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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Why buy it

✅+566.4% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅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).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform 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 PassMark G3D performance (3,048 vs 20,312).
❌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.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.9 vs 50.9 G3D/$ ($139 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Radeon R9 260

2013

Why buy it

✅+566.4% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅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).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (3,048 vs 20,312).
❌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.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.9 vs 50.9 G3D/$ ($139 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 Ti better than Radeon R9 260?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 20,312 vs 3,048 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is a 2020 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon R9 260 is a 2013 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2013, 566.4% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 2 GB, and the stronger feature stack with DLSS Super Resolution instead of FSR upscaling. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is about 187.1% more expensive on MSRP at $399 MSRP versus $139 MSRP, and you are getting 566.4% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 260 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon R9 260 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon R9 260 is 2013 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM, 3,048 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 260 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon R9 260
1080p
low	152 FPS	82 FPS
medium	137 FPS	67 FPS
high	118 FPS	54 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	35 FPS
1440p
low	131 FPS	68 FPS
medium	107 FPS	57 FPS
high	91 FPS	41 FPS
ultra	82 FPS	26 FPS
4K
low	77 FPS	25 FPS
medium	65 FPS	24 FPS
high	50 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	13 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Open Radeon R9 260

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon R9 260
1080p
low	425 FPS	137 FPS
medium	366 FPS	110 FPS
high	296 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	248 FPS	69 FPS
1440p
low	272 FPS	103 FPS
medium	229 FPS	82 FPS
high	190 FPS	69 FPS
ultra	156 FPS	51 FPS
4K
low	133 FPS	58 FPS
medium	114 FPS	46 FPS
high	96 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	73 FPS	34 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Open Radeon R9 260

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon R9 260
1080p
low	859 FPS	137 FPS
medium	693 FPS	110 FPS
high	602 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	457 FPS	69 FPS
1440p
low	658 FPS	103 FPS
medium	529 FPS	82 FPS
high	452 FPS	69 FPS
ultra	343 FPS	51 FPS
4K
low	434 FPS	69 FPS
medium	346 FPS	55 FPS
high	275 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	221 FPS	34 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Open Radeon R9 260

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Radeon R9 260
1080p
low	580 FPS	137 FPS
medium	514 FPS	110 FPS
high	424 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	373 FPS	69 FPS
1440p
low	478 FPS	103 FPS
medium	427 FPS	82 FPS
high	335 FPS	69 FPS
ultra	290 FPS	51 FPS
4K
low	285 FPS	69 FPS
medium	266 FPS	55 FPS
high	234 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	195 FPS	33 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Open Radeon R9 260

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 Ti and Radeon R9 260

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.

⚡

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

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R9 260 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

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

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 260 has 2 GB. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers 300% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit. 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

🔌

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

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti launched at $399 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 260 launched at $139. The Radeon R9 260 costs 65.2% less ($260 savings) on MSRP. 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 GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the newer GPU (2020 vs 2013).