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FirePro 3D V9800 vs Radeon R7 260

CPUCPUGPUGPU

FirePro 3D V9800

2011Core: 725 MHz
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VS
AMD

Radeon R7 260

2013Boost: 1100 MHz
Buy on Amazon

FirePro 3D V9800 vs Radeon R7 260 Performance Spectrum

FirePro 3D V9800
4 GB 150
2,812
0.0%
brand logoRadeon R9 M370X
brand logoRadeon RX 7500
brand logoRadeon HD 5870
brand logoRadeon RX 550X
brand logoRadeon RX 6500M
brand logoRadeon RX 7400
brand logoRadeon RX 8050S
brand logoRadeon RX 6750 XT
Radeon R7 260
1 GB 95
2,892
+2.8%
brand logoRadeon Vega 9
brand logoRadeon RX 570X
brand logoRadeon HD 6870
brand logoRadeon HD 6850 X2
brand logoRadeon RX 6500M
brand logoRadeon RX 5600
brand logoRadeon RX 8050S
brand logoRadeon RX 6750 XT

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

FirePro 3D V9800 vs Radeon R7 260: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

FirePro 3D V9800

2011

Why buy it

  • ✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 1 GB).

Trade-offs

  • ❌2011 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌
    3110.1% HIGHER MSRP
    $3,499 MSRPvs$109 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.8 vs 26.5 G3D/$ ($3,499 MSRP vs $109 MSRP).
  • ❌57.9% higher power demand at 150W vs 95W.
  • ❌57.1% longer card at 267mm vs 170mm.

Radeon R7 260

2013

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $3,390 less on MSRP ($109 MSRP vs $3,499 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 3201.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.5 vs 0.8 G3D/$ ($109 MSRP vs $3,499 MSRP).
  • ✅Draws 95W instead of 150W, a 55W reduction.
  • ✅Measures 170mm instead of 267mm, a 97mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌2013 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon R7 260 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 2.8% in PassMark G3D (2,892 vs 2,812), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
FirePro 3D V9800 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 4 GB vs 1 GB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R7 260 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $3,390 cheaper on MSRP at $109 vs $3,499, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 3201.4% (26.5 vs 0.8), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R7 260 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, FirePro 3D V9800 has the stronger long-term case.

FirePro 3D V9800 vs Radeon R7 260 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

AMD

FirePro 3D V9800

The FirePro 3D V9800 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 24 2011. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,812 points.

AMD

Radeon R7 260

The Radeon R7 260 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 17 2013. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1100 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 95W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,892 points. Launch price was $109.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The FirePro 3D V9800 scores 2,812 and the Radeon R7 260 reaches 2,892 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro 3D V9800 is built on TeraScale 3 while the Radeon R7 260 uses GCN 2.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (FirePro 3D V9800) vs 768 (Radeon R7 260). Raw compute: 1.856 TFLOPS (FirePro 3D V9800) vs 1.536 TFLOPS (Radeon R7 260).

FeatureFirePro 3D V9800Radeon R7 260
G3D Mark Score
2,812
2,892+3%
Architecture
TeraScale 3
GCN 2.0
Process Node
40 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
1280+67%
768
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.856 TFLOPS+21%
1.536 TFLOPS
ROPs
32+100%
16
TMUs
80+67%
48
L1 Cache
320 KB+67%
192 KB
L2 Cache
512 KB+100%
256 KB
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureFirePro 3D V9800Radeon R7 260
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The FirePro 3D V9800 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R7 260 carries 1 GB. FirePro 3D V9800 gives you 300% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the FirePro 3D V9800 and 128-bit on the Radeon R7 260. L2 Cache: 512 KB (FirePro 3D V9800) vs 256 KB (Radeon R7 260) — the FirePro 3D V9800 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro 3D V9800Radeon R7 260
VRAM Capacity
4 GB+300%
1 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
512 KB+100%
256 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.2 (FirePro 3D V9800) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R7 260). Vulkan: None vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.4 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 3.

FeatureFirePro 3D V9800Radeon R7 260
DirectX
11.2
12 (12_0)+7%
Vulkan
None
1.2
OpenGL
4.4
4.6+5%
Max Displays
6+100%
3
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (FirePro 3D V9800) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R7 260). Decoder: UVD 2.3 vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (FirePro 3D V9800) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MVC (Radeon R7 260).

FeatureFirePro 3D V9800Radeon R7 260
Encoder
None
VCE 2.0
Decoder
UVD 2.3
UVD 4.2
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MVC
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro 3D V9800 draws 150W versus the Radeon R7 260's 95W — a 44.9% difference. The Radeon R7 260 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro 3D V9800) vs 400W (Radeon R7 260). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 170mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 90 vs 80.

FeatureFirePro 3D V9800Radeon R7 260
TDP
150W
95W-37%
Recommended PSU
350W-13%
400W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
1x 6-pin
Length
267mm
170mm
Height
111mm
112mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
90
80-11%
Perf/Watt
18.7
30.4+63%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro 3D V9800 came in at $3499, while the Radeon R7 260 launched at $109. On MSRP, Radeon R7 260 was 96.9% cheaper ($3390 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 0.8 (FirePro 3D V9800) vs 26.5 (Radeon R7 260) — the Radeon R7 260 offers 3212.5% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R7 260 (2013 vs 2011).

FeatureFirePro 3D V9800Radeon R7 260
MSRP
$3499
$109-97%
Performance per Dollar
0.8
26.5+3213%
Codename
Cayman
Bonaire
Release
May 24 2011
December 17 2013
Ranking
#656
#591
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