Which graphics should you pick in your next laptop?
The Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti, or is it worth paying more for the RTX 2060?
In this comparison we’ll take a look at the differences in gaming performance and
more to help you decide which is worth it.
Let’s start with the spec differences.
The RTX 2060 has 25% more CUDA cores than the 1660 Ti, however the 1660 Ti is capable
of higher base and boost clock speeds.
Both graphics options have 6GB of GDDR6 memory, however the 2060’s is a bit faster.
The power limits of both graphics also differ a bit and this will impact performance.
In this comparison we’re using two Ryzen 4800H based machines, the ASUS TUF A15, so
the 1660 Ti has an 80 watt power limit while the 2060 has a 90 watt power limit, expect
a 115 watt 2060 to do better to what we’re looking at here.
The reason I’m comparing these two is because the RTX 2060 is the next step up from the
GTX 1660 Ti at the moment, and as I’ve got two TUF A15s with the same chassis, CPU, RAM
and cooling, I was interested to see the difference between these GPUs with Ryzen based laptops.
We’re going to compare 20 different games, so this should allow us to get a good range
of results to work out the average difference.
Both laptops were tested with the same version of BIOS, Windows version, and Nvidia drivers,
so let’s get into the results.
Red Dead Redemption 2 was tested using the games benchmark tool.
I’ve got the RTX 2060 shown by the red bars, and the GTX 1660 Ti shown by the purple bars
below.
I’ve also tested all games at every single available setting preset, which are arranged
from lowest at the bottom to highest up the top.
In this test at ultra settings, the 2060 was 6% faster than the 1660 Ti.
Battlefield 5 was tested in campaign mode by running through the same section of the
game on both laptops.
Regardless of setting level, the RTX 2060 graphics is ahead as expected, with again
a 6% higher average FPS at the highest ultra setting preset.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider was tested with the games built in benchmark tool, and the
2060 was 5% faster at the highest setting preset in this one, and the difference was
the same at lower settings too.
Control was tested by walking through the same part of the game on both laptops.
I’ve found this to be a more GPU heavy game, which explains why the 2060 had one of the
best results out of all games tested with a 12% higher average frame rate at high settings.
Ghost Recon Breakpoint just had a below average 4% boost to average FPS at ultra settings,
however there were bigger differences at the lower setting levels, particularly in terms
of 1% low performance which saw massive gains with the 2060, indicating a more stable result.
Borderlands 3 was also tested using the games benchmark tool, this time at the highest setting
preset there was an above average 9% improvement to average FPS from the 2060 laptop, and the
gap narrows in as we step down to lower setting presets.
Apex Legends was tested in the World’s Edge map running through the Drill Site on both
laptops, and the 2060 was around 6% faster with all settings at maximum, or 4% faster
with all settings at minimum.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare was tested in campaign mode, and also with either minimum
or maximum settings as there are no built in presets.
The differences were on the smaller side here, with just a 5% gain at max settings with the
2060 laptop, or less than a 4 FPS boost.
The Division 2 was tested using the game’s benchmark tool, and the 2060 was 6% faster
than the 1660 Ti at max settings, so on par with quite a few of the other titles that
we’ve tested here.
Fortnite was tested using the replay feature with the exact same replay file used on each
laptop.
There was a 5.5% boost to average FPS at maximum settings, however this seems to increase with
lower levels, as the 2060 had a massive 26% lead at lower settings.
Monster Hunter World was tested running through the main town in the same manner on both machines.
Once more, around about a 6% increase to average frame rate at the highest setting level preset
with the 2060.
Rainbow Six Siege was tested with the games benchmark tool using Vulkan, and this test
saw the biggest difference out of all 20 titles tested, with the 2060 15% ahead of the 1660
Ti at ultra settings.
Likewise Metro Exodus was also tested using the games benchmark tool and saw the second
biggest improvement out of all games tested, with a 12% higher average frame rate on the
2060, granted the frame rates get so low at the higher setting presets in this test both
are still giving lower results.
