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 GTX 260 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 GTX 260 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 GTX 260

2008

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 2060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 896 MB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌2008 hardware with 896 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
28.7% HIGHER MSRP
$449 MSRPvs$349 MSRP

GeForce RTX 2060

2019

Why buy it

✅570.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $100 less on MSRP ($349 MSRP vs $449 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1413.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 2.7 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $449 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅585.7% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 896 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

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 570.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1076.2% in PassMark G3D (14,114 vs 1,200), 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 896 MB of VRAM, the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 12nm process instead of 65nm, 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 $100 cheaper on MSRP at $349 vs $449, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1413.2% (40.4 vs 2.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 260 vs GeForce RTX 2060 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 260

The GeForce GTX 260 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 16 2008. It features the Tesla 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 576 MHz. It has 192 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 182W. Manufactured using 65 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,200 points. Launch price was $449.

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 GTX 260 scores 1,200 versus the GeForce RTX 2060's 14,114 — the GeForce RTX 2060 leads by 1076.2%. The GeForce GTX 260 is built on Tesla 2.0 while the GeForce RTX 2060 uses Turing, both on 65 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 192 (GeForce GTX 260) vs 1,920 (GeForce RTX 2060). Raw compute: 0.4769 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 260) vs 6.451 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2060).

Feature	GeForce GTX 260	GeForce RTX 2060
G3D Mark Score	1,200	14,114+1076%
Architecture	Tesla 2.0	Turing
Process Node	65 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	192	1920+900%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.4769 TFLOPS	6.451 TFLOPS+1253%
ROPs	28	48+71%
TMUs	64	120+88%
L2 Cache	0.22 MB	3 MB+1264%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 2060 supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 260 is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 260	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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 260 has 896 MB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 2060 carries 6 GB. GeForce RTX 2060 gives you 585.7% 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 GTX 260 and 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 2060. L2 Cache: 0.22 MB (GeForce GTX 260) vs 3 MB (GeForce RTX 2060) — the GeForce RTX 2060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 260	GeForce RTX 2060
VRAM Capacity	0.875 GB	6 GB+586%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	336 GB/s
Bus Width	128-bit	192-bit+50%
L2 Cache	0.22 MB	3 MB+1264%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10_0 (GeForce GTX 260) vs 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 2060). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 260	GeForce RTX 2060
DirectX	10_0	12 Ultimate (12_2)+20%
Max Displays	2	4+100%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st Gen (GeForce GTX 260) vs NVENC (Turing) (GeForce RTX 2060). Decoder: NVDEC 1st Gen vs NVDEC (Turing). Supported codecs: H.264 (GeForce GTX 260) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce RTX 2060).

Feature	GeForce GTX 260	GeForce RTX 2060
Encoder	NVENC 1st Gen	NVENC (Turing)
Decoder	NVDEC 1st Gen	NVDEC (Turing)
Codecs	H.264	H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 260 draws 182W versus the GeForce RTX 2060's 160W — a 12.9% difference. The GeForce RTX 2060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 260) vs 500W (GeForce RTX 2060). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 229mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 260	GeForce RTX 2060
TDP	182W	160W-12%
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	8-pin
Length	267mm	229mm
Height	—	113mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	—	72
Perf/Watt	6.6	88.2+1236%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 260 came in at $449, while the GeForce RTX 2060 launched at $349. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 2060 was 22.3% cheaper ($100 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.7 (GeForce GTX 260) vs 40.4 (GeForce RTX 2060) — the GeForce RTX 2060 offers 1396.3% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 2060 (2019 vs 2008).

Feature	GeForce GTX 260	GeForce RTX 2060
MSRP	$449	$349-22%
Performance per Dollar	2.7	40.4+1396%
Codename	GT200	TU106
Release	June 16 2008	January 7 2019
Ranking	#821	#168

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