What do GTX and RTX actually mean?
GTX and RTX are the prefixes NVIDIA puts on its gaming graphics cards. They look like a small change in spelling, yet they describe a major change in technology. This section explains both names without technical language.
GTX: the long-running gaming brand
NVIDIA used the GTX label for many years for its higher-performance GeForce cards. Cards such as the GTX 1060, GTX 1070 and GTX 1650 belong to this group. They draw pictures using the same traditional approach that games have used for decades, relying on general-purpose calculation units called shader cores.
What GTX cards are good at
A GTX card renders traditional graphics well. Many popular games, including esports titles and older single-player games, run smoothly on GTX hardware at suitable settings. For plain 1080p play with moderate settings, a capable GTX card can still be perfectly adequate.
What GTX cards lack
They do not contain dedicated hardware for ray tracing or for AI calculations. That means they cannot run NVIDIA's DLSS, and ray tracing, if offered, runs very slowly because the general cores must do the extra work.
RTX: the ray tracing and AI brand
NVIDIA introduced RTX with the GeForce 20 series in 2018. The letters stand for ray tracing, the technique at the heart of the change, though the same cards also carry AI hardware. RTX cards contain two extra kinds of cores: RT cores, which accelerate ray tracing, and Tensor cores, which accelerate AI. The current RTX 50 series carries fourth-generation RT cores and fifth-generation Tensor cores.
Why NVIDIA changed the name
The new hardware was so different that NVIDIA wanted a clear label. Over time, RTX replaced GTX on the main product line, though some GTX cards, such as the GTX 16 series, continued for budget buyers.
What the letters tell a shopper
When you see RTX in a product name, you know the card has dedicated ray tracing and AI hardware. When you see GTX, you know it does not. Our graphics cards comparison shows how the families line up.
The hardware difference: RT cores and Tensor cores
The extra cores are the heart of the difference, so it is worth understanding what they do.
RT cores
RT cores are small units that handle the maths of ray tracing, which is how light bounces around a scene. In a ray-traced game, the card tracks how rays of light travel and reflect, producing realistic shadows and reflections. Doing this with general cores is extremely slow, which is why dedicated cores matter.
Generations of RT cores
Each RTX generation has improved them. The first generation arrived with the RTX 20 series, and the RTX 50 series uses the fourth generation. Newer generations handle more rays per second and add features that make ray tracing more efficient.
Tensor cores
Tensor cores perform the large matrix calculations used in AI. In games they run DLSS. Outside games they power AI tools and some video features. They are what make AI upscaling fast enough to run in real time.
Why GTX cards cannot fake it
DLSS depends on Tensor cores. Without them, a GTX card cannot run it at useful speed. NVIDIA does not offer DLSS on GTX cards.
Features you get with RTX and not with GTX
The practical benefits fall into a few groups.
DLSS upscaling
DLSS renders a game at a lower resolution and rebuilds a sharper picture using AI. It raises frame rates, often substantially, with good image quality. All RTX cards support DLSS upscaling, and the newest versions add image-quality improvements. The site's guide to enabling DLSS 4 and frame generation shows the settings.
Frame generation
RTX 40 series cards added single-frame generation, and RTX 50 series cards add Multi Frame Generation. Neither exists on GTX cards. Other companies offer frame generation that can run on a wider range of hardware, with different quality and requirements.
Hardware ray tracing
RTX cards can turn on ray tracing in supported games with an acceptable frame rate, particularly when DLSS is used alongside. On GTX cards, ray tracing is either unavailable or too slow to use.
RTX extras beyond games
Several NVIDIA tools need RTX hardware, such as noise removal for microphones and background effects in video calls through NVIDIA Broadcast, RTX Video Super Resolution for sharpening online video, and RTX HDR for adding HDR to games that lack it. Video encoding is also stronger on newer RTX cards, which helps streamers.
