AMD Radeon HD 7730M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti vs AMD Radeon HD 7730M

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data shows a single recorded head-to-head comparison, and it belongs entirely to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the GTX 1660 Ti scores 51,029 against the HD 7730M’s 6,581, a delta of 675.4%. That is not a close contest; it is a generational gap expressed in raw compute throughput. The GTX 1660 Ti wins the only direct comparison, and the database records 1 win for NVIDIA and 0 for AMD in this matchup.

Looking at overall averages, the GTX 1660 Ti holds an average benchmark score of 7,723 across all recorded tests, placing it in the 41st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals by average score include the AMD Radeon 540 at 7,673 (0.7% behind), the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 at 7,580 (1.9% behind), and the AMD Radeon R7 250 at 7,557 (2.2% behind). These are close calls, meaning the GTX 1660 Ti sits in a crowded mid-range band where small percentage differences separate cards.

The AMD Radeon HD 7730M, by contrast, has only one recorded benchmark, the Geekbench OpenCL score of 6,581, which also serves as its average. That places it in the 38th percentile. Its nearest rivals are the Intel UHD Graphics P750 at 6,554 (0.4% behind), the AMD Radeon R7 M460 at 6,612 (0.5% ahead), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M at 6,513 (1% behind). The HD 7730M is effectively trading blows with integrated and older mobile parts, not competing with the GTX 1660 Ti.

For use cases, the GTX 1660 Ti is the only option with meaningful performance for modern workloads. The HD 7730M’s single OpenCL score suggests it can handle basic compute tasks, but the 675.4% deficit means any GPU-accelerated application will run dramatically slower. If the workload is OpenCL compute, the GTX 1660 Ti wins outright. If the workload is anything else, the HD 7730M has no recorded data to support a win.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different eras and different design philosophies. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti uses the TU116 chip built on Turing architecture, fabricated on TSMC’s 12 nm process. It packs 6,600 million transistors into a 284 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 23.2 million per mm². The AMD Radeon HD 7730M uses the Chelsea chip based on GCN 1.0 architecture, also from TSMC but on a 28 nm process. It contains 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, with a density of 12.2 million per mm².

The process node difference is significant: 12 nm versus 28 nm. That alone explains a large portion of the performance gap, as the newer node allows more transistors in less space and higher clock speeds at lower power. The GTX 1660 Ti has 1,536 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 raster operations units. The HD 7730M has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. In every parallel execution resource, the NVIDIA card has exactly three times the count.

Clock speeds amplify that resource advantage. The GTX 1660 Ti runs at a base clock of 1500 MHz and boosts to 1770 MHz. The HD 7730M runs at 575 MHz base and 675 MHz boost. Combined with the higher shader count, the GTX 1660 Ti delivers 5.437 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, while the HD 7730M manages 691.2 GFLOPS. That is roughly a 7.9x raw compute advantage, which matches the OpenCL benchmark delta.

Memory architecture differs as well. The GTX 1660 Ti uses 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, yielding 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 7730M uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 28.80 GB/s. That is a 10x bandwidth difference, which matters for texture-heavy workloads and higher resolutions. The GTX 1660 Ti also supports FP16 at 10.87 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while the HD 7730M has no recorded FP16 capability.

API support shows the GTX 1660 Ti is more modern: DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The HD 7730M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both lack ray tracing and tensor cores, as neither chip includes those units. The GTX 1660 Ti uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the HD 7730M uses PCIe 2.0 x16, which further limits data transfer for the older card.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is the superior GPU for any compute or graphics workload that appears in the database. Its OpenCL score of 51,029 versus 6,581 represents a 675.4% lead over the HD 7730M. The GTX 1660 Ti also has a richer benchmark profile, with scores across DirectX 9, 10, 11, 12, OpenCL, Vulkan, and 2D tests, while the HD 7730M has only the single OpenCL result.

Pick the GTX 1660 Ti if you need a card that can handle modern APIs, high bandwidth, and substantial compute throughput. It sits in the 41st percentile, near rivals like the AMD Radeon 540 and Radeon Pro WX 3100, but it outperforms them by small margins. Its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth make it viable for 1080p gaming and GPU-accelerated productivity tasks. The 120 W TDP and dual-slot cooler require a 300 W power supply and one 8-pin connector, which is reasonable for a desktop build.

