AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The data tells a one-sided story in raw compute workloads. The AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT wins both head-to-head benchmark comparisons, and it does so by a wide margin. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 5500 XT scores 46,965 against the GTX 660 Ti’s 15,113 — a delta of -67.8% from the NVIDIA card’s perspective, meaning the AMD part is roughly 3.1x faster. The Vulkan result is similarly lopsided: 44,191 for the RX 5500 XT versus 15,012 for the GTX 660 Ti, a -66% delta. Those are not incremental gains; they represent a generational leap in compute throughput.

Looking at the aggregate benchmark scores, the two cards sit at nearly the same percentile ranking. The GTX 660 Ti averages 15,063 across its benchmark suite, placing it in the 57th percentile of all GPUs. The RX 5500 XT averages 14,692, also landing in the 57th percentile. This parity in overall standing is notable because the head-to-head results show such a massive gap in specific tests. The explanation lies in the benchmark mix: the RX 5500 XT has a much broader test list, including Passmark DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 tests, plus Geekbench Metal, which pull its average down relative to its OpenCL and Vulkan peaks. The GTX 660 Ti’s average is built from just two Geekbench tests, both of which are its weakest relative to the AMD card.

The nearest-rival data adds context. The GTX 660 Ti’s closest competitor is the AMD Radeon Pro 560X, with an average score of 15,082 and a delta of -0.1%, meaning the two are effectively tied. The RX 5500 XT’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770, which scores 14,747 on average — the RX 5500 XT trails by just -0.4%. In other words, the RX 5500 XT performs like a slightly slower GTX 770 in aggregate, while the GTX 660 Ti performs like a slightly faster Radeon Pro 560X. The deltaPct values in the rival lists are all within ±2.1%, reinforcing that both cards are clustered with mid-range parts from their respective eras.

Where the RX 5500 XT truly separates itself is in raw FP32 throughput. The AMD card delivers 5.196 TFLOPS, exactly double the GTX 660 Ti’s 2.634 TFLOPS. That 2x compute advantage shows up directly in the OpenCL and Vulkan results. The texture and pixel rates tell a similar story: the RX 5500 XT hits 162.4 GTexel/s versus 109.8 GTexel/s for the GTX 660 Ti, and 59.04 GPixel/s versus 27.44 GPixel/s. The AMD card has fewer texture mapping units (88 versus 112) but makes up for it with far higher clock speeds, which is why its texture rate is still nearly 50% higher.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins the head-to-head benchmarks?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT wins both head-to-head tests. In Geekbench OpenCL it scores 46,965 versus 15,113 for the GTX 660 Ti, and in Geekbench Vulkan it scores 44,191 versus 15,012.

Q: How do their overall benchmark averages compare?

A: They are nearly identical. The GTX 660 Ti averages 15,063 and the RX 5500 XT averages 14,692. Both land in the 57th percentile of all GPUs, and each sits within about 2% of its nearest rivals.

Q: What explains the big OpenCL gap if their averages are so close?

A: The GTX 660 Ti’s average is based on only two Geekbench tests. The RX 5500 XT has a much larger benchmark set, including multiple Passmark DirectX tests and Geekbench Metal, which dilute its average despite its dominant OpenCL and Vulkan scores.

Q: Are the cards from the same manufacturing process?

A: No. The GTX 660 Ti uses a 28 nm process at TSMC, while the RX 5500 XT uses a 7 nm process, also at TSMC. The RX 5500 XT packs 6,400 million transistors into a 158 mm² die, versus 3,540 million transistors in a 294 mm² die for the GTX 660 Ti.

Q: How do memory specifications differ?

A: The RX 5500 XT has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 660 Ti has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus with 144.2 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 5500 XT also runs memory at 14 Gbps effective, versus 6 Gbps effective for the GTX 660 Ti.

Q: What are the power connector and PSU requirements?

A: The GTX 660 Ti requires dual 6-pin power connectors and a 450 W suggested PSU. The RX 5500 XT requires a single 8-pin connector and a 300 W suggested PSU. The RX 5500 XT also has a lower TDP at 130 W versus 150 W.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs spans nearly a decade of design philosophy. The GTX 660 Ti is built on NVIDIA’s Kepler architecture, using the GK104 chip fabricated on TSMC’s 28 nm node. It packs 3,540 million transistors into a 294 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.0M per mm². The RX 5500 XT is AMD’s RDNA 1.0 architecture, built on the Navi 14 chip at TSMC’s 7 nm node. It crams 6,400 million transistors into just 158 mm², achieving a density of 40.5M per mm² — more than three times the density of the Kepler chip. That density advantage is the physical foundation for the RX 5500 XT’s performance lead.

Clock speeds tell a stark story of process-node evolution. The GTX 660 Ti runs at a 915 MHz base and 980 MHz boost. The RX 5500 XT runs at 1,607 MHz base and 1,845 MHz boost, with a game clock of 1,717 MHz. Even without considering the architectural efficiency gains, the AMD card’s clocks are roughly 75-88% higher. This is why the RX 5500 XT achieves more than double the FP32 throughput despite having only 64 more shading units (1,408 versus 1,344).

Memory architecture differs fundamentally. The GTX 660 Ti uses GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus, with memory clocked at 1,502 MHz (6 Gbps effective) for 144.2 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 5500 XT uses GDDR6 on a narrower 128-bit bus, but runs memory at 1,750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) for 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The newer memory technology compensates for the narrower bus, delivering 55% more bandwidth. The RX 5500 XT also doubles VRAM capacity to 4 GB, which matters for modern texture-heavy workloads.

API support shows the generational divide. The GTX 660 Ti supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The RX 5500 XT supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The DirectX 12 feature level difference (11_0 versus 12_1) means the RX 5500 XT can handle newer rendering features that the Kepler card cannot. Neither card has dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores — those fields are null for both.

Physical design differs as well. The GTX 660 Ti is 241 mm (9.5 inches) long, while the RX 5500 XT is 180 mm (7.1 inches). Both are dual-slot cards. The GTX 660 Ti uses dual 6-pin power connectors and suggests a 450 W PSU; the RX 5500 XT uses a single 8-pin connector and suggests just 300 W. The RX 5500 XT’s TDP of 130 W is 20 W lower than the GTX 660 Ti’s 150 W, a remarkable achievement given its higher performance. Display outputs also reflect their eras: the GTX 660 Ti offers 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2; the RX 5500 XT offers 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear generational winner. The AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT dominates every head-to-head benchmark, delivers double the FP32 compute, has twice the VRAM, and consumes less power. Its 7 nm process yields a smaller, denser, faster chip that runs at much higher clocks. For anyone choosing between these two based purely on performance, the RX 5500 XT is the only rational pick.

That said, the GTX 660 Ti is not without a statistical claim to relevance. Its average benchmark score of 15,063 is slightly higher than the RX 5500 XT’s 14,692, even though both sit at the same 57th percentile. That aggregate edge comes from the GTX 660 Ti’s limited benchmark set, which happens to favor its strengths. But the head-to-head results — the only direct comparisons available — show the RX 5500 XT winning by 66-68%. No reasonable interpretation of the data favors the Kepler card in real-world compute workloads.

The nearest-rival analysis reinforces this. The RX 5500 XT sits within 0.4% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770, a card from a later generation than the GTX 660 Ti. The GTX 660 Ti sits within 0.1% of the AMD Radeon Pro 560X, a mobile workstation part. In the performance hierarchy implied by the data, the RX 5500 XT occupies a higher tier.

Pick the RX 5500 XT if you need raw compute performance, higher memory bandwidth, greater VRAM capacity, modern API support, or lower power draw. Pick the GTX 660 Ti only if your workload is specifically tied to its exact benchmark profile — and even then, the data shows it loses the only direct comparisons available. The RX 5500 XT is the better GPU by nearly every measurable metric in the fact pack.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti | AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT |

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

| Architecture | Kepler | RDNA 1.0 |

| Chip | GK104 | Navi 14 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 7 nm |

| Transistors | 3,540 million | 6,400 million |

| Die Size | 294 mm² | 158 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.0M / mm² | 40.5M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 915 MHz | 1,607 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 980 MHz | 1,845 MHz |

| Game Clock | — | 1,717 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1,502 MHz (6 Gbps effective) | 1,750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 192 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 144.2 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1,344 | 1,408 |

| TMUs | 112 | 88 |

| ROPs | 24 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 27.44 GPixel/s | 59.04 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 109.8 GTexel/s | 162.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 2.634 TFLOPS | 5.196 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | — | 10.39 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 150 W | 130 W |

| Power Connectors | 2x 6-pin | 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 300 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| Display Outputs | 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 1x DisplayPort 1.2 | 1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| DirectX Version | 12 (11_0) | 12 (12_1) |

| Vulkan Version | 1.2.175 | 1.4 |

| Length | 241 mm (9.5 inches) | 180 mm (7.1 inches) |

| Release Date | 2012-08-15 | 2019-12-11 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 500 | Vega |

| Successor | GeForce 700 | Navi II |

| Launch MSRP | 299 USD | 169 USD |