GeForce GTX 260 vs GTX 950

Place in the ranking	438	835
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	7.82	0.14
Power efficiency	11.05	1.22
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019)	Tesla 2.0 (2007−2013)
GPU code name	GM206	GT200
Market segment	Desktop	Desktop
Release date	20 August 2015 (10 years ago)	16 June 2008 (18 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$159	$449

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

The higher the ratio, the better. We use the manufacturer's recommended prices.

GTX 950 has 5486% better value for money than GTX 260.

Performance to price scatter graph

Currently popular graphics cards are shown for comparison.

Detailed specifications

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

Pipelines / CUDA cores	768	192
Core clock speed	1024 MHz	576 MHz
Boost clock speed	1188 MHz	no data
Number of transistors	2,940 million	1,400 million
Manufacturing process technology	28 nm	65 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	90 Watt	182 Watt
Maximum GPU temperature	no data	105 °C
Texture fill rate	57.02	36.86
Floating-point processing power	1.825 TFLOPS	0.4769 TFLOPS
ROPs	32	28
TMUs	48	64
L1 Cache	288 KB	no data
L2 Cache	1024 KB	224 KB

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 support	PCI Express 3.0	no data
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x16	PCIe 2.0 x16
Length	202 mm	267 mm
Height	4.376" (11.1 cm)	4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm)
Width	2-slot	2-slot
Recommended system power (PSU)	350 Watt	no data
Supplementary power connectors	1x 6-pin	2x 6-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 type	GDDR5	GDDR3
Maximum RAM amount	2 GB	896 MB
Memory bus width	128 Bit	448 Bit
Memory clock speed	6.6 GB/s	999 MHz
Memory bandwidth	105.6 GB/s	111.9 GB/s
Shared memory	-	-

Connectivity and outputs

This section shows the types and number of video connectors on each GPU. The data applies specifically to desktop reference models (for example, NVIDIA’s Founders Edition). OEM partners often modify both the number and types of ports. On notebook GPUs, video‐output options are determined by the laptop’s design rather than the graphics chip itself.

Display Connectors	Dual Link DVI-I, HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2	Dual Link DVIHDTV
Multi monitor support	4 displays	+
HDMI	+	+
HDCP	+	-
Maximum VGA resolution	2048x1536	2048x1536
G-SYNC support	+	-
Audio input for HDMI	Internal	S/PDIF

Supported technologies

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

GameStream	+	-
GeForce ShadowPlay	+	-
GPU Boost	2.0	no data
GameWorks	+	-

API and SDK support

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

DirectX	12 (12_1)	11.1 (10_0)
Shader Model	6.4	4.0
OpenGL	4.5	2.1
OpenCL	1.2	1.1
Vulkan	1.1.126	N/A
CUDA	+	+

Synthetic benchmarks

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 950 12.85
+346%

GTX 260 2.88

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 950 5352
+347%

Samples: 8081

GTX 260 1198
Samples: 3078

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 HD	52 +420%	10−12 −420%
4K	22 +450%	4−5 −450%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	3.06 +1368%	44.90 −1368%
4K	7.23 +1453%	112.25 −1453%

GTX 950 has 1368% lower cost per frame in 1080p
GTX 950 has 1453% lower cost per frame in 4K

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low

Counter-Strike 2	70−75 +350%	16−18 −350%
Cyberpunk 2077	27−30 +350%	6−7 −350%
Palworld	30−33 +400%	6−7 −400%
Resident Evil 4 Remake	27−30 +350%	6−7 −350%

Full HD
Medium

Battlefield 5	55−60 +375%	12−14 −375%
Counter-Strike 2	70−75 +350%	16−18 −350%
Cyberpunk 2077	27−30 +350%	6−7 −350%
Far Cry 5	40−45 +378%	9−10 −378%
Fortnite	75−80 +369%	16−18 −369%
Forza Horizon 4	55−60 +358%	12−14 −358%
Palworld	30−33 +400%	6−7 −400%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	45−50 +370%	10−11 −370%
Valorant	110−120 +367%	24−27 −367%

