GeForce GTX 260 vs Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 260

2008Core: 576 MHz
Similar parts
·······
VS
AMD

Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U

2015Boost: 975 MHz
Similar parts
·······

GeForce GTX 260 vs Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U 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 Ryzen 7 3700U 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 Ryzen 7 3700U: 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

  • 75% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (896 MB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U across 37 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2008 hardware with 896 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 28.3% HIGHER MSRP
    $449 MSRPvs$350 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.7 vs 3.5 G3D/$ ($449 MSRP vs $350 MSRP).
  • 82% higher power demand at 182W vs 100W.

Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U

2015

Why buy it

  • 36.9% more average FPS across 37 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $99 less on MSRP ($350 MSRP vs $449 MSRP).
  • Delivers 30.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 3.5 vs 2.7 G3D/$ ($350 MSRP vs $449 MSRP).
  • Draws 100W instead of 182W, a 82W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • 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?
Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 36.9% in average FPS across 37 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.4% in PassMark G3D (1,217 vs 1,200), 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 Ryzen 7 3700U makes the most sense to buy today. It is $99 cheaper on MSRP at $350 vs $449, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 30.1% (3.5 vs 2.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U 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 Ryzen 7 3700U 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 Ryzen 7 3700U

The Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 18 2015. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 975 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,217 points. Launch price was $149.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 260 scores 1,200 and the Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U reaches 1,217 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 260 is built on Tesla 2.0 while the Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U uses GCN 1.0, both on 65 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 192 (GeForce GTX 260) vs 1,024 (Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U). Raw compute: 0.4769 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 260) vs 1.997 TFLOPS (Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U).

FeatureGeForce GTX 260Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U
G3D Mark Score
1,200
1,217+1%
Architecture
Tesla 2.0
GCN 1.0
Process Node
65 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
192
1024+433%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.4769 TFLOPS
1.997 TFLOPS+319%
ROPs
28
32+14%
TMUs
64
64
L2 Cache
224 KB
512 KB+129%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 260 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 260Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U
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 Ryzen 7 3700U 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 System on the Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U. L2 Cache: 224 KB (GeForce GTX 260) vs 512 KB (Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U) — the Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 260Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U
VRAM Capacity
0.875 GB+75%
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
Shared
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
System
Bus Width
128-bit
System
L2 Cache
224 KB
512 KB+129%
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 260 draws 182W versus the Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U's 100W — a 58.2% difference. The Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 260) vs 350W (Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs None.

FeatureGeForce GTX 260Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U
TDP
182W
100W-45%
Recommended PSU
500W
350W-30%
Power Connector
2x 6-pin
None
Length
267mm
Slots
2
Perf/Watt
6.6
12.2+85%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 260 came in at $449, while the Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U launched at $350. On MSRP, Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U was 22% cheaper ($99 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.7 (GeForce GTX 260) vs 3.5 (Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U) — the Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U offers 29.6% better value. The newer card here is Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U (2015 vs 2008).

FeatureGeForce GTX 260Radeon Ryzen 7 3700U
MSRP
$449
$350-22%
Performance per Dollar
2.7
3.5+30%
Codename
GT200
Trinidad
Release
June 16 2008
June 18 2015
Ranking
#821
#467

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.