Pick the HD 7730M only if you are constrained to a legacy mobile platform. It is a 25 W part with no recorded slot width, power connectors, or dimensions, typical of an integrated or low-power notebook GPU. Its 2 GB of DDR3 and 28.80 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for modern games or compute. The 38th percentile placement puts it near Intel UHD Graphics P750 and the GeForce GTX 670M, which are old or integrated parts. There is no scenario in the recorded data where the HD 7730M wins.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the GTX 1660 Ti in OpenCL?

A: The GTX 1660 Ti scores 51,029 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the HD 7730M scores 6,581, making the NVIDIA card 675.4% faster.

Q: Which GPU has more memory?

A: The GTX 1660 Ti has 6 GB of GDDR6, while the HD 7730M has 2 GB of DDR3.

Q: Do both GPUs support DirectX 12?

A: Yes, but at different levels. The GTX 1660 Ti supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the HD 7730M supports DirectX 12 (11_1).

Q: What is the process node difference?

A: The GTX 1660 Ti is built on 12 nm, while the HD 7730M is built on 28 nm, both using TSMC as the foundry.

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The GTX 1660 Ti has an average benchmark score of 7,723, compared to the HD 7730M’s 6,581.

Q: Are there any benchmarks where the HD 7730M wins?

A: No. The database records 1 win for the GTX 1660 Ti and 0 wins for the HD 7730M.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct head-to-head test in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. The GTX 1660 Ti scores 51,029, and the HD 7730M scores 6,581. The delta is 675.4%, meaning the GTX 1660 Ti delivers more than seven times the OpenCL performance. This is not a marginal improvement; it is a complete mismatch. For context, the GTX 1660 Ti’s nearest rivals by average score are within 2.3% of its own average, while the HD 7730M’s nearest rivals are within 1.4% of its average. The gap between the two cards is far larger than the gaps within their respective peer groups.

The GTX 1660 Ti also has additional benchmark results that the HD 7730M lacks entirely. In PassMark G3D, it scores 12,871. In PassMark G2D, it scores 804. In PassMark GPU Compute, it scores 5,226. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 1,061. In Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 5,827. The HD 7730M has no recorded results for any of these tests, so comparisons are impossible. The only measurable overlap is OpenCL, and the GTX 1660 Ti dominates there.

The pixel rate and texture rate tell the same story. The GTX 1660 Ti achieves 84.96 GPixel/s and 169.9 GTexel/s. The HD 7730M achieves 10.80 GPixel/s and 21.60 GTexel/s. Both are roughly 7.9x higher on the NVIDIA card, consistent with the FP32 compute ratio. Memory bandwidth is even more lopsided: 288.0 GB/s versus 28.80 GB/s, a 10x difference. Any workload that saturates memory will see the GTX 1660 Ti pull further ahead.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti | AMD Radeon HD 7730M |

|----------------|----------------------------|----------------------|

| Architecture | Turing | GCN 1.0 |

| Process Node | 12 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 6,600 million | 1,500 million |

| Die Size | 284 mm² | 123 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 23.2M / mm² | 12.2M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1500 MHz | 575 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1770 MHz | 675 MHz |

| Memory Size | 6 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | DDR3 |

| Memory Bus Width | 192 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 288.0 GB/s | 28.80 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1536 | 512 |

| TMUs | 96 | 32 |

| ROPs | 48 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 84.96 GPixel/s | 10.80 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 169.9 GTexel/s | 21.60 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 5.437 TFLOPS | 691.2 GFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 10.87 TFLOPS (2:1) | Not recorded |

| TDP | 120 W | 25 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_1) | 12 (11_1) |

| OpenGL Support | 4.6 | 4.6 |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

| Release Date | 2019-02-21 | 2012-04-23 |

The GTX 1660 Ti has a launch MSRP of 279 USD. The HD 7730M has no recorded launch MSRP. The GTX 1660 Ti is dual-slot with a 229 mm length, 111 mm height, and 35 mm width, requiring one 8-pin power connector and a 300 W power supply. The HD 7730M has no recorded dimensions, slot width, power connectors, or suggested PSU, consistent with its mobile design. Display outputs differ too: the GTX 1660 Ti offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the HD 7730M is listed as portable device dependent.