Radeon RX 7900 XT vs GeForce GTX 260

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GTX 260 GTX 260 Core 216 GTX 260 Core 216 Rev. 2 GTX 260 OEM GTX 260 Rev. 2
VS
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Radeon RX 7900 GRE Radeon RX 7900 XT Radeon RX 7900 XTX Radeon RX 7950 XT Radeon RX 7950 XTX Radeon RX 7990 XTX

Aggregate performance score

We've compared GeForce GTX 260 and Radeon RX 7900 XT, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.

GTX 260
2008
896 MB GDDR3, 182 Watt
3.14

RX 7900 XT outperforms GTX 260 by a whopping 2287% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Contents

GTX 260 GTX 260
RX 7900 XT RX 7900 XT

Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in the ranking76114
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.1637.82
Power efficiency1.1817.14
ArchitectureTesla 2.0 (2007−2013)RDNA 3.0 (2022−2025)
GPU code nameGT200Navi 31
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Release date16 June 2008 (16 years ago)3 November 2022 (2 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$449 $899

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

The higher the performance-to-price ratio, the better. We use the manufacturer's recommended prices for comparison.

RX 7900 XT has 23538% better value for money than GTX 260.

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores1925376
Core clock speed576 MHz1387 MHz
Boost clock speedno data2394 MHz
Number of transistors1,400 million57,700 million
Manufacturing process technology65 nm5 nm
Power consumption (TDP)182 Watt300 Watt
Maximum GPU temperature105 °Cno data
Texture fill rate36.86804.4
Floating-point processing power0.4769 TFLOPS51.48 TFLOPS
ROPs28192
TMUs64336
Ray Tracing Coresno data84

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

InterfacePCIe 2.0 x16PCIe 4.0 x16
Length267 mm276 mm
Height4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm)no data
Width2-slot2-slot
Supplementary power connectors2x 6-pin2x 8-pin
SLI options+-

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeGDDR3GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount896 MB20 GB
Memory bus width448 Bit320 Bit
Memory clock speed999 MHz2500 MHz
Memory bandwidth111.9 GB/s800.0 GB/s
Shared memory--

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display ConnectorsDual Link DVIHDTV1x HDMI 2.1a, 2x DisplayPort 2.1, 1x USB Type-C
Multi monitor support+no data
HDMI++
Maximum VGA resolution2048x1536no data
Audio input for HDMIS/PDIFno data

API and SDK compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX11.1 (10_0)12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model4.06.7
OpenGL2.14.6
OpenCL1.12.2
VulkanN/A1.3
CUDA+-

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score.

GTX 260 3.14
RX 7900 XT 74.95
+2287%

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

GTX 260 1209
RX 7900 XT 28877
+2289%

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD8−9
−2413%
201
+2413%
1440p5−6
−2640%
137
+2640%
4K3−4
−2767%
86
+2767%

Cost per frame, $

1080p56.13
−1155%
4.47
+1155%
1440p89.80
−1268%
6.56
+1268%
4K149.67
−1332%
10.45
+1332%
  • RX 7900 XT has 1155% lower cost per frame in 1080p
  • RX 7900 XT has 1268% lower cost per frame in 1440p
  • RX 7900 XT has 1332% lower cost per frame in 4K

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Atomic Heart 328
+0%
328
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 170−180
+0%
170−180
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 237
+0%
237
+0%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Atomic Heart 262
+0%
262
+0%
Battlefield 5 180−190
+0%
180−190
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 190
+0%
190
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 212
+0%
212
+0%
Far Cry 5 196
+0%
196
+0%
Fortnite 300−350
+0%
300−350
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 270−280
+0%
270−280
+0%
Forza Horizon 5 244
+0%
244
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 170−180
+0%
170−180
+0%
Valorant 400−450
+0%
400−450
+0%

