GeForce GTX 295
VS
GeForce GTX 260

GeForce GTX 295 vs GeForce GTX 260

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 295

2009Core: 576 MHz
VS
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 260

2008Core: 576 MHz

Performance Spectrum - GPU

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (G3D Mark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The GeForce GTX 295 is positioned at rank 301 and the GeForce GTX 260 is on rank 293, so the GeForce GTX 260 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar GeForce GTX 295

#1
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
MSRP: $399|Avg: $280
3023%
#2
GeForce RTX 5060
MSRP: $299|Avg: $299
2904%
#3
Radeon RX 5600 XT
MSRP: $279|Avg: $180
2870%
#4
Radeon RX 9060
MSRP: $249|Avg: $249
2865%
#5
GeForce RTX 5050
MSRP: $249|Avg: $249
2859%
#6
GeForce RTX 3050 OEM
MSRP: $249|Avg: $150
2843%
#7
Arc A580
MSRP: $179|Avg: $179
2807%
#8
Radeon RX 9060 XT
MSRP: $299|Avg: $299
2797%
#9
Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB
MSRP: $299|Avg: $299
2771%
#10
Radeon RX 7600
MSRP: $269|Avg: $250
2763%
#11
Radeon RX 6600
MSRP: $329|Avg: $180
2730%
#12
GeForce RTX 4060
MSRP: $299|Avg: $299
2724%
#13
Arc B570
MSRP: $219|Avg: $219
2675%
#14
Arc B580
MSRP: $249|Avg: $249
2673%
#286
Radeon R5 430 OEM
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $13
3333%
#301
GeForce GTX 295
MSRP: $499|Avg: $50
100%
#302
Radeon HD 4870 X2
MSRP: $550|Avg: $550
99%
#303
Radeon HD 3850 X2
MSRP: $349|Avg: $349
98%
#305
Radeon HD 4290
MSRP: $60|Avg: $10
98%
#306
Radeon HD 5450
MSRP: $60|Avg: $40
95%
#308
Radeon HD 3850
MSRP: $179|Avg: $179
93%
#309
Radeon HD 4200
MSRP: $50|Avg: $10
93%
#311
Radeon HD 4270
MSRP: $50|Avg: $10
92%
#312
Radeon E6460
MSRP: $150|Avg: $40
90%
#313
Radeon HD 6290
MSRP: $50|Avg: $50
88%
#314
GeForce GTX 280
MSRP: $649|Avg: $649
83%
#315
Radeon HD 3470
MSRP: $60|Avg: $15
81%
#316
Radeon HD 3000
MSRP: $50|Avg: $10
80%
Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Per Dollar GeForce GTX 260

#1
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
MSRP: $399|Avg: $280
2717%
#2
GeForce RTX 5060
MSRP: $299|Avg: $299
2610%
#3
Radeon RX 5600 XT
MSRP: $279|Avg: $180
2580%
#4
Radeon RX 9060
MSRP: $249|Avg: $249
2575%
#5
GeForce RTX 5050
MSRP: $249|Avg: $249
2570%
#6
GeForce RTX 3050 OEM
MSRP: $249|Avg: $150
2555%
#7
Arc A580
MSRP: $179|Avg: $179
2523%
#8
Radeon RX 9060 XT
MSRP: $299|Avg: $299
2514%
#9
Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB
MSRP: $299|Avg: $299
2491%
#10
Radeon RX 7600
MSRP: $269|Avg: $250
2484%
#11
Radeon RX 6600
MSRP: $329|Avg: $180
2454%
#12
GeForce RTX 4060
MSRP: $299|Avg: $299
2449%
#13
Arc B570
MSRP: $219|Avg: $219
2404%
#14
Arc B580
MSRP: $249|Avg: $249
2403%
#278
Radeon R5 430 OEM
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $13
2996%
#293
GeForce GTX 260
MSRP: $449|Avg: $449
100%
#294
Radeon HD 8490
MSRP: $99|Avg: $35
100%
#295
Radeon HD 8650D
MSRP: $150|Avg: $150
99%
#297
Radeon HDG 4670
MSRP: $67|Avg: $15
95%
#298
Radeon HD 3870
MSRP: $219|Avg: $15
94%
#299
Radeon HD 4250
MSRP: $50|Avg: $10
92%
#300
Radeon HD 6310
MSRP: $50|Avg: $50
91%
#301
GeForce GTX 295
MSRP: $499|Avg: $50
90%
#302
Radeon HD 4870 X2
MSRP: $550|Avg: $550
89%
#303
Radeon HD 3850 X2
MSRP: $349|Avg: $349
88%
#305
Radeon HD 4290
MSRP: $60|Avg: $10
88%
#306
Radeon HD 5450
MSRP: $60|Avg: $40
85%
#308
Radeon HD 3850
MSRP: $179|Avg: $179
84%
Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Comparison

About G3D Mark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

The GeForce GTX 260 is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 0.2% higher G3D Mark score. However, the GeForce GTX 295 offers more VRAM, which may be beneficial for texture-heavy scenarios at higher resolutions.

