Do you wonder if the NVIDIA GTX 1660 supports ray tracing? You’re not alone in this. Many gamers look for better graphics in games, so knowing what your GPU can do is key. The GTX 1660 doesn’t do ray tracing as well as the NVIDIA RTX series, but it has some support through updates.
We will look into how well the GTX 1660 does with ray tracing. This includes how it works in games like Metro Exodus and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Find out if this more affordable GPU can improve your games, or if it’s behind others with RT Cores.
Introduction to GTX 1660 and Ray Tracing
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 is a favorite among gamers looking for good performance at a fair price. This card is part of NVIDIA’s Turing GPU family. It offers great gaming abilities but lacks RT Cores for efficient ray tracing.
Driver updates brought ray tracing to GTX cards, opening new doors. Before, only RTX users had the luxury of faster ray tracing with RT Cores. Now, GTX 1660 owners can also enjoy real-time rendering, even if it’s not as fast.
Turning on ray tracing on a GTX 1660 does slow down its gaming performance. In games like Metro Exodus, the effect of ray-traced illumination and shadows is clear. But, the GTX 1660 is much slower compared to an RTX 2080 in these situations.
If you love top-notch graphics, the drop in FPS with ray tracing on might worry you. Benchmarks show a 35% to 45% decrease in performance on a GTX 1660 TI. Yet, gamers can fine-tune their settings. This way, they find a happy medium between graphics and smooth play.
There’s a lot of buzz about using ray tracing on cards like the GTX 1660. A new Game Ready Driver update will allow even older cards to try ray tracing. However, not all games support it on a GTX 1660 TI.
Whether you’re into the latest visual tech or just curious, it’s key to know what your GTX 1660 can do. Exploring real-time rendering with ray tracing is exciting. It makes us rethink what we expect from our gaming experiences.
Understanding Ray Tracing Technology
Ray tracing technology has completely changed how we see graphics today. It simulates how light works to create very life-like images. Things like lighting, shadows, and reflections look almost real because of this technology. But, it needs a lot of computing power to handle millions of light rays at once.
What is Ray Tracing?
Ray tracing makes graphics by mimicking how light touches things. It’s different from older methods that just filled in colors. This new way tracks light paths to make scenes look more natural. It can show exactly how shadows and light reflections appear in real life.
This tech is complex. It deals with how light rays intersect with surfaces and how to clean up the image. These steps are key to making everything look crisp and clear, even as things move.
The Importance of RT Cores
RT Cores have made NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX series a big deal for ray tracing. These cores are special parts in the hardware that make calculations for ray tracing faster. They take over some of the work, letting the main GPU parts focus on other tasks. This makes rendering with ray tracing quicker and smoother.
Games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Battlefield V show off what RT Cores can do. They bring new levels of realism to the games with better shadows and reflections. Plus, the RT Cores keep the games running smoothly, so everything looks great without slowing down.
Does GTX 1660 Have Ray Tracing and How Does It Perform?
The GTX 1660 series has some power, thanks to NVIDIA Turing GPUs. But, it falls short in ray tracing. It can handle basic ray tracing. Yet, it doesn’t have the RT cores that RTX series does. This makes a big difference in how well it can do real-time ray tracing.
Game Performance with Ray Tracing
Testing the GTX 1660 in games shows that ray tracing demands a lot from the GPU. Take Metro Exodus at 1080p, for example. The GTX 1660 hits about 38 frames per second (fps). Other models do much better. The NVIDIA Turing GPUs help, but the performance and visuals still take a hit.
- Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 – Blackout, Fortnite, and PUBG at 1920×1080 with High settings may hit 120 FPS, but this dips significantly with ray tracing enabled.
- Metro Exodus at 1440p: Averages around 32 fps with ray tracing enabled on the GTX 1660.
Comparison with RTX Series
Looking at RTX versus GTX shows clear differences. RTX cards have RT cores and ace ray tracing quality with fewer frame drops. Meanwhile, the GTX 1660 series finds it tough to keep up in gaming benchmarks.