Full HD
High Preset

Atomic Heart 170
+0%
170
+0%
Battlefield 5 180−190
+0%
180−190
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 186
+0%
186
+0%
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 270−280
+0%
270−280
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 190
+0%
190
+0%
Dota 2 199
+0%
199
+0%
Far Cry 5 187
+0%
187
+0%
Fortnite 300−350
+0%
300−350
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 270−280
+0%
270−280
+0%
Forza Horizon 5 223
+0%
223
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 173
+0%
173
+0%
Metro Exodus 146
+0%
146
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 170−180
+0%
170−180
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 483
+0%
483
+0%
Valorant 400−450
+0%
400−450
+0%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 180−190
+0%
180−190
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 168
+0%
168
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 179
+0%
179
+0%
Dota 2 184
+0%
184
+0%
Far Cry 5 173
+0%
173
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 270−280
+0%
270−280
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 170−180
+0%
170−180
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 265
+0%
265
+0%
Valorant 400−450
+0%
400−450
+0%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Fortnite 300−350
+0%
300−350
+0%

1440p
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2 75−80
+0%
75−80
+0%
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 500−550
+0%
500−550
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 159
+0%
159
+0%
Metro Exodus 135
+0%
135
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 170−180
+0%
170−180
+0%
Valorant 450−500
+0%
450−500
+0%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 180−190
+0%
180−190
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 122
+0%
122
+0%
Far Cry 5 173
+0%
173
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 240−250
+0%
240−250
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 170−180
+0%
170−180
+0%

1440p
Epic Preset

Fortnite 150−160
+0%
150−160
+0%

4K
High Preset

Atomic Heart 65−70
+0%
65−70
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 175
+0%
175
+0%
Metro Exodus 87
+0%
87
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 159
+0%
159
+0%
Valorant 300−350
+0%
300−350
+0%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 130−140
+0%
130−140
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 30
+0%
30
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 60
+0%
60
+0%
Dota 2 153
+0%
153
+0%
Far Cry 5 132
+0%
132
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 200−210
+0%
200−210
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 95−100
+0%
95−100
+0%

4K
Epic Preset

Fortnite 75−80
+0%
75−80
+0%

This is how GTX 260 and RX 7900 XT compete in popular games:

  • RX 7900 XT is 2413% faster in 1080p
  • RX 7900 XT is 2640% faster in 1440p
  • RX 7900 XT is 2767% faster in 4K

All in all, in popular games:

  • there's a draw in 64 tests (100%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score 3.14 74.95
Recency 16 June 2008 3 November 2022
Maximum RAM amount 896 MB 20 GB
Chip lithography 65 nm 5 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 182 Watt 300 Watt

GTX 260 has 64.8% lower power consumption.

RX 7900 XT, on the other hand, has a 2286.9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 14 years, a 2185.7% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 1200% more advanced lithography process.

The Radeon RX 7900 XT is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 260 in performance tests.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite graphics card.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260
GeForce GTX 260
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT
Radeon RX 7900 XT
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Other comparisons

We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.

GTX 260 GeForce GTX 260
vs
GT 1010 GeForce GT 1010
RX 7900 XT Radeon RX 7900 XT
vs
RTX 4090 D GeForce RTX 4090 D
GTX 260 GeForce GTX 260
vs
HD 7730 Radeon HD 7730
GTX 285 Mac Edition NVIDIA 285 Mac Edition
vs
RTX 5070 Ti 5070 Ti
GTX 295 NVIDIA GTX 295
vs
RX 6800 XT 6800 XT
9400 GT GeForce 9400 GT
vs
RTX 3060 Mobile 3060 Mobile
9400 GT GeForce 9400 GT
vs
RX 7700 XT 7700 XT
9500 GT GeForce 9500 GT
vs
RTX 5070 Ti 5070 Ti
GTX 280 GeForce GTX 280
vs
GTX 480M GeForce GTX 480M
GTX 280 GeForce GTX 280
vs
GTX 460M GeForce GTX 460M
GTX 280 NVIDIA GTX 280
vs
FX 5800 5800
9800 GTX GeForce 9800 GTX
vs
7200 GS 7200 GS
9800 GTX GeForce 9800 GTX
vs
RTX A3000 Mobile A3000 Mobile

Community ratings

Here you can see the user ratings of the compared graphics cards, as well as rate them yourself.

3.7 617 votes

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4.2 1955 votes

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Questions & comments

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