GeForce GTS 250M vs Radeon R7 M260

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 GTS 250M vs Radeon R7 M260 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 GTS 250M vs Radeon R7 M260: 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 GTS 250M

2010

Why buy it

✅15.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2010 hardware with 1 GB 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 vs 4.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $110 MSRP).
❌41.3% higher power demand at 106W vs 75W.

Radeon R7 M260

2015

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 4.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($110 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 1 GB).
✅Draws 75W instead of 106W, a 31W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTS 250M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2015 hardware with 4 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?

GeForce GTS 250M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 15.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R7 M260 instead at 527 vs 520, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.

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

GeForce GTS 250M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon R7 M260 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R7 M260 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTS 250M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTS 250M vs Radeon R7 M260 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTS 250M

The GeForce GTS 250M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 13 2010. It features the Fermi architecture. The core clock speed is 783 MHz. It has 192 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 106W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 520 points. Launch price was $129.

Radeon R7 M260

The Radeon R7 M260 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 6 2015. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 620 MHz to 715 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 527 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTS 250M scores 520 and the Radeon R7 M260 reaches 527 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTS 250M is built on Fermi while the Radeon R7 M260 uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 192 (GeForce GTS 250M) vs 384 (Radeon R7 M260). Raw compute: 0.6013 TFLOPS (GeForce GTS 250M) vs 0.5491 TFLOPS (Radeon R7 M260).

Feature	GeForce GTS 250M	Radeon R7 M260
G3D Mark Score	520	527+1%
Architecture	Fermi	GCN 1.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	192	384+100%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.6013 TFLOPS+10%	0.5491 TFLOPS
ROPs	16+100%	8
TMUs	32+33%	24
L1 Cache	256 KB+167%	96 KB
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTS 250M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R7 M260 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTS 250M	Radeon R7 M260
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTS 250M has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R7 M260 carries 4 GB. Radeon R7 M260 gives you 300% 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 GTS 250M and 128-bit on the Radeon R7 M260.

Feature	GeForce GTS 250M	Radeon R7 M260
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	4 GB+300%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.1 (10_1) (GeForce GTS 250M) vs 12 (FL11_1) (Radeon R7 M260). OpenGL: 2.1 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce GTS 250M	Radeon R7 M260
DirectX	11.1 (10_1)	12 (FL11_1)+8%
OpenGL	2.1	4.6+119%
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: PureVideo HD VP4 (GeForce GTS 250M) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R7 M260). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP4 vs UVD 4.0. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GTS 250M) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon R7 M260).

Feature	GeForce GTS 250M	Radeon R7 M260
Encoder	PureVideo HD VP4	VCE 1.0
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP4	UVD 4.0
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTS 250M draws 106W versus the Radeon R7 M260's 75W — a 34.3% difference. The Radeon R7 M260 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce GTS 250M) vs 350W (Radeon R7 M260). Power connectors: Legacy vs Mobile. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce GTS 250M	Radeon R7 M260
TDP	106W	75W-29%
Recommended PSU	300W-14%	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	Mobile
Slots	0	0
Temp (Load)	85°C	75°C-12%
Perf/Watt	4.9	7.0+43%

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon R7 M260 (2015 vs 2010).

Feature	GeForce GTS 250M	Radeon R7 M260
MSRP	—	$110
Codename	GF106	Opal
Release	September 13 2010	December 6 2015
Ranking	#791	#878

Search GeForce GTS 250M on Amazon

Search Radeon R7 M260 on Amazon

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.