Creative and AI work
Programmes that use AI or ray-traced rendering often run much faster on RTX cards. For creators, the difference can be larger than it is for gamers.
GTX versus RTX at a glance
The table summarises the main differences.
| Feature | GTX cards | RTX cards |
|---|---|---|
| Ray tracing hardware | No | Yes (RT cores) |
| AI hardware | No | Yes (Tensor cores) |
| DLSS upscaling | No | Yes |
| Frame generation | No | RTX 40 and 50 series |
| Multi Frame Generation | No | RTX 50 series only |
| Hardware ray tracing speed | Very slow | Practical |
| NVIDIA Broadcast and RTX Video | No | Yes |
| Typical models | GTX 1050 to 1080 Ti, GTX 16 series | RTX 20 series to RTX 50 series |
How to read the table
The left column is not "bad". It describes older hardware that was excellent in its time and still handles many games. The right column is where NVIDIA invests new features, so newer games and tools increasingly assume it.
Can a GTX card still play modern games?
Yes, with limits. Whether it suits you depends on what you play.
Where GTX cards still work well
Esports titles, older games and many indie games run well on a decent GTX card. At 1080p with medium settings, a GTX 1660 class card can deliver a good experience in many titles.
Games that struggle
Newer demanding games that rely on heavy ray tracing or that are tuned around modern upscaling can run poorly or use settings that GTX cards cannot supply. Some recent releases list RTX-class cards in their recommended specifications. The article on Resident Evil Requiem system requirements shows how a modern game lists its needs.
Upscaling alternatives on GTX
AMD's FSR and Intel's XeSS are designed to work on a wide range of hardware and can help GTX cards in games that support them. They do not match DLSS image quality in every case, but they can raise frame rates.
What you give up
You do not get DLSS, hardware ray tracing or RTX extras. For many players that is acceptable. For those who want the best picture in new games, it is the main reason to upgrade.
A short timeline from GTX to RTX 50
Seeing the families in order makes the names easier to remember.
| Era | Family name | Cards you may know | Key idea |
|---|---|---|---|
| GTX 900 | Maxwell | GTX 970, GTX 980 | Efficiency gains |
| GTX 10 | Pascal | GTX 1050, 1060, 1070, 1080 | Fast and efficient, no RT or AI cores |
| GTX 16 | Turing (no RT) | GTX 1650, 1660 | Newer design without RTX hardware |
| RTX 20 | Turing | RTX 2060, 2070, 2080 | First RT cores and Tensor cores |
| RTX 30 | Ampere | RTX 3060, 3070, 3080 | Faster RT and Tensor cores |
| RTX 40 | Ada Lovelace | RTX 4060, 4070, 4080, 4090 | Frame generation |
| RTX 50 | Blackwell | RTX 5050 to RTX 5090 | Multi Frame Generation, GDDR7 |
How to use the timeline
Find the family of the card you own, then count how many steps you are from the RTX 50 series. Each step added features, and the biggest single jump for a GTX owner is the first one, from no RT or AI hardware to having both.
The odd one out: GTX 16
The GTX 16 series used the newer Turing design but removed the RT and Tensor cores to cut cost. It is therefore newer than the GTX 10 series but still lacks RTX features. This is why GTX 16 cards cannot use DLSS despite their age.
Ray tracing explained for people who have never seen it
Ray tracing is the feature most associated with RTX, so it deserves a plain explanation.
The old way of faking light
Traditional game graphics fake lighting. Artists place lights and use shortcuts to suggest shadows and reflections. The tricks are fast and, in skilled hands, convincing. But they break down when scenes are complicated, for example when a mirror should reflect a moving character.
The ray tracing way
Ray tracing follows imaginary rays of light from the camera through the scene and calculates how they bounce. The result is accurate reflections, soft shadows and light that fills rooms realistically. It requires a huge number of calculations, which is why dedicated RT cores help so much.