Full HD
High

Battlefield 5	55−60 +375%	12−14 −375%
Counter-Strike 2	70−75 +350%	16−18 −350%
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive	180−190 +353%	40−45 −353%
Cyberpunk 2077	27−30 +350%	6−7 −350%
Dota 2	85−90 +378%	18−20 −378%
Far Cry 5	40−45 +378%	9−10 −378%
Fortnite	75−80 +369%	16−18 −369%
Forza Horizon 4	55−60 +358%	12−14 −358%
Grand Theft Auto V	37 +363%	8−9 −363%
Metro Exodus	27−30 +350%	6−7 −350%
Palworld	30−33 +400%	6−7 −400%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	45−50 +370%	10−11 −370%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	38 +375%	8−9 −375%
Valorant	110−120 +367%	24−27 −367%

Full HD
Ultra

Battlefield 5	55−60 +375%	12−14 −375%
Cyberpunk 2077	27−30 +350%	6−7 −350%
Dota 2	85−90 +378%	18−20 −378%
Far Cry 5	40−45 +378%	9−10 −378%
Forza Horizon 4	55−60 +358%	12−14 −358%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	45−50 +370%	10−11 −370%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	21 +425%	4−5 −425%
Valorant	110−120 +367%	24−27 −367%

Full HD
Epic

Fortnite	75−80 +369%	16−18 −369%
Palworld	30−33 +400%	6−7 −400%

1440p
High

Counter-Strike 2	24−27 +400%	5−6 −400%
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive	95−100 +362%	21−24 −362%
Grand Theft Auto V	20−22 +400%	4−5 −400%
Metro Exodus	16−18 +433%	3−4 −433%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	90−95 +406%	18−20 −406%
Valorant	120−130 +367%	27−30 −367%

1440p
Ultra

Battlefield 5	35−40 +350%	8−9 −350%
Cyberpunk 2077	10−12 +450%	2−3 −450%
Far Cry 5	27−30 +367%	6−7 −367%
Forza Horizon 4	30−35 +357%	7−8 −357%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	18−20 +350%	4−5 −350%

1440p
Epic

Fortnite	27−30 +367%	6−7 −367%
Palworld	18−20 +350%	4−5 −350%

4K
High

Counter-Strike 2	9−10 +350%	2−3 −350%
Grand Theft Auto V	28 +367%	6−7 −367%
Metro Exodus	9−10 +350%	2−3 −350%
Palworld	10−11 +400%	2−3 −400%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	13 +550%	2−3 −550%
Valorant	60−65 +417%	12−14 −417%

4K
Ultra

Battlefield 5	18−20 +350%	4−5 −350%
Counter-Strike 2	9−10 +350%	2−3 −350%
Cyberpunk 2077	4−5	0−1
Dota 2	45−50 +370%	10−11 −370%
Far Cry 5	14−16 +367%	3−4 −367%
Forza Horizon 4	21−24 +450%	4−5 −450%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	12−14 +500%	2−3 −500%

4K
Epic

Fortnite	12−14 +550%	2−3 −550%
Palworld	10−11 +400%	2−3 −400%

This is how GTX 950 and GTX 260 compete in popular games:

GTX 950 is 420% faster in 1080p
GTX 950 is 450% faster in 4K

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	12.85	2.88
Recency	20 August 2015	16 June 2008
Maximum RAM amount	2 GB	896 MB
Chip lithography	28 nm	65 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	90 Watt	182 Watt

GTX 950 has a 346% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 7 years, a 129% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 132% more advanced lithography process, and 102% lower power consumption.

The GeForce GTX 950 is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 260 in performance tests.

Other comparisons

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

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NVIDIA GTX 580

740A

Community ratings

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

4 2545 votes

Rate GeForce GTX 950 on a scale of 1 to 5:

3.7 704 votes

Rate GeForce GTX 260 on a scale of 1 to 5:

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