Radeon R9 260 vs Radeon R9 360

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 R9 260 vs Radeon R9 360 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 R9 260 vs Radeon R9 360: 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 R9 260

2013

Why buy it

✅211.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

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.
❌
40.4% HIGHER MSRP
$139 MSRPvs$99 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.9 vs 30.6 G3D/$ ($139 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
❌816.7% higher power demand at 275W vs 30W.

Radeon R9 360

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $40 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $139 MSRP).
✅Delivers 39.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 30.6 vs 21.9 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs $139 MSRP).
✅Draws 30W instead of 275W, a 245W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 260 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2015 hardware with 2 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 R9 260 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 211.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.5% in PassMark G3D (3,048 vs 3,032), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon R9 260 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 R9 360 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $40 cheaper on MSRP at $99 vs $139, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 39.7% (30.6 vs 21.9), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 360 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon R9 260 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon R9 260 vs Radeon R9 360 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon R9 260

The Radeon R9 260 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 5 2013. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 947 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 275W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,048 points. Launch price was $399.

Radeon R9 360

The Radeon R9 360 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 5 2015. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 900 MHz to 925 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,032 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 260 scores 3,048 and the Radeon R9 360 reaches 3,032 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 260 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon R9 360 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,560 (Radeon R9 260) vs 512 (Radeon R9 360). Raw compute: 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 260) vs 0.9472 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 360).

Feature	Radeon R9 260	Radeon R9 360
G3D Mark Score	3,048	3,032
Architecture	GCN 2.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2560+400%	512
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.849 TFLOPS+412%	0.9472 TFLOPS
ROPs	64+300%	16
TMUs	160+400%	32
L1 Cache	640 KB+400%	128 KB
L2 Cache	1 MB+300%	0.25 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon R9 260	Radeon R9 360
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 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon R9 260 and 128-bit on the Radeon R9 360. L2 Cache: 1 MB (Radeon R9 260) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon R9 360) — the Radeon R9 260 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon R9 260	Radeon R9 360
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB+300%	0.25 MB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 260 draws 275W versus the Radeon R9 360's 30W — a 160.7% difference. The Radeon R9 360 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (Radeon R9 260) vs 350W (Radeon R9 360). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

Feature	Radeon R9 260	Radeon R9 360
TDP	275W	30W-89%
Recommended PSU	450W	350W-22%
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	—	165mm
Height	—	110mm
Slots	—	2
Temp (Load)	—	75
Perf/Watt	11.1	101.1+811%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R9 260 came in at $139, while the Radeon R9 360 launched at $99. On MSRP, Radeon R9 360 was 28.8% cheaper ($40 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 21.9 (Radeon R9 260) vs 30.6 (Radeon R9 360) — the Radeon R9 360 offers 39.7% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R9 360 (2015 vs 2013).

Feature	Radeon R9 260	Radeon R9 360
MSRP	$139	$99-29%
Performance per Dollar	21.9	30.6+40%
Codename	Hawaii	Tropo
Release	November 5 2013	May 5 2015
Ranking	#316	#711

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