NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti: real performance and FPS — which is better? Full comparison
Detailed gaming performance comparison
Reference CPU: Intel Core i5-13400
We compare the RTX 3050 and the GTX 1660 Ti with real FPS across the most popular games at 1080p, 1440p and 4K, plus specs, launch price and AI upscaling support (DLSS/FSR/XeSS). See at a glance which is better for your resolution and budget.
The RTX 3050 is ~6% faster than the GTX 1660 Ti on average at 1080p. On top of that, the RTX 3050 is 11% cheaper (launch price).
RTX 3050
- Index (1080p)
- 33/100
- VRAM
- 8 GB
- Price (MSRP)
- $249 · ≈ €229
- $/FPS (value)
- $7.11 · ≈ €6.55
- Upscaling
- DLSS
GTX 1660 Ti
- Index (1080p)
- 32/100
- VRAM
- 6 GB
- Price (MSRP)
- $279 · ≈ €257
- $/FPS (value)
- $8.45 · ≈ €7.78
- Upscaling
- FSR
Average FPS by resolution
Estimated average FPS for each graphics card across the most popular games. The gap usually shows at 1080p and 1440p; at 4K both lose smoothness and upscaling (DLSS/FSR) helps.
| Resolution | RTX 3050 | GTX 1660 Ti | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 35 | 33 | +6% |
| 1440p | 23 | 23 | = |
| 4K | 10 | 8 | +25% |
Which one for your resolution?
RTX 3050 (+6%)
Tie
RTX 3050 (+25%)
Specifications
Side-by-side specs of the RTX 3050 and GTX 1660 Ti: VRAM, power draw (TDP), performance index and launch price. The better value in each row is highlighted in blue.
| Spec | RTX 3050 | GTX 1660 Ti |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | NVIDIA | NVIDIA |
| VRAM | 8 GB | 6 GB |
| TDP | 130W | 120W |
| Tier | Entry-level | Mid-range |
| Score 1080p | 33 | 32 |
| Score 1440p | 25 | 25 |
| Score 4K | 14 | 12 |
| Price (MSRP) | $249 | $279 |
| Architecture | Ampere | Turing |
| Process Node | Samsung 8nm | TSMC 12nm |
| Shading Units (CUDA/Stream) | 2560 | 1536 |
| RT Cores | 20 | — |
| Texture Units (TMUs) | 80 | 96 |
| ROPs | 32 | 48 |
| Base Clock | 1552 MHz | 1500 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1777 MHz | 1770 MHz |
| FP32 Performance (Teraflops) | 9.1 TFLOPS | 5.44 TFLOPS |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR6 |
| Memory Clock | 14000 MHz | 12000 MHz |
| Memory Bus | 128-bit | 192-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 224 GB/s | 288 GB/s |
| PCIe Version | PCIe 4.0 | PCIe 3.0 |
| Transistor Count | 12.0B | 6.6B |
| Release Date | 2022-01-27 | 2019-02-22 |
Power & efficiency
TDP doesn't tell the whole story: here's how much each GPU delivers per watt it draws.
RTX 3050
- TDP
- 130W
- FPS/W
- 0.27
GTX 1660 Ti
- TDP
- 120W
- FPS/W
- 0.28
The GTX 1660 Ti is more efficient: it draws 10W less and delivers more per watt, though the RTX 3050 is still the faster card overall.
What FPS do these GPUs get in your game?
Pick the GPU and the game, and we'll take you straight to its real FPS.
Pick the GPU
Gaming Performance
Per-game FPS detail at 1080p Ultra. The graphics card that wins each title is highlighted in blue.
| Game | RTX 3050 | GTX 1660 Ti | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 38 | 37 | RTX 3050 |
 | 36 | 34 | RTX 3050 |
 | 28 | 27 | RTX 3050 |
 | 30 | 29 | RTX 3050 |
 | 31 | 30 | RTX 3050 |
| 30 | 29 | RTX 3050 | |
 | 37 | 36 | RTX 3050 |
 | 38 | 37 | RTX 3050 |
 | 43 | 41 | RTX 3050 |
 | 34 | 33 | RTX 3050 |
Verdict
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 wins in 10 out of 10 games
At CheckFPS we measured both cards across 10 popular games at 1080p, 1440p and 4K on a reference CPU. The RTX 3050 comes out ahead by around 6% more FPS on average, and that lead holds up as resolution climbs. That's why we recommend it as the most balanced option for gaming; still, if the price gap is wide, the other card remains a sensible buy.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions when comparing the RTX 3050 with the GTX 1660 Ti.
Which is better, the RTX 3050 or the GTX 1660 Ti?
On average at 1080p, the RTX 3050 is 6% faster than the GTX 1660 Ti. The best one for you depends on your resolution, budget and whether you prioritise ray tracing or price.
Which is better at 4K?
At 4K Ultra, the RTX 3050 averages 10 FPS and the GTX 1660 Ti 8 FPS across the most popular games. For smooth 4K, enabling upscaling (DLSS/FSR) helps on both.
Is it worth paying more for the faster one?
At 1080p or 1440p the FPS gap may not justify the extra cost; at 4K or with ray tracing the faster card matters more. Check the by-resolution table to decide.
Which has better ray tracing and upscaling?
AI upscaling (DLSS on NVIDIA, FSR on AMD, XeSS on Intel) raises FPS on both; for ray tracing, GeForce RTX cards usually lead. See each card’s support above.
How big is the FPS difference between them?
On average across top games, the gap is around 6% at 1080p. At higher resolutions (1440p and 4K) the relative difference usually stays similar.
3050 vs 1660 Ti: what's the real difference?
In performance, the RTX 3050 beats the GTX 1660 Ti by around 6% more FPS on average at 1080p — the gap shifts a bit by resolution, as shown in the table above. If you're torn between the 3050 and the 1660 Ti on price, the price and $/FPS section above can help you decide.