InsightGeForce GTX 295GeForce GTX 260
Performance
Lower raw frame rates (-0.2%)
Leading raw performance (+0.2%)
Longevity
🛑Obsolete Architecture (2009 / Tesla 2.0 (2007−2013))
🛑Obsolete Architecture (2008 / Tesla 2.0 (2007−2013))
Ecosystem
Supports FSR Upscaling
Supports FSR Upscaling
VRAM
✅ More VRAM (+100%)
❌ Less VRAM capacity
Efficiency
⚡ Higher Power Consumption
💡 Excellent Perf/Watt
Case Fit
Standard Size (267mm)
Standard Size (267mm)

💎 Value Proposition

The GeForce GTX 295 offers a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. While both GPUs are considered legacy components by modern standards, the GeForce GTX 295 holds the technical lead. Priced at $50 (vs $449), it costs 89% less, resulting in a 796.5% higher cost efficiency score.

InsightGeForce GTX 295GeForce GTX 260
Cost Efficiency
Better overall value (+796.5%)
Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost
More affordable ($50)
⚠️Higher upfront cost ($449)

Performance Check

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 7800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 295 and GeForce GTX 260

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 295

The GeForce GTX 295 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 8 2009. It features the Tesla 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 576 MHz. It has 480 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 289W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,198 points. Launch price was $500.

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.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 295 scores 1,198 and the GeForce GTX 260 reaches 1,200 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 295 is built on Tesla 2.0 while the GeForce GTX 260 uses Tesla 2.0, both on 55 nm vs 65 nm. Shader units: 480 (GeForce GTX 295) vs 192 (GeForce GTX 260). Raw compute: 0.5962 TFLOPS ×2 (GeForce GTX 295) vs 0.4769 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 260).

FeatureGeForce GTX 295GeForce GTX 260
G3D Mark Score
1,198
1,200
Architecture
Tesla 2.0
Tesla 2.0
Process Node
55 nm
65 nm
Shading Units
480 ×2+150%
192
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.5962 TFLOPS ×2+25%
0.4769 TFLOPS
ROPs
28 ×2
28
TMUs
80 ×2+25%
64
L2 Cache
224 KB
224 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureGeForce GTX 295GeForce GTX 260
Upscaling Tech
FSR 2.1 (Compatible)
FSR 2.1 (Compatible)
Frame Generation
FSR 3 (Compatible)
FSR 3 (Compatible)
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 295 comes with 2 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GTX 260 has 896 MB. The GeForce GTX 295 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit.

FeatureGeForce GTX 295GeForce GTX 260
VRAM Capacity
1.75 GB+100%
0.875 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
224 KB
224 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.1 (10_0) (GeForce GTX 295) vs 10_0 (GeForce GTX 260). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce GTX 295GeForce GTX 260
DirectX
11.1 (10_0)+11%
10_0
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: PureVideo HD VP2 (GeForce GTX 295) vs NVENC 1st Gen (GeForce GTX 260). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP2 vs NVDEC 1st Gen. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTX 295) vs H.264 (GeForce GTX 260).

FeatureGeForce GTX 295GeForce GTX 260
Encoder
PureVideo HD VP2
NVENC 1st Gen
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP2
NVDEC 1st Gen
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
H.264
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 295 draws 289W versus the GeForce GTX 260's 182W — a 45.4% difference. The GeForce GTX 260 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 680W (GeForce GTX 295) vs 500W (GeForce GTX 260). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 295GeForce GTX 260
TDP
289W
182W-37%
Recommended PSU
680W
500W-26%
Power Connector
1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
2x 6-pin
Length
267mm
267mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
95°C
Perf/Watt
4.1
6.6+61%
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 295 launched at $499 MSRP and currently averages $50, while the GeForce GTX 260 launched at $449 and now averages $449. The GeForce GTX 295 costs 88.9% less ($399 savings) at current market prices. Performance per dollar (G3D Mark / price): 24.0 (GeForce GTX 295) vs 2.7 (GeForce GTX 260) — the GeForce GTX 295 offers 788.9% better value. The GeForce GTX 295 is the newer GPU (2009 vs 2008).

FeatureGeForce GTX 295GeForce GTX 260
MSRP
$499
$449-10%
Avg Price (30d)
$50-89%
$449
Performance per Dollar
24.0+789%
2.7
Codename
GT200B
GT200
Release
January 8 2009
June 16 2008
Ranking
#816
#821