GeForce FX 5900 vs 8800 Ultra
Aggregate performance score
We've compared GeForce 8800 Ultra and GeForce FX 5900, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.
8800 Ultra outperforms FX 5900 by a whopping 1825% 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 | 1022 | 1542 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.02 | no data |
| Power efficiency | 0.70 | no data |
| Architecture | Tesla (2006−2010) | Rankine (2003−2005) |
| GPU code name | G80 | NV35 |
| Market segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Release date | 2 May 2007 (19 years ago) | 12 May 2003 (23 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $829 | $399 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
The higher the ratio, the better. We use the manufacturer's recommended prices.
8800 Ultra and FX 5900 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 | 612 | no data |
| Core clock speed | 612 MHz | 400 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 681 million | 135 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 90 nm | 130 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 171 Watt | no data |
| Texture fill rate | 39.17 | 3.200 |
| Floating-point processing power | 0.3871 TFLOPS | no data |
| ROPs | 24 | 4 |
| TMUs | 32 | 8 |
| L2 Cache | 96 KB | no data |
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 | AGP 8x |
| Length | 270 mm | 218 mm |
| Width | 2-slot | 1-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors | 2x 6-pin | 1x Molex |
| 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 | DDR |
| Maximum RAM amount | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Memory bus width | 384 Bit | 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 1080 MHz | 425 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 103.7 GB/s | 27.2 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 | 1x DVI, 1x VGA, 1x S-Video |
API and SDK support
List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 11.1 (10_0) | 9.0a |
| Shader Model | 4.0 | no data |
| OpenGL | 3.3 | 1.5 (2.1) |
| OpenCL | 1.1 | N/A |
| Vulkan | N/A | N/A |
| CUDA | + | - |
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 | 1.54 | 0.08 |
| Recency | 2 May 2007 | 12 May 2003 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Chip lithography | 90 nm | 130 nm |
8800 Ultra has a 1825% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, a 300% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 44% more advanced lithography process.
The GeForce 8800 Ultra is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce FX 5900 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.
