Radeon R7 260 vs HD 6970

VS

Aggregate performance score

We've compared Radeon HD 6970 and Radeon R7 260, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.

HD 6970
2010
2 GB GDDR5, 550 Watt
7.35

R7 260 outperforms HD 6970 by a minimal 2% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

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

Place in the ranking537531
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation1.063.74
Power efficiency2.025.41
ArchitectureTeraScale 3 (2010−2013)GCN 2.0 (2013−2017)
GPU code nameCaymanBonaire
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Designreferencereference
Release date14 December 2010 (14 years ago)17 December 2013 (11 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$369 $109

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

R7 260 has 253% better value for money than HD 6970.

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 cores1536768
Boost clock speed880 MHz1100 MHz
Number of transistors2,640 million2,080 million
Manufacturing process technology40 nm28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)550 Watt115 Watt
Texture fill rate84.4848.00
Floating-point processing power2.703 TFLOPS1.536 TFLOPS
ROPs3216
TMUs9648

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).

Bus supportPCIe 2.0 x16PCIe 3.0
InterfacePCIe 2.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Length267 mm170 mm
Width2-slot2-slot
Supplementary power connectors1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin1 x 6-pin

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 typeGDDR5GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount2 GB2 GB
Memory bus width256 Bit128 Bit
Memory clock speed1375 MHz1625 MHz
Memory bandwidthno data104 GB/s

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 Connectors2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
Eyefinity++
HDMI++
DisplayPort support-+

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

CrossFire+-
FreeSync-+
DDMA audiono data+

API compatibility

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

DirectXDirectX® 11DirectX® 12
Shader Model5.06.3
OpenGL4.44.6
OpenCL1.22.0

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. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

HD 6970 7.35
R7 260 7.50
+2%

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.

HD 6970 2833
R7 260 2891
+2%

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

HD 6970 3470
R7 260 4380
+26.2%

Gaming performance

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

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 12−14
+0%
12−14
+0%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%
Battlefield 5 21−24
+4.8%
21−24
−4.8%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 14−16
+7.1%
14−16
−7.1%
Cyberpunk 2077 12−14
+0%
12−14
+0%
Far Cry 5 16−18
+6.3%
16−18
−6.3%
Far Cry New Dawn 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 45−50
−2%
50−55
+2%
Hitman 3 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
Horizon Zero Dawn 40−45
+7.5%
40−45
−7.5%
Metro Exodus 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 20−22
+11.1%
18−20
−11.1%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 24−27
+4.2%
24−27
−4.2%
Watch Dogs: Legion 50−55
−1.9%
55−60
+1.9%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%
Battlefield 5 21−24
+4.8%
21−24
−4.8%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 14−16
+7.1%
14−16
−7.1%
Cyberpunk 2077 12−14
+0%
12−14
+0%
Far Cry 5 16−18
+6.3%
16−18
−6.3%
Far Cry New Dawn 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 45−50
−2%
50−55
+2%
Hitman 3 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
Horizon Zero Dawn 40−45
+7.5%
40−45
−7.5%
Metro Exodus 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 20−22
+11.1%
18−20
−11.1%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 24−27
+4.2%
24−27
−4.2%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 21−24
+4.8%
21−24
−4.8%
Watch Dogs: Legion 50−55
−1.9%
55−60
+1.9%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 14−16
+7.1%
14−16
−7.1%
Cyberpunk 2077 12−14
+0%
12−14
+0%
Far Cry 5 16−18
+6.3%
16−18
−6.3%
Forza Horizon 4 45−50
−2%
50−55
+2%
Hitman 3 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
Horizon Zero Dawn 40−45
+7.5%
40−45
−7.5%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 24−27
+4.2%
24−27
−4.2%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 21−24
+4.8%
21−24
−4.8%
Watch Dogs: Legion 50−55
−1.9%
55−60
+1.9%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 20−22
+11.1%
18−20
−11.1%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
Far Cry New Dawn 10−12
+10%
10−11
−10%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 3−4
+0%
3−4
+0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 3−4
+0%
3−4
+0%
Far Cry 5 8−9
+0%
8−9
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 27−30
+0%
27−30
+0%
Hitman 3 10−12
+10%
10−11
−10%
Horizon Zero Dawn 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Metro Exodus 8−9
+0%
8−9
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 5−6
+0%
5−6
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 6−7
+0%
6−7
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 45−50
+4.4%
45−50
−4.4%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 12−14
+8.3%
12−14
−8.3%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5 6−7
+0%
6−7
+0%
Far Cry New Dawn 5−6
+0%
5−6
+0%
Hitman 3 3−4
+0%
3−4
+0%
Horizon Zero Dawn 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Metro Exodus 5−6
+0%
5−6
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 4−5
+0%
4−5
+0%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 4−5
+0%
4−5
+0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 3−4
+0%
3−4
+0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3−4
+0%
3−4
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 1−2
+0%
1−2
+0%
Far Cry 5 4−5
+0%
4−5
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 8−9
+0%
8−9
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 2−3
+0%
2−3
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 2−3
+0%
2−3
+0%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 7.35 7.50
Recency 14 December 2010 17 December 2013
Chip lithography 40 nm 28 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 550 Watt 115 Watt

R7 260 has a 2% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, a 42.9% more advanced lithography process, and 378.3% lower power consumption.

Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Radeon HD 6970 and Radeon R7 260.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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AMD Radeon HD 6970
Radeon HD 6970
AMD Radeon R7 260
Radeon R7 260

Comparisons with similar GPUs

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

Community ratings

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


3.7 156 votes

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3.5 50 votes

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about this comparison, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.