GeForce GTX 560 vs Radeon HD 8950

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 560 vs Radeon HD 8950 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 560 vs Radeon HD 8950: 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 560

2011

Why buy it

✅Costs $300 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Delivers 145.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 13.9 vs 5.7 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Draws 150W instead of 200W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 8950 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 3 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2011 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 8950

2012

Why buy it

✅12.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (3 GB vs 1 GB).
✅More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌2012 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
150.8% HIGHER MSRP
$499 MSRPvs$199 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.7 vs 13.9 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌33.3% higher power demand at 200W vs 150W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 8950 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 12.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.2% in PassMark G3D (2,828 vs 2,768), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 560 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?

GeForce GTX 560 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $300 cheaper on MSRP at $199 vs $499, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 145.4% (13.9 vs 5.7), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 8950 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 560 vs Radeon HD 8950 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 560

The GeForce GTX 560 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 17 2011. It features the Fermi 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 810 MHz. It has 336 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,768 points. Launch price was $199.

Radeon HD 8950

The Radeon HD 8950 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 31 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1250 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,828 points. Launch price was $449.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 560 scores 2,768 and the Radeon HD 8950 reaches 2,828 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 560 is built on Fermi 2.0 while the Radeon HD 8950 uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 336 (GeForce GTX 560) vs 1,792 (Radeon HD 8950). Raw compute: 1.089 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 560) vs 2.867 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8950).

Feature	GeForce GTX 560	Radeon HD 8950
G3D Mark Score	2,768	2,828+2%
Architecture	Fermi 2.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	336	1792+433%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.089 TFLOPS	2.867 TFLOPS+163%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	56	112+100%
L1 Cache	448 KB	448 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB	768 KB+50%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 560 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 8950 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 560	Radeon HD 8950
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 560 has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 8950 carries 3 GB. Radeon HD 8950 gives you 200% 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 560 and 256-bit on the Radeon HD 8950. L2 Cache: 512 KB (GeForce GTX 560) vs 768 KB (Radeon HD 8950) — the Radeon HD 8950 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 560	Radeon HD 8950
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	3 GB+200%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	256-bit+100%
L2 Cache	512 KB	768 KB+50%

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 560 draws 150W versus the Radeon HD 8950's 200W — a 28.6% difference. The GeForce GTX 560 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 560) vs 500W (Radeon HD 8950). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin.

Feature	GeForce GTX 560	Radeon HD 8950
TDP	150W-25%	200W
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	—	267mm
Slots	—	2
Perf/Watt	18.5+31%	14.1

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 560 came in at $199, while the Radeon HD 8950 launched at $499. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 560 was 60.1% cheaper ($300 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 13.9 (GeForce GTX 560) vs 5.7 (Radeon HD 8950) — the GeForce GTX 560 offers 143.9% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 8950 (2012 vs 2011).

Feature	GeForce GTX 560	Radeon HD 8950
MSRP	$199-60%	$499
Performance per Dollar	13.9+144%	5.7
Codename	GF114	Tahiti
Release	May 17 2011	January 31 2012
Ranking	#605	#454

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