NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE Comparison

# The Verdict

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is the overwhelming winner in this comparison, and the data leaves no room for ambiguity. In the only shared benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 1660 Ti scores 51,029 against the GTX 560 SE's 7,171 — a 611.6% advantage. That is not a marginal improvement; it is a generational chasm. The GTX 1660 Ti also carries a higher average benchmark score of 7,723 versus 7,171, and it sits at the 41st percentile of all GPUs compared to the 560 SE's 39th. For any user choosing between these two, the GTX 1660 Ti is the only rational pick for modern workloads. The GTX 560 SE, by contrast, belongs to a different era; its sole benchmark result places it within 0.7% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 and within 0.4% of the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile, indicating performance that is competitive with low-end integrated-class parts. Neither card is in production, but the data suggests the GTX 1660 Ti can handle contemporary gaming and compute tasks, while the GTX 560 SE is best reserved for legacy systems or basic 2D use.

# Architecture Differences

The GTX 1660 Ti and GTX 560 SE are separated by three major architectural generations. The GTX 1660 Ti uses the TU116 chip built on TSMC's 12 nm process, while the GTX 560 SE uses the GF114 chip on TSMC's 40 nm node. That process shrink alone accounts for a massive transistor density difference: the GTX 1660 Ti packs 6,600 million transistors into a 284 mm² die, yielding 23.2 million transistors per mm², whereas the GTX 560 SE fits 1,950 million transistors into a larger 332 mm² die, achieving only 5.9 million per mm². The GTX 1660 Ti belongs to the Turing architecture (GeForce 16 generation), while the GTX 560 SE is based on Fermi 2.0 (GeForce 500 generation).

The compute resources differ drastically in scale. The GTX 1660 Ti has 1,536 shading units, 96 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 48 raster operation pipelines (ROPs). The GTX 560 SE has 288 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs — exactly one-fifth, half, and half of the newer card's counts, respectively. Neither card includes ray tracing cores or tensor cores, so both rely on traditional rasterization.

Memory technology also diverges. The GTX 1660 Ti uses 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, achieving 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 560 SE uses 1024 MB (1 GB) of GDDR5 on the same 192-bit bus width, but only manages 91.87 GB/s. The effective memory clock is 12 Gbps on the GTX 1660 Ti versus 3.8 Gbps on the GTX 560 SE — a 3.2x difference in raw signaling rate.

API support shows the generational gap. The GTX 1660 Ti supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX 560 SE supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and has no Vulkan support at all. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The GTX 1660 Ti also features a smaller process node, lower TDP (120 W vs 150 W), and a more modern PCIe interface (3.0 x16 vs 2.0 x16).

# Head-to-Head Benchmarks

There is exactly one benchmark where both cards have recorded scores, and it tells the entire story. In Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 1660 Ti scores 51,029 while the GTX 560 SE scores 7,171. That is a delta of 611.6% — the newer card is over seven times faster in this compute-oriented test. This is not a close contest by any measure; it is a complete blowout.

Breaking down what that score means: the GTX 1660 Ti's OpenCL result is more than 7x higher, reflecting its vastly larger shader count (1,536 vs 288), higher clock speeds (1500 MHz base / 1770 MHz boost vs no listed base or boost clocks), and superior memory bandwidth (288.0 GB/s vs 91.87 GB/s). The GTX 560 SE's single benchmark score of 7,171 places it in the same performance tier as Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 (7,170, 0% delta) and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (7,157, 0.2% delta) — though those rival scores are from the same average benchmark metric, not the same test.

The GTX 1660 Ti also has ten recorded benchmark results across DirectX 9, 10, 11, 12, compute, and 2D tests, giving it a much broader performance profile. Its Passmark G3D score is 12,871, its Passmark GPU Compute score is 5,226, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1,061. The GTX 560 SE has no comparable entries in those tests, so the only direct numerical comparison remains the Geekbench OpenCL result.

The wins tally is 1 for the GTX 1660 Ti and 0 for the GTX 560 SE. There are no tests where the older card comes out ahead.

