Choosing a budget graphics card often leads straight to two legendary names: the AMD Radeon RX 580 and the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super. If you are building an entry-level gaming rig or reviving an older system, you want solid frame rates without wasting cash.
The short answer is that the GTX 1660 Super delivers roughly 20 to 40 percent faster gaming performance and much better power efficiency, while the RX 580 often counters with a lower price tag and 8GB of VRAM. Let us break down how they actually stack up so you can pick the right card for your setup.
Architecture and Core Specifications
Under the hood, these cards represent different eras of budget engineering.
The AMD Radeon RX 580 launched on the Polaris architecture. It features 2,304 stream processors and packs 8GB of GDDR5 memory across a 256-bit bus. That large memory buffer was ahead of its time, giving it long-term breathing room for high-resolution texture packs. However, it relies on an older 14nm manufacturing process.
The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super arrived later on the Turing architecture using a tighter 12nm process. It scales back to 1,408 CUDA cores and 6GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. Despite having fewer stream processors and less raw VRAM, the shift to faster GDDR6 memory and a more efficient core design allows it to push data much faster.
You can review official architecture breakdowns directly through Nvidia and AMD for deeper technical data sheets.
1080p Gaming Performance and Benchmarks
At standard 1080p resolution, the GTX 1660 Super pulls ahead in almost every modern game title.
In competitive esports titles like Counter-Strike 2 or Valorant, both cards will easily clear high refresh rate targets if paired with a capable CPU. But when you load up demanding AAA single-player games, the GTX 1660 Super maintains a stable frame rate well above 60 FPS, whereas the RX 580 often requires you to drop settings from High to Medium to avoid stuttering.
That performance gap stems from architectural efficiency. Nvidia's Turing chips handle complex shader workloads more cleanly than older Polaris cards, meaning smoother frame pacing even when average frame rates look close.
Power Consumption, Heat, and PSU Requirements
Efficiency is where the generational gap becomes impossible to ignore.
- AMD Radeon RX 580: Draws a hefty 185 watts under full load. It runs warmer, exhausts more heat into your chassis, and typically demands a reliable 500-watt power supply.
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super: Consumes just 125 watts. It runs cooler, puts less strain on your system fans, and runs comfortably on a modest 400-watt power supply.
If your current PC build has a restrictive case with poor airflow or a lower-wattage power supply unit, the GTX 1660 Super presents a much safer plug-and-play option.
VRAM Capacity and Future-Proofing
The RX 580 holds one clear numerical advantage: its 8GB of VRAM versus the 6GB found on the GTX 1660 Super.
At first glance, 8GB sounds superior for modern gaming. However, raw VRAM capacity only matters if the GPU core has the processing power to render settings that actually fill that memory buffer. Because the RX 580 core usually runs out of computing power before the 8GB buffer becomes a bottleneck, the practical impact is minor at 1080p.
That said, if you plan to dabble in local AI image generation, video editing, or heavy texture modification mods, the extra 2GB of VRAM on the RX 580 gives it a slight utility edge for non-gaming tasks.
Pricing and Market Value
Because both cards are older generations, you won't find them brand new on retail shelves very often. Instead, you'll shop the used market or clearance stock.
- RX 580: Frequently found on the used market at very aggressive discount prices. If you're building an ultra-budget rig for under a few hundred dollars total, finding a cheap RX 580 is hard to beat for raw cost-per-frame.
- GTX 1660 Super: Commands a slightly higher used price because of its superior performance and efficiency. Even with that price bump, it usually wins on overall value if the price gap remains small.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the GTX 1660 Super compatible with older motherboards?
Yes. Both cards use a standard PCI Express 3.0 interface. They are fully backward and forward compatible with almost any PCIe slot built in the last decade, provided your motherboard BIOS is up to date.
Can either of these GPUs handle ray tracing?
Technically, the GTX 1660 series received software support for ray tracing via driver updates, but neither card has the dedicated RT cores required to run ray-traced games at playable frame rates. Turn ray tracing off for both cards.
Which card is better for video editing and content creation?
The GTX 1660 Super generally performs better in creative applications like Adobe Premiere Pro or Blender due to Nvidia's robust NVENC encoder and superior compute optimization. However, apps heavily constrained by VRAM can occasionally benefit from the RX 580's 8GB buffer.
Do I need to reinstall my drivers when switching between them?
Yes. If you switch from an AMD card to an Nvidia card, you should use a utility like Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) in safe mode to wipe old driver files completely before installing the new card to avoid conflicts.
