NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 vs NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q represent two vastly different eras and market segments of NVIDIA’s lineup. The GTX 1660 is a 2019 mainstream Turing-based card aimed at 1080p gaming, while the RTX PRO 6000D is a 2025 Blackwell-based workstation monster with 96 GB of memory. Benchmark data shows a single head-to-head result, but the architectural and specification gaps are enormous, making the RTX PRO 6000D the clear winner in raw compute while the GTX 1660 holds its own only in legacy API tests.

FAQ

Q: How do the two cards compare in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark?

A: The RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q scores 11088, while the GTX 1660 scores 1065. The RTX PRO 6000D wins by a delta of -90.4%, meaning it is roughly 10.4 times faster in this specific DX12 test.

Q: What is the architecture difference between the two GPUs?

A: The GTX 1660 uses the Turing architecture on a 12 nm TSMC process, while the RTX PRO 6000D uses the newer Blackwell 2.0 architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process. The transistor counts are 6,600 million versus 92,200 million, respectively.

Q: Which card has more memory and bandwidth?

A: The RTX PRO 6000D has 96 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s bandwidth. The GTX 1660 has 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus, providing 192.1 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What is the difference in shading units and ray tracing capabilities?

A: The RTX PRO 6000D has 24064 shading units, 188 RT cores, and 752 tensor cores. The GTX 1660 has 1408 shading units and no RT or tensor cores at all.

Q: Which card has a higher boost clock and FP32 performance?

A: The RTX PRO 6000D boosts to 2288 MHz and delivers 110.1 TFLOPS FP32. The GTX 1660 boosts to 1785 MHz and delivers 5.027 TFLOPS FP32.

Q: What are the power and connectivity differences?

A: The RTX PRO 6000D has a 300 W TDP with a 700 W suggested PSU and a 16-pin connector, while the GTX 1660 has a 120 W TDP with a 300 W suggested PSU and an 8-pin connector. The RTX PRO 6000D uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while the GTX 1660 uses PCIe 3.0 x16.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is stark, reflecting a generational leap of roughly six years. The GTX 1660 is built on the Turing architecture using a 12 nm TSMC process, with a die size of 284 mm² and 6,600 million transistors. This results in a transistor density of 23.2M per mm². In contrast, the RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q uses the Blackwell 2.0 architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process, featuring a massive 750 mm² die with 92,200 million transistors, yielding a density of 122.9M per mm² — over five times denser.

The compute core counts highlight the scale difference. The GTX 1660 packs 1408 shading units, 88 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The RTX PRO 6000D dwarfs it with 24064 shading units, 752 TMUs, and 192 ROPs. Critically, the RTX PRO 6000D introduces dedicated hardware absent from the GTX 1660: 188 RT cores for ray tracing and 752 tensor cores for AI workloads. The GTX 1660 has none of these, making it a pure rasterization card.

Memory architecture also diverges completely. The GTX 1660 uses 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus, while the RTX PRO 6000D uses 96 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus. The RTX PRO 6000D’s FP16 performance matches its FP32 at 110.1 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), whereas the GTX 1660’s FP16 is only 10.05 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio). Process node, transistor density, and core composition all point to the RTX PRO 6000D being a compute beast, while the GTX 1660 is a modest entry-level part from an older generation.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only shared benchmark between the two cards is 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. In this test, the RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q scores 11088, while the GTX 1660 scores 1065. The delta is -90.4%, indicating the RTX PRO 6000D is overwhelmingly faster — by a factor of over ten. This is not a marginal win; it is a complete rout. The result reflects the massive differences in shading units, memory bandwidth, and architecture efficiency.

The GTX 1660 has no wins in any head-to-head comparison, as the winsA field is 0, while the RTX PRO 6000D has 1 win. The RTX PRO 6000D’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q (identical score, 0% delta), the AMD Radeon RX 550 (0.1% ahead), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER (0.4% ahead). The GTX 1660’s nearest rivals show it is competitive with cards like the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT (0.5% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M (1.3% delta), but those are all far below the RTX PRO 6000D’s performance tier.

