GTX 690 vs RTX 2060 12GB
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | GTX 690 | RTX 2060 12GB | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 2,191 | 2,513 | -12.8% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 34 | 36 | -5.6% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 19 | 20 | -5.0% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 10 | 11 | -9.1% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 6.3 | 7.2 | -12.8% |
| VRAM | 4 GB GDDR5 | 12 GB GDDR6 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 448 | 336 | +33.3% |
| TDP (W) | 300 | 185 | — |
- RTX 2060 12GB averages 20 fps at 1440p versus 19 fps — about 5% faster.
- RTX 2060 12GB draws less power (185W vs 300W).
Verdict: GTX 690 or RTX 2060 12GB?
GTX 690 advantages
- Memory bandwidth (+25%)
RTX 2060 12GB advantages
- 1440p gaming (+5%)
- 4K gaming (+9%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+13%)
- Video memory (+67%)
- Power efficiency (+38%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the GTX 690 if you work with high-resolution textures or memory-bound workloads.
- Choose the RTX 2060 12GB if you game at 1440p.
GTX 690 vs RTX 2060 12GB: which should you choose?
GTX 690 — NVIDIA desktop graphics card (2012, Kepler) with 4 GB of GDDR5, averaging 19 fps at 1440p; launched at $999.
RTX 2060 12GB — NVIDIA desktop graphics card (2021, Turing) with 12 GB of GDDR6, averaging 20 fps at 1440p.
GTX 690 vs RTX 2060 12GB: RTX 2060 12GB is faster for gaming. RTX 2060 12GB averages 20 fps at 1440p versus 19 fps — about 5% faster. RTX 2060 12GB draws less power (185W vs 300W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the RTX 2060 12GB averages 20 fps against 19. At 4K (10 vs 11 fps) VRAM (4GB vs 12GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 300 W versus 185 W, which affects PSU headroom, case cooling and noise.
The verdict
Both are credible choices in the graphics card comparison space; the specification table above lays out every metric so you can weigh the trade-offs that matter to you. Pick the one whose strengths line up with how you will actually use it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the GTX 690 better than the RTX 2060 12GB?
RTX 2060 12GB is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. RTX 2060 12GB averages 20 fps at 1440p versus 19 fps — about 5% faster.
What is the main difference between the GTX 690 and the RTX 2060 12GB?
RTX 2060 12GB averages 20 fps at 1440p versus 19 fps — about 5% faster. RTX 2060 12GB draws less power (185W vs 300W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the GTX 690 if you work with high-resolution textures or memory-bound workloads. Choose the RTX 2060 12GB if you game at 1440p.
Methodology
Graphics cards are compared on 3DMark Time Spy scores, average gaming frame rates at 1080p/1440p/4K, FP32 compute throughput, VRAM capacity and type, memory bandwidth, board power (TDP) and launch MSRP — plus AI workload throughput (Stable Diffusion iterations/s and local LLM tokens/s) where measured. Vintage and server GPUs without modern benchmark results are compared on specifications only, clearly labelled. Frame rates are averages across a game suite at high settings; specific titles vary.