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 8950 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 8950 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 8950

2012

Why buy it

✅113.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (3 GB vs 1 GB).

Trade-offs

❌2012 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
357.8% HIGHER MSRP
$499 MSRPvs$109 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.7 vs 26.5 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $109 MSRP).
❌110.5% higher power demand at 200W vs 95W.
❌57.1% longer card at 267mm vs 170mm.

Radeon R7 260

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $390 less on MSRP ($109 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Delivers 368.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.5 vs 5.7 G3D/$ ($109 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Draws 95W instead of 200W, a 105W reduction.
✅Measures 170mm instead of 267mm, a 97mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 8950 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 3 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 8950 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 113.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R7 260 instead at 2,892 vs 2,828, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.

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

Radeon HD 8950 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 3 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 $390 cheaper on MSRP at $109 vs $499, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 368.2% (26.5 vs 5.7), 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 8950 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 8950 vs Radeon R7 260 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 8950

The Radeon HD 8950 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 31 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1250 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,828 points. Launch price was $449.

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 8950 scores 2,828 and the Radeon R7 260 reaches 2,892 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 8950 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon R7 260 uses GCN 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,792 (Radeon HD 8950) vs 768 (Radeon R7 260). Raw compute: 2.867 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8950) vs 1.536 TFLOPS (Radeon R7 260). Boost clocks: 1250 MHz vs 1100 MHz.

Feature	Radeon HD 8950	Radeon R7 260
G3D Mark Score	2,828	2,892+2%
Architecture	GCN 1.0	GCN 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1792+133%	768
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.867 TFLOPS+87%	1.536 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1250 MHz+14%	1100 MHz
ROPs	32+100%	16
TMUs	112+133%	48
L1 Cache	448 KB+133%	192 KB
L2 Cache	768 KB+200%	256 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 8950	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 8950 has 3 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R7 260 carries 1 GB. Radeon HD 8950 gives you 200% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the Radeon HD 8950 and 128-bit on the Radeon R7 260. L2 Cache: 768 KB (Radeon HD 8950) vs 256 KB (Radeon R7 260) — the Radeon HD 8950 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 8950	Radeon R7 260
VRAM Capacity	3 GB+200%	1 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	96 GB/s
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	768 KB+200%	256 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12_0 (Radeon HD 8950) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R7 260). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

Feature	Radeon HD 8950	Radeon R7 260
DirectX	12_0	12 (12_0)
Max Displays	4+33%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 8950) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R7 260). Decoder: UVD 3.1 vs UVD 4.2.

Feature	Radeon HD 8950	Radeon R7 260
Encoder	VCE 1.0	VCE 2.0
Decoder	UVD 3.1	UVD 4.2
Codecs	—	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 8950 draws 200W versus the Radeon R7 260's 95W — a 71.2% difference. The Radeon R7 260 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon HD 8950) vs 400W (Radeon R7 260). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 170mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	Radeon HD 8950	Radeon R7 260
TDP	200W	95W-53%
Recommended PSU	500W	400W-20%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	267mm	170mm
Height	—	112mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	—	80
Perf/Watt	14.1	30.4+116%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 8950 came in at $499, while the Radeon R7 260 launched at $109. On MSRP, Radeon R7 260 was 78.2% cheaper ($390 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.7 (Radeon HD 8950) vs 26.5 (Radeon R7 260) — the Radeon R7 260 offers 364.9% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R7 260 (2013 vs 2012).

Feature	Radeon HD 8950	Radeon R7 260
MSRP	$499	$109-78%
Performance per Dollar	5.7	26.5+365%
Codename	Tahiti	Bonaire
Release	January 31 2012	December 17 2013
Ranking	#454	#591

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