# FAQ

Q: Is the GTX 1660 Ti worth considering over the GTX 560 SE?

A: Yes, based on the sole shared benchmark, the GTX 1660 Ti leads by 611.6% in Geekbench OpenCL (51,029 vs 7,171). Its average benchmark score of 7,723 also exceeds the GTX 560 SE's 7,171.

Q: How does the GTX 560 SE compare to its closest rivals?

A: The GTX 560 SE's average score of 7,171 is within 0.7% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 (7,222), within 0.4% of the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile (7,203), and essentially tied with the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 (7,170, 0% delta) and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (7,157, 0.2% delta).

Q: Which card has better memory bandwidth?

A: The GTX 1660 Ti offers 288.0 GB/s from 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, while the GTX 560 SE offers 91.87 GB/s from 1024 MB of GDDR5 on the same 192-bit bus. That is a 3.1x difference in bandwidth.

Q: Does either card support ray tracing?

A: No. Neither the GTX 1660 Ti nor the GTX 560 SE includes ray tracing cores or tensor cores in their specifications.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The GTX 1660 Ti has a TDP of 120 W and a suggested PSU of 300 W, requiring one 8-pin power connector. The GTX 560 SE has a TDP of 150 W and a suggested PSU of 450 W, requiring two 6-pin connectors.

Q: Which card has better API support?

A: The GTX 1660 Ti supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 560 SE supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support.

# Where Each One Wins

The GTX 1660 Ti wins in every measurable category where data exists. Its 611.6% lead in Geekbench OpenCL demonstrates superiority in compute workloads that leverage general-purpose GPU processing. The card's 1,536 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs make it suitable for modern DirectX 12 and Vulkan gaming titles, and its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth provides ample headroom for high-resolution textures and multi-tasking. The Passmark scores further reinforce this: a G3D score of 12,871, a DirectX 11 score of 103, and a DirectX 9 score of 190 show broad compatibility across legacy and current APIs. The card's 12 nm process node and 120 W TDP also make it more power-efficient despite higher performance.

The GTX 560 SE's only recorded win is in having no recorded losses — but that is because it only has a single benchmark score. Its 7,171 Geekbench OpenCL result places it at the 39th percentile of all GPUs, just 2 percentile points below the GTX 1660 Ti's 41st. However, that percentile difference is misleading; the raw score gap is 43,858 points. The GTX 560 SE's 288 shading units and 24 ROPs are sufficient for basic 2D desktop use or very old games, and its 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory is the minimum for most operating systems today. Its PCIe 2.0 x16 interface and lack of Vulkan support further limit its modern applicability. In short, the GTX 560 SE is a legacy part that can only win in scenarios where the workload is so old or light that the GTX 1660 Ti's extra power is irrelevant — but even then, the newer card's higher efficiency and lower TDP make it a better choice for any system that can physically accommodate it.

# Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE |

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

| Architecture | Turing | Fermi 2.0 |

| Generation | GeForce 16 | GeForce 500 |

| Process Node | 12 nm | 40 nm |

| Transistors | 6,600 million | 1,950 million |

| Die Size | 284 mm² | 332 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 23.2M / mm² | 5.9M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1500 MHz | Not specified |

| Boost Clock | 1770 MHz | Not specified |

| Memory Clock | 12 Gbps effective | 3.8 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 6 GB | 1024 MB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 192 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 288.0 GB/s | 91.87 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1536 | 288 |

| TMUs | 96 | 48 |

| ROPs | 48 | 24 |

| Pixel Rate | 84.96 GPixel/s | 8.832 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 169.9 GTexel/s | 35.33 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 5.437 TFLOPS | 847.9 GFLOPS |

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

| TDP | 120 W | 150 W |

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

| Suggested PSU | 300 W | 450 W |

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

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

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | Not supported |

| Display Outputs | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4a | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a |

| Length | 229 mm (9 inches) | 210 mm (8.3 inches) |

| Height | 111 mm (4.4 inches) | Not specified |

| Width | 35 mm (1.4 inches) | Not specified |

| Launch MSRP | 279 USD | Not specified |