R9 M290X vs GTX 1660
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | R9 M290X | GTX 1660 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 805 | 1,760 | -54.3% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 25 | 31 | -19.4% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 13 | 17 | -23.5% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 7 | 9 | -22.2% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 2.3 | 5.0 | -54.3% |
| VRAM | 4 GB GDDR5 | 6 GB GDDR5 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 154 | 168 | -8.3% |
| TDP (W) | 100 | 120 | — |
- GTX 1660 averages 17 fps at 1440p versus 13 fps — about 24% faster.
- R9 M290X draws less power (100W vs 120W).
Verdict: R9 M290X or GTX 1660?
R9 M290X advantages
- Power efficiency (+17%)
GTX 1660 advantages
- 1440p gaming (+24%)
- 4K gaming (+22%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+54%)
- Video memory (+33%)
- Memory bandwidth (+8%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the R9 M290X if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
- Choose the GTX 1660 if you game at 1440p.
R9 M290X vs GTX 1660: which should you choose?
R9 M290X — AMD desktop graphics card (2014, GCN 1.0) with 4 GB of GDDR5, averaging 13 fps at 1440p.
GTX 1660 — NVIDIA desktop graphics card (2019, Turing) with 6 GB of GDDR5, averaging 17 fps at 1440p; launched at $219.
R9 M290X vs GTX 1660: GTX 1660 is faster for gaming. GTX 1660 averages 17 fps at 1440p versus 13 fps — about 24% faster. R9 M290X draws less power (100W vs 120W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the GTX 1660 averages 17 fps against 13. At 4K (7 vs 9 fps) VRAM (4GB vs 6GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 100 W versus 120 W, which affects PSU headroom, case cooling and noise.
The verdict
Both are credible choices in the graphics card comparison space; the specification table above lays out every metric so you can weigh the trade-offs that matter to you. Pick the one whose strengths line up with how you will actually use it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the R9 M290X better than the GTX 1660?
GTX 1660 is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. GTX 1660 averages 17 fps at 1440p versus 13 fps — about 24% faster.
What is the main difference between the R9 M290X and the GTX 1660?
GTX 1660 averages 17 fps at 1440p versus 13 fps — about 24% faster. R9 M290X draws less power (100W vs 120W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the R9 M290X if you want lower power draw, heat and noise. Choose the GTX 1660 if you game at 1440p.
Methodology
Graphics cards are compared on 3DMark Time Spy scores, average gaming frame rates at 1080p/1440p/4K, FP32 compute throughput, VRAM capacity and type, memory bandwidth, board power (TDP) and launch MSRP — plus AI workload throughput (Stable Diffusion iterations/s and local LLM tokens/s) where measured. Vintage and server GPUs without modern benchmark results are compared on specifications only, clearly labelled. Frame rates are averages across a game suite at high settings; specific titles vary.