In broader benchmark suites, the GTX 1660 shows its strengths in legacy APIs: it scores 177 in Passmark DirectX 9 and 61 in DirectX 10, while achieving 79 in DirectX 11 and 49 in DirectX 12. Its Passmark G3D score is 11646, and its Geekbench OpenCL score is 47850. The RTX PRO 6000D only has the Steel Nomad result in the data, but that single number dwarfs all of the GTX 1660’s scores combined in raw compute terms. The data suggests that for any modern DX12 workload, the RTX PRO 6000D is in a different league entirely.

Specification Differences

The specification table between the two cards shows differences in nearly every field. The GTX 1660 has a base clock of 1530 MHz and a boost of 1785 MHz, while the RTX PRO 6000D has a base of 1590 MHz and a boost of 2288 MHz. Memory speed is 2001 MHz (8 Gbps effective) for the GTX 1660 versus 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) for the RTX PRO 6000D. Memory size is 6 GB versus 96 GB, bus width 192-bit versus 512-bit, and bandwidth 192.1 GB/s versus 1.79 TB/s.

Pixel rate is 85.68 GPixel/s for the GTX 1660 versus 439.3 GPixel/s for the RTX PRO 6000D. Texture rate is 157.1 GTexel/s versus 1,720.6 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 5.027 TFLOPS versus 110.1 TFLOPS. The TDP is 120 W versus 300 W, and the suggested PSU is 300 W versus 700 W. Power connectors differ: 1x 8-pin versus 1x 16-pin. Bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 versus PCIe 5.0 x16. Display outputs are 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a versus 4x DisplayPort 2.1b. The GTX 1660 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the RTX PRO 6000D supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Dimensions also differ: the GTX 1660 is 229 mm long, 111 mm tall, and 35 mm wide, while the RTX PRO 6000D is 267 mm long, 111 mm tall, and 40 mm wide. The GTX 1660 is end-of-life, while the RTX PRO 6000D is active. The release dates are 2019-03-13 for the GTX 1660 and 2025-03-17 for the RTX PRO 6000D. The launch MSRP is 219 USD for the GTX 1660 and 8,565 USD for the RTX PRO 6000D.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q wins decisively in every modern compute-heavy workload. Its 110.1 TFLOPS FP32 performance, 96 GB of GDDR7 memory, and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth make it ideal for AI training, scientific simulation, large-scale rendering, and 8K video processing. The inclusion of 188 RT cores and 752 tensor cores means it can handle ray tracing and deep learning tasks that the GTX 1660 cannot even attempt. Its PCIe 5.0 interface and four DisplayPort 2.1b outputs position it as a professional workstation card for multi-display, high-bandwidth environments.

The GTX 1660, despite being vastly outclassed, has its own niche. Its Passmark DirectX 9 score of 177 and DirectX 10 score of 61 suggest it still handles older APIs reasonably well, making it suitable for legacy software or retro gaming. Its lower TDP of 120 W and smaller physical footprint (229 mm length) mean it can fit into compact systems with modest power supplies. The 6 GB GDDR5 memory is sufficient for 1080p gaming at medium settings, and its 5.027 TFLOPS FP32 is adequate for basic productivity tasks. The GTX 1660 also has a DVI output, which is absent on the RTX PRO 6000D, making it compatible with older monitors.

For gaming specifically, the GTX 1660’s 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1065 is low by modern standards, but its Passmark G3D score of 11646 indicates it remains functional for esports and older titles. The RTX PRO 6000D, with its 300 W TDP and 700 W suggested PSU, is not designed for gaming but for sustained professional workloads. The data shows a clear split: the RTX PRO 6000D is for users who need maximum compute and memory capacity, while the GTX 1660 is for budget-conscious users with legacy needs. The RTX PRO 6000D wins 1 benchmark out of 1, and the GTX 1660 wins 0, but the GTX 1660’s lower power draw and smaller size make it a practical choice for specific low-power scenarios.