Radeon HD 6990M vs Radeon R7 260X

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 6990M vs Radeon R7 260X 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 6990M vs Radeon R7 260X: 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 6990M

2011

Why buy it

✅36.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Draws 100W instead of 115W, a 15W reduction.

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.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 23.0 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $139 MSRP).

Radeon R7 260X

2013

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 23.0 vs 0 G3D/$ ($139 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅More future proof: GCN 2.0 (2013−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6990M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2013 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌15% higher power demand at 115W vs 100W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 6990M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 36.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.1% in PassMark G3D (3,264 vs 3,198), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon HD 6990M 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 R7 260X 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 R7 260X is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 6990M has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 6990M vs Radeon R7 260X Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 6990M

The Radeon HD 6990M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 12 2011. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 715 MHz. It has 1120 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,264 points.

Radeon R7 260X

The Radeon R7 260X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 8 2013. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 896 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 115W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,198 points. Launch price was $139.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 6990M scores 3,264 and the Radeon R7 260X reaches 3,198 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 6990M is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon R7 260X uses GCN 2.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,120 (Radeon HD 6990M) vs 896 (Radeon R7 260X). Raw compute: 1.602 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6990M) vs 1.971 TFLOPS (Radeon R7 260X).

Feature	Radeon HD 6990M	Radeon R7 260X
G3D Mark Score	3,264+2%	3,198
Architecture	TeraScale 2	GCN 2.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1120+25%	896
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.602 TFLOPS	1.971 TFLOPS+23%
ROPs	32+100%	16
TMUs	56	56
L1 Cache	224 KB	224 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 6990M	Radeon R7 260X
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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is System on the Radeon HD 6990M and 128-bit on the Radeon R7 260X. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 6990M) vs 256 KB (Radeon R7 260X) — the Radeon HD 6990M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 6990M	Radeon R7 260X
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	Shared	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	System	104 GB/s
Bus Width	System	128-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 6990M draws 100W versus the Radeon R7 260X's 115W — a 14% difference. The Radeon HD 6990M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 6990M) vs 500W (Radeon R7 260X). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon HD 6990M	Radeon R7 260X
TDP	100W-13%	115W
Recommended PSU	350W-30%	500W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	—	170mm
Height	—	111mm
Slots	—	2
Temp (Load)	—	80
Perf/Watt	32.6+17%	27.8

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Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon R7 260X (2013 vs 2011).

Feature	Radeon HD 6990M	Radeon R7 260X
MSRP	—	$139
Codename	Blackcomb	Bonaire
Release	July 12 2011	October 8 2013
Ranking	#691	#568

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