GeForce GTX 260 vs GeForce GTX 280
In this comparison between GeForce GTX 260 and GeForce GTX 280 you will find out which graphics card performs better in today's games. Bear in mind that third-party versions may have more efficient cooling and higher clock speeds. This will increase cards' performance, though not by much. In addition to raw power you should also take into account the dimensions. Thicker models simply will not fit into a small mini-ITX case. The resolution of your monitor also affects the choice, since 4K gameplay requires a more powerful GPU. And don't overspend on the graphics card. Other parts of your build may also need to be upgraded, save some money for the CPU or power supply. For some people GeForce GTX 260 will be the best choice, for others GeForce GTX 280 will be their preference. Study the comparison tables below and make your choice.
GeForce GTX 280
Main Specs
GeForce GTX 260
GeForce GTX 280
Power consumption (TDP)
182 Watt
236 Watt
Interface
PCIe 2.0 x16
PCIe 2.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors
2x 6-pin
6-pin & 8-pin
Memory type
GDDR3
GDDR3
Maximum RAM amount
896 MB
1 GB
Display Connectors
2x DVI, 1x S-Video
2x DVI, 1x S-Video
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GeForce GTX 280 has 29% more power consumption, than GeForce GTX 260.
Both video cards are using PCIe 2.0 x16 interface connection to a motherboard.
GeForce GTX 260 has 895 GB more memory, than GeForce GTX 280.
Both cards are used in Desktops.
GeForce GTX 260 and GeForce GTX 280 are build with Tesla 2.0 architecture.
Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 280 is 54 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 260.
GeForce GTX 260 and GeForce GTX 280 are manufactured by 65 nm process technology.
Both graphics cards are the same length of 10 mm.
Memory clock speed of GeForce GTX 280 is 108 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 260.
Game benchmarks
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Battlefield 5
Call of Duty: Warzone
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Cyberpunk 2077
Dota 2
Far Cry 5
Fortnite
Forza Horizon 4
Grand Theft Auto V
Metro Exodus
Minecraft
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
Red Dead Redemption 2
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
World of Tanks
high / 1080p
3−4
1−2
ultra / 1080p
1−2
0−1
QHD / 1440p
0−1
0−1
low / 720p
14−16
12−14
medium / 1080p
5−6
3−4
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 260 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 33% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
high / 1080p
7−8
−
ultra / 1080p
6−7
4−5
QHD / 1440p
0−1
0−1
low / 720p
20−22
16−18
medium / 1080p
8−9
5−6
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 260 in Battlefield 5 is 33% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
low / 768p
45−50
45−50
high / 1080p
40−45
40−45
QHD / 1440p
0−1
0−1
GeForce GTX 260 and GeForce GTX 280 have the same average FPS in Call of Duty: Warzone.
low / 768p
120−130
120−130
medium / 768p
95−100
90−95
ultra / 1080p
45−50
40−45
QHD / 1440p
24−27
21−24
4K / 2160p
−
18−20
high / 768p
70−75
65−70
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 260 in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is 4% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
low / 768p
70−75
85−90
ultra / 1080p
20−22
16−18
medium / 1080p
40−45
40−45
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 280 in Cyberpunk 2077 is 8% more, than GeForce GTX 260.
low / 768p
75−80
75−80
medium / 768p
55−60
50−55
ultra / 1080p
27−30
24−27
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 260 in Dota 2 is 5% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
high / 1080p
4−5
2−3
ultra / 1080p
3−4
2−3
4K / 2160p
1−2
0−1
low / 720p
14−16
10−12
medium / 1080p
5−6
3−4
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 260 in Far Cry 5 is 75% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
high / 1080p
12−14
10−11
ultra / 1080p
7−8
5−6
QHD / 1440p
4−5
2−3
low / 720p
55−60
50−55
medium / 1080p
16−18
10−12
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 260 in Fortnite is 18% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
high / 1080p
7−8
4−5
ultra / 1080p
6−7
−
QHD / 1440p
0−1
0−1
low / 720p
21−24
16−18
medium / 1080p
9−10
7−8
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 260 in Forza Horizon 4 is 44% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
low / 768p
45−50
40−45
high / 1080p
9−10
5−6
ultra / 1080p
3−4
2−3
QHD / 1440p
0−1
0−1
medium / 720p
40−45
35−40
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 260 in Grand Theft Auto V is 13% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
high / 1080p
2−3
1−2
ultra / 1080p
0−1
0−1
4K / 2160p
0−1
0−1
low / 720p
8−9
5−6
medium / 1080p
3−4
3−4
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 260 in Metro Exodus is 33% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
low / 768p
85−90
90−95
high / 1080p
65−70
85−90
ultra / 1080p
−
70−75
medium / 1080p
−
90−95
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 280 in Minecraft is 16% more, than GeForce GTX 260.
ultra / 1080p
12−14
12−14
low / 720p
27−30
27−30
medium / 1080p
14−16
14−16
GeForce GTX 260 and GeForce GTX 280 have the same average FPS in PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS.
high / 1080p
6−7
−
ultra / 1080p
4−5
4−5
QHD / 1440p
0−1
0−1
low / 720p
7−8
6−7
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 260 in Red Dead Redemption 2 is 20% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
low / 768p
18−20
12−14
medium / 768p
12−14
8−9
high / 1080p
6−7
4−5
ultra / 1080p
4−5
3−4
4K / 2160p
1−2
0−1
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 260 in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is 42% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
low / 768p
70−75
75−80
medium / 768p
35−40
35−40
ultra / 1080p
16−18
16−18
high / 768p
30−35
30−35
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 280 in World of Tanks is 5% more, than GeForce GTX 260.
Full Specs
GeForce GTX 260
GeForce GTX 280
Architecture
Tesla 2.0
Tesla 2.0
Code name
GT200
GT200
Type
Desktop
Desktop
Release date
16 June 2008
16 June 2008
Pipelines
192
240
Core clock speed
1242 MHz
1296 MHz
Transistor count
1,400 million
1,400 million
Manufacturing process technology
65 nm
65 nm
Texture fill rate
36.9 billion/sec
48.2 billion/sec
Floating-point performance
476.9 gflops
622.1 gflops
Length
10.5" (267 mm) (26.7 cm)
10.5" (267 mm) (26.7 cm)
Memory bus width
448 Bit
512 Bit
Memory clock speed
999 MHz
1107 MHz
Memory bandwidth
111.9 GB/s
141.7 GB/s
DirectX
11.1 (10_0)
11.1 (10_0)
Shader Model
4.0
4.0
OpenGL
2.1
2.1
OpenCL
1.1
1.1
Vulkan
N/A
N/A
CUDA
+
+
CUDA cores
192
240
Height
4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm)
4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm)
SLI options
+
+
Multi monitor support
+
+
HDMI
+
Maximum VGA resolution
2048x1536
2048x1536
Audio input for HDMI
S/PDIF
S/PDIF
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256)
30 Mh/s
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