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 6990 vs Radeon R7 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 HD 6990 vs Radeon R7 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 HD 6990

2011

Why buy it

✅98.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).
✅Radeon R7 260 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon HD 6990 is the less risky modern option long term.

Trade-offs

❌2011 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
541.3% HIGHER MSRP
$699 MSRPvs$109 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.3 vs 26.5 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs $109 MSRP).
❌294.7% higher power demand at 375W vs 95W.
❌82.4% longer card at 310mm vs 170mm.

Radeon R7 260

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $590 less on MSRP ($109 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Delivers 515.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.5 vs 4.3 G3D/$ ($109 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Draws 95W instead of 375W, a 280W reduction.
✅Measures 170mm instead of 310mm, a 140mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6990 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2013 hardware with 1 GB 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 6990 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 98.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 4.2% in PassMark G3D (3,014 vs 2,892), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon HD 6990 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 2 GB vs 1 GB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon R7 260 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $590 cheaper on MSRP at $109 vs $699, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 515.3% (26.5 vs 4.3), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R7 260 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 6990 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 6990 vs Radeon R7 260 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 6990

The Radeon HD 6990 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 8 2011. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The core clock speed is 830 MHz. It has 1536 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 375W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,014 points. Launch price was $699.

Radeon R7 260

The Radeon R7 260 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 17 2013. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1100 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 95W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,892 points. Launch price was $109.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 6990 scores 3,014 and the Radeon R7 260 reaches 2,892 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 6990 is built on TeraScale 3 while the Radeon R7 260 uses GCN 2.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (Radeon HD 6990) vs 768 (Radeon R7 260). Raw compute: 2.55 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 6990) vs 1.536 TFLOPS (Radeon R7 260).

Feature	Radeon HD 6990	Radeon R7 260
G3D Mark Score	3,014+4%	2,892
Architecture	TeraScale 3	GCN 2.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1536 ×2+100%	768
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.55 TFLOPS ×2+66%	1.536 TFLOPS
ROPs	32 ×2+100%	16
TMUs	96 ×2+100%	48
L1 Cache	384 KB+100%	192 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 6990	Radeon R7 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)

The Radeon HD 6990 has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R7 260 carries 1 GB. Radeon HD 6990 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6990 and 128-bit on the Radeon R7 260. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 6990) vs 256 KB (Radeon R7 260) — the Radeon HD 6990 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 6990	Radeon R7 260
VRAM Capacity	2 GB+100%	1 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	96 GB/s
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.2 (Radeon HD 6990) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R7 260). Vulkan: None vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.4 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 5 vs 3.

Feature	Radeon HD 6990	Radeon R7 260
DirectX	11.2	12 (12_0)+7%
Vulkan	None	1.2
OpenGL	4.4	4.6+5%
Max Displays	5+67%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (Radeon HD 6990) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R7 260). Decoder: UVD 3.0 vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 6990) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MVC (Radeon R7 260).

Feature	Radeon HD 6990	Radeon R7 260
Encoder	None	VCE 2.0
Decoder	UVD 3.0	UVD 4.2
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 6990 draws 375W versus the Radeon R7 260's 95W — a 119.1% difference. The Radeon R7 260 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon HD 6990) vs 400W (Radeon R7 260). Power connectors: 2x 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 310mm vs 170mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85 vs 80.

Feature	Radeon HD 6990	Radeon R7 260
TDP	375W	95W-75%
Recommended PSU	750W	400W-47%
Power Connector	2x 8-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	310mm	170mm
Height	115mm	112mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	85	80-6%
Perf/Watt	8.0	30.4+280%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 6990 came in at $699, while the Radeon R7 260 launched at $109. On MSRP, Radeon R7 260 was 84.4% cheaper ($590 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 4.3 (Radeon HD 6990) vs 26.5 (Radeon R7 260) — the Radeon R7 260 offers 516.3% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R7 260 (2013 vs 2011).

Feature	Radeon HD 6990	Radeon R7 260
MSRP	$699	$109-84%
Performance per Dollar	4.3	26.5+516%
Codename	Antilles	Bonaire
Release	March 8 2011	December 17 2013
Ranking	#583	#591

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