GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 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 RTX 3060 Ti 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 RTX 3060 Ti 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 RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Why buy it

✅215.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 132.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 21.9 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $139 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

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

Radeon R9 260

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $260 less on MSRP ($139 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Ti across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 8 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 21.9 vs 50.9 G3D/$ ($139 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 215.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 566.4% in PassMark G3D (20,312 vs 3,048), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 8 GB vs 2 GB of VRAM, a 8nm process instead of 28nm, 38 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2020 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 3060 Ti makes the most sense to buy today. It is $260 more expensive on MSRP at $399 vs $139, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 132.2% (50.9 vs 21.9), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti vs Radeon R9 260 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in December 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1410 MHz to 1665 MHz. It has 4864 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 38 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 20,312 points. Launch price was $399.

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.

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Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 20,312 versus the Radeon R9 260's 3,048 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads by 566.4%. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is built on Ampere while the Radeon R9 260 uses GCN 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 4,864 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 260). Raw compute: 16.2 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 260).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon R9 260
G3D Mark Score	20,312+566%	3,048
Architecture	Ampere	GCN 2.0
Process Node	8 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	4864+90%	2560
Compute (TFLOPS)	16.2 TFLOPS+234%	4.849 TFLOPS
ROPs	80+25%	64
TMUs	152	160+5%
L1 Cache	4.8 MB+662%	0.63 MB
L2 Cache	4 MB+300%	1 MB

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 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 RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon R9 260
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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 260 carries 2 GB. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti gives you 300% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti and 128-bit on the Radeon R9 260. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 260) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon R9 260
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+300%	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	448 GB/s	Unknown
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	4 MB+300%	1 MB

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti draws 200W versus the Radeon R9 260's 275W — a 31.6% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 450W (Radeon R9 260). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon R9 260
TDP	200W-27%	275W
Recommended PSU	600W	450W-25%
Power Connector	8-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	242mm	—
Height	112mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	75	—
Perf/Watt	101.6+815%	11.1

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Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti came in at $399, while the Radeon R9 260 launched at $139. On MSRP, Radeon R9 260 was 65.2% cheaper ($260 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 50.9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 21.9 (Radeon R9 260) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers 132.4% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (2020 vs 2013).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon R9 260
MSRP	$399	$139-65%
Performance per Dollar	50.9+132%	21.9
Codename	GA104	Hawaii
Release	December 1 2020	November 5 2013
Ranking	#73	#316

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