GeForce 8800 GT 512MB vs GeForce GT 315

Intro

Compare those specs to the GeForce GT 315, which features a clock frequency of 625 MHz and a DDR3 memory frequency of 790 MHz. It also makes use of a 128-bit bus, and makes use of a 40 nm design. It features 48 SPUs, 16 TAUs, and 8 ROPs.

Display Graphs

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Power Usage and Theoretical Benchmarks

Power Consumption (Max TDP)

GeForce GT 315		52 Watts
GeForce 8800 GT 512MB		105 Watts
	Difference: 53 Watts (102%)

Memory Bandwidth

In theory, the GeForce 8800 GT 512MB should be a lot faster than the GeForce GT 315 overall. (explain)

GeForce 8800 GT 512MB		57600 MB/sec
GeForce GT 315		25280 MB/sec
	Difference: 32320 (128%)

Texel Rate

The GeForce 8800 GT 512MB is much (approximately 236%) faster with regards to AF than the GeForce GT 315. (explain)

GeForce 8800 GT 512MB		33600 Mtexels/sec
GeForce GT 315		10000 Mtexels/sec
	Difference: 23600 (236%)

Pixel Rate

The GeForce 8800 GT 512MB should be quite a bit (approximately 92%) faster with regards to AA than the GeForce GT 315, and also will be capable of handling higher resolutions while still performing well. (explain)

GeForce 8800 GT 512MB		9600 Mpixels/sec
GeForce GT 315		5000 Mpixels/sec
	Difference: 4600 (92%)

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 maximum amount of data (in units of megabytes per second) that can be transferred past the external memory interface within a second. It's calculated by multiplying the card's bus width by its memory speed. In the case of DDR type memory, it should be multiplied by 2 once again. If it uses DDR5, multiply by 4 instead. The higher the bandwidth is, the faster the card will be in general. It especially helps with anti-aliasing, High Dynamic Range and high resolutions.

Texel Rate: Texel rate is the maximum texture map elements (texels) that are processed in one second. This number is worked out by multiplying the total amount of texture units of the card by the core speed of the chip. The higher the texel rate, the better the card will be at handling texture filtering (anisotropic filtering - AF). It is measured in millions of texels processed in one second.

Pixel Rate: Pixel rate is the maximum amount of pixels that the graphics chip could possibly write to the local memory in a second - measured in millions of pixels per second. Pixel rate is calculated by multiplying the number of ROPs by the the core speed of the card. ROPs (Raster Operations Pipelines - aka Render Output Units) are responsible for outputting the pixels (image) to the screen. The actual pixel output rate is also dependant on quite a few other factors, especially the memory bandwidth of the card - the lower the memory bandwidth is, the lower the potential to get to the maximum fill rate.