RTX 4070 Max-Q vs GTX 1660
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | RTX 4070 Max-Q | GTX 1660 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 8,159 | 1,760 | +363.6% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 74 | 31 | +138.7% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 45 | 17 | +164.7% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 25 | 9 | +177.8% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 20.4 | 5.0 | +305.6% |
| VRAM | 12 GB GDDR6X | 6 GB GDDR5 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 504 | 168 | +200.0% |
| TDP (W) | 90 | 120 | — |
- RTX 4070 Max-Q averages 45 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 165% faster.
- RTX 4070 Max-Q draws less power (90W vs 120W).
Verdict: RTX 4070 Max-Q or GTX 1660?
RTX 4070 Max-Q advantages
- 1440p gaming (+62%)
- 4K gaming (+64%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+78%)
- Video memory (+50%)
- Memory bandwidth (+67%)
- Power efficiency (+25%)
GTX 1660 advantages
- No decisive advantage on the tracked metrics.
Which should you choose?
- Choose the RTX 4070 Max-Q if you game at 1440p.
- Choose the RTX 4070 Max-Q if you game at 4K or drive a high-resolution display.
RTX 4070 Max-Q vs GTX 1660: which should you choose?
RTX 4070 Max-Q — NVIDIA laptop graphics card (2023, Ada Lovelace) with 12 GB of GDDR6X, averaging 45 fps at 1440p.
GTX 1660 — NVIDIA desktop graphics card (2019, Turing) with 6 GB of GDDR5, averaging 17 fps at 1440p; launched at $219.
RTX 4070 Max-Q vs GTX 1660: RTX 4070 Max-Q is faster for gaming. RTX 4070 Max-Q averages 45 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 165% faster. RTX 4070 Max-Q draws less power (90W vs 120W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the RTX 4070 Max-Q averages 45 fps against 17. At 4K (25 vs 9 fps) VRAM (12GB vs 6GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 90 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 RTX 4070 Max-Q better than the GTX 1660?
RTX 4070 Max-Q is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. RTX 4070 Max-Q averages 45 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 165% faster.
What is the main difference between the RTX 4070 Max-Q and the GTX 1660?
RTX 4070 Max-Q averages 45 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 165% faster. RTX 4070 Max-Q draws less power (90W vs 120W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the RTX 4070 Max-Q if you game at 1440p. Choose the RTX 4070 Max-Q if you game at 4K or drive a high-resolution display.
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.