- Time Spy Benchmark: GTX 1660 Super performs about 14% faster than GTX 1660 but still lags behind RTX models.
- Fire Strike Benchmark: A slight 2% performance difference between GTX 1660 Ti and GTX 1660 Super still doesn’t match the RTX range.
- Middle Earth: Shadow of War at 1440p: GTX 1660 Super managed 54 fps without ray tracing, indicating further performance drops with ray tracing enabled.
In sum, the GTX 1660 series does well for its price, especially for 1080p gaming. But, its ray tracing skills are limited. Without RT cores, gamers wanting top-notch ray tracing quality will see RTX models as the better option.
How to Enable Ray Tracing on a GTX 1660
The GTX 1660 series lacks dedicated RT cores. Yet, you can still switch on ray tracing in some games. This is done through software methods. By doing so, you’ll see better graphics in games. But remember, this can affect game performance.
Steps to Enable Ray Tracing
To turn on ray tracing on your GTX 1660, here’s what to do:
- Make sure your NVIDIA drivers are up to date. Drivers are key to enabling ray tracing.
- Open a game that lets you use ray tracing. Go to the graphics settings.
- Find the ‘Ray Tracing’ setting. It may be in the advanced section.
- Turn on ray tracing. Choose ‘Medium’ quality to keep the game running smoothly. Higher settings can slow things down.
- Set your game’s resolution to 1080p. This balances quality with performance.
- Save these changes. You might need to restart the game to see them take effect.
Which Games Support Ray Tracing on GTX 1660?
Some games work with ray tracing on the GTX 1660. Below are games that support this feature:
- Metro Exodus: This game can run between 30-43fps with ray tracing turned on.
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Expect the game to run with Medium Ray Traced Shadow Quality. Frame rates might drop to 35fps now and then.
- Battlefield V: RTX cards perform much better than GTX ones in this game.
However, some games may not allow ray tracing on GTX 1660 due to performance issues. Despite this, using ray tracing can still make your games look better. Just make sure to tweak your settings for the best experience.
Limitations and Practical Considerations
The NVIDIA GTX 1660 shines for its cost with 6GB GDDR6 memory and 192GB/s bandwidth. But, we must look at what it can’t do when using advanced features like ray tracing. This is because it doesn’t have the special RT Cores that RTX cards do.
Without RT Cores, the GTX 1660 faces big challenges in ray tracing games. Turning on ray tracing can slow games down. This leads to choppy play that’s not as smooth.
The GTX 1660’s clock speeds and 120W TDP show it can handle many games well. But, ray tracing demands too much from it. This pushes the card past what it’s best at, causing problems.
Also, using ray tracing on the GTX 1660 affects performance and could risk the warranty. Trying to boost gaming by tweaking software rather than upgrading hardware has its downsides.
These practical issues remind us of what we give up. The GTX 1660 Ti also faces these limits without RT Cores, despite its benefits. It shows the major drawbacks of trying to use ray tracing.
To end, the NVIDIA GTX 1660 is a good choice for those watching their wallet. But, it’s key to think about possible gaming issues and ray tracing troubles. Consider these against its benefits and the risks involved.
Conclusion
The GTX 1660 series can do ray tracing through driver updates. Yet, it falls short because it doesn’t have RT cores. The GTX 1660 and the GTX 1660 Ti do well in most games. They work well at 1080p and even at 1440p, giving more than 60 FPS in many games. But, they’re not the best for the newest ray tracing games.
If you want the best ray tracing experience, look at the RTX series. For example, the GeForce RTX 2060 has the right cores for ray tracing and DLSS. The GTX 1660 series, although great at many things, can’t match this due to missing hardware.
The GTX 1660 Ti competes well with GPUs like the Radeon RX 590 and the GTX 1070. It performs extremely well in games and is power efficient. Yet, if ray tracing is what you’re after, the RTX series is the answer. These GPUs are designed for the future of gaming graphics, giving you a better experience.
