GeForce GTX 260 vs Radeon HD 6850

Speed and memory

The GeForce GTX 260 and the Radeon HD 6850 are within a few percent of each other for gaming in our model, so you will not see a difference in play.

The GeForce GTX 260 has shared GB of video memory and the Radeon HD 6850 has 1 GB. That is a small difference and unlikely to decide anything.

In our estimates for popular games at 1080p on High, the biggest gap is in Red Dead Redemption 2 (9 against 5 fps), and the smallest is in Grand Theft Auto V Legacy (36 against 26 fps). Games that are light enough to run above 200 fps on both cards show little difference at all.

Power and value

The GeForce GTX 260 is rated at 182 W and the Radeon HD 6850 at 127 W. With a mid-range processor that means a power supply of about 550 W for the first and 450 W for the second. The power draw is close enough that cooling and noise will be similar.

At launch the GeForce GTX 260 cost $299 and the Radeon HD 6850 $179. Per dollar, the Radeon HD 6850 gave more performance (1.1 points per $100 against 0.7). Current prices differ, so run the same sum on what you can actually buy today.

Which one to buy

Choose the GeForce GTX 260 if you want the faster card, and you can accept 0 GB of memory. It makes the most sense at 1440p and above, or on a monitor with a high refresh rate.

Choose the Radeon HD 6850 if the price gap matters more than the small speed difference, and you value the extra video memory. Whichever you pick, check reviews for the games you play, because two cards with similar scores can differ in individual titles.