs for the buck” graphics cards, and Nvidia is hoping that lightning falls on the same spot twice with this card.
The 1660 Ti is fabricated on a 12 nm chip, while the 3050 Ti is fabricated on an 8 nm chip, making the latter more efficient than the former. The 3050 Ti has a TDP of 60 watts, while the 1660 Ti sucks 80 watts of power to run.
3050 Ti vs 1660 Ti: Compatibility And Requirements
The 3050 Ti is a fully mobile graphics card, and you cannot buy a fully fat desktop version anywhere as it is not released yet. Being a mobile chip, you will be buying it already paired with a CPU in a laptop, which may be a bummer for those looking to put it in their PCs.
The 1660 Ti, however, is available in a full-fat desktop version. The 1660 Ti I am reviewing here is the Max-Q or mobile version of the GPU, which comes paired already with a CPU in a laptop. However, if you are building a PC, you can get one easily.
It is worth noting that the full desktop version will be more powerful than the mobile version as there are certain limitations like cooling and power draw, compromising the power of these cards.
3050 Ti vs 1660 Ti: Video Output And Ports
The next phase of my article discusses the ports on the GPUs and your ability to connect external monitors. As we are talking about Laptop chips here, there will be certain limitations, unlike those on the desktop versions.
First off, it is entirely dependent on the manufacturer to determine how many videos out ports you will get, so I will look at the laptops at my disposal and share with you how many monitors I can connect to get a display signal.
The laptop equipped with the RTX 3050 Ti has one HDMI 2.1 port and one Displayport 1.4a. This means I can connect two monitors to my laptop and use them simultaneously with the built-in screen.
The 1660 Ti laptop also has the same amount of ports, one being an HDMI 2.1 and the other being a DisplayPort 1,4a.
3050 Ti vs 1660 Ti: Pricing And Availability
What I like the most about Gaming Laptops is that Cryptocurrency miners stay well away from them, as mining on these machines can mean a very early death for them and be very inefficient for their requirements.
I’m not too fond of the exorbitant price tags attached to gaming laptops, especially if you compare them to PCs. However, portability has a price, and many pay that price for convenience.
Many Laptop manufacturers sell machines equipped with the 3050 Ti and the 1660 Ti, and they are available at multiple price points. The cheapest 1660 Ti laptop I saw cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $600, which is a fair price.
However, 3050 Ti laptops cost a pretty penny, and you would be hard-pressed to find any that will be under $1000. So, keep that in mind while you are shopping for your next gaming laptop.
My Final Thoughts On It!
Laptop gaming is an expensive hobby, and many caveats are attached. You have to think about where you are gaming, which surface you have put your laptop on to the game on, and make sure that your fan ducts are not covered. This is so that your laptop does not get unbearably hot and shuts down to stabilize itself.
However, if you are someone that is going to buy a laptop to game, both the 3050 Ti and the 1660 Ti are solid options to game in 1080p.
If your budget allows it, you should go for the 3050 TI, which is the superior card and gives you more features than its competitor.
The 1660 Ti is not a bad choice either; however, if you can, it would be better if you get an equally specced PC for a lower price or a higher specced PC for the same price you were going to pay for a laptop.
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- 3050 ti vs 3060: (laptop GPUs compared)
- Nvidia 1660 Super vs 1660 Ti (The Winner)
- Nvidia RTX 3080 vs 3080 Ti In 2023
- RX 6800 XT vs RTX 3080 (2023 Updated)
