NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M: A Legacy GPU Performance Guide (2025)

Remember when the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M was a top choice for gaming laptops? Back in 2012, this mobile GPU powered many great gaming machines. Now, in 2025, things have changed a lot! The GTX 660M has only 3.26% of the power of today’s best GPU,s like the RTX 5090. It’s now an old-tech relic. Still, many laptops around the world have this graphics card. Should you upgrade, or can this old GPU still handle some tasks? Let’s look at what the GTX 660M can and can’t do today.

Technical Specs and Design

The GTX 660M was  launched in early 2012 as part of NVIDIA’s Kepler generation. With its 28nm process, it was cutting-edge for its time. In 2025, this old mobile GPU shows its age when we look at its basic specs. Let’s examine the core hardware that makes up this legacy graphics card.

• Core Details and Making Process
  • Uses the Kepler design with GK107 core
  • Made with 28nm process (much bigger than modern 3nm chips)
  • Has 384 CUDA cores (modern high-end GPUs have over 16,000)
  • Came out in early 2012 as a mid-range mobile graphics option
• Clock Speeds and Memory
  • Base clock: 835 MHz
  • Boost clock: 950 MHz
  • GDDR5 memory with 1-2GB space (depends on model)
  • 128-bit memory path width
  • Memory clock speed: 2000 MHz (4000 MHz effective)
  • Memory speed: 64.0 GB/s (less than 1/7 of new GPUs)
• Power and Connection
  • TDP (heat and power use): 50W
  • Works with PCIe 2.0 and 3.0 slots
  • Supports DirectX 11.1 and OpenGL 4.5

Also Read: NVIDIA RTX 5080 Review: Performance, Specs & Benchmarks 2025

Performance in Today’s Games

Gaming capability is what matters most for any GPU. In 2025, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M shows its age when trying to run modern titles. Let’s look at real-world performance in old and new games to see where this legacy GPU still holds up and falls short.

• Test Result Comparisons
  • Gets only 3.26% of RTX 5090 performance in tests
  • PassMark G3D score around 1456 (new mid-range GPUs score 25,000+)
  • Can do 0.7296 TFLOPS (RTX 5060 does 22+ TFLOPS)
• Games That Still Run Well
  • Older AAA Titles (2012-2015)
    • Tomb Raider (2013): ~72 FPS on medium settings at 1080p
    • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: ~60 FPS on high settings at 1080p
    • BioShock Infinite: ~72 FPS on medium settings
    • Far Cry 3: ~63 FPS on medium settings
  • Esports and Light Games
    • Counter-Strike 2: 80+ FPS on low settings
    • Dota 2: ~76 FPS on medium settings
    • League of Legends: 100+ FPS at high settings
    • Minecraft: Runs smooth with some graphics tweaks
• Games That Need Lower Settings
  • Crysis 2: ~69 FPS on low-medium settings
  • Metro: Last Light: ~50 FPS on low-medium settings
  • Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag: ~45 FPS on medium settings
• Modern Games (2023-2025)
  • Most new AAA games won’t run well
  • Some newer esports titles like Valorant and Fortnite run at 30-40 FPS with low settings

Also Read: RTX 4070 Super Review: Is NVIDIA’s Mid-Range GPU Worth It?

Tech Limits Compared to New GPUs

The tech gap between a 2012 GPU and a 2025 model is huge. Modern graphics cards have whole new features that didn’t exist when the GTX 660M was made. These missing features affect what you can do with this old GPU in today’s computing world.

• Design and Missing Features
  • No ray tracing (no RT cores)
  • No AI boost (no Tensor cores) for DLSS or like tech
  • Can’t use modern APIs like DirectX 12 and Vulkan
  • Small VRAM size (1-2GB) too little for modern game art
• Performance Gap
  • New GPUs are 545%+ faster overall
  • RTX 5060 gives 500%+ higher FPS in 1080p games
  • Memory speed gap: 64 GB/s vs. 560+ GB/s in new cards
  • Can’t handle higher screen sizes (1440p, 4K) at good FPS

Special Features and Tech

Despite its age, the GTX 660M has some useful tech features. Some were cutting-edge in 2012, and some still have value today. Understanding these features helps us see the full picture of what this GPU can offer in 2025.

• Supported Tech
  • NVIDIA Optimus Tech saves battery life
  • NVIDIA PhysX Tech for better game physics
  • SLI Tech to use two GPUs at once
  • CUDA Tech for faster computing tasks
  • Works with 3D Vision and has HDMI output
• Power Use
  • 50W TDP was good for its time
  • Uses much more power per task than new GPUs
  • Uses less power when idle, thanks to Optimus
  • Heat and power levelsare  good for 15-17 inch laptops with good cooling

Also Read: Is the NVIDIA RTX 2080 Ti Still Good for Gaming in 2025?

Good For These Tasks?

In 2025, your GPU needs have likely changed. Let’s look at how the GTX 660M handles key modern uses like VR, content creation, and laptop gaming to see if it meets today’s needs.

• VR Use
  • Not “VR Ready” by NVIDIA rules
  • Too slow for modern VR headsets
  • Can’t reach needed speed (90+ FPS) and quick response for VR
  • No support for VR-specific tweaks
• Making Content
  • Basic photo edits in older programs work fine
  • Video editing is only good for 1080p with simple effects
  • 3D work is imited to simple scenes with few shapes
  • New creative apps may not work well or at all
• Modern Laptop Gaming
  • It no longer fits in current gaming laptops
  • Even built-in graphics in new CPUs are better
  • Lacks features needed by new games
  • The power-to-performance ratio makes it a poor choice

Wrap-up and Advice

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M, once a good mobile GPU, is now very outdated in 2025. It can still run older games, esports titles, and basic work tasks. But it struggles with new software. If you still use a GTX 660M system, you should upgrade to a newer GPU for modern gaming, content work, or VR. Even low-cost new options like the RTX 4050 or Intel Arc A-series are much better in speed, features, and power use. They’re worth buying instead of keeping this old GPU.

For retro gaming fans, the GTX 660M does have some charm in running games from its era at their intended quality levels. It’s a snapshot of gaming history from 2012 to 2015. But for practical daily use in 2025, it’s time to move on to newer tech that can handle today’s demands.