GeForce 8600 GT 256MB GDDR3 vs GeForce GT 1030

Intro

Compare those specifications to the GeForce GT 1030, which comes with a core clock speed of 1265 MHz and a GDDR5 memory speed of 1502 MHz. It also features a 64-bit memory bus, and makes use of a 16 nm design. It features 384 SPUs, 32 TAUs, and 16 ROPs.

Display Graphs

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Power Usage and Theoretical Benchmarks

Power Consumption (Max TDP)

GeForce GT 1030		30 Watts
GeForce 8600 GT 256MB GDDR3		47 Watts
	Difference: 17 Watts (57%)

Memory Bandwidth

In theory, the GeForce GT 1030 should be 119% quicker than the GeForce 8600 GT 256MB GDDR3 in general, due to its greater data rate. (explain)

GeForce GT 1030		49152 MB/sec
GeForce 8600 GT 256MB GDDR3		22400 MB/sec
	Difference: 26752 (119%)

Texel Rate

The GeForce GT 1030 is a lot (about 369%) faster with regards to AF than the GeForce 8600 GT 256MB GDDR3. (explain)

GeForce GT 1030		40480 Mtexels/sec
GeForce 8600 GT 256MB GDDR3		8640 Mtexels/sec
	Difference: 31840 (369%)

Pixel Rate

The GeForce GT 1030 will be a lot (approximately 369%) faster with regards to full screen anti-aliasing than the GeForce 8600 GT 256MB GDDR3, and also capable of handling higher resolutions without slowing down too much. (explain)

GeForce GT 1030		20240 Mpixels/sec
GeForce 8600 GT 256MB GDDR3		4320 Mpixels/sec
	Difference: 15920 (369%)

Please note that the above 'benchmarks' are all just theoretical - the results were calculated based on the card's specifications, and real-world performance may (and probably will) vary at least a bit.

Price Comparison

Specifications

Memory Bandwidth: Bandwidth is the largest amount of data (measured in MB per second) that can be transferred past the external memory interface in a second. It's worked out by multiplying the card's bus width by the speed of its memory. If it uses DDR RAM, it should be multiplied by 2 once again. If it uses DDR5, multiply by ANOTHER 2x. The better the bandwidth is, the faster the card will be in general. It especially helps with anti-aliasing, HDR and high resolutions.

Texel Rate: Texel rate is the maximum number of texture map elements (texels) that can be applied in one second. This is calculated by multiplying the total number of texture units by the core clock speed of the chip. The higher the texel rate, the better the video card will be at texture filtering (anisotropic filtering - AF). It is measured in millions of texels applied in a second.

Pixel Rate: Pixel rate is the most pixels the graphics card can possibly write to the local memory in one second - measured in millions of pixels per second. The figure is worked out by multiplying the number of colour ROPs by the clock speed of the card. ROPs (Raster Operations Pipelines - also called Render Output Units) are responsible for outputting the pixels (image) to the screen. The actual pixel fill rate is also dependant on lots of other factors, especially the memory bandwidth - the lower the bandwidth is, the lower the ability to reach the maximum fill rate.