Compare any two graphics cards:
GeForce 8600 GT 512MB DDR2 vs GeForce 9400 GT 256MB
IntroThe GeForce 8600 GT 512MB DDR2 features a GPU core speed of 540 MHz, and the 512 MB of DDR2 RAM is set to run at 400 MHz through a 128-bit bus. It also is made up of 32 Stream Processors, 16 Texture Address Units, and 8 Raster Operation Units.Compare those specifications to the GeForce 9400 GT 256MB, which features a core clock frequency of 550 MHz and a GDDR2 memory frequency of 400 MHz. It also features a 128-bit bus, and uses a 65 nm design. It is comprised of 16 SPUs, 8 Texture Address Units, and 4 Raster Operation Units.
Display Graphs
Power Usage and Theoretical BenchmarksPower Consumption (Max TDP)
Memory BandwidthBoth cards have exactly the same bandwidth, so in theory they should have identical performance. (explain)
Texel RateThe GeForce 8600 GT 512MB DDR2 is much (about 96%) better at AF than the GeForce 9400 GT 256MB. (explain)
Pixel RateThe GeForce 8600 GT 512MB DDR2 will be quite a bit (approximately 96%) faster with regards to FSAA than the GeForce 9400 GT 256MB, and also should be able to handle higher resolutions better. (explain)
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
Display Prices
Please note that the price comparisons are based on search keywords - sometimes it might show cards with very similar names that are not exactly the same as the one chosen in the comparison. We do try to filter out the wrong results as best we can, though. Specifications
Display Specifications
Memory Bandwidth: Bandwidth is the largest amount of data (in units of MB per second) that can be transported across the external memory interface in a second. It is worked out by multiplying the bus width by its memory speed. If the card has DDR type RAM, the result should be multiplied by 2 again. If it uses DDR5, multiply by 4 instead. The higher the memory bandwidth, the faster the card will be in general. It especially helps with anti-aliasing, High Dynamic Range and higher screen resolutions. Texel Rate: Texel rate is the maximum number of 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 clock speed of the chip. The higher the texel rate, the better the video card will be at handling texture filtering (anisotropic filtering - AF). It is measured in millions of texels in a second. Pixel Rate: Pixel rate is the maximum number of pixels that the graphics chip can possibly write to the local memory in a second - measured in millions of pixels per second. The number is worked out by multiplying the number of ROPs by the the core speed of the card. ROPs (Raster Operations Pipelines - sometimes also referred to as Render Output Units) are responsible for filling the screen with pixels (the image). The actual pixel rate is also dependant on many other factors, especially the memory bandwidth of the card - the lower the memory bandwidth is, the lower the potential to get to the max fill rate.
Display Prices
Please note that the price comparisons are based on search keywords - sometimes it might show cards with very similar names that are not exactly the same as the one chosen in the comparison. We do try to filter out the wrong results as best we can, though.
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