GeForce GTX 260 vs Radeon R7 +8G

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 260

2008Core: 576 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon R7 +8G

2015Core: 900 MHzBoost: 915 MHz
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GeForce GTX 260 vs Radeon R7 +8G Performance Spectrum

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.

GeForce GTX 260 vs Radeon R7 +8G 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 Radeon R7 +8G: 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

  • 36.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 75% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (896 MB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

  • 2008 hardware with 896 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 816.3% HIGHER MSRP
    $449 MSRPvs$49 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.7 vs 24.3 G3D/$ ($449 MSRP vs $49 MSRP).
  • 506.7% higher power demand at 182W vs 30W.
  • 58.9% longer card at 267mm vs 168mm.

Radeon R7 +8G

2015

Why buy it

  • Costs $400 less on MSRP ($49 MSRP vs $449 MSRP).
  • Delivers 809.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 24.3 vs 2.7 G3D/$ ($49 MSRP vs $449 MSRP).
  • Draws 30W instead of 182W, a 152W reduction.
  • Measures 168mm instead of 267mm, a 99mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 260 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 896 MB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2015 hardware with 512 MB 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 GTX 260 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 36.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.8% in PassMark G3D (1,200 vs 1,191), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce GTX 260 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 896 MB vs 512 MB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R7 +8G makes the most sense to buy today. It is $400 cheaper on MSRP at $49 vs $449, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 809.5% (24.3 vs 2.7), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R7 +8G is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 260 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 260 vs Radeon R7 +8G Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

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.

AMD

Radeon R7 +8G

The Radeon R7 +8G is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 5 2015. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 900 MHz to 915 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,191 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 260 scores 1,200 and the Radeon R7 +8G reaches 1,191 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 260 is built on Tesla 2.0 while the Radeon R7 +8G uses GCN 1.0, both on 65 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 192 (GeForce GTX 260) vs 640 (Radeon R7 +8G). Raw compute: 0.4769 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 260) vs 1.171 TFLOPS (Radeon R7 +8G).

FeatureGeForce GTX 260Radeon R7 +8G
G3D Mark Score
1,200
1,191
Architecture
Tesla 2.0
GCN 1.0
Process Node
65 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
192
640+233%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.4769 TFLOPS
1.171 TFLOPS+146%
ROPs
28+75%
16
TMUs
64+60%
40
L2 Cache
224 KB
256 KB+14%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 260 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R7 +8G leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 260Radeon R7 +8G
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 GTX 260 has 896 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon R7 +8G carries 512 MB. GeForce GTX 260 gives you 75% 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 128-bit on the Radeon R7 +8G. L2 Cache: 224 KB (GeForce GTX 260) vs 256 KB (Radeon R7 +8G) — the Radeon R7 +8G has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 260Radeon R7 +8G
VRAM Capacity
0.875 GB+75%
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
224 KB
256 KB+14%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10_0 (GeForce GTX 260) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon R7 +8G). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce GTX 260Radeon R7 +8G
DirectX
10_0
12 (11_1)+20%
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st Gen (GeForce GTX 260) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R7 +8G). Decoder: NVDEC 1st Gen vs UVD 4.0. Supported codecs: H.264 (GeForce GTX 260) vs H.264,MPEG-4,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon R7 +8G).

FeatureGeForce GTX 260Radeon R7 +8G
Encoder
NVENC 1st Gen
VCE 2.0
Decoder
NVDEC 1st Gen
UVD 4.0
Codecs
H.264
H.264,MPEG-4,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 260 draws 182W versus the Radeon R7 +8G's 30W — a 143.4% difference. The Radeon R7 +8G is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 260) vs 350W (Radeon R7 +8G). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 267mm vs 168mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 260Radeon R7 +8G
TDP
182W
30W-84%
Recommended PSU
500W
350W-30%
Power Connector
2x 6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
267mm
168mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
1-50%
Temp (Load)
75
Perf/Watt
6.6
39.7+502%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 260 came in at $449, while the Radeon R7 +8G launched at $49. On MSRP, Radeon R7 +8G was 89.1% cheaper ($400 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.7 (GeForce GTX 260) vs 24.3 (Radeon R7 +8G) — the Radeon R7 +8G offers 800% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R7 +8G (2015 vs 2008).

FeatureGeForce GTX 260Radeon R7 +8G
MSRP
$449
$49-89%
Performance per Dollar
2.7
24.3+800%
Codename
GT200
Tropo
Release
June 16 2008
May 5 2015
Ranking
#821
#737

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