GeForce GTX 680 vs GeForce RTX 2060

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 680

2012Core: 1006 MHzBoost: 1058 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 2060

2019Core: 1365 MHzBoost: 1680 MHz
RTX family
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GeForce GTX 680 vs GeForce RTX 2060 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 680 vs GeForce RTX 2060 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 680 vs GeForce RTX 2060: 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 680

2012

Why buy it

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 2060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • 2012 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 43% HIGHER MSRP
    $499 MSRPvs$349 MSRP

GeForce RTX 2060

2019

Why buy it

  • 134.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $150 less on MSRP ($349 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
  • Delivers 259.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 11.2 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

  • Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 2060 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 134.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 151.6% in PassMark G3D (14,114 vs 5,609), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 2060 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 6 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM, the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 12nm process instead of 28nm, and 30 vs 0 ray-tracing units. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 2060 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $150 cheaper on MSRP at $349 vs $499, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 259.8% (40.4 vs 11.2), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 680 vs GeForce RTX 2060 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 680

The GeForce GTX 680 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 22 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 1006 MHz to 1058 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 195W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,609 points. Launch price was $499.

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 2060

The GeForce RTX 2060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 7 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1365 MHz to 1680 MHz. It has 1920 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 160W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 30 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 14,114 points. Launch price was $349.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 680 scores 5,609 versus the GeForce RTX 2060's 14,114 — the GeForce RTX 2060 leads by 151.6%. The GeForce GTX 680 is built on Kepler while the GeForce RTX 2060 uses Turing, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 680) vs 1,920 (GeForce RTX 2060). Raw compute: 3.25 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 680) vs 6.451 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2060). Boost clocks: 1058 MHz vs 1680 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GeForce RTX 2060
G3D Mark Score
5,609
14,114+152%
Architecture
Kepler
Turing
Process Node
28 nm
12 nm
Shading Units
1536
1920+25%
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.25 TFLOPS
6.451 TFLOPS+98%
Boost Clock
1058 MHz
1680 MHz+59%
ROPs
32
48+50%
TMUs
128+7%
120
L1 Cache
0.13 MB
1.9 MB+1362%
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
3 MB+500%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 2060 supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 680 is capped at Upscaling support.

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GeForce RTX 2060
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 680 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 2060 carries 6 GB. GeForce RTX 2060 gives you 50% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 192.2 GB/s (GeForce GTX 680) vs 336 GB/s (GeForce RTX 2060) — a 74.8% advantage for the GeForce RTX 2060. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 680 and 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 2060. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (GeForce GTX 680) vs 3 MB (GeForce RTX 2060) — the GeForce RTX 2060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GeForce RTX 2060
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
6 GB+50%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
192.2 GB/s
336 GB/s+75%
Bus Width
256-bit+33%
192-bit
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
3 MB+500%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FL 11_0) (GeForce GTX 680) vs 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 2060). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GeForce RTX 2060
DirectX
12 (FL 11_0)
12 Ultimate (12_2)
Vulkan
1.1
1.3+18%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st gen (GeForce GTX 680) vs NVENC (Turing) (GeForce RTX 2060). Decoder: PureVideo VP5 vs NVDEC (Turing). Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTX 680) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce RTX 2060).

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GeForce RTX 2060
Encoder
NVENC 1st gen
NVENC (Turing)
Decoder
PureVideo VP5
NVDEC (Turing)
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 680 draws 195W versus the GeForce RTX 2060's 160W — a 19.7% difference. The GeForce RTX 2060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce GTX 680) vs 500W (GeForce RTX 2060). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 256mm vs 229mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 98°C vs 72.

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GeForce RTX 2060
TDP
195W
160W-18%
Recommended PSU
550W
500W-9%
Power Connector
2x 6-pin
8-pin
Length
256mm
229mm
Height
111mm
113mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
98°C
72-27%
Perf/Watt
28.8
88.2+206%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 680 came in at $499, while the GeForce RTX 2060 launched at $349. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 2060 was 30.1% cheaper ($150 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 11.2 (GeForce GTX 680) vs 40.4 (GeForce RTX 2060) — the GeForce RTX 2060 offers 260.7% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 2060 (2019 vs 2012).

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GeForce RTX 2060
MSRP
$499
$349-30%
Performance per Dollar
11.2
40.4+261%
Codename
GK104
TU106
Release
March 22 2012
January 7 2019
Ranking
#410
#168

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