GeForce 8600 GT vs 7950 GX2
Aggregate performance score
We've compared GeForce 7950 GX2 and GeForce 8600 GT, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.
7950 GX2 outperforms 8600 GT by an impressive 78% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Contents
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in the ranking | 1265 | 1358 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| Power efficiency | 0.45 | 0.59 |
| Architecture | Curie (2003−2013) | Tesla (2006−2010) |
| GPU code name | G71 | G84 |
| Market segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Release date | 5 June 2006 (20 years ago) | 17 April 2007 (19 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $599 | $159 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
The higher the ratio, the better. We use the manufacturer's recommended prices.
7950 GX2 and 8600 GT have a nearly equal value for money.
Performance to price scatter graph
Currently popular graphics cards are shown for comparison.
Detailed specifications
General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Real power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially if overclocked.
| Pipelines / CUDA cores | no data | 32 |
| Core clock speed | 500 MHz | 540 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 278 million | 289 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 90 nm | 80 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 110 Watt | 47 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 12.00 ×2 | 8.640 |
| Floating-point processing power | no data | 0.07616 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 16 ×2 | 8 |
| TMUs | 24 ×2 | 16 |
| L2 Cache | no data | 32 KB |
Form factor & compatibility
Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).
| Interface | PCIe 1.0 x16 | PCIe 1.0 x16 |
| Length | 270 mm | 170 mm |
| Width | 2-slot | 1-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors | 1x 6-pin | None |
| SLI options | - | + |
VRAM capacity and type
Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.
| Memory type | GDDR3 | GDDR3 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 512 MB ×2 | 512 MB |
| Standard memory config per GPU | no data | 256 MB |
| Memory bus width | 256 Bit ×2 | 128 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 600 MHz | 700 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 38.4 GB/s ×2 | 22.4 GB/s |
Connectivity and outputs
This section shows the types and number of video connectors on each GPU. The data applies specifically to desktop reference models (for example, NVIDIA’s Founders Edition). OEM partners often modify both the number and types of ports. On notebook GPUs, video‐output options are determined by the laptop’s design rather than the graphics chip itself.
| Display Connectors | 2x DVI, 1x S-Video | 2x DVI, 1x S-Video |
API and SDK support
List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 9.0c (9_3) | 11.1 (10_0) |
| Shader Model | 3.0 | 4.0 |
| OpenGL | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| OpenCL | N/A | 1.1 |
| Vulkan | N/A | N/A |
| CUDA | - | 1.1 |
Synthetic benchmarks
Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark score.
Passmark
This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.
Gaming performance
Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 0.64 | 0.36 |
| Recency | 5 June 2006 | 17 April 2007 |
| Chip lithography | 90 nm | 80 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 110 Watt | 47 Watt |
7950 GX2 has a 78% higher aggregate performance score.
8600 GT, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 10 months, a 13% more advanced lithography process, and 134% lower power consumption.
The GeForce 7950 GX2 is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce 8600 GT in performance tests.
Other comparisons
We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.
