Radeon 740M 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.

Radeon 740M 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.

Radeon 740M 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.

Radeon 740M

2024

Why buy it

✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 4nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
✅Draws 45W instead of 275W, a 230W reduction.
✅More future proof: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 260 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 21.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $139 MSRP).

Radeon R9 260

2013

Why buy it

✅85.2% 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.
❌511.1% higher power demand at 275W vs 45W.

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 85.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.1% in PassMark G3D (3,048 vs 3,045), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon 740M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 4nm process instead of 28nm, 4 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2024 generation instead of 2013. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.

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, Radeon 740M has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon 740M vs Radeon R9 260 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon 740M

The Radeon 740M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 31 2024. It features the RDNA 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 800 MHz to 2800 MHz. It has 256 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 45W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 4 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,045 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.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon 740M scores 3,045 and the Radeon R9 260 reaches 3,048 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon 740M is built on RDNA 3.0 while the Radeon R9 260 uses GCN 2.0, both on 4 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 256 (Radeon 740M) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 260). Raw compute: 2.867 TFLOPS (Radeon 740M) vs 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 260).

Feature	Radeon 740M	Radeon R9 260
G3D Mark Score	3,045	3,048
Architecture	RDNA 3.0	GCN 2.0
Process Node	4 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	256	2560+900%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.867 TFLOPS	4.849 TFLOPS+69%
ROPs	8	64+700%
TMUs	16	160+900%
L1 Cache	64 KB	640 KB+900%
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling + RSR	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon 740M	Radeon R9 260
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is System on the Radeon 740M and 128-bit on the Radeon R9 260. L2 Cache: 2 MB (Radeon 740M) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 260) — the Radeon 740M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon 740M	Radeon R9 260
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	Shared	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	System	Unknown
Bus Width	System	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon 740M draws 45W versus the Radeon R9 260's 275W — a 143.8% difference. The Radeon 740M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon 740M) vs 450W (Radeon R9 260). Power connectors: None vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon 740M	Radeon R9 260
TDP	45W-84%	275W
Recommended PSU	350W-22%	450W
Power Connector	None	1x 6-pin
Perf/Watt	67.7+510%	11.1

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon 740M (2024 vs 2013).

Feature	Radeon 740M	Radeon R9 260
MSRP	—	$139
Codename	Phoenix2	Hawaii
Release	January 31 2024	November 5 2013
Ranking	#581	#316

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