GeForce RTX 2060 vs Radeon HD 2900 XT

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 2060

2019Core: 1365 MHzBoost: 1680 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon HD 2900 XT

2013Core: 725 MHz

GeForce RTX 2060 vs Radeon HD 2900 XT 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 RTX 2060 vs Radeon HD 2900 XT 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 RTX 2060 vs Radeon HD 2900 XT: 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 RTX 2060

2019

Why buy it

  • βœ…1496.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • βœ…Costs $50 less on MSRP ($349 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
  • βœ…Delivers 2344.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 1.7 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
  • βœ…Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • βœ…500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 1 GB).

Trade-offs

  • ❌540% higher power demand at 160W vs 25W.

Radeon HD 2900 XT

2013

Why buy it

  • βœ…Draws 25W instead of 160W, a 135W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 2060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • ❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
  • ❌2013 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌
    14.3% HIGHER MSRP
    $399 MSRPvs$349 MSRP

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 1496.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2038.5% in PassMark G3D (14,114 vs 660), 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 1 GB of VRAM, a 12nm process instead of 40nm, 30 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2013. 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 $50 cheaper on MSRP at $349 vs $399, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 2344.9% (40.4 vs 1.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce RTX 2060 vs Radeon HD 2900 XT Technical Specifications

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

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.

AMD

Radeon HD 2900 XT

The Radeon HD 2900 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 7 2013. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 480 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 25W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 660 points.

⚑

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 2060 scores 14,114 versus the Radeon HD 2900 XT's 660 β€” the GeForce RTX 2060 leads by 2038.5%. The GeForce RTX 2060 is built on Turing while the Radeon HD 2900 XT uses TeraScale 2, both on 12 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 1,920 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 480 (Radeon HD 2900 XT). Raw compute: 6.451 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 0.696 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 2900 XT).

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon HD 2900 XT
G3D Mark Score
14,114+2038%
660
Architecture
Turing
TeraScale 2
Process Node
12 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
1920+300%
480
Compute (TFLOPS)
6.451 TFLOPS+827%
0.696 TFLOPS
ROPs
48+500%
8
TMUs
120+400%
24
L1 Cache
1.9 MB+3700%
0.05 MB
L2 Cache
3 MB+1100%
0.25 MB
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 2060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 2900 XT leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon HD 2900 XT
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
πŸ’Ύ

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 2060 has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 2900 XT carries 1 GB. GeForce RTX 2060 gives you 500% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 2060 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 2900 XT. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 2900 XT) β€” the GeForce RTX 2060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon HD 2900 XT
VRAM Capacity
6 GB+500%
1 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
336 GB/s
Unknown
Bus Width
192-bit+50%
128-bit
L2 Cache
3 MB+1100%
0.25 MB
πŸ–₯️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 10.0 (Radeon HD 2900 XT). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon HD 2900 XT
DirectX
12 Ultimate (12_2)+20%
10.0
Max Displays
4+100%
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Turing) (GeForce RTX 2060) vs UVD+ (Radeon HD 2900 XT). Decoder: NVDEC (Turing) vs UVD+. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs H.264 (Radeon HD 2900 XT).

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon HD 2900 XT
Encoder
NVENC (Turing)
UVD+
Decoder
NVDEC (Turing)
UVD+
Codecs
H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1
H.264
πŸ”Œ

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 2060 draws 160W versus the Radeon HD 2900 XT's 25W β€” a 145.9% difference. The Radeon HD 2900 XT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 350W (Radeon HD 2900 XT). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 229mm vs 241mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon HD 2900 XT
TDP
160W
25W-84%
Recommended PSU
500W
350W-30%
Power Connector
8-pin
1x 6-pin
Length
229mm
241mm
Height
113mm
β€”
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
72
β€”
Perf/Watt
88.2+234%
26.4
πŸ’°

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 2060 came in at $349, while the Radeon HD 2900 XT launched at $399. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 2060 was 12.5% cheaper ($50 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 1.7 (Radeon HD 2900 XT) β€” the GeForce RTX 2060 offers 2276.5% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 2060 (2019 vs 2013).

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon HD 2900 XT
MSRP
$349-13%
$399
Performance per Dollar
40.4+2276%
1.7
Codename
TU106
Thames
Release
January 7 2019
January 7 2013
Ranking
#168
#883

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