NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 — Specs & Performance Compared
Verdict: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 on all 4 shared benchmarks on file, by 37% to 324%, including 180% in 3DMark Time Spy (15,477 vs 5,521). On llama3.1:8b, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 generates 79.2 tokens/s (per LocalScore (Mozilla Builders)) against 16.7 for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 (per Databasemart Blog), best community run on file for each.
Side-by-side GPU comparison of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080. Released 2019 (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660), 2020 (NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080). MSRP range: $219 · $699. Specs, synthetic benchmarks, AI inference tok/s, and Amazon availability below; each column header links to that part's benchmark page.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
*Price sourced from Amazon.com. Price and availability subject to change.
Where to buy
A listing for each part; the current price and stock are on the retailer's page.
Specs side-by-side
| Spec | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 |
|---|---|---|
| vram gb | 6 | 10 |
| vram type | GDDR5 | GDDR6X |
| tdp w | 120 | 320 |
| cuda cores | 1408 | 8704 |
Synthetic benchmarks
Each row says whether a higher or a lower number is better (ranks and times are lower-is-better). Scores come from 3DMark, Wccftech, Moor Insights & Strategy, HWBOT, TopCPU.net, CpuTronic and Legit Reviews; each row links its sources, and where they differ the cell shows their median. Empty cells mean we don't yet have that benchmark on file for the SKU.
| Benchmark | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Fire Strike (higher is better) Source: 3DMark |
12,365 points | — |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Extreme (graphics score) (higher is better) Source: Wccftech |
— | 21,100 points |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra (graphics score) (higher is better) Source: Wccftech |
— | 10,100 points |
| 3DMark Port Royal (higher is better) Source: Moor Insights & Strategy, 3DMark, Wccftech |
— | 11,960 points |
| 3DMark Pure Ray Tracing Feature Test (average fps) (higher is better) Source: Wccftech |
— | 48 fps |
| 3DMark Speed Way (higher is better) Source: HWBOT, TopCPU.net, 3DMark |
— | 4,969 points |
| 3DMark Speed Way (graphics score) (higher is better) Source: Wccftech |
— | 4,500 points |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad (higher is better) Source: 3DMark, CpuTronic |
1,047 points | 4,443 points |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad (DX12 graphics score) (higher is better) Source: 3DMark |
— | 4,442 points |
| 3DMark Time Spy (higher is better) Source: Moor Insights & Strategy, 3DMark, TopCPU.net, CpuTronic, Legit Reviews |
5,521 points | 15,477 points |
| 3DMark Time Spy (graphics score) (higher is better) Source: Wccftech |
— | 17,800 points |
| 3DMark Time Spy Extreme (higher is better) Source: Moor Insights & Strategy |
— | 7,950 points |
AI inference (tokens/sec)
Top community-reported tokens-per-second results for popular LLMs whose weights fit the card's memory, each linked to its source. See the per-SKU benchmark page for the full set including quantization and prompt length.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660
- qwen3:0.6b: 47.1 tok/s (LocalLLaMA)
- llama2:7b: 41.4 tok/s (knightli.com)
- llama2:7b: 41.4 tok/s (llama.cpp GitHub CUDA Performance Discussion)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
- llama2:7b: 139.7 tok/s (llama.cpp GitHub Discussion #15013)
- llama2:7b: 139.7 tok/s (llama.cpp GitHub (CUDA performance scoreboard))
- llama2:7b: 139.7 tok/s (llama.cpp GitHub Discussion #15013)
Quick answers
Which is faster, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 or the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080?
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 on all 4 shared benchmarks on file, by 37% to 324%, including 180% in 3DMark Time Spy (15,477 vs 5,521).
Which is better for running local LLMs?
On llama3.1:8b, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 generates 79.2 tokens/s (per LocalScore (Mozilla Builders)) against 16.7 for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 (per Databasemart Blog), best community run on file for each.
What did the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 cost at launch?
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 launched at a $219 MSRP and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 at $699. Street prices drift from launch pricing; the Where to buy section links current listings.
Keep exploring
More guides & deep dives from the SpecPicks archive
Browse all articles & guides →- RTX 4070 Super vs RX 7800 XT — Which to Buy in 2026
- The Complete Voodoo5 5500 AGP Driver Guide (2026 Edition)
- Best 1440p Gaming GPUs in 2026
- Emulation Hardware in 2026: FPGA, Software, and Cart-Reader Ecosystems
- Best Budget Gaming PC Build 2026 — ~$1,000 Parts List
- Best Retro Handhelds in 2026 — From $35 to $500
- How to Build a Windows 98 Retro PC in 2026
More reviews from the SpecPicks archive
Browse all reviews →- Why AI Memory Bandwidth Matters: From Micron's HBM to Your GDDR6
- KOORUI 27" QD-Mini LED vs Samsung Odyssey 27" 4K: Which 4K Panel for Console + PC?
