GeForce GTX 260 vs GeForce GTX 480M

In this comparison between GeForce GTX 260 and GeForce GTX 480M 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 480M will be their preference. Study the comparison tables below and make your choice.

GeForce GTX 480M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: GeForce GTX 480M 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 GeForce GTX 480M here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 260 GeForce GTX 480M
Power consumption (TDP) 182 Watt 100 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 MXM-B (3.0)
Supplementary power connectors 2x 6-pin None
Memory type GDDR3 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 896 MB 2 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x S-Video No outputs
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  • GeForce GTX 260 has 82% more power consumption, than GeForce GTX 480M.
  • GeForce GTX 260 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and GeForce GTX 480M uses MXM-B (3.0) interface.
  • GeForce GTX 260 has 894 GB more memory, than GeForce GTX 480M.
  • GeForce GTX 260 is used in Desktops, and GeForce GTX 480M - in Laptops.
  • GeForce GTX 260 is build with Tesla 2.0 architecture, and GeForce GTX 480M - with Fermi.
  • Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 260 is 392 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 480M.
  • GeForce GTX 260 is manufactured by 65 nm process technology, and GeForce GTX 480M - by 40 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of GeForce GTX 480M is 201 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 260.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 3−4 10−11
ultra / 1080p 1−2 6−7
QHD / 1440p 0−1 0−1
low / 720p 14−16 21−24
medium / 1080p 5−6 12−14
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 480M in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 116% more, than GeForce GTX 260.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 260 GeForce GTX 480M
Architecture Tesla 2.0 Fermi
Code name GT200 N11E-GTX-A3
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 16 June 2008 25 May 2010
Pipelines 192 352
Core clock speed 1242 MHz 850 MHz
Transistor count 1,400 million 3,100 million
Manufacturing process technology 65 nm 40 nm
Texture fill rate 36.9 billion/sec 18.7 billion/sec
Floating-point performance 476.9 gflops 598.4 gflops
Length 10.5" (267 mm) (26.7 cm)
Memory bus width 448 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 999 MHz 1200 MHz
Memory bandwidth 111.9 GB/s 76.8 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 11.1 (10_0) 12 API
Shader Model 4.0 5.1
OpenGL 2.1 4.5
OpenCL 1.1 1.1
Vulkan N/A N/A
CUDA + +
CUDA cores 192
Bus support PCI-E 2.0
Height 4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm)
SLI options + +
Multi monitor support +
HDMI +
Maximum VGA resolution 2048x1536 2048x1536
Audio input for HDMI S/PDIF
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 30 Mh/s
Laptop size large
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