Radeon HD 2600 XT vs Radeon HD 2900 GT

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 HD 2600 XT vs Radeon HD 2900 GT 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 HD 2600 XT vs Radeon HD 2900 GT: 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 HD 2600 XT

2013

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 2900 GT across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2013 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
17.1% HIGHER MSRP
$199 MSRPvs$170 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.4 vs 1.7 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $170 MSRP).

Radeon HD 2900 GT

2013

Why buy it

✅10.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $29 less on MSRP ($170 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅Delivers 20.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 1.7 vs 1.4 G3D/$ ($170 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2013 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 2900 GT is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 10.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 3.2% in PassMark G3D (292 vs 283), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon HD 2600 XT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 2900 GT makes the most sense to buy today. It is $29 cheaper on MSRP at $170 vs $199, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 20.8% (1.7 vs 1.4), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 2900 GT is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 2600 XT has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 2600 XT vs Radeon HD 2900 GT Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 2600 XT

The Radeon HD 2600 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: 283 points.

Radeon HD 2900 GT

The Radeon HD 2900 GT 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: 292 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 2600 XT scores 283 and the Radeon HD 2900 GT reaches 292 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 2600 XT is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon HD 2900 GT uses TeraScale 2, both on a 40 nm process. Shader units: 480 (Radeon HD 2600 XT) vs 480 (Radeon HD 2900 GT). Raw compute: 0.696 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 2600 XT) vs 0.696 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 2900 GT).

Feature	Radeon HD 2600 XT	Radeon HD 2900 GT
G3D Mark Score	283	292+3%
Architecture	TeraScale 2	TeraScale 2
Process Node	40 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	480	480
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.696 TFLOPS	0.696 TFLOPS
ROPs	8	8
TMUs	24	24
L1 Cache	48 KB	48 KB
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 2600 XT	Radeon HD 2900 GT
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 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon HD 2600 XT and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 2900 GT.

Feature	Radeon HD 2600 XT	Radeon HD 2900 GT
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 2600 XT draws 25W versus the Radeon HD 2900 GT's 25W — a 0% difference. The Radeon HD 2900 GT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 2600 XT) vs 350W (Radeon HD 2900 GT). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon HD 2600 XT	Radeon HD 2900 GT
TDP	25W	25W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	—	241mm
Slots	—	2
Perf/Watt	11.3	11.7+4%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 2600 XT came in at $199, while the Radeon HD 2900 GT launched at $170. On MSRP, Radeon HD 2900 GT was 14.6% cheaper ($29 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.4 (Radeon HD 2600 XT) vs 1.7 (Radeon HD 2900 GT) — the Radeon HD 2900 GT offers 21.4% better value.

Feature	Radeon HD 2600 XT	Radeon HD 2900 GT
MSRP	$199	$170-15%
Performance per Dollar	1.4	1.7+21%
Codename	Thames	Thames
Release	January 7 2013	January 7 2013
Ranking	#883	#883

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