The Witcher 3 tends to be a more GPU heavy game, and I’ve tested it by passing through
the same part of the game on both laptops.
There was an above average result seen with the 2060, which was 8% faster than the 1660
Ti at ultra settings in terms of average FPS.
CS:GO was tested with the Ulletical FPS benchmark, and as this test seems to be more CPU dependent
than GPU, it saw the smallest difference out of all titles tested, with the 2060 just 3%
faster with all settings maxed out.
Dota 2 also doesn’t really seem to benefit much from improved GPU power, as the 2060
only gave it the second lowest improvement out of all games tested with just a 4% higher
average frame rate at max settings, while results were far closer together at other
levels.
Overwatch was tested in the practice range, and while actual gameplay doesn’t perform
as well, this more accurately allows me to perform the same test pass which is ideal
for a comparison like this.
At the highest epic setting preset the 2060 was 7% ahead of the 1660 Ti in average frame
rate.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey was tested using the games built in benchmark, and there was
an above average 8% higher average FPS from the 2060 at max settings, but like some of
the other games tested, interestingly the performance boost was way higher at lower
settings, especially in terms of 1% low performance.
Far Cry New Dawn was also tested with the games benchmark tool, and once more the 2060
was 8% faster in average FPS at the highest setting level.
Don’t worry we’ve got racing games too, F1 2019 was 6.5% faster on the RTX 2060 in
average FPS with the highest setting level in use.
In terms of overall improvement, over these 20 games the RTX 2060 graphics is performing
7.2% better in terms of average FPS.
As you can see, the performance difference can vary a fair bit between games.
Tests that are more CPU bound like Dota and CS:GO saw lower differences.
This is also in contrast to the 14% performance boost I found when comparing the 1660 Ti and
2060 last year but with Intel processors, so not sure if we’re seeing less difference
here as a result of the Ryzen 4800H processors, I’ll be doing some Intel vs AMD comparisons
so make sure you’re subscribed for those.
Outside of gaming I’ve also got some 3DMark results, and as expected the 2060 was ahead
of the 1660 Ti.
I’ve also got the results of SPECviewperf which tests various professional 3D rendering
workloads.
As both machines should in theory have the same cooling solution and thermal paste we
can accurately compare temperature differences.
I’ve tested both laptops two different ways, above the red bar I’m stress testing with
the Aida64 CPU stress test and Heaven GPU benchmark, while below the red bar I’m testing
gaming by playing Watch Dogs 2.
In the stress tests the temperatures were similar, but while playing the actual game
the 2060 system was hotter, granted most of that seemed to affect the processor as the
GPU was only 2 degrees warmer than the 1660 Ti.
Now for the final difference, the price, you can check the links in the description for
up to date laptop prices with either graphics, as prices will change over time.
This will depend on where you live, but in general expect the RTX 2060 to cost more money,
as it’s a higher tier graphics option.
In the US the TUF A15 with GTX 1660 Ti seems to go for $1000 USD, while the RTX 2060 model
is $200 more expensive, granted it’s currently out of stock in this example and does also
have double the storage space, however I haven’t been able to find a better example.
In this case, you’re paying 20% more money for an on average 7% performance boost in
games.
The improvement definitely isn’t that large between the two, granted it does depend on
the game.
Honestly I think the GTX 1660 Ti is in a great sweet spot, assuming you don’t care about
ray tracing.
Even all this time after ray tracing was released in 2018, there are still few games that can
actually take advantage of it.
Some like Control do utilize DLSS well, but these options are definitely in the minority,
I can’t say I’d personally pick the 2060 just to get first generation ray tracing hardware,
but that’s me and who knows what the future will hold.
Anyway let me know which graphics you’d pick for your next laptop and why down in
the comments, and if you’re new to the channel then get subscribed for more upcoming laptop
comparisons like this one.