GeForce RTX 2060 vs Radeon R7 260X

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 2060

2019Core: 1365 MHzBoost: 1680 MHz
RTX family
·······
VS
AMD

Radeon R7 260X

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

GeForce RTX 2060 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 RTX 2060 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 RTX 2060 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 RTX 2060

2019

Why buy it

  • 300.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 75.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 23.0 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $139 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 2 GB).
  • Better long-term bet: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 39.1% higher power demand at 160W vs 115W.
  • 34.7% longer card at 229mm vs 170mm.

Radeon R7 260X

2013

Why buy it

  • Costs $210 less on MSRP ($139 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
  • Draws 115W instead of 160W, a 45W reduction.
  • Measures 170mm instead of 229mm, a 59mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 2060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 2 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 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 23.0 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($139 MSRP vs $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 300.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 341.3% in PassMark G3D (14,114 vs 3,198), 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 2 GB of VRAM, a 12nm process instead of 28nm, 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 $210 more expensive on MSRP at $349 vs $139, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 75.8% (40.4 vs 23.0), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce RTX 2060 vs Radeon R7 260X 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 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

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 2060 scores 14,114 versus the Radeon R7 260X's 3,198 — the GeForce RTX 2060 leads by 341.3%. The GeForce RTX 2060 is built on Turing while the Radeon R7 260X uses GCN 2.0, both on 12 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,920 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 896 (Radeon R7 260X). Raw compute: 6.451 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 1.971 TFLOPS (Radeon R7 260X). Boost clocks: 1680 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon R7 260X
G3D Mark Score
14,114+341%
3,198
Architecture
Turing
GCN 2.0
Process Node
12 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
1920+114%
896
Compute (TFLOPS)
6.451 TFLOPS+227%
1.971 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1680 MHz+68%
1000 MHz
ROPs
48+200%
16
TMUs
120+114%
56
L1 Cache
1.9 MB+764%
0.22 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 R7 260X leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon R7 260X
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
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 2060 has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R7 260X carries 2 GB. GeForce RTX 2060 gives you 200% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 336 GB/s (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 104 GB/s (Radeon R7 260X) — a 223.1% advantage for the GeForce RTX 2060. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 2060 and 128-bit on the Radeon R7 260X. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon R7 260X) — the GeForce RTX 2060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon R7 260X
VRAM Capacity
6 GB+200%
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
336 GB/s+223%
104 GB/s
Bus Width
192-bit+50%
128-bit
L2 Cache
3 MB+1100%
0.25 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R7 260X). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon R7 260X
DirectX
12 Ultimate (12_2)
12 (12_0)
Vulkan
1.3+8%
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
6+50%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Turing) (GeForce RTX 2060) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R7 260X). Decoder: NVDEC (Turing) vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon R7 260X).

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon R7 260X
Encoder
NVENC (Turing)
VCE 2.0
Decoder
NVDEC (Turing)
UVD 4.2
Codecs
H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 2060 draws 160W versus the Radeon R7 260X's 115W — a 32.7% difference. The Radeon R7 260X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 500W (Radeon R7 260X). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 229mm vs 170mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 72 vs 80.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon R7 260X
TDP
160W
115W-28%
Recommended PSU
500W
500W
Power Connector
8-pin
1x 6-pin
Length
229mm
170mm
Height
113mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
72-10%
80
Perf/Watt
88.2+217%
27.8
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 2060 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): 40.4 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 23.0 (Radeon R7 260X) — the GeForce RTX 2060 offers 75.7% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 2060 (2019 vs 2013).

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon R7 260X
MSRP
$349
$139-60%
Performance per Dollar
40.4+76%
23.0
Codename
TU106
Bonaire
Release
January 7 2019
October 8 2013
Ranking
#168
#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.