Radeon R7 260X vs Tesla C2050

AMD

Radeon R7 260X

2013Boost: 1000 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

Tesla C2050

2011Core: 574 MHz
Similar parts
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Radeon R7 260X vs Tesla C2050 Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

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 R7 260X vs Tesla C2050: 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 R7 260X

2013

Why buy it

  • Costs $2,360 less on MSRP ($139 MSRP vs $2,499 MSRP).
  • Delivers 1710.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 23.0 vs 1.3 G3D/$ ($139 MSRP vs $2,499 MSRP).
  • Draws 115W instead of 238W, a 123W reduction.

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.

Tesla C2050

2011

Why buy it

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

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.
  • 1697.8% HIGHER MSRP
    $2,499 MSRPvs$139 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.3 vs 23.0 G3D/$ ($2,499 MSRP vs $139 MSRP).
  • 107% higher power demand at 238W vs 115W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon R7 260X is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.7% in PassMark G3D (3,198 vs 3,176), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon R7 260X is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 28nm process instead of 40nm, and a newer 2013 generation instead of 2011. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R7 260X makes the most sense to buy today. It is $2,360 cheaper on MSRP at $139 vs $2,499, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1710.3% (23.0 vs 1.3), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon R7 260X vs Tesla C2050 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

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.

NVIDIA

Tesla C2050

The Tesla C2050 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in July 25 2011. It features the Fermi architecture. The core clock speed is 574 MHz. It has 448 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 238W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,176 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R7 260X scores 3,198 and the Tesla C2050 reaches 3,176 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R7 260X is built on GCN 2.0 while the Tesla C2050 uses Fermi, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 896 (Radeon R7 260X) vs 448 (Tesla C2050). Raw compute: 1.971 TFLOPS (Radeon R7 260X) vs 1.028 TFLOPS (Tesla C2050).

FeatureRadeon R7 260XTesla C2050
G3D Mark Score
3,198
3,176
Architecture
GCN 2.0
Fermi
Process Node
28 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
896+100%
448
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.971 TFLOPS+92%
1.028 TFLOPS
ROPs
16
48+200%
TMUs
56
56
L1 Cache
224 KB
896 KB+300%
L2 Cache
256 KB
768 KB+200%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon R7 260XTesla C2050
Upscaling Tech
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
AMD Anti-Lag
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon R7 260X and 64-bit on the Tesla C2050. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Radeon R7 260X) vs 768 KB (Tesla C2050) — the Tesla C2050 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon R7 260XTesla C2050
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
L2 Cache
256 KB
768 KB+200%
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R7 260X draws 115W versus the Tesla C2050's 238W — a 69.7% difference. The Radeon R7 260X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon R7 260X) vs 350W (Tesla C2050). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureRadeon R7 260XTesla C2050
TDP
115W-52%
238W
Recommended PSU
500W
350W-30%
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
170mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
Temp (Load)
80
Perf/Watt
27.8+109%
13.3
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R7 260X came in at $139, while the Tesla C2050 launched at $2499. On MSRP, Radeon R7 260X was 94.4% cheaper ($2360 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 23.0 (Radeon R7 260X) vs 1.3 (Tesla C2050) — the Radeon R7 260X offers 1669.2% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R7 260X (2013 vs 2011).

FeatureRadeon R7 260XTesla C2050
MSRP
$139-94%
$2499
Performance per Dollar
23.0+1669%
1.3
Codename
Bonaire
GF100
Release
October 8 2013
July 25 2011
Ranking
#568
#569

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