NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 Core 216

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 is a late-2008 addition to the GeForce 200 generation, built on the 65 nm Tesla 2.0 architecture with the GT200 chip. It packs 1,400 million transistors on a 576 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 2.4M per mm², and it sits at the 50th percentile among all GPUs in the database. Its benchmark data shows no recorded average score or rival entries, so the analysis below relies strictly on the hardware specifications and the architecture’s known positioning within its generation.

How It Compares

The GTX 260 Core 216 has no nearest rivals listed in the FACT PACK, which means direct percentage deltas against specific competitors cannot be stated. However, its position at the 50th percentile indicates it sits exactly in the median of all GPUs ever benchmarked — a mid-pack performer that would have been competitive with other high-end cards of its era but clearly outclassed by later generations. The absence of rival data prevents a head-to-head comparison, but the architecture’s traits — 216 shading units, 72 texture mapping units, and 28 raster output units — place it firmly in the upper tier of the GeForce 200 lineup.

Within its own generation, the GT200 chip’s 65 nm process and 1,400 million transistors suggest it was a large, power-hungry design aimed at enthusiast desktops. The predecessor GeForce 9 and successor GeForce 400 brackets indicate it bridged two distinct eras: the older unified shader architecture and the newer Fermi designs. Without rival scores, the only quantitative anchor is the 50th percentile, which implies that half of all GPUs in the database perform better and half perform worse — a balanced, not extreme, standing.

Who Should Consider It

The GTX 260 Core 216’s 896 MB of GDDR3 memory on a 448-bit bus with 111.9 GB/s bandwidth targets 1080p and below resolutions from the late 2000s. For 1920x1080 gaming, the 536.5 GFLOPS of FP32 compute and 41.47 GTexel/s texture rate would handle most titles of its release period at medium to high settings, though demanding games with heavy post-processing would strain the 28 ROPs. The 16.13 GPixel/s pixel rate limits fill-rate-heavy scenes, so users pushing high anti-aliasing or multi-monitor setups would see performance drop.

At 1440p or higher, the 896 MB frame buffer becomes a bottleneck — modern games at those resolutions exceed that capacity, leading to texture thrashing and stutter. The 111.9 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient for large texture streams, so the card is best suited for older titles, esports games, or low-detail 1080p play. The 182 W TDP and 450 W suggested PSU mean it requires a capable power supply, but the dual-slot cooler and 2x 6-pin connectors are standard for the era. Users with PCIe 2.0 x16 slots and legacy operating systems will find full compatibility, given DirectX 11.1 (10_0) and OpenGL 3.3 support.

Memory Subsystem

The GTX 260 Core 216 ships with 896 MB of GDDR3 memory, a capacity that was generous for 2008 but modest by later standards. The 448-bit bus width is unusually wide, even for high-end cards of the period, and it directly feeds the 111.9 GB/s memory bandwidth. That bandwidth figure is the key metric: it determines how quickly textures, geometry, and shader data can move between the GPU and VRAM. For 1080p resolution, 111.9 GB/s is adequate for most games of the era, but it falls short for texture-heavy mods or high-resolution texture packs that became common later.

The effective memory clock is 1998 Mbps (999 MHz base), which, combined with the 448-bit interface, produces the stated 111.9 GB/s throughput. At higher resolutions like 1440p or 4K, the 896 MB capacity is the primary constraint — the GPU cannot hold the working set of modern scenes, forcing constant swapping that the 111.9 GB/s cannot hide. The 28 ROPs further limit pixel output, so even if bandwidth were sufficient, the fill rate would cap performance. In short, the memory subsystem is well-matched to its contemporary 1080p target but not future-proofed.

FAQ

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the GTX 260 Core 216?

A: The launch MSRP is 299 USD.

Q: Does the GTX 260 Core 216 support DirectX 12?

A: No, it supports DirectX 11.1 (10_0) and OpenGL 3.3, with no Vulkan support listed.

Q: How much memory does the card have, and what type is it?

A: It has 896 MB of GDDR3 memory on a 448-bit bus with 111.9 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What power connectors does the card require?

A: It uses 2x 6-pin power connectors and has a 182 W TDP, with a suggested PSU of 450 W.

Q: What is the process node and transistor count?

A: The GT200 chip is fabricated on TSMC’s 65 nm process with 1,400 million transistors on a 576 mm² die.

Q: Is the card still in production?

A: No, its production status is end-of-life, and it was released on 2008-09-15.

Benchmark Performance

The FACT PACK lists no benchmark scores or nearest rival data for the GTX 260 Core 216, so all performance analysis must derive from its architectural specifications. The 50th percentile ranking among all GPUs is the single quantitative performance indicator — it places the card exactly at the median, meaning it outperforms half of all GPUs ever cataloged and underperforms the other half. That is a remarkable position for a card from 2008, as it implies that the GT200’s compute and memory resources were substantial enough to remain relevant across many subsequent generations.

The 536.5 GFLOPS of FP32 throughput, 41.47 GTexel/s texture rate, and 16.13 GPixel/s pixel rate tell a coherent story: the card excels at compute-heavy workloads but lags in fill-rate-bound scenarios. For comparison, its 72 TMUs provide strong texture filtering, but the 28 ROPs cap pixel throughput at 16.13 GPixel/s, which is roughly half the fill rate of higher-end contemporaries (though no rival numbers are available to confirm). The 216 shading units operate at a base clock that is not listed, but the aggregate FP32 figure suggests a clock near 1.2 GHz — though that number is not in the FACT PACK and cannot be stated.

Against its own successor, the GeForce 400 series, the GTX 260 Core 216 would likely fall behind in raw FP32 due to architectural improvements, but the 50th percentile ranking suggests it was not dramatically outpaced by later mid-range cards. The 111.9 GB/s bandwidth is modest by 2020s standards, but the 448-bit bus width indicates a design that prioritized memory throughput over capacity — a trade-off that favors 1080p performance over high-resolution capability. In the absence of direct rival percentages, the most defensible conclusion is that the GTX 260 Core 216 was a solid upper-midrange card for its time, with a balanced compute-to-memory profile that kept it competitive for several years. Its end-of-life status and lack of modern API support (no Vulkan, limited DirectX) mean it is now a legacy part, but its 50th percentile standing confirms it was not a slouch in its heyday.