AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660: real performance and FPS — which is better? Full comparison
Detailed gaming performance comparison
Reference CPU: Intel Core i5-13400
We compare the RX 5500 XT and the GTX 1660 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 GTX 1660 is ~20% faster than the RX 5500 XT on average at 1080p. On top of that, the RX 5500 XT is 9% cheaper (launch price).
RX 5500 XT
- Index (1080p)
- 24/100
- VRAM
- 8 GB
- Price (MSRP)
- $199 · ≈ €183
- $/FPS (value)
- $7.96 · ≈ €7.32
- Upscaling
- FSR
GTX 1660
- Index (1080p)
- 29/100
- VRAM
- 6 GB
- Price (MSRP)
- $219 · ≈ €201
- $/FPS (value)
- $7.30 · ≈ €6.72
- 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 | RX 5500 XT | GTX 1660 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 25 | 30 | +20% |
| 1440p | 16 | 20 | +25% |
| 4K | 6 | 8 | +33% |
Which one for your resolution?
GTX 1660 is the best pick at all three resolutions, averaging 26% more FPS.
Specifications
Side-by-side specs of the RX 5500 XT and GTX 1660: VRAM, power draw (TDP), performance index and launch price. The better value in each row is highlighted in blue.
| Spec | RX 5500 XT | GTX 1660 |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | AMD | NVIDIA |
| VRAM | 8 GB | 6 GB |
| TDP | 130W | 120W |
| Tier | Entry-level | Mid-range |
| Score 1080p | 24 | 29 |
| Score 1440p | 17 | 22 |
| Score 4K | 8 | 11 |
| Price (MSRP) | $199 | $219 |
| Architecture | RDNA 1 | Turing |
| Process Node | TSMC 7nm | TSMC 12nm |
| Shading Units (CUDA/Stream) | 1408 | 1408 |
| RT Cores | — | — |
| Texture Units (TMUs) | 88 | 88 |
| ROPs | 32 | 48 |
| Base Clock | 1607 MHz | 1530 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1845 MHz | 1785 MHz |
| FP32 Performance (Teraflops) | 5.2 TFLOPS | 5.03 TFLOPS |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Clock | 14000 MHz | 8000 MHz |
| Memory Bus | 128-bit | 192-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 224 GB/s | 192 GB/s |
| PCIe Version | PCIe 4.0 | PCIe 3.0 |
| Transistor Count | 6.4B | 6.6B |
| Release Date | 2019-12-12 | 2019-03-14 |
Power & efficiency
TDP doesn't tell the whole story: here's how much each GPU delivers per watt it draws.
RX 5500 XT
- TDP
- 130W
- FPS/W
- 0.19
GTX 1660
- TDP
- 120W
- FPS/W
- 0.25
The GTX 1660 is more efficient: it draws 10W less and delivers more per watt, though the GTX 1660 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 | RX 5500 XT | GTX 1660 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 28 | 34 | GTX 1660 |
 | 26 | 31 | GTX 1660 |
 | 21 | 25 | GTX 1660 |
 | 22 | 26 | GTX 1660 |
 | 23 | 27 | GTX 1660 |
| 21 | 26 | GTX 1660 | |
 | 27 | 32 | GTX 1660 |
 | 28 | 34 | GTX 1660 |
 | 31 | 38 | GTX 1660 |
 | 25 | 30 | GTX 1660 |
Verdict
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 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 GTX 1660 comes out ahead by around 20% 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 RX 5500 XT with the GTX 1660.
Which is better, the RX 5500 XT or the GTX 1660?
On average at 1080p, the GTX 1660 is 20% faster than the RX 5500 XT. 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 RX 5500 XT averages 6 FPS and the GTX 1660 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 20% at 1080p. At higher resolutions (1440p and 4K) the relative difference usually stays similar.
5500 XT vs 1660: what's the real difference?
In performance, the GTX 1660 beats the RX 5500 XT by around 20% 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 5500 XT and the 1660 on price, the price and $/FPS section above can help you decide.
