GeForce GTX 470 vs Radeon R7 260X

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 470

2010Core: 607 MHz
Similar parts
·······
VS
AMD

Radeon R7 260X

2013Boost: 1000 MHz
Similar parts
·······

GeForce GTX 470 vs Radeon R7 260X 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 470 vs Radeon R7 260X 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 470 vs Radeon R7 260X: 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 470

2010

Why buy it

  • 54.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2010 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 151.1% HIGHER MSRP
    $349 MSRPvs$139 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 9.0 vs 23.0 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $139 MSRP).
  • 87% higher power demand at 215W vs 115W.

Radeon R7 260X

2013

Why buy it

  • Costs $210 less on MSRP ($139 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
  • Delivers 155.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 23.0 vs 9.0 G3D/$ ($139 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
  • 60% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).
  • Draws 115W instead of 215W, a 100W reduction.
  • Measures 170mm instead of 241mm, a 71mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 470 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2013 hardware with 2 GB 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 470 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 54.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R7 260X instead at 3,198 vs 3,145, 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 470 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R7 260X makes the most sense to buy today. It is $210 cheaper on MSRP at $139 vs $349, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 155.3% (23.0 vs 9.0), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R7 260X is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 470 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 470 vs Radeon R7 260X Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 470

The GeForce GTX 470 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 26 2010. It features the Fermi architecture. The core clock speed is 607 MHz. It has 448 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 215W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,145 points. Launch price was $349.

AMD

Radeon R7 260X

The Radeon R7 260X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 8 2013. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 896 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 115W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,198 points. Launch price was $139.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 470 scores 3,145 and the Radeon R7 260X reaches 3,198 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 470 is built on Fermi while the Radeon R7 260X uses GCN 2.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 448 (GeForce GTX 470) vs 896 (Radeon R7 260X). Raw compute: 1.089 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 470) vs 1.971 TFLOPS (Radeon R7 260X).

FeatureGeForce GTX 470Radeon R7 260X
G3D Mark Score
3,145
3,198+2%
Architecture
Fermi
GCN 2.0
Process Node
40 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
448
896+100%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.089 TFLOPS
1.971 TFLOPS+81%
ROPs
40+150%
16
TMUs
56
56
L1 Cache
896 KB+300%
224 KB
L2 Cache
640 KB+150%
256 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 470 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R7 260X leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 470Radeon R7 260X
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 470 has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R7 260X carries 2 GB. Radeon R7 260X gives you 60% 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 470 and 128-bit on the Radeon R7 260X. L2 Cache: 640 KB (GeForce GTX 470) vs 256 KB (Radeon R7 260X) — the GeForce GTX 470 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 470Radeon R7 260X
VRAM Capacity
1.25 GB
2 GB+60%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
104 GB/s
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
640 KB+150%
256 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.0 (GeForce GTX 470) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R7 260X). Vulkan: N/A vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 6.

FeatureGeForce GTX 470Radeon R7 260X
DirectX
11.0
12 (12_0)+9%
Vulkan
N/A
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
2
6+200%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (GeForce GTX 470) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R7 260X). Decoder: PureVideo VP4 vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264 (GeForce GTX 470) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon R7 260X).

FeatureGeForce GTX 470Radeon R7 260X
Encoder
None
VCE 2.0
Decoder
PureVideo VP4
UVD 4.2
Codecs
MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 470 draws 215W versus the Radeon R7 260X's 115W — a 60.6% difference. The Radeon R7 260X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce GTX 470) vs 500W (Radeon R7 260X). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 241mm vs 170mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 93 vs 80.

FeatureGeForce GTX 470Radeon R7 260X
TDP
215W
115W-47%
Recommended PSU
550W
500W-9%
Power Connector
2x 6-pin
1x 6-pin
Length
241mm
170mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
93
80-14%
Perf/Watt
14.6
27.8+90%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 470 came in at $349, while the Radeon R7 260X launched at $139. On MSRP, Radeon R7 260X was 60.2% cheaper ($210 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 9.0 (GeForce GTX 470) vs 23.0 (Radeon R7 260X) — the Radeon R7 260X offers 155.6% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R7 260X (2013 vs 2010).

FeatureGeForce GTX 470Radeon R7 260X
MSRP
$349
$139-60%
Performance per Dollar
9.0
23.0+156%
Codename
GF100
Bonaire
Release
March 26 2010
October 8 2013
Ranking
#572
#568

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.