GeForce3 vs GeForce GTX 260

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Aggregate performance score

We've compared GeForce GTX 260 and GeForce3, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.

GTX 260
2008
896 MB GDDR3, 182 Watt
2.72
+27100%

260 outperforms GeForce3 by a whopping 27100% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

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

Place in the ranking8121568
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.13no data
Power efficiency1.20no data
ArchitectureTesla 2.0 (2007−2013)Kelvin (2001−2003)
GPU code nameGT200NV20 A5
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Release date16 June 2008 (17 years ago)27 February 2001 (24 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$449 $499

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

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

GTX 260 and GeForce3 have a nearly equal value for money.

Performance to price scatter graph

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 cores192no data
Core clock speed576 MHz200 MHz
Number of transistors1,400 million57 million
Manufacturing process technology65 nm150 nm
Power consumption (TDP)182 Wattno data
Maximum GPU temperature105 °Cno data
Texture fill rate36.861.600
Floating-point processing power0.4769 TFLOPSno data
ROPs284
TMUs648
L2 Cache224 KBno data

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 x16AGP 4x
Length267 mm165 mm
Height4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm)no data
Width2-slot1-slot
Supplementary power connectors2x 6-pinNone
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 typeGDDR3SDR
Maximum RAM amount896 MB64 MB
Memory bus width448 Bit128 Bit
Memory clock speed999 MHz230 MHz
Memory bandwidth111.9 GB/s3.68 GB/s

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 ConnectorsDual Link DVIHDTV1x VGA, 1x DB13W3
Multi monitor support+no data
HDMI+-
Maximum VGA resolution2048x1536no data
Audio input for HDMIS/PDIFno data

API and SDK support

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

DirectX11.1 (10_0)8.0
Shader Model4.0no data
OpenGL2.11.3
OpenCL1.1N/A
VulkanN/AN/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 260 2.72
+27100%
GeForce3 0.01

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 1204
+30000%
Samples: 3052
GeForce3 4
Samples: 4

Gaming performance

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

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 2.72 0.01
Recency 16 June 2008 27 February 2001
Maximum RAM amount 896 MB 64 MB
Chip lithography 65 nm 150 nm

GTX 260 has a 27100% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 7 years, a 1300% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 130.8% more advanced lithography process.

The GeForce GTX 260 is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce3 in performance tests.

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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260
GeForce GTX 260
NVIDIA GeForce3
GeForce3

Other comparisons

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.


3.7 672 votes

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3.3 56 votes

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Comments

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