Steam players are reverting back to GTX 1660 graphics cards, despite Nvidia's best efforts

The Nvidia GTX 1660 released back in 2019, but Valve’s latest Steam Hardware Survey figures suggest people are still buying the graphics card. Rather than necessarily jumping from lower spec favorites like the GTX 1650 to the new RTX 4060, players appear to be sticking with the GTX line of GPUs for the most part.

I’m hesitant to call the Nvidia GTX 1660 one of the best graphics cards around, but its price makes it a top option for budget gaming PC builders. That said, I’d be careful when shopping around for one on Amazon, as while you can snag one for as little as $165.99, most of the cheaper options are by brands I’ve never heard of. Don’t get me wrong, Asus, MSI, and Zotax will also hook you up, but pricing is what makes the apparent shift towards the GTX card in 2023 quite interesting.

According to Steam Hardware Survey results for June, the number of GTX 1660 GPU users on the platform jumped by 1.82%. That might not sound like much, but even under 2% of the service’s 120 million monthly users is a pretty big figure. Not to mention that increases across every other popular graphics card failed to see usage increases above 1%, with the Steam Deck Van Gogh APU coming in second. 

It’s needless to say that the Nvidia GTX 1660 is one of the cheapest graphics cards still on the market, and it’s still capable of a lot today. However, the new PC games are more demanding than ever, and you won’t find the card on many system requirements lists in 2023. Not to mention it lacks any sort of AI upscaling support, and while you might not like the fact, features like Nvidia DLSS are a godsend if you’re trying to run new releases on entry-level hardware. 

Of course, Nvidia would also prefer you to opt for something with DLSS compatibility, and the RTX 4060 is designed to be the GPU you'd upgrade to if you've still got a GTX 1660. At the moment, it feels like players aren't wandering down that path when it's time to change GPUs, and that could be a bad sign for the entry-level Lovelace card. 

Should you buy a GTX 1660 in 2023?

I'm hesitant to advise against buying a GTX 1660 in 2023 outright, but I'd strongly suggest taking prices across the board into consideration. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I think you pay $100 more for an RTX 3060, and while you can get an RTX 4060 for $299, it’s still a lot to spend on a budget build. Price is undeniably a strong reason to still pick up a GTX 1660, but if it were me building a cheap rig in 2023, I’d consider an Intel Arc graphics card instead.

For $219.99, you can grab an Intel Arc A750 with 8GB VRAM on Amazon, and it should fare better at running upcoming games like Starfield. The blue team’s debut card initially suffered from quirky drivers at launch, but the Alchemist has gone from strength to strength since it arrived last year. Sure, it’s still $50 more expensive than the cheapest GTX 1660 cards, but there’s a chance you’ll find yourself itching to upgrade again in the near future if you opt for the 2019 card.

Before any entry-level players reach for their pitchforks, I’m not trying to dunk on the GTX 1660, nor am I saying it’s a bad GPU. I guess if anything, I’m trying to highlight the price differences between the four year old card and newer options out there, as there isn’t as much of a gap as you’d think. If you’re able to get one cheap enough, and can avoid questionable unknown brands or cards that have had a hard life, then by all means pick one up. Otherwise, I’d encourage you to consider newer options, especially if they’ve got what it takes to survive in the minimum requirements trenches in 2023. 

Looking for a prebuild? Check out the best Alienware gaming PCs and pick up an Aurora rig. Alternatively, check out our best gaming laptop picks that'll help you take your Steam library on the go.