What it looks like in practice
Water reflects buildings properly, shiny floors mirror the scene, and shadows soften naturally. In some games the change is dramatic, and in others it is subtle. Whether it is worth the performance cost is a personal choice.
Why upscaling usually goes with it
Ray tracing slows the game, so players often switch on DLSS to win back frame rate. Together they deliver both better lighting and playable speeds on RTX cards.
FSR and XeSS: what GTX owners can use instead
GTX owners are not stuck with nothing. Competing upscalers exist.
FSR from AMD
FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) is designed to run on a wide range of graphics cards, including many NVIDIA GTX models. Game support varies, and quality varies with the version and the game.
XeSS from Intel
XeSS is Intel's upscaler. It can run on other brands' cards in a general mode, though it works best on Intel hardware.
How they compare with DLSS
DLSS generally benefits from dedicated AI hardware and often produces cleaner images at the same performance setting, but results depend on the game. The site's comparison of DLSS 4 and FSR in Fortnite shows how the options appear in a real title.
A practical tip
Turn on whichever upscaler the game offers, test the Quality mode first, and move to Balanced or Performance only if you need more frames. Check for shimmering in fine detail, which is the most common weakness.
Four example owners and their sensible next step
These imaginary owners show how the decision plays out.
Owner one: a GTX 1060 with a 1080p monitor
The card runs older and esports games well, but new releases ask for more. A move to an RTX 5060 or RTX 5060 Ti gives DLSS, ray tracing and a large speed gain, and the monitor does not need changing.
Owner two: a GTX 1650 laptop
A GTX 1650 laptop is a low-power part with limited headroom. The graphics chip is soldered to the laptop, so the card cannot be swapped. The realistic upgrade is a new laptop with an RTX 50 laptop GPU, which is a bigger purchase.
Owner three: a GTX 1080 Ti and a 1440p monitor
This was a flagship card and can still handle many games at 1440p with adjusted settings. The reasons to upgrade are new features, driver support and efficiency rather than raw need. An RTX 5070 Ti would be a strong upgrade if you want ray tracing and DLSS.
Owner four: a GTX 1660 Super and a modest budget
The card is capable at 1080p. If you want DLSS but do not want to spend much, consider the RTX 5050 or RTX 5060 for new builds, or look at the used market with care.
What the examples share
Each decision came from the monitor, the games and the cost of change. Do not buy a new card just because the letters on yours are old.
Is an older RTX card still worth it?
Cards from the RTX 20 and RTX 30 series still carry RT and Tensor cores. They support DLSS upscaling, and many receive the same image-quality improvements as newer cards.
What they lack compared with RTX 50
They lack Multi Frame Generation, which needs RTX 50 series hardware, and RTX 20 and 30 series cards lack single-frame generation, which arrived with the RTX 40 series. Their ray tracing hardware is older and slower.
An example from this site
The site's guide to optimising an RTX 2060 laptop shows how an older RTX part can still be tuned for modern games.
Buying used
Used RTX 20, 30 and 40 cards can offer value. Check the seller, test the card, and ask for the warranty status. The site's guidance on safe buying will help when you compare listings.
Myths about GTX and RTX
A few ideas circulate widely and are misleading.
Myth: RTX is just a marketing label
The letters mark real hardware differences. RT and Tensor cores exist on RTX cards and not on GTX cards.
Myth: any RTX card can do everything well
RTX hardware exists across the range, but a low-tier card has fewer cores and less memory. A low-end RTX card with ray tracing at maximum settings will struggle.
Myth: GTX cards are useless now
They still run many games. They are simply limited for the newest features.
Myth: you need RTX for streaming
You do not need it, but newer RTX cards have better video encoders, which improve stream quality at a given bitrate.
Driver support for older GTX cards
Older cards eventually receive less attention from the driver team.
What NVIDIA has said
NVIDIA announced in 2025 that its older Maxwell, Pascal and Volta generations would move out of regular Game Ready driver updates, with security updates continuing for a period. Pascal covers the GTX 10 series, including the GTX 1060 and GTX 1080. Check NVIDIA's official legacy driver page for the current policy, because dates and details can change.
What it means in practice
A GTX 10 series card will keep working, but it will not receive optimisations for new games. If you want the newest titles to run well, newer hardware is a safer path. GTX 16 series cards use a newer architecture called Turing, the same family as the RTX 20 series, and are in a better position.
Why this matters for buying used
If you consider buying a used GTX or early RTX card, check its support status and age. A cheap card with limited future support may cost more in the long run.
Who should upgrade from GTX to RTX?
The decision depends on your games, your screen and your budget.
Strong reasons to upgrade
Upgrading makes sense if you want to play new games at good settings, if your current card struggles to hit smooth frame rates, if you want DLSS and ray tracing, or if you want better video encoding for streaming. It also makes sense if driver support for your old card is ending.
Reasons to wait
If your games run well, your screen is 1080p and you play mostly older or esports titles, there is no urgency. The money may be better spent on a faster processor or more system memory if those are the weak points.
Check your bottleneck first
Run a game while watching graphics card usage. If it sits at full usage and the frame rate is too low, the card is the limit, and upgrading will help. If it sits low, something else is the limit. The guide to CPU and system bottlenecks shows how.
Which RTX 50 card from a GTX background?
For a GTX 1050 or 1650 owner, the RTX 5050 or RTX 5060 is a large step up for 1080p. For a GTX 1060 or 1660 owner, the RTX 5060 or RTX 5060 Ti suits 1080p and light 1440p. For a GTX 1070 or 1080 owner who wants 1440p, the RTX 5070 or RTX 5070 Ti is a strong fit. Treat these as starting points and confirm with tested results, power supply checks and the model guides on this site.
What changes in your computer when you move up
A modern card is physically and electrically different from a GTX card of a few years ago. Knowing the differences prevents unpleasant surprises.
Power supply and connectors
Many GTX cards drew modest power through one or two small connectors. Higher-end RTX 50 cards draw much more and may use the 16-pin 12V-2x6 connector. An old power supply may lack the right cables or enough capacity. Check the recommended power supply for the exact model you want, and replace the supply if it falls short. The plain-English guide to the RTX 50 series explains the range, and the page on model names helps you identify the card correctly before you check its requirements.
Why a power supply matters more than ever
Modern cards can briefly spike in power demand. A weak or very old supply may shut the computer down under load even if its label wattage seems enough. Choose a quality unit from a reputable brand.
Size and cooling
New cards are often longer and thicker than older ones. A case built for a slim GTX card may not fit a triple-slot RTX card. Measure before you buy, and think about airflow, since more power means more heat to move out of the case.
Memory and the slot
RTX 50 cards use GDDR7 on most models and PCIe 5.0 slots, while older cards used GDDR5 or GDDR6 and PCIe 3.0. The cards work in older slots, but a few budget models use fewer lanes, which can matter on an old motherboard. The article on whether you need a PCIe 5.0 motherboard covers it. Video memory has also grown, and the guide on how much VRAM you need will help you pick a size.
Weighing the cost of staying versus upgrading
Upgrading is not free, so treat it as a choice with costs and benefits.
What staying costs
Staying with a GTX card costs nothing today, but it may limit the games you can enjoy and the settings you can use. It also means you do not benefit from improved driver support, new features or efficiency gains. If your electricity bill matters, a modern card may use less power for the same work at the same frame rate, although high-end RTX 50 cards can draw a lot under load.
What upgrading costs
The visible cost is the card. The hidden costs may include a new power supply, a larger case, a better monitor to take advantage of the performance and your time. Add these up before you decide.
A simple decision rule
If your current setup plays the games you enjoy at settings you like, keep it. If you find yourself avoiding new releases or turning everything to minimum, upgrade. If you are unsure, spend a week noting how often your card limits you. The record will give you an honest answer.
Resale and recycling
An old GTX card still has some value. Sell it, give it to a friend building a first computer, or recycle it through a proper electronics scheme. Do not put it in household waste.
Practical steps when moving from GTX to RTX
A card swap is straightforward, but a few checks prevent surprises.
- Check your power supply wattage and the connectors it offers.
- Measure your case for the new card's length and thickness.
- Confirm that your motherboard slot is a standard PCI Express slot.
- Note your monitor's connections and make sure the new card has a matching port.
- Download the driver from NVIDIA before you swap the card.
- After installing, enable DLSS in supported games and set your refresh rate in Windows.
Do you need a clean driver install?
Moving between generations of the same brand normally works with a standard install. A clean installation option in the NVIDIA installer is a good idea for a fresh start. The article on Game Ready and Studio drivers explains the choices.
A one-page decision flow for GTX owners
Follow these questions in order to decide whether to move to RTX now.
- Do your current games run at the settings and frame rate you enjoy? If yes, you can wait.
- Do you want to play new releases that list RTX-class cards in their requirements? If yes, plan an upgrade.
- Do you want DLSS, ray tracing or the RTX extras such as NVIDIA Broadcast? If yes, plan an upgrade.
- Is your processor and memory recent enough to avoid a bottleneck? If not, budget for them too.
- Does your power supply and case suit a modern card? If not, add them to the budget.
- Is your monitor 1080p, 1440p or 4K? Match the card to it using the model guides.
How to act on the answers
If you answered yes to question two or three and your platform is healthy, choose the cheapest RTX 50 card that fits your resolution. If your platform is weak, upgrade it alongside the card or accept smaller gains. Treat each answer as evidence, and revisit the list every year because games and prices change.
Check the monitor too
A modern graphics card shows its strength on a monitor that matches it. If you play on a 60 Hz 1080p screen, a mid-range RTX card will already exceed what the screen can show in many games, and the visible gain from a bigger card is small. If you plan to buy a new monitor soon, choose the card and the monitor together. A higher refresh rate or resolution changes which tier of card makes sense, and it can turn a good upgrade into a great one.
A final word on patience
There is no rush. GTX cards are not suddenly useless, and RTX 50 cards will remain available. Make the move when your own experience tells you it is time, not when marketing tells you to.
Frequently asked questions about GTX and RTX
What does RTX stand for?
NVIDIA uses RTX as a brand for graphics cards with dedicated ray tracing hardware, and the letters refer to ray tracing. The same cards also have AI hardware called Tensor cores. RTX replaced GTX on most of NVIDIA's gaming range from the 2018 GeForce 20 series onward.
Can a GTX card use DLSS?
No. DLSS needs the Tensor cores found only on RTX cards, so GTX cards cannot run it. They can use other upscalers such as AMD FSR or Intel XeSS in games that support them, which can raise frame rates at some cost in image quality compared with DLSS.
Can a GTX card do ray tracing?
Some older GTX cards received driver support for ray tracing, but they run it in software on general cores, so performance is very poor and impractical for most games. RTX cards use dedicated RT cores, which make ray tracing usable, especially with DLSS enabled.
Is the GTX 1660 still good in 2026?
For 1080p gaming at moderate settings in older and esports titles, a GTX 1660 can still be adequate. It lacks DLSS and hardware ray tracing, so newer games may need low settings. If you want modern features and better performance, an RTX card is a clear upgrade.
Are GTX cards still being made?
NVIDIA has moved its main lineup to RTX, and new GTX launches ended some time ago. Existing GTX cards are still sold secondhand. Check driver support before buying one, because older generations are moving away from regular Game Ready updates.
Is RTX worth it only for ray tracing?
No. Many buyers choose RTX mainly for DLSS, which raises frame rates in supported games, and for tools such as NVIDIA Broadcast, RTX Video features and better video encoding. Ray tracing is one benefit among several, and it is the one most affected by the card's tier.