GeForce GTX 260M vs Radeon HD 6490M

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 260M vs Radeon HD 6490M 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 260M vs Radeon HD 6490M: 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 260M

2008

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6490M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2008 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌142.7% higher power demand at 182W vs 75W.

Radeon HD 6490M

2011

Why buy it

✅5.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Draws 75W instead of 182W, a 107W reduction.
✅More future proof: TeraScale 2 (2009−2015) on 40nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2011 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 HD 6490M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 5.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 260M instead at 382 vs 378, 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 GTX 260M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 1 GB 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 HD 6490M 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 HD 6490M is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 260M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 260M vs Radeon HD 6490M Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 260M

The GeForce GTX 260M 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: 382 points. Launch price was $449.

Radeon HD 6490M

The Radeon HD 6490M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 4 2011. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 680 MHz. It has 960 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 378 points.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 260M scores 382 and the Radeon HD 6490M reaches 378 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 260M is built on Tesla 2.0 while the Radeon HD 6490M uses TeraScale 2, both on 65 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 192 (GeForce GTX 260M) vs 960 (Radeon HD 6490M). Raw compute: 0.4769 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 260M) vs 1.306 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6490M).

Feature	GeForce GTX 260M	Radeon HD 6490M
G3D Mark Score	382+1%	378
Architecture	Tesla 2.0	TeraScale 2
Process Node	65 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	192	960+400%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.4769 TFLOPS	1.306 TFLOPS+174%
ROPs	28	32+14%
TMUs	64+33%	48
L2 Cache	224 KB	512 KB+129%

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 260M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 6490M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 260M	Radeon HD 6490M
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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 260M has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 6490M carries 512 MB. GeForce GTX 260M gives you 100% 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 260M and System on the Radeon HD 6490M. L2 Cache: 224 KB (GeForce GTX 260M) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 6490M) — the Radeon HD 6490M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 260M	Radeon HD 6490M
VRAM Capacity	1 GB+100%	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	Shared
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	System
Bus Width	128-bit	System
L2 Cache	224 KB	512 KB+129%

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 260M draws 182W versus the Radeon HD 6490M's 75W — a 83.3% difference. The Radeon HD 6490M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 260M) vs 350W (Radeon HD 6490M). Power connectors: None vs 1x 6-pin.