GeForce GTX 260 vs Radeon RX 540
In this comparison between GeForce GTX 260 and Radeon RX 540 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 Radeon RX 540 will be their preference. Study the comparison tables below and make your choice.
Radeon RX 540 is a Laptop Graphics Card
Note: Radeon RX 540 is only used in laptop graphics. It has lower GPU clock speed compared to the desktop variant, which results in lower power consumption, but also 10-30% lower gaming performance. Check available laptop models with Radeon RX 540 here:
Main Specs
GeForce GTX 260
Radeon RX 540
Power consumption (TDP)
182 Watt
65 Watt
Interface
PCIe 2.0 x16
PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors
2x 6-pin
1x 6-pin
Memory type
GDDR3
GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount
896 MB
4 GB
Display Connectors
2x DVI, 1x S-Video
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GeForce GTX 260 has 180% more power consumption, than Radeon RX 540.
GeForce GTX 260 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon RX 540 uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
GeForce GTX 260 has 892 GB more memory, than Radeon RX 540.
GeForce GTX 260 is used in Desktops, and Radeon RX 540 - in Laptops.
GeForce GTX 260 is build with Tesla 2.0 architecture, and Radeon RX 540 - with Polaris.
GeForce GTX 260 is manufactured by 65 nm process technology, and Radeon RX 540 - by 14 nm process technology.
Memory clock speed of Radeon RX 540 is 5001 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
14−16
ultra / 1080p
1−2
8−9
QHD / 1440p
0−1
3−4
low / 720p
14−16
30−33
medium / 1080p
5−6
18−20
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 200% more, than GeForce GTX 260.
high / 1080p
7−8
21−24
ultra / 1080p
6−7
20−22
QHD / 1440p
0−1
6−7
4K / 2160p
−
5−6
low / 720p
20−22
45−50
medium / 1080p
8−9
24−27
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Battlefield 5 is 190% more, than GeForce GTX 260.
low / 768p
45−50
45−50
high / 1080p
40−45
−
QHD / 1440p
0−1
0−1
GeForce GTX 260 and Radeon RX 540 have the same average FPS in Call of Duty: Warzone.
low / 768p
120−130
200−210
medium / 768p
95−100
170−180
ultra / 1080p
45−50
90−95
QHD / 1440p
24−27
50−55
4K / 2160p
−
30−33
high / 768p
70−75
130−140
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is 80% more, than GeForce GTX 260.
low / 768p
70−75
55−60
ultra / 1080p
20−22
35−40
medium / 1080p
40−45
45−50
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Cyberpunk 2077 is 4% more, than GeForce GTX 260.
low / 768p
75−80
100−110
medium / 768p
55−60
90−95
ultra / 1080p
27−30
60−65
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Dota 2 is 59% more, than GeForce GTX 260.
high / 1080p
4−5
16−18
ultra / 1080p
3−4
14−16
4K / 2160p
1−2
6−7
low / 720p
14−16
35−40
medium / 1080p
5−6
18−20
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Far Cry 5 is 216% more, than GeForce GTX 260.
high / 1080p
12−14
24−27
ultra / 1080p
7−8
18−20
QHD / 1440p
4−5
16−18
low / 720p
55−60
95−100
medium / 1080p
16−18
50−55
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Fortnite is 121% more, than GeForce GTX 260.
high / 1080p
7−8
24−27
ultra / 1080p
6−7
18−20
QHD / 1440p
0−1
8−9
low / 720p
21−24
50−55
medium / 1080p
9−10
27−30
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Forza Horizon 4 is 181% more, than GeForce GTX 260.
low / 768p
45−50
80−85
medium / 768p
−
70−75
high / 1080p
9−10
27−30
ultra / 1080p
3−4
12−14
QHD / 1440p
0−1
2−3
medium / 720p
40−45
−
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Grand Theft Auto V is 105% more, than GeForce GTX 260.
high / 1080p
2−3
9−10
ultra / 1080p
0−1
7−8
4K / 2160p
0−1
2−3
low / 720p
8−9
27−30
medium / 1080p
3−4
12−14
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Metro Exodus is 325% more, than GeForce GTX 260.
low / 768p
85−90
110−120
high / 1080p
65−70
−
ultra / 1080p
−
100−110
medium / 1080p
−
100−110
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Minecraft is 32% more, than GeForce GTX 260.
high / 1080p
−
21−24
ultra / 1080p
12−14
16−18
low / 720p
27−30
55−60
medium / 1080p
14−16
24−27
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS is 83% more, than GeForce GTX 260.
high / 1080p
6−7
14−16
ultra / 1080p
4−5
9−10
QHD / 1440p
0−1
0−1
low / 720p
7−8
27−30
medium / 1080p
−
16−18
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Red Dead Redemption 2 is 183% more, than GeForce GTX 260.
low / 768p
18−20
50−55
medium / 768p
12−14
30−35
high / 1080p
6−7
18−20
ultra / 1080p
4−5
10−11
4K / 2160p
1−2
8−9
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is 200% more, than GeForce GTX 260.
low / 768p
70−75
100−105
medium / 768p
35−40
60−65
ultra / 1080p
16−18
30−35
high / 768p
30−35
50−55
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in World of Tanks is 58% more, than GeForce GTX 260.
Full Specs
GeForce GTX 260
Radeon RX 540
Architecture
Tesla 2.0
Polaris
Code name
GT200
Polaris 12
Type
Desktop
Laptop
Release date
16 June 2008
21 March 2017
Pipelines
192
512
Core clock speed
1242 MHz
Boost Clock
1219 MHz
Transistor count
1,400 million
1,500 million
Manufacturing process technology
65 nm
14 nm
Texture fill rate
36.9 billion/sec
39.01
Floating-point performance
476.9 gflops
1,248 gflops
Length
10.5" (267 mm) (26.7 cm)
Memory bus width
448 Bit
128 Bit
Memory clock speed
999 MHz
6000 MHz
Memory bandwidth
111.9 GB/s
96 GB/s
Shared memory
-
DirectX
11.1 (10_0)
12.0
Shader Model
4.0
5.0
OpenGL
2.1
4.6
OpenCL
1.1
1.2
Vulkan
N/A
CUDA
+
FreeSync
+
CUDA cores
192
Height
4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm)
SLI options
+
Multi monitor support
+
HDMI
+
Maximum VGA resolution
2048x1536
Audio input for HDMI
S/PDIF
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256)
30 Mh/s
Laptop size
large
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