- Dumping and Imaging Vintage IDE and CompactFlash Drives in 2026: A Safe Workflow
- Intel Arc for Stable Diffusion: ComfyUI + A1111 setup (2026)
- Quiet RTX 3060 12GB Local LLM Box: Build Notes from a Real Setup
- Cyberdeck Raspberry Pi 4/5 Mini Music Workstation Build Guide
- Best Budget 4K Gaming Monitor Under $400 in 2026: SANSUI vs KOORUI Mini-LED
- Active Quake 3 and OpenArena Servers in 2026: How to Find, Join, and Host
- Local LLM Benchmarks 2025: AMD Instinct vs Radeon Pro
- Best Steam Deck Docked Setup for a 4K Desk in 2026: Dock, Monitor, Storage
- Best Racing Wheel Under $300: Logitech G29 vs HORI Force Feedback
- Sega Saved Nvidia in 1996: The NV1 Gamble That Shaped Every GPU
- A New Benchmark Says AI Fails at Real Knowledge Work — Does a Bigger Local Rig Help?
- GPU & CPU Upgrade ROI: Cost-per-FPS Calculator Guide
- Intel LLM-Scaler vLLM 1.4 on Arc Pro B70: What the Latest Driver Stack Means for Local Inference
- Razer Soma Chroma Gaming Chair Review: RGB vs. Adjustability
- Best Webcam for Twitch Streaming on a Budget in 2026
- Period-Correct 2001 Pentium III Build: Sound Blaster Audigy Era Synthesis
- Best Uses for Old RAM Sticks in 2025
- Best Budget Sim Racing Wheel: Logitech G29 vs HORI vs Thrustmaster
- Best Cooler for the Ryzen 7 5800X: Noctua NH-U12S vs Cooler Master ML240L
- Ryzen 5 5600G for Local LLMs: iGPU + CPU Inference in 2026
- How to run DeepSeek-R1 32B on Apple M3 Ultra
- Anthropic Shutdown Reignites the AI-Sovereignty Debate — and the Case for Local Inference
More buying guides from SpecPicks
Browse all buying guides →- Best GPUs for 4K Gaming in 2026
- Best NVMe SSDs for Gaming in 2026
- Best CPUs for Content Creators in 2026
- Best Retro Gaming Consoles & Handhelds for 2026
- Best Gaming Monitors for 2026
- Best PC Cases for Building in 2026
- Best GPU for Running 27B-32B Local LLMs in 2026
- Best CPUs for Gaming in 2026
- Best Gaming Mice for 2026
- Best DDR5 RAM for Gaming PCs in 2026
- Best AM5 Motherboards for 2026
- Best CPU Coolers for 2026
- Best 4K Monitors for Content Creators in 2026
- Best Mechanical Keyboards for Gaming in 2026
- Best Tools for Building and Repairing Retro PCs in 2026
- Best NVMe External Enclosures for 2026
- Best Graphics Cards for Gaming in 2026
- Best Controllers for PC Gaming in 2026
- Best GPUs for Running Local LLMs in 2026
- Best External SSDs for Content Creators in 2026
- Best 1440p 240Hz Gaming Monitors in 2026
Hardware benchmark data on SpecPicks
All benchmarks →- AMD Ryzen 3 5425U — benchmarks & specs
- AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9960X 24-Cores — benchmarks & specs
- AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G — benchmarks & specs
- AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5645 — benchmarks & specs
- RTX 5000 Ada Generation — benchmarks & specs
- Ryzen 7 9700X — benchmarks & specs
- Ryzen 5 9600X — benchmarks & specs
- Google Coral USB Accelerator — benchmarks & specs
- AMD Ryzen 5 5500GT — benchmarks & specs
- Intel 865 Chipset Motherboard — benchmarks & specs
- Samsung 990 PRO 2TB — benchmarks & specs
- Radeon RX 6550M — benchmarks & specs
- Radeon RX 6500 XT — benchmarks & specs
- AMD Ryzen 9 7940H — benchmarks & specs
- Ryzen 3 3100 — benchmarks & specs
- GeForce RTX 6080 — benchmarks & specs
- AMD Instinct MI210 64GB — benchmarks & specs
- Apple M3 Ultra — benchmarks & specs
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER — benchmarks & specs
- AMD Ryzen 9 9850HX — benchmarks & specs
- AMD Ryzen 5 7400 — benchmarks & specs
- Ryzen 7 2700X — benchmarks & specs
- AMD Radeon Pro W7800 32GB — benchmarks & specs
- Radeon RX 6600 LE — benchmarks & specs

