What CPU should I pair with a GeForce GTX 1660?
At 1080p the best match from our database is the Core i3-8100F, which leaves only 51.6% of the combined potential unused and lands around 26 fps in a typical AAA title. The table above lists five more, ranked by how little each pairing wastes rather than by raw speed.
Bear in mind that the right processor depends on the resolution you play at. At 1440p and 4K the card does proportionally more of the work, so a cheaper chip than the one listed will keep up — the pairing only gets tighter as resolution falls. At 4K this card is 99% utilised, so almost any modern processor is sufficient.
What to expect from a GeForce GTX 1660
This card sits in the lower part of the range we model. It will run modern titles at 1080p with settings turned down, and it will be the limiting component in almost any pairing — which means there is no sense pairing it with an expensive processor.
If frame rates are disappointing, the card is where an upgrade will help. Nothing else in the system is holding it back.
6 GB is this card's real limit
8 of the 16 titles we model exceed 6 GB at 1440p and high settings. On this card memory, not shader throughput, is the thing that will make modern games stutter. Texture quality is the setting to lower first, and it usually costs less visual fidelity than the alternatives.
A note on age
Released in 2019, this card is 7 years old. Beyond raw speed, older hardware misses features newer engines increasingly assume — mesh shaders, hardware ray tracing, and the newest upscalers. A modern title may run worse than these numbers suggest, or refuse to launch, for reasons the model cannot see.
Is 6 GB of VRAM enough for the GeForce GTX 1660?
Not everywhere. At 1440p on the high preset, 6 GB falls short in 8 of the 16 titles we model. Running out of video memory causes frame time spikes rather than a smooth drop in the average, so it feels worse than the numbers suggest.
What bottlenecks a GeForce GTX 1660?
At 1080p this card is normally the limiting component itself. At 4K it is 99% utilised, meaning nearly all the work sits on the card and the processor barely matters.
Where it sits
Ranked 96 of 126 desktop cards we model. Nearest faster: Arc 5 A580 , Radeon RX 590 . Just below: GeForce GTX 1660 Super , GeForce RTX 3050 6 GB . Full method on the methodology page.