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.

GeForce 6500 vs GeForce RTX 2060 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce 6500 vs GeForce RTX 2060: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

GeForce 6500

2012

Why buy it

✅Costs $249 less on MSRP ($100 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 160W, a 95W reduction.
✅Measures 168mm instead of 229mm, a 61mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 2060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 256 MB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌2012 hardware with 256 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.4 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($100 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 2060

2019

Why buy it

✅11874.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 10542.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 0.4 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅2300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 256 MB).
✅Better long-term bet: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌146.2% higher power demand at 160W vs 65W.
❌36.3% longer card at 229mm vs 168mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce RTX 2060 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 11874.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 37042.1% in PassMark G3D (14,114 vs 38), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 2060 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 6 GB vs 256 MB of VRAM, the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 12nm process instead of 28nm, and 30 vs 0 ray-tracing units. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce RTX 2060 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $249 more expensive on MSRP at $349 vs $100, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 10542.4% (40.4 vs 0.4), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce 6500 vs GeForce RTX 2060 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce 6500

The GeForce 6500 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 6 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 1058 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 65W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 38 points. Launch price was $109.

GeForce RTX 2060

The GeForce RTX 2060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 7 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1365 MHz to 1680 MHz. It has 1920 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 160W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 30 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 14,114 points. Launch price was $349.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce 6500 scores 38 versus the GeForce RTX 2060's 14,114 — the GeForce RTX 2060 leads by 37042.1%. The GeForce 6500 is built on Kepler while the GeForce RTX 2060 uses Turing, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce 6500) vs 1,920 (GeForce RTX 2060). Raw compute: 0.8125 TFLOPS (GeForce 6500) vs 6.451 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2060).

Feature	GeForce 6500	GeForce RTX 2060
G3D Mark Score	38	14,114+37042%
Architecture	Kepler	Turing
Process Node	28 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	384	1920+400%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.8125 TFLOPS	6.451 TFLOPS+694%
ROPs	16	48+200%
TMUs	32	120+275%
L1 Cache	0.03 MB	1.9 MB+6233%
L2 Cache	0.25 MB	3 MB+1100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 2060 supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce 6500 is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce 6500	GeForce RTX 2060
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce 6500 has 256 MB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 2060 carries 6 GB. GeForce RTX 2060 gives you 2300% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce 6500 and 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 2060. L2 Cache: 0.25 MB (GeForce 6500) vs 3 MB (GeForce RTX 2060) — the GeForce RTX 2060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce 6500	GeForce RTX 2060
VRAM Capacity	0.25 GB	6 GB+2300%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	336 GB/s
Bus Width	128-bit	192-bit+50%
L2 Cache	0.25 MB	3 MB+1100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 9.0c (GeForce 6500) vs 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 2060). Vulkan: None vs 1.3. OpenGL: 2.1 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce 6500	GeForce RTX 2060
DirectX	9.0c	12 Ultimate (12_2)+33%
Vulkan	None	1.3
OpenGL	2.1	4.6+119%
Max Displays	2	4+100%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce 6500) vs NVENC (Turing) (GeForce RTX 2060). Decoder: PureVideo vs NVDEC (Turing). Supported codecs: MPEG-2 (GeForce 6500) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce RTX 2060).

Feature	GeForce 6500	GeForce RTX 2060
Encoder	No	NVENC (Turing)
Decoder	PureVideo	NVDEC (Turing)
Codecs	MPEG-2	H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 6500 draws 65W versus the GeForce RTX 2060's 160W — a 84.4% difference. The GeForce 6500 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 6500) vs 500W (GeForce RTX 2060). Power connectors: Legacy vs 8-pin. Card length: 168mm vs 229mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 65°C vs 72.

Feature	GeForce 6500	GeForce RTX 2060
TDP	65W-59%	160W
Recommended PSU	350W-30%	500W
Power Connector	Legacy	8-pin
Length	168mm	229mm
Height	100mm	113mm
Slots	1-50%	2
Temp (Load)	65°C-10%	72
Perf/Watt	0.6	88.2+14600%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 6500 came in at $100, while the GeForce RTX 2060 launched at $349. On MSRP, GeForce 6500 was 71.3% cheaper ($249 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 0.4 (GeForce 6500) vs 40.4 (GeForce RTX 2060) — the GeForce RTX 2060 offers 10000% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 2060 (2019 vs 2012).

Feature	GeForce 6500	GeForce RTX 2060
MSRP	$100-71%	$349
Performance per Dollar	0.4	40.4+10000%
Codename	GK107	TU106
Release	September 6 2012	January 7 2019
Ranking	#719	#168

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