GeForce 9600 GT 512MB vs GeForce GT 230

Intro

Compare those specs to the GeForce GT 230, which features a core clock speed of 550 MHz and a DDR3 memory speed of 800 MHz. It also features a 192-bit bus, and uses a 40 nm design. It is comprised of 32 SPUs, 16 TAUs, and 8 ROPs.

Display Graphs

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Power Usage and Theoretical Benchmarks

Power Consumption (Max TDP)

GeForce GT 230		65 Watts
GeForce 9600 GT 512MB		95 Watts
	Difference: 30 Watts (46%)

Memory Bandwidth

Theoretically speaking, the GeForce 9600 GT 512MB should perform much faster than the GeForce GT 230 overall. (explain)

GeForce 9600 GT 512MB		57600 MB/sec
GeForce GT 230		38400 MB/sec
	Difference: 19200 (50%)

Texel Rate

The GeForce 9600 GT 512MB will be much (approximately 136%) more effective at texture filtering than the GeForce GT 230. (explain)

GeForce 9600 GT 512MB		20800 Mtexels/sec
GeForce GT 230		8800 Mtexels/sec
	Difference: 12000 (136%)

Pixel Rate

The GeForce 9600 GT 512MB is much (about 136%) faster with regards to FSAA than the GeForce GT 230, and capable of handling higher screen resolutions without losing too much performance. (explain)

GeForce 9600 GT 512MB		10400 Mpixels/sec
GeForce GT 230		4400 Mpixels/sec
	Difference: 6000 (136%)

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: Memory bandwidth is the max amount of data (counted in MB per second) that can be transported across the external memory interface in a second. It's calculated by multiplying the bus width by its memory speed. If it uses DDR memory, it should be multiplied by 2 again. If DDR5, multiply by ANOTHER 2x. The higher the card's memory bandwidth, the faster the card will be in general. It especially helps with AA, High Dynamic Range and high resolutions.

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

Pixel Rate: Pixel rate is the maximum number of pixels that the graphics card could possibly record to the local memory in one second - measured in millions of pixels per second. The figure is calculated by multiplying the number of Raster Operations Pipelines by the the core speed of the card. ROPs (Raster Operations Pipelines - also called Render Output Units) are responsible for filling the screen with pixels (the image). The actual pixel rate is also dependant on lots of other factors, most notably the memory bandwidth - the lower the bandwidth is, the lower the ability to get to the max fill rate.