GeForce GTX 860M vs Radeon R9 260

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 860M vs Radeon R9 260 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 860M vs Radeon R9 260: 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 860M

2014

Why buy it

✅Draws 75W instead of 275W, a 200W reduction.
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 260 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2014 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 21.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $139 MSRP).

Radeon R9 260

2013

Why buy it

✅74.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 21.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($139 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2013 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌266.7% higher power demand at 275W vs 75W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon R9 260 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 74.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 860M instead at 3,095 vs 3,048, 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 860M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2014 generation instead of 2013. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon R9 260 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 R9 260 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 860M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 860M vs Radeon R9 260 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 860M

The GeForce GTX 860M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 13 2014. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 797 MHz to 1085 MHz. It has 1152 or 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,095 points.

Radeon R9 260

The Radeon R9 260 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 5 2013. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 947 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 275W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,048 points. Launch price was $399.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 860M scores 3,095 and the Radeon R9 260 reaches 3,048 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 860M is built on Maxwell while the Radeon R9 260 uses GCN 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,152 (GeForce GTX 860M) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 260). Raw compute: 1.389 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 860M) vs 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 260).

Feature	GeForce GTX 860M	Radeon R9 260
G3D Mark Score	3,095+2%	3,048
Architecture	Maxwell	GCN 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1152 or 640	2560+122%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.389 TFLOPS	4.849 TFLOPS+249%
ROPs	16	64+300%
TMUs	40	160+300%
L1 Cache	320 KB	640 KB+100%
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 860M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R9 260 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 860M	Radeon R9 260
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)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 860M and 128-bit on the Radeon R9 260. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 860M) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 260) — the GeForce GTX 860M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 860M	Radeon R9 260
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 860M draws 75W versus the Radeon R9 260's 275W — a 114.3% difference. The GeForce GTX 860M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 860M) vs 450W (Radeon R9 260). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	GeForce GTX 860M	Radeon R9 260
TDP	75W-73%	275W
Recommended PSU	350W-22%	450W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	1x 6-pin
Length	0mm	—
Height	0mm	—
Slots	0	—
Temp (Load)	80°C	—
Perf/Watt	41.3+272%	11.1

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GTX 860M (2014 vs 2013).

Feature	GeForce GTX 860M	Radeon R9 260
MSRP	—	$139
Codename	GM107	Hawaii
Release	January 13 2014	November 5 2013
Ranking